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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

Gospel Artist Harmoni Allen Confronts Mental Health Stigma With Vulnerability Faith and Soul on Her Powerful Single “Schitzo”

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Gospel Artist Harmoni Allen Confronts Mental Health Stigma With Vulnerability Faith and Soul on Her Powerful Single “Schitzo”

Right now, gospel artist Harmoni Allen’s work reflects the transformative power of faith, with vulnerability, triumph, encouragement, and Christ-centered hope running through her music. Her warm vocals, expressive delivery, and deeply personal storytelling give that message a human center. Drawing from lived experience and testimony, she turns questions of faith, healing, freedom, resilience, and hope into songs that feel intimate without losing their uplifting spirit.

Harmoni Allen’s “Schitzo” is a sincere, soul-stirring track built around a deeply personal subject. Short for schizophrenia, the song opens an intimate conversation about mental well-being, judgment, fear, vulnerability, and the struggle to feel free in a world that can be quick to define people from the outside. Harmoni does not keep the subject at a safe distance. She brings the listener directly into the experience, shaping the song as a confession that feels immediate and exposed.

The accompanying music video establishes that vulnerability from its opening moments. Harmoni sits alone on her front porch, drinking water, visibly troubled and seemingly asking herself whether she is truly okay. Nearby, two women watch her from a distance. Their expressions communicate the judgment and assumptions that sit at the center of the song. Without speaking, they capture a painful reality: people can decide who someone is before taking the time to understand what that person may be going through.

Looking for answers, Harmoni calls a friend and heads to a hospital. The song then unfolds inside a psychiatrist’s office, where she is asked, “So, Miss Allen, what brings you to my office today?” Her answer becomes the emotional core of “Schitzo.” The music takes over, developing into a slow-burning, soulfully rich R&B confession carried by Harmoni’s heavenly, deeply vulnerable vocals.

Verse by verse, Harmoni reveals the strain of living under the gaze of people who may fear, misunderstand, or judge what they cannot see. She sings about people being scared of her, watching from afar, the medicines she takes, and the exhausting burden of being viewed through a label instead of recognized as a human being. Inside that pressure, however, comes a moment of release. She looks into the mirror, sits on the bed, takes a breath, and arrives at the realization that she is free.

That realization does not magically change the world around her. People still look at her the same way. Their assumptions remain. This is where “Schitzo” broadens into something many listeners can recognize, the understanding that other people’s perceptions do not get to define your identity, your worth, or your destiny.

Harmoni’s faith gives that idea its foundation. Beneath the emotional turbulence is a steady conviction that God has the last say. People may judge from afar, attach labels, and make assumptions based on appearance, yet those opinions do not determine the course of someone’s life. For Harmoni, faith creates a space where judgment begins to lose its hold and freedom becomes possible.

Musically, “Schitzo” carries the same emotional weight as its subject. The production settles into a slow-burning R&B groove that gives Harmoni’s voice room to breathe, ache, and communicate. Her soulful delivery has a nostalgic warmth, while smooth layers of vocal harmony wrap around the lead with an almost heavenly glow. The arrangement remains restrained, keeping the storytelling in clear focus instead of crowding it with unnecessary drama. Harmoni shifts naturally between fragility and quiet strength, making the performance feel close enough to resemble a private conversation across the room.

“Schitzo” ultimately centers on being seen, being misunderstood, finding your breath again, and recognizing that freedom can survive other people’s judgment.

When the final note fades, Harmoni Allen leaves behind the message that has guided the song from the beginning: people may have their opinions, but God has the final say!

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Serag Baddar Revisits a Teenage Guitar Idea With Intimacy and Patience on the Atmospheric Post Rock Track “Limerence”

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Serag Baddar Revisits a Teenage Guitar Idea With Intimacy and Patience on the Atmospheric Post Rock Track “Limerence”

Based in Malta, composer Serag Baddar turns a long-held guitar idea into something intimate and absorbing on “Limerence.” The post-rock track grew from a riff he wrote 15 years ago, with one section carrying a subtle nod to Buckethead’s “Padmasana,” whose rhythm guitar left a clear impression on Baddar.

Crisp, mellow, and atmospheric, “Limerence” moves through clean guitar layers and an ethereal sense of space. Silken vocals shimmer underneath, adding a restrained melancholy that suggests heartbreak without overwhelming the arrangement.

Baddar’s background in heavy metal remains important to the song, even as he strips away high-gain distortion and conventional vocal delivery. In their place, structure and melody do most of the emotional work. At the center is a clean, melodic guitar riff designed to flow ergonomically across the fretboard, giving the performance a natural physical ease.

