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Interview: Stella West Shares Insights On Her Musical Journey

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While stumbling upon her catalog Stella West expressed the love for music and showcased the compositions that have overwhelmed the fans and followers. This interview gives a brief about the qualities of this great musician and details about her new single:

Thank you for your time. Thanks for speaking with us! How’s everything going?

Likewise. Things are going very well. I’ve been making a lot of music during the lockdown and am quite enjoying the freedom of being able to write and sing every day.

What sets your music apart? What is unique, or at least uncommon?

I was always a writer before I was a singer, so for me, my lyrics are what sets my music apart. I tend to write stories and poems more than anything and I believe that reflects in my music. I also happen to have a good ear for interesting sounds, so it’s a good match!

What is the motivation behind such a lyrically rich and melodically unique single “Ode to the Devil (Mother Mary)”?

Ode To The Devil is about pain. It is a woman pleading with Mother Mary herself to release her of her turmoil and finally accepting that her horror is too abhorrent even for angels to see. Which makes her feel like The Devil in some way. I suppose you could say it is about inner conflict and desperation when in times of grief or great sadness. I feel a lot of people can relate to that. It has this jazzy feel, as I felt that it needed to be tasteful if it was about religion and deep pain and for me, Jazz has always felt very tasteful. It was an interesting record to make.

Interview: Stella West Shares Insights On Her Musical Journey

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I don’t. When I don’t have the urge to write I simply do not. I only write when I am inspired or when an interesting thought comes to mind and the songs seem to write themselves. Writing shouldn’t be a chore. I try not to force it, because I’ve found forcing words is almost like forcing yourself to vomit. It can’t be healthy and it definitely isn’t enjoyable. If there’s nothing happening, it obviously doesn’t need to be said.

You have an amazing voice. Are you vocally trained?

Thank you! My voice has changed over the years. It seems the older I get the more my voice carries with it a kind of wisdom if that makes sense. As you figure life out and grow, your voice seems to follow. When I was a naive teenager you could hear that in my voice. When I was a confused 21 year old so was my voice and so on. I haven’t had any training, I feel the evolution of my voice is solely down to me and my life and my story. I am working towards a degree in music and singing which is helpful for certain things, but otherwise, I’m self-taught and/or born with a decent singing voice. I don’t know what I’d do without the ability to sing or write. I’d probably just scream and put some music to it!

What is one message you would give to your fans?

There is never a “right” time. Don’t wait until your hair grows to a certain length or until your weight is perfect, just dive in the deep end. It’s always best to follow your dreams when you don’t feel ready. The universe admires the courage and will reward you for it. I speak from experience. The perfect time never comes anyway.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?

There are just so many! The first artist that comes to mind is Nick Cave. I feel his talents and mine would meld beautifully.

Thank you for speaking with us! For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?

My new album Little Black Book With My Poems In will be ready on 3rd June this year. It’s a concept album about a woman’s journey of vengeance and is greatly inspired by Wild West movies. It’s like a whole movie in itself and I hope I can reach new audiences and move people with it. It’s a collection of songs I’ve written over the years and from them emerged this idea. I have been trying to pin down a sound I recognized in both blues and country music and managed to piece them together to make the sound of the album. I hope there’s an interest in the new album as it means a lot to me. Even if it moves and relates to just one person it would be a huge success to me.

Catch Up With Stella West:

Interview: Stella West Shares Insights On Her Musical Journey Interview: Stella West Shares Insights On Her Musical Journey Interview: Stella West Shares Insights On Her Musical Journey Interview: Stella West Shares Insights On Her Musical JourneyInterview: Stella West Shares Insights On Her Musical Journey

MUSIC

Taarifa kwa Vyombo vya Habari – wimbo mpya wa Into the Blood: “Play Your Clarinet!”

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Taarifa kwa Vyombo vya Habari – wimbo mpya wa Into the Blood: “Play Your Clarinet!”

Katika wimbo wao mpya wenye mchangamsho “Play Your Clarinet!”, Into the Blood wanaunganisha midundo ya kielektroniki inayoshika kwa urahisi na mgeuko wa kusisimua: solo la klaneti lenye mionjo ya jazz kutoka kwa Peter Fuglsang. Uchezaji wake unaongeza mguso wa uchezaji wa moja kwa moja unaokamilisha msingi wa kidijitali wa wimbo huu, na kuunda tukio la kipekee kabisa la kusikiliza.

