Artist Spotlight
New Jersey R&B Singer and Songwriter Olawumi Drops Her Debut Album “Moody”
New Jersey R&B singer/songwriter Olawumi has been crafting her debut album for five years, and it’s finally here. Titled ‘Moody’, this project started out as a therapy session for a breakup at the time, but the project has grown to become so much more. Moody is a culmination of black love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and honesty that is just as sonically pleasing as it is impactful for anyone who may listen. Moody will force you to view love through a lens that may be foreign to the current version of yourself. As you continue to listen, you will soon realize that Olawumi’s perspective is necessary for the person you want to become.
The ten-song album listed under the R&B/Soul genre contains hard-hitting themes that align with every song title. Taking a look at the tracklist, you’ll see titles like Better Off, Who Am I, Situationship, and Free; all familiar emotions or phases that we have felt during the rigorous self-rebuilding process of a breakup. On the first single, Better Off, Olawumi brings us right into her reality over soothing instruments that could also be fit for a guided meditation session. The New Jersey-born songstress couldn’t have picked a better song to set the tone for the full project.
Olawumi’s music carries a confessional, old-soul storytelling nature rooted in honesty. From love and heartbreak to womanhood and self-discovery, the New Jersey native’s music is telling the lived experiences of Black and toxic love stories. In the video above, Olawumi details what it feels like to drop her debut album and reintroduce herself to her fanbase. She aims to touch the souls of anybody who listens and is 100% sure that these are the songs that everyone needs to hear.
Artist Spotlight
personalheartbreaker and ENCASSATOR unpack manipulation, obsession and remorse on “Sorry Eyed”
“Sorry Eyed” is a dark shoegaze and alternative rock ballad by personalheartbreaker and ENCASSATOR that explores the space between obsession, emotional dependence, manipulation, and remorse. The new single slowly reveals how reliance is a form of oppression, not just weakness. The result is a psychologically complex song that pulls you into a relationship where trust and exploitation are not mutually exclusive.
The track takes an unsettling emotional turn through its manipulator’s perspective in “Sorry Eyed.” At first, the narrator seems dependent on another person, as if they need comfort, connection, or support. But as the story progresses, that openness starts to resemble exploitation. The song’s heart is the power imbalance, where regret always clashes with self-interest.
This struggle gives the song its emotional weight, because the narrator knows the damage he’s causing but is still addicted to the perks of manipulation. The accompanying music video arrives September 30th and carries that story further with the angel’s trust, devotion, and sacrifice. What begins with faith in a fellow man ends in destruction and offers visual counterpoint to the song’s themes.
“Sorry Eyed” is a collaboration with ENCASSATOR, who produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered the song and played a major role in its development. That full creative engagement helps shape the single into one cohesive piece, where the track’s dark alternative rock, shoegaze identity doesn’t detract from the story but supports it. “Sorry Eyed” is a strong pick for fans who love exploring manipulation and complicated relationships.
Artist Spotlight
“Hell has frozen over” finds Sarina choosing peace over being understood
Sarina’s new track, “Hell has frozen over,” explores the less dramatic, more complicated moment of reaching the end of the road, being gaslit, ignored, rejected, and painfully lonely. It translates the emotional burnout into a rock-pop context that’s easy to understand.
“Hell has frozen over” focuses on the decision to step away, instead of explaining, defending, or seeking understanding from people who refuse to listen. The rock foundation gives it the right weight, the pop influence makes it accessible, and the focus stays on the emotional message.
Sarina’s art is the struggle of loss and being strong in yourself. It’s about understanding that protecting your peace is more important than being understood. And that’s the emotional balance that gives the release its character so that the subject matter has relevance beyond a particular circumstance.
“Hell has frozen over“ is a relief from the burden of carrying on a debate that will never be resolved. Sarina turns an experience of isolation into a statement about boundaries, resilience, and the choice not to get caught in the same cycle. The result is a record that’s at its best when it’s being true to what it feels like to finally be free from whatever has been holding you down.
Photo Credit: Andrea Hunter
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