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SILLY BOY BLUE RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM “BREAKUP SONGS”

INDIE POP SINGER-SONGWRITER SILLY BOY BLUE RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM “BREAKUP SONGS”

The French artist Silly Boy Blue (Ana Benabdelkarim) releases her album Breakup Songs, the perfect name for her debut, which is all about the rollercoaster of love, from crushes to crashes.

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The official music video for “Teenager“, filmed in her high school, can be seen.

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Silly Boy Blue is a young singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Paris, newly signed to Columbia France. She used to be a music journalist and started her artistic journey as part of the French band Pégase. Borrowing her name from a David Bowie song, Silly Boy Blue shares with him a taste for risk and a deep-rooted desire to push norms and codes. Ana’s universe is beautifully split between glam goth, emo, and bedroom pop, she is as bright as the sun and as dark as the night. Silly Boy Blue sings teen pop anthems and breakup songs and has a passion for 90’s music, movies & style.

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“Teenager is the last song I wrote before starting the studio session. It is a sort of overview of what I am, of all the things I didn’t want to forget to mention in the album: to be a woman told to shut up, to not always fit in the box, to talk about sexuality too. I called it Teenager because it is the song I would have liked to write in my teenage years, and the lyrics I would have liked to hear. We shot the music video in the high school I used to go to, precisely where I spent those years.”Silly Boy Blue

With sparkling eyes, Ana talks passionately about the musicians whose pictures are still pinned on her bedroom wall: Siouxsie & The Banshees, Marilyn Manson, The Cure, Fever Ray, Lady Gaga, Prince, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Christine and the Queens, Frank Ocean, Joan Jett… She calls them untouchables, unreal. With her trademark modesty, she also shows her university thesis, called “The Androgynous bodies in music, from David Bowie to Mykki Blanco”… Digging into her memories, she talks about herself as a rebellious goth college girl, wearing proudly laddered tights. “I was more Outsider than Popular”, she recalls.

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This rich and passionate build-up in music helped her to develop a solid and personal universe right from her first EP, the luxurious But You Will. The sound was definitely hers, a prowess far too rare in French pop, which very often has the bravery out shadowed by caution and the lack of ambition. The EP took its name from the film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Sung in English, dreamy and wide, it revealed intimate songwriting, carnal, without prudishness, tortured but still strong. Like her all-time heroes Elliott Smith and Lana Del Rey, Silly Boy Blue cured her blues with words. Her songs mix sensual acoustic sounds and devilish electronics, forming a fascinating exercise of layers upon layers. Her music could be called “humble maximalism”, as opposed to “whinging minimalism”, as minimalism couldn’t contain all her desires of escapism, of post-pop in any case.

If she comes across as shy in the social circus, in day-to-day life, Ana certainly is not when it comes down to her music “Using the Silly Boy Blue persona allows me to be stronger, freer, braver than in real life. I desperately needed an avatar to be more honest and finally tell people how I feel. Even if I need songs to achieve this… Between Ana & Silly Boy Blue, I sometimes wonder who is the real me.” Ana describes herself as a romantic, incapable of expressing her feelings. Since the dark torment of her teenage years, she has learned how to live with crushes, love affairs reduced to silence by the capitulation of words, the impotency of failed courage. “In my head, I go through love affairs without the other person even being aware of it. But if I hadn’t had these things to write about in my teenage days, I don’t know how I would have gone through life. It really helped me understand myself, to find myself less weird.”

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The first Silly Boy Blue album is comprised of 12 songs. Some will only need a guitar and a voice. Some others will require the wizardry and opulence of rhythm and arrangements. The recording started in Paris with Apollo Noir, who was joined in Normandy by Sam Tiba, from Club Cheval, also in charge of production duties. But Ana also operated on the mixing desk and has produced 3 songs on her own. “It was a feminist statement, she says. I really wanted to play every piece of piano and guitar, write the arrangements and produce some tracks. I am quite geeky but also impatient, which is a bad combination. It reinforces my fears of being useless, of being revealed as an imposter. Nevertheless, even though I have LOTS to say about being a female musician, I have even more things to discuss as a musician.”

This is what is striking in her songs: their meticulousness, their musicality. It describes perfectly well the rollercoaster of love, from crushes to crashes. No one will be surprised to hear that there is a special guest on most of these songs: melancholy. “I have always been very, very melancholic, says Ana. In my life and in my head, I collect memories, dates, feelings. They are all linked to songs.”

