Elle Winter Performs At Dunkin Latte Lounge

Growing up amidst the rich musical legacy of Philadelphia, Russell absorbed the sounds and style of the artists that came before him  as well as his contemporaries. From Gamble and Huff to Jill Scott, Russell has been inspired by the authentic musicianship of fellow  Philly artists.

After successfully releasing the "War of Hearts" and "Tin Man: The Blue" projects, Russell Taylor has been able to capture the attention and hearts of music lovers, leading to sold out shows at the Apollo and Blues Alley, a video for NPR’s Tiny Desk and multiple media appearances in major cities across the U.S., not including the enormous amount of attention he has received from the VH1 franchise. After being voted one of the network’s You Oughta Know Artists in its first ever crowd sourcing contest, Russell’s music stayed in heavy rotation on the network. He was also featured on VH1’s The Morning Buzz Live and the 60 second mini-performance segment Stop/Watch. Music fans may have also heard War of Hearts on television shows like The Fosters, Degrassi the Next Generation, Atlanta Exes and Black Ink Crew. Russell says, “I live a life of gratitude. I am grateful for this God-given ability and that I have been so well-received for so long.

Lead single “Stayed Down” enlists 1K Phew, Social Club Misfits, Jack Red, Mico Wave and Chi-Town legend Twista for an epic posse cut. “The Remedy” brings listeners a reflective note with Jonathan Mcreynolds and Jack Red as LaMarr expresses gratitude for the light he found when he was at his darkest point.

“It took me my whole life to make one album, but this album is my whole life,” he shares of aPERFECTmess.

Canal Street the film was released in 2019 and was LaMarr’s big break as a producer/director/screenwriter that gave him confidence to continue pursuing his artistry. It allowed him to travel across the country to share his story and build his own entertainment production company Red Guerilla Entertainment with fellow business partner Bishop Eric D. Garnes. After doing projects with late comedian Bernie Mac, Grammy-winning musician Common and Academy Award-winner George Clooney. He’s come a long way from having nothing but a pen and notepad.

LaMarr isn’t reinventing the wheel by combining his love of music and film. He’s following in the footsteps of Kanye West, Pharrell, John Legend and 50 Cent by taking ownership of his craft and putting in his own spin of positivity.

Her inspirational anti-bullying “You Matter” Tour (YMT) swept across the country and Europe in October 2019 to coincide with National Bullying Prevention Month.  Stops included schools in NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, Charlotte, Frankfurt, Germany, and Casey’s hometown of Andover, MA.

The YMT is a 90-minute school assembly show where Casey connects with students by leveraging the fame she earned on American Idol and sharing her own personal experiences with bullying and body shaming.

Following the YMT, Casey spent the last two months of 2019 and first part of 2020 touring with singer-songwriters, Tyler Hilton, Kate Voegele, Stephen Kellogg, Eric Hutchinson, and Nick Howard. 

Casey is committed to being honest with fans by sharing her personal struggles – the music video for her first single, Beautiful, depicts her powerful story of growing up in our beauty-obsessed society, and the video for her newest single, Hold Me, illustrates the loneliness of transient relationships. 

After growing up and graduating high school in New York, Carly moved to LA and found her sound — one that she describes as “sultry guitar-driven pop,” inspired by scruffy, indie rock bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Queens of the Stone Age but viewed through the lens of strong song structure and pop sensibility.

The years of incubation have paid off as Carly emerges as one of the most refreshing and fully formed young artists - wise beyond her years, with an unexpected soul in her voice that cuts right through an oversaturated “insta” pop music industry. Writing all of her own songs, Carly offers commentary on weighty topics such as drug addiction and lost youth, yet packages it in a way that is accessible to a wide range of listeners. Listen once and you might hear a fun song to jam to, listen deeper and you could find yourself contemplating some of life’s most topical and challenging issues.

Carly’s upcoming single, Twentyone , is her homage to artists like Lil Peep and Juice WRLD who rose to superstardom, then didn’t live to see their 21st birthdays. The song explores the lifestyle of excess and immense power that comes along with fame in today’s society, which can be intoxicating, yet incredibly destructive. “These words are my feelings of that unsettling contemplation that sets in when the impact of our icons becomes the only thing left to idolize.”

Throughout her growth as a musical artist, Carly has continued to pursue her education, something which has always been important to her. As a Music Industry major at the University of Southern California, she has not only expanded her horizons academically and sonically, but developed close friendships and collaborative relationships with her fellow young creatives.