Wimbo huu utazinduliwa kimataifa tarehe 22 Novemba katika lugha 11 tofauti—ikiwemo Kiswahili, Kifaransa, Kiingereza na Kichina n.k.—pamoja na toleo lisilo na sauti za kuimba.

Jiunge nasi katika safari ya kimataifa
Acha “Play Your Clarinet!” ikupeleke kuvuka mipaka, sauti na tamaduni. Wimbo mmoja. Lugha kumi na moja. Utasikika kwenye majukwaa yote makubwa ya kusikiliza muziki mtandaoni, na video za maneno ya wimbo zitapatikana kwenye YouTube. Jifunge mkanda na ufurahie safari!

Orodha ya video za “Play Your Clarinet!” – video za maneno ya wimbo katika lugha zote 11 kwenye YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuQcCz0vhEKyPigEcJ1-Du7YhrzZdLrex

“Destination 11” – video ya muziki:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8l72BtPBd8

Kuhusu Into the Blood
Duo la Into the Blood—Jens Brygmann (sauti za kuimba na ngoma za kidijitali) na Carsten Bo Andersen (kinanda na sintesa)—imekuwa ikifanya kazi tangu mwaka 2016. Muziki wao umekuwa ukipigwa kwenye vituo mbalimbali vya redio duniani, vikiwemo vya Uingereza, Australia na Ufaransa.

Toleo la asili la “Play Your Clarinet!” pia linapatikana kwenye rekodi ya vinili ya inchi 12 kama sehemu ya mradi wao mkubwa wa Destination 11, unaojumuisha video ya muziki ya dakika 11. Video hiyo imewahi kuonyeshwa katika matamasha mbalimbali ya kimataifa ya filamu fupi, na hadi sasa tayari imeshinda tuzo mbili nchini India, kufikia hatua ya fainali kwenye East Village New York Film Festival na Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Festival, nusu fainali kwenye Seattle Film Festival na robo fainali kwenye Synergy Film Festival huko Los Angeles.

Mradi wa Destination 11 umefadhiliwa na White City Consulting na Custom Coaching.

Upakuzi kupitia Dropbox – Hapa unaweza kupakua nyenzo za promosheni:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/sai0udu4imfwdmktxf5cj/ADqWOKnmQZjDm3PsXL3yzvs?rlkey=75i1ctld2guy8tcp6snp112j9&st=jtgfu546&dl=0

Salamu za muziki kutoka
Into the Blood
Jens Brygmann & Carsten Bo Andersen 📧 [email protected]

Into the Blood – mitandao ya kijamii:
https://linktr.ee/intotheblood

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Van Hechter’s “Boy Problems” Is a Deep and Danceable Bilingual Anthem for Anyone Tired of Lukewarm Love

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Van Hechter’s “Boy Problems” Is a Deep and Danceable Bilingual Anthem for Anyone Tired of Lukewarm Love

Montreal-based pop sensation and LGBTQ activist Van Hechter is back with “Boy Problems,” a stunning new single. The track merges his signature upbeat charm with rare emotional depth. Hechter, known for hits like “Disco Brother,” “Hot Damn,” and “Love Elastic,” reveals a new side to his magnetic electro-pop personality, offering a message that is both radiant and raw.

At 4 minutes and 24 seconds, “BoyProblems” is a bilingual (French & English) eruption of glitter, melancholy, and empowerment. It’s built on irresistible synths, glossy production, and pulsing basslines. The song invites listeners into a world where heartbreak beats in rhythm with liberation. The melodies feel euphoric on the surface, yet are stained with a haunting vulnerability, proving that dancing and deep feeling can exist together.

At its core, the song is a manifesto about refusing to settle for half-love. Van delivers lyrics that make you sway, smile, and suddenly pause; the truth stings. If love isn’t loud, real, and fully given, he’d rather walk away. It’s a reminder wrapped in rhythm: loving yourself means refusing the small version of what you deserve.

Filled with Hechter’s signature humor, glamour, and optimism, “Boy Problems” is a club anthem and a soul-stirrer all at once. The bilingual lyrics expand its emotional reach. The track feels at home anywhere, from Parisian dance floors and New York rooftops to headphones on a bus or speakers at Pride.