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I asked her if the music still saves lives. She answers without a blink. “Without music, my life would have been totally different. It helped me to hate myself a bit less. My biggest dream would be that my album falls into the hands of an equally fucked up girl, who doesn’t know who she is if she prefers boys or girls. And that this girl feels OK while listening to me. I just want to pay forward what Bowie and others did for me.”

 

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CONTACT Silly Boy Blue:

Follow on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sillyboybluemusic

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Follow on Twitter – https://twitter.com/Anabenabs

Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sillyboyblue1

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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

Allegra delivers an anthemic payback demand for her worth in a bold new single, “Refund”

Allegra

London’s rising pop artist and singer-songwriter Allegra takes a daring leap into emotional reclamation with her mesmerizing latest single, “Refund.” In stark contrast to her dance-infused anthems like ‘Strangers,’ this track dives deep into the aftermath of a failed relationship, threading heartbreak with a newfound sense of empowerment.

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With silky yet commanding vocals, Allegra’s anthemic delivery sets the tone for a banging narrative that many will find painfully relatable: the realization that love isn’t always a fair transaction. The metaphor of seeking a “refund” from a partner for the frustration of wasted time and emotional investment in a relationship gone wrong with an unreal man is clever and intriguing, giving listeners a fresh perspective on the all-too-familiar break-up anthem. The production remains polished yet restrained, allowing her poignant lyricism to shine while retaining the rhythmic pulse that makes her music infectious.

What truly makes “Refund” stand out is its ability to balance vulnerability with strength and self-assurance. It’s not just a song of regret but also one of resilience, reinforcing Allegra’s message of self-worth and independence. Her vocals soar effortlessly over a smooth, melodic backdrop, delivering each lyric with aches and attitudes.

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Allegra is leveraging her artistic prowess to convey a sonic statement that will resonate profoundly with individuals who wish to charge for emotional heartbreak. As part of her debut album “Unsent Love Letters” Vol.1,Refund” proves Allegra’s reputation as a significant talent in the dance-pop genre, demonstrating her willingness to evolve and express her deepest emotions. This composition appeals to those grappling with heartbreak and listeners who appreciate lyrical bite with substantial depth. Audiences are encouraged to crank up the volume and engage fully with the evocative atmosphere she meticulously creates, resulting in a cathartic auditory experience.

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For more information about Allegra, please visit [website]. 
CLICK HERE TO STREAM Allegra’s Refund on Spotify.
CONNECT WITH Allegra | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook |

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Artist Spotlight

PAENDA strikes gold with a hypnotic dive into chaos love in her recent release “Up And Down”

PAENDA

Austrian pop artist, singer-songwriter, and producer PAENDA returns with another emotional rollercoaster, this time inviting us along for the ride. “Up And Down” is an electrifying exploration of the chaotic dichotomy inherent in passionate love. This pulsating, EDM-infused anthem perfectly encapsulates the intoxicating highs and gut-wrenching lows of a love that burns too bright.

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PAENDA’s hypnotic production from the onset grabs the listener’s attention with dynamic synth progressions set against an infectious rhythmic heartbeat. Her hauntingly emotive vocal delivery skillfully navigates a spectrum of feelings, oscillating between poignant vulnerability and intensity. The chorus hits like a rush of adrenaline, mirroring the song’s thematic duality of euphoria juxtaposed with self-destructive highs and lows tendencies. This interplay evokes the visceral sensation of an intoxicating and tumultuous romantic experience.

Lyrically, “Up And Down” is anchored in innovative authenticity, explicitly addressing the challenges posed by toxic relationships. It deftly articulates the ambivalence of fleeting moments of happiness that tether individuals caught in a cycle of emotional fluctuation. The narrative is strikingly relatable, capturing the intricate push-and-pull dynamics inherent in such interactions while maintaining an anthemic appeal that encourages personal introspection and energetic dancefloor participation.

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What distinguishes PAENDA within the EDM-pop domain is her capacity to infuse captivating music with deeply personal storytelling. She moves beyond the conventional confines of beat production by incorporating enchanting lyrical narratives into her work. “Up And Down” further solidifies her reputation as a formidable talent within the genre, delivering an addictive and cathartic listening experience that is sonically mesmerizing. Audiences are encouraged to crank up the volume and fully immerse themselves in the evocative atmosphere she creates for a deeply engaging experience.

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CLICK HERE TO STREAM PAENDA’s Up And Down on Spotify.
CONNECT WITH PAENDA | Instagram | TikTok

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