Music is so much more than business for Carly. Her passion for songwriting and using music as a vehicle for healing is deep-rooted. Since Carly was twelve years old, she has been dedicated to helping improve the lives and spirits of sick children and their families. She was named one of the most powerful women under 21 by Seventeen magazine, in part for her work with enCourage Children’s Foundation. In her role as enCourage Ambassador, Carly has performed numerous times on TV at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, sung at the annual gala and made generous donations from concert proceeds. Recently during the pandemic, Carly developed a virtual, interactive songwriting workshop for the immune-compromised children who are stuck at home. Most importantly, Carly has been a personal friend and confidant to many of the kids and their families for years.

So what’s next for Carly? Continuing to grow as a catalog artist with enduring appeal. In an era of short attention spans, Carly has blazed her own path from day one, and continues to do so in all aspects of her life. Now more than ever, Carly couldn’t be more excited about what lie ahead.

Gearing up to release the final installment of his debut series, forthcoming EP Welcome To My Mind finds Spencer opening up like never before. While his sense of melody is undeniably timeless, Barnett endlessly pushes toward sonic innovation, dreaming up a boldly inventive yet subtly nuanced sound.

Josh studied at the prestigious summer program at The Juilliard School and graduated from Five Towns College. Realizing that classical music just wasn’t in his heart, nor getting him attention from the ladies, he decided to pivot. “By college, I knew I wanted to be a R&B singer,” he laughs.

In college, the wunderkind began to sneak away to late-night studio sessions, eventually meeting rapper Jadakiss. It just felt right. “I knew this is what I was supposed to do. I started doing a lot of open mics and putting my face out there. The dots started connecting.” By 2008, he was making the rounds as an independent artist (under the moniker Josh Xantus) and released “All For Love” (featuring Jadakiss). His network grew, working with notables like Swizz Beatz (co-writing “Ready to Go” for FOX’s hit show Empire), Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis and Bryan “Birdman” Williams from Cash Money Records. 2009’s “First Time” even caught the ear of Stevie Wonder and led to a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the legend. “I’ll never forget that song. He took interest in me. That song opened up a lot of doors,” says Josh.

One of those doors was linking with Shaft of The KSR Group, a NYC-based record label that was working with then-fledgling artist Cardi B. Josh was tasked with writing and producing for Cardi beginning in 2015. “I saw the vision. I was the first person to produce Cardi. The two collaborated on her single “Selfish” as well as his “Heaven On My Mind” in 2016. After working tirelessly behind-the-scenes for three years to help shape Cardi’s astronomical rise, Josh X is ready to emerge as a star in his own right.

Dropping “Xantus” from this stage name, Josh X is ready for this new chapter in his life. He signed with Epic Records in early 2018 and released his first single, “All On Me (featuring Rick Ross).” The song is an ode to triumph and perseverance; something Josh knows all about. “Man, so I’m in Miami. I’m cutting the record—not on pen—all in the booth. I heard the beat and the track has over 60 brass instruments alone!” he says. Immediately he was hooked. “It just came out of me.” The song serves as a fitting introduction for a career a long time in the making. “At that moment, I wanted to show everyone who has been patient waiting for me the man that I’m going to be. This moment is how we’re going to celebrate life. It’s about elevation. It’s about achieving the goals you set for yourself.”

In 2019, Josh released his "Piano Confessions" EP to rave reviews. All in preparation to the upcoming release of "The X Project". “A blend of that new age R&B with bits of trap-vibes sprinkled throughout, while giving my fans the traditional Josh X sound with records as “One Last Time“. Musically and symbolically, it’s a full-circle for Josh. “I’ve been patient. It’s my time to shine.”

“I want my songs to reach the depth of people’s souls. I want to sing and write music that relate to everyone's experience and transport them to a place of love."

Although Tylan is only 16 years old he has been very methodical and intentional about the music he puts into the atmosphere. He is eager to learn how to elevate his craft and wants to collaborate with musicians that not only share his passion, but that he can learn from. Tylan just collaborated with multi-platinum and multi-award winning recording artist, Wale. Unlike many artists who struggle to find their identity, Tylan seems to possess an innate sense of self and purpose through his music. He has an eclectic and diverse combination of musical influences that has undoubtedly molded him into the performing artist he is today. He gives credit to musical geniuses such as Michael Jackson, Usher, Boys II Men, Ne-Yo, and admits that old school music has played a significant role in defining his sound.

