On her newest single, TARYN takes the Songwriting 101 book and throws it out the window. Formed around only two phrases with no verse or bridge, “Brand New” plays by the Nashville-based artist’s own rules, taking simple materials—syncopated drums, guitar flickers, tambourine jangles—and churning them into something as sweet, light, and refreshing as ice cream on a hot summer night. Finger snaps become floodgates to aerial-silk harmonies, ribboning in reverb; each clipped “brand new” starts to feel less hesitant and more excited, like falling head-first into plush clouds. The song ends the same way it begins: a capella with snaps, a few inches of camp and WTFery from a would-be Glee performance. It feels circular almost, but TARYN seems cleansed, more confident after repeating her mantra for three minutes. Her words no longer a wish, but a promise: “Begin again, brand new.”
LADIPOE: The Maestro of Nigerian Rap
Oladipo Eso, famously known as LADIPOE, stands tall as a luminary in the Nigerian rap scene, celebrated for his impeccable
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May