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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.

OLAWUMI: I am looking to invoke the true magic of self-awareness and love with this album. I want women (and men alike) to learn that it is OKAY to feel, mourn, cry and love. None of it makes you “crazy”, or “soft”. Love isn’t always both ways, love is painful, love is happy, love is sad, love is confusing, and love is MOODY. This album highlights that. This shit just doesn’t make sense sometimes, but it can definitely sound beautiful. The important lesson to learn is loving yourself. Without that, none of this is worth it. 
Shoutout to Olawumi and the many voices keeping R&B alive and well. Stream her debut album ‘Moody’ here.
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Natalie is a journalism major with a focus on Entertainment and Music who aspires to become a Content Creator For Honk Magazine. Eventually, she wants to be the Publisher or Editor-in-Chief of a major Publishing House. She loves helping people find their voice and passion for writing and journalism, and she can always be found with coffee in hand, editing another article.

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Artist Spotlight

Bash Co. examines emotional imprisonment and love on “Dungeon”

Bash Co.

Love is often seen as freedom, connection, and emotional release, and in the single “Dungeon,” Bash Co. takes a more complex look at reality, exploring what happens when an emotion becomes a prison. The song has been described as a darker take on “Velvet” and is part of an artistic duality between opposing emotional states. “Dungeon” explores being trapped by feelings that should otherwise bring freedom.

The song tells a story of emotional entrapment, fractured communication, and a broken inner state. Bash Co. examines how difficult it can be to shake attachment and emotional intensity. This picture fits with the song’s theme of pain and imprisonment.

The recording process also unexpectedly influenced the final direction. “Dungeon” was written on an acoustic octave guitar, inspired by a series of technical setbacks that helped Bash Co. hone in on the mood he was seeking. Those struggles could’ve thrown him off his game, but instead he used the experience to get closer to the suffocating character that the song’s lyrical concept demanded.

This is especially relevant to the release’s identity. The emotional side is also offered as a philosophical exploration, not as personal history. “Dungeon” would suit “Velvet” much better, and the two pieces explore the dichotomy between emotional freedom and constraint, providing a wider context for Bash Co.’s creative direction. The two releases are divided by a study of how the same emotional terrain can lead to very different experiences.

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Album Review

Girlhood find clarity in complicated connections with “This Will Make Sense In The End” (album)

Girlhood

Relationships are an emotional contradiction, and Girlhood’s fourth album, “This Will Make Sense In The End,” navigates the contradictions of love, attraction, disappointment, and personal growth. Singer-songwriter Natalie Holmes has delivered a pop album that explores that line between wanting to connect and knowing when to protect yourself.

The album’s ten tracks provide a thoughtful exploration of relationships with food, often as a metaphor for emotional hunger, control, intimacy, and the desire to feel whole. It’s an album that’s about exploring uncomfortable relationship dynamics while keeping personal discovery in sight. It starts with “It Could Be Worse,” and it’s about the exhaustion and bitterness of an unbalanced relationship. It’s about the slow realization that wanting more isn’t unreasonable.

Girlhood

The lead single “Lemon Aid” is an intriguing balance of external playfulness and internal frustration, and it is all the brighter for the emotional pressure. “Picnic” takes a generally happy setting and uses it to explore the negotiations and power dynamics that can lurk just beneath the surface of a relationship. Attraction is also explored on the album, and the difficult area of physical desire as opposed to a real emotional connection.

“Cracked” is about the intoxicating allure of a toxic situationship and owning your confidence and sensuality. “Island to Island” also explores the confusion that can happen when physical chemistry feels like the start of something deeper. “Straight at the Bar” is about wanting to be accepted for who you are, not for who someone else wants you to be. “Silver Lining” touches on both mental and physical health, while “Born Hungry” pays tribute to life’s opportunities and the need to let go of toxic attachments.

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Girlhood

The final song, “Wouldn’t Change a Thing,” is reflective, taking the record into a space of self-love, acceptance, and appreciation for one’s past. “This Will Make Sense In The End” is defined by the tension between desire and control. Girlhood is about finding perfect love and learning not to lose yourself in the search.

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