Later this summer, Tylan will be releasing his debut EP. He is currently enjoying the early success of his new single, "Feel This Way" featuring Ronnie DeVoe.

In fact, what would eventually turn into EP actually started life as a singles project when the band decided to release “Microphone”. It was a song they’d been sitting on for a couple of years and felt it would make an amazing live song to release before tour – which started in January and finished at the end of February, mere weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic really struck. But soon after finishing that song, they were connected with Norwegian EDM production duo Seeb, and the collaboration of “Best I Can” was set in motion. As the pandemic continued to spread and grow, the band’s members realized it might be a long time until they’d be able to get together in the same room again.

“We live in three different places now,” says Barnett, “but we’re such a collaborative band that when we write music we write it all together. With everything going on, we didn’t know when the next time all four of us would be able to fly to a studio space and start cranking out new stuff. But we had these songs we really liked, and it seemed like a good time to do another EP and share these songs with the world – if we can give people a little bit more joy or happiness, a bit more light and hope at the end of this tunnel, why not do that right now?”

That’s exactly what Counting Down offers. It kicks off with “Brick By Brick”, a high-octane, uplifting track that defies the doubts of its lyric to start the EP with a powerful jolt of defiance. Recorded by Seasons producer Cason Cooley, the song is about overcoming self-doubt, and serves as a testament to the hard work that the band, even after the runaway success of 2013 single “Best Day Of My Life”, put into what they do. Beyond that, it also doubles up as a commentary on the current political climate of the USA.

It all comes together to present a vision of the band that’s at once recognizable and unfamiliar. For while Barnett does think some of these songs “are even more in the genre of classic American Authors than a lot of other stuff we’ve done in recent history”, he also sees this EP as opening a new door and leaving the past behind.   

Sam’s scheme paid off and he signed to a small indie label. Suddenly, things were looking up. Everything would be fine. And it was, for a while. Then after ten months and precisely zero releases, it was over. The split was as amicable as these things generally can be, which meant that Sam was allowed to keep the songs he’d been working on. One of them, “This City”, which Sam had written about his earlier struggles making it in LA, took on a new meaning. The song took further significance when Sam released it the following year and saw it soar to 75m streams (and counting), launching his career in the process. “I’m forever grateful for ‘This City’,” Sam smiles.

“This City’s” slow-burn success also led to further well-received releases, as well as a pivotal tour with Lewis Capaldi — although Sam had to swerve the opening date as it fell on his wedding day. “The tour made for a strange honeymoon, but Lewis is an absolute icon and a very dear mate and I probably wouldn’t be here without him,” Sam adds. The success of Sam’s music has also resulted in a new deal with RCA Records with plans to release a deluge of new material in 2020.

Among the new songs is one called “Ready” which, like “This City” and a number of Sam’s other tunes, is an unconventional take on a love song: it’s a love song that isn’t a love song, but it’s also sort of a love song. “It’s unrequited love,” Sam begins. “It’s ‘I know I can be good for you, I know we can be good for each other, but you don’t see it and it’s killing me’. But it’s not about romance.”

Sam adds that seeing fans and listeners decipher his lyrics and insert their own experiences into his work is one of the most rewarding aspects of songwriting. “It’s so beautiful to see people find their own meaning in my songs,” he says. “I want my music to be a safe place for people to feel their own feelings and to talk about themselves when they haven’t yet found their own way of doing it. I want people to feel they can take cover in my words.”

On its heels, "Coolin It" put up 473K streams and counting. When the Reno-born and Miami-based songstress grabs the microphone, all eyes immediately lock on her. Empowering audiences by wholeheartedly and courageously showing herself, Jada strives to represent plus-sized women, LGBTQ women, and black women. She is proud of her body type, sexuality and skin and wants her listeners to feel confident through her music. Jada started singing at just three-years-old. Inspired by Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Ella Fitzgerald (thanks to her dad), she diligently developed her voice. Moving to Miami at the age of twelve, she divided her time between choir and musical theater, penning her first songs in junior year of high school. Studying Jazz Voice at The New School in New York City, she carefully crafted a style of her own upon returning home. With more music and performances in-store, Jada’s assuredness ultimately carries through everything she does.