This past week, Zico became the first artist of 2020 to have a song attain a “Perfect All-Kill” on the South-Korean charts. For those who don’t know what that is, it means that a song is number one on the daily and realtime charts of Melon, Genie, Bugs, and Soribada along with the realtime charts of Flo and iChart; criteria that makes a song a Certified All-Kill. A Perfect All-Kill is then achieved when the song also becomes number one on iChart’s weekly chart. Despite being an undeniably talented artist who has been a fixture in the Korean mainstream for almost a decade, this is the first Perfect All-Kill that Zico has been a part of.

FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA – Make room Nicki Minaj and Cardi B! There’s a new rapper on the scene. Kennedy O’Neal (aka – Super Kennedy) might just be 7-years-old but she’s a lyrical maestro in the making on a mission to teach kids and adults about financial responsibility. To kick off the New Year, she is excited to release her debut single appropriately titled, “Piggy Bank.” You can watch the music video at this link.

For fans that veer away from the mainstream of Korean music, the name G.Soul will hardly be unfamiliar. The now 31-year-old burst onto the scene to much fanfare with his 2015 EP Coming Home (largely due to an infamous 15 year “training” period which involved considerable time stateside), with its title track proving to be the perfect supplement to the years of anticipation. “Coming Home” perfectly meshed the soulful vocals of Ki Ji-Hyun with an electronica backbeat and underlying finger snaps, making for a refreshing twist on modern R&B. The eventual climax, a higher-tempo, more energised delivery of the chorus, firmly marked G.Soul down as a star of the future, and ensured that critics wouldn’t take him lightly.

When I was growing up, productivity was never really an action that I could do well. Maybe it's due to the constant distractions of being Young, but ever since I started college productivity, (unless I was super into the topic) was just painful. The ability to focus on something that wasn't about my everyday life caused me a lot of frustration and it lost my interest in a matter second; it wasn't until I started to study at a university when my productivity increased. What changed? Nothing Really, except for the music I was listening to while studying. I didn't change the times I studied; I didn't change the length of studying I didn't even change the amount of caffeine or coffee I would drink. No, I traded the music. In my second semester at San Francisco State University, I took a class called the music of John Coltrane.

Funny story: I originally wasn't even going to write about this until it crossed my mind just the other day. I don't know why, but I randomly wondered about what happened to Kidz Bop since, like, 2007, which is the last time I can recall ever seeing a commercial about the songs they covered.

Rising talent Trevor Knight gives hope that real men with manners still exist. In his new single "Not That Kind of Guy", he highlights his personality and how he has respect for anyone he dates by taking it at a good pace and not rushing into anything. It is refreshing to hear a song from a male perspective that is so authentic. As a listener, it makes you want to know this artist story and personality even more.

Ever heard of technologically advanced music?

Where it began...

Bob Helfant is a singer, songwriter, and a guitar player who takes inspiration from the resounding names of the music industry that incude: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, John Prine, BB King, The Band, Kris Kristofferson, Randy Newman, and Don Commanda.

You’d be forgiven if svng’s Our Holiday EP hasn’t quite made its way onto your playlists yet. The eight-track offering; although a solid blend of trap, vibrant hip-hop stylings and band sounds, has undeniably slipped under the radar, and, for now, remains a hidden gem in a market very much saturated with dregs. Nonetheless, the South-Korean independent artist is happy to have his first official extended play released to the public.

Intro

A little over four years ago I started a meetup group to bring people together to jam and learn how to play their instruments and sing with others.