This is a jam that makes you feel like you’re flying, free from pretense. It’s definitively dance-pop and unmistakably Van Hechter, though the smile has a real heartbeat underneath. Listeners will hear that signature flair; he’s still cheeky, stylish, and unapologetically queer. His artistry is simply sharpened with new emotional honesty. This is a growth moment, delivered with a wink and a synth hook.

“Boy Problems” is a significant step beyond a simple catchy single. It’s a toast to self-worth. A glittering rebellion against lukewarm love. A reminder that the dance floor can be a place to heal. This sonic centerpiece belongs on your playlist, and on your friends’ too.

Catch Up With Van Hechter on:

Established Hip Hop Artist ReachingNOVA Creates a Free-flowing Lyrical Course with His Single "C'est La Vie"

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TR Craze brings his South Sudanese story to the gritty drill anthem “Tule Tule” with Jamaican-UK rapper Caine Marko

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TR Craze brings his South Sudanese story to the gritty drill anthem "Tule Tule" with Jamaican-UK rapper Caine Marko

Sometimes a song shows up like that friend who kicks open the door without knocking, grinning and saying, “get your shoes, we’re leaving.” “Tule Tule,” the new single from South Sudanese artist TR Craze featuring Jamaican-UK rapper Caine Marko, moves exactly like that. The track is bold and charged, carrying the weight of lived experience while stomping over a dark, menacing drill beat that feels built for the streets as much as the club.

TR Craze’s backstory reads like a movie script Hollywood studios would fight over. He was born in South Sudan, shaped by the trauma of civil war, and pushed into the harsh realities of refugee life. He literally survived the treacherous routes through Libya and across the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. This man distills survival into rhythm. On “Tule Tule,” you can feel that heart, that urgency, and that fire in his delivery, channelled into a raw, assertive drill performance that cuts through even if you don’t understand a single word of the opening verse. At its core, “Tule Tule” is a raw, assertive drill track that isn’t afraid to bare its teeth.

The word “Tule” comes from Nuer. It refers to youth games and the electric thrill of chasing something, whether that’s victory, joy, or destiny. TR Craze uses that spirit like a drumbeat beneath his voice. The choruses hit with a communal, call-and-response warmth but here that playfulness is flipped into a gritty, chant-like hook – “Tule Tule” – that feels like the rallying cry of a crew on the move. Even without translating the lyrics, the tone tells you everything. This is about motion, pursuit, celebration, and refusing to stay stuck in the past, all wrapped in an unapologetic, high-adrenaline atmosphere. Lyrically, the track leans into street life, dominance and crew loyalty, matching the tension in the beat.

Behind them, producer Kyxxx builds a dark, tense soundscape, stitching drill drums with Brazilian bounce and Bhangra-flavoured rhythmic elements that keep the track constantly on edge. The result is a gritty, energetic and unapologetic atmosphere that pulls you straight into their world.

Then Caine Marko slides in for the second verse, and the whole energy pivots into a sharp, swagger-heavy bounce. His flow is clean but gritty, confident and confrontational, shifting between braggadocio and sly charm.

“She knows I’m a wolf and I run the pack,” he starts, classic alpha talk, but delivered with a laid-back grin. “She come first like running track,” he continues, flipping between affection and athletic metaphors like a man who’s too used to moving fast.

Then he opens up the verse more: “Doing dirt and getting with a bitty, I only pretty… then back to the city. Got me some liquor then it got me some weed.” It’s lifestyle rap, but the reckless, unapologetic kind. It’s the messy, outside-at-night, live-in-the-moment vibe that balances TR Craze’s more grounded narrative. When he ends with “you going to hang with the gang,” the energy snaps into a group-hyped finale, a reminder that music like this isn’t meant to be consumed alone, underlining the crew-first loyalty at the heart of the record.

“Tule Tule” works because it blends worlds without softening its raw, street-hardened edge. It merges East African emotion, Caribbean-UK swagger, drill and hip-hop grit, Brazilian and Bhangra textures in Kyxxx’s production, diaspora storytelling, and a spirit of joy that refuses to be dimmed by pain.

Let “Tule Tule” run while you’re walking, cooking, texting, or plotting big dreams – or getting ready to step out with your crew.

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