The quieter acoustic and clean passages of progressive metal are an obvious reference point. Opeth and Tool, two bands that have shaped Baddar’s style, can be heard in the track’s sense of structure and restraint. Its spacious ambient textures also draw from the accessible melodic soundscapes associated with instrumental artists such as Buckethead. “Padmasana” is especially relevant, with its rhythm guitar inspiring a small section of “Limerence.”

The pacing is deliberate and unhurried, in keeping with post-rock’s slow-burn character. Its rhythmic framework stays steady, patient, and evocative, giving the central guitar melody room to breathe. Notes are allowed to ring out and decay naturally rather than being crowded by unnecessary movement.

Much of the song’s appeal comes from that simplicity. The arrangement avoids excessive time-signature gymnastics and settles into a smooth, approachable cadence that strengthens its hypnotic quality. That choice suits the meaning behind “Limerence,” the intense and involuntary psychological state of romantic obsession and infatuation that Baddar seeks to capture emotionally.

Because the released track is a “demo” mix, it retains a raw, unpolished authenticity. That texture fits Baddar’s philosophy of “writing for dopamine,” prioritizing emotional resonance and the organic “magic” of a creative spark over pristine, heavily compressed commercial engineering.

The result is intimate and thoughtful. It feels reflective and deeply personal, like a bedroom guitarist finally translating a 15-year-old teenage memory into a cohesive, immersive piece of music. The closing stretch brings the song’s crisp, clean, haunting guitar riff into sharper focus, giving the track a fitting climax and reminding us how much of its emotional weight rests on that original idea.

Baddar waited until he felt his technical ability and musical vision had matured enough to do the riff justice before recording and releasing it. He approaches music as a philosophical hobby, creating for the pleasure of the craft rather than under commercial pressure.

Taken as a whole, “Limerence” is an accomplished, carefully felt performance worth spending time with. It is streaming now.

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Omer B Channels Groove, Speed, and Collaborative Fire on the Exhilarating Funk Rock Instrumental “Bending Time”

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Omer B Channels Groove, Speed, and Collaborative Fire on the Exhilarating Funk Rock Instrumental “Bending Time”

Omer B has built a significant part of his artistic identity around collaboration, working with musicians from across the world. On “Bending Time,” he leans fully into that instinct. The track brings together guitar virtuoso Oz Noy, drummer Oded Kafri, bassist Andy Warner, and Abramo Riti on Hammond organ, giving Omer B a formidable cast for what he does best: composing exceptionally good music.

“Bending Time” is a high energy, five minute instrumental funk rock piece that establishes its character almost immediately. Omer B’s guitar locks in with Kafri’s forceful drumming from the opening stretch, creating an intro that feels urgent, muscular, and inviting. Once the Hammond and bass enter the picture, the arrangement opens up into something richer and more expansive.

That introduction builds tension quickly while setting a steady sense of anticipation. You can hear the rhythm gathering momentum as the groove takes hold. At its core is a relentless, head bobbing funk rock backbeat. The pace is fast, yet the players remain firmly in the pocket, giving the song a driving foundation that keeps it moving at full speed without sacrificing its groove.

As composer, Omer B acts as the track’s anchor. He resists overcrowding the arrangement with constant shredding, choosing instead to work through sharp, syncopated rhythm chops and clearly defined melodic motifs. His guitar helps shape the song’s architecture, from its central themes to the heavy, overdriven chord progressions that guide each transition.

Oz Noy’s entrance raises the temperature. He slips naturally into the established groove, echoing the track’s hauntingly familiar melodic cadence while bringing in a streak of “twisted blues” character. His solos are explosive without feeling detached from the arrangement, and they push the song into a higher gear.

The interplay becomes especially satisfying when Noy’s lead lines careen over Omer B’s heavy rock foundation. Kafri’s airtight drumming, Warner’s bass, and Riti’s Hammond keep the music grounded while the guitars add a fiery improvisational edge. That tension gives “Bending Time” a sense of motion that suits its title.

Unpredictable, futuristic, and haunting, “Bending Time” plays like an exhilarating experiment that draws strong performances from everyone involved. Omer B’s experience as an amateur race driver also seems to surface in the track’s polished, high octane momentum. There is a clear feeling of speed, control, and mechanical precision running through the performance.

By the end, the vintage rock swagger and modern fusion sophistication feel naturally connected. In my professional opinion, they should “frame the arrangement!”

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