Search results for "amy allen"
Amy Allen – Difficult
Amy Allen is a self-taught artist. She began writing songs for herself and had learned to play five instruments by the age of 10. After graduating from Berklee College Of Music, she founded rock band Amy & The Engine in New York. But her career only really took off when she co-wrote Back To You for Selena Gomez in 2018. A worldwide hit, which opened the doors to collaborations with artists like Camila Cabello, Halsey, Sam Smith and Harry Styles.
After a short but very successful time in the shadows, Amy Allen has decided to go for the spotlights herself. Following her debut single Queen Of Silver Linings, she now releases her empowering anthem Difficult. A huge future hit!
Asked by Flaunt Magazine about its title and subject matter, she replied: “If you’re a woman and you’re really fighting for your career and pursuing it and you’re putting yourself first, you’ll be seen as difficult or whatever you want to call it. That’s what that song is about, jokingly calling myself difficult because I’ve been going after what I really want. I hope it will speak to a lot of women who have felt the same way.”
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Emmy – Stupid Big Teeth
There used to be a time when wannabe artists learned themselves to play an instrument. Next, they’d form a band with like-minded people and do endless amounts of shows in bars or at street corners. Eventually, almost none of them would be discovered or start a proper career in music. In 2022, things are way different and much more efficient.
Take 22-year-old Cleveland TikTok phenomenon Emmy Hartman, for instance. She’s been treating her fans with a capella covers of artists like Lorde and Billie Eilish, amassing over 3 million followers. Apparently, this number is substantial enough to serve as a launch pad for her music career.
Stupid Big Teeth is only Emmy’s debut single, and it’s a promising one. Co-written with celebrated songwriter Amy Allen (Harry Styles, Halsey, Selena Gomez), it was recorded using little more than the human voice. With added finger snapping and a synth element that sounds like it’s borrowed from Control-era Janet Jackson, this is an infectious tune.
Follow Emmy on Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Carte Blanche Music Top 2020
Ahead of your favourites among this year’s Carte Blanche Music recommendations, which I’ll publish tomorrow, these are my personal choices from the songs that came out in 2020. This list holds only 100 tracks, but you can find all of my 994 recommendations in my container playlist Carte Blanche Music 2020.
As always, I love to share some statistics about the Carte Blanche Music Top 2020. These findings are further evidence of the fact that the music radio stations play for you is far from representative of the wealth of great new music out there. Thankfully, there are blogs like Carte Blanche Music that are independent and unbiased, and don’t want to please everybody at the same time. We’re here to surprise you with great new music, no matter what genre or gender, origin or orientation. Just a few statistics:
- Judging from this Top 100 alone (let alone the full container playlist), 2020 was a great year for pure pop music, young artists, ‘80s influences, independent releases, the Australian music scene, queer pop-rock and female vocalists
- A whopping 70% of the tracks in this year’s list feature female lead vocals (and I thought the 60% in the Carte Blanche Music Top 2019 was impressive already)
- Overall, rock ruled. 54% of the tracks in my year-end chart is guitar-based (just over last year’s tally)
- The list clearly shows there are more countries that produce great artists than Great-Britain and the United States alone. This year, more nationalities than ever are represented in my Top 100. You’ll also find artists from Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland
- As a result, although most lyrics are in English, you’ll also hear songs (partly) sung in French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Swedish
The Carte Blanche Music Top 2020 features 100 tracks, which are presented below in alphabetical order. You can listen to them all via the Spotify player. If you prefer another order, just use the shuffle button 😉.
Meanwhile, you can read my original recommendations through the links below.
- A Is For Arrows – Every Now And Then
- Abbie Ozard – True Romance (WC)
- Aili x Transistorcake – Dansu
- Aitana – 11 Razones
- Alex The Astronaut – I Think You’re Great (WC)
- Alice & Moi – T’aimerais Que Ce Soit Vrai
- Altered By Mom – Better On The Page
- Amy Allen – Difficult
- Archie X – Loud Boy (WC)
- Ava Max – Kings And Queens
- Awolnation feat. Alice Merton – The Best
- Badflower – 30
- Baxtr – Bloom (WC)
- Bée – Nothing Alike (WC)
- The Beths – Mars, The God Of War
- Betty Who – The One
- Blossoms – It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter
- Bloxx – Off My Mind
- Bloxx – 5000 Miles (WC)
- Calogero – La Rumeur
- Charles – Far Gone
- Daði Freyr & Gagnamagnið – Think About Things
- Dagny – Coulda Woulda Shoulda (*)
- Don Diablo – Invincible
- Don’t Bring Stacey – Waiting For It
- Dopha – Anti Breakup Song
- Doves – Prisoners (WC)
- Dua Lipa – Physical (WC)
- Dua Lipa – Break My Heart
- Dua Lipa (feat. DaBaby) – Levitating [Single Version]
- Efecto Pasillo feat. Huecco – Funketón [2020 Version]
- Egoism – You You (WC)
- Ella Grace – Unfree
- Ellur – Alive
- The Flowers – You Don’t Say!
- Francesco Gabbani – Il Sudore Ci Appiccica
- Genes – Super Single
- Gin Wigmore – HBIC
- Grace Farriss – All The People (WC)
- Gracie Abrams – Friend
- Grand Corps Malade – Pas Essentiel (WC)
- Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda (WC)
- Harper Bloom – Walk My Way
- Hedda Mae – Madness
- The Hold Steady – Family Farm
- Hollie Col – She Knows (WC)
- Holy Holy (feat. Queen P) – Port Rd (WC)
- Hope D – Second
- Hoshi feat. Corine – Larmes De Croco (WC)
- Icona Pop & Sofi Tukker – Spa
- Indochine x Christine & The Queens – 3Sex
- Izo FitzRoy – Red Line (WC)
- Jaclyn – Energy
- Jake Bugg – Rabbit Hole
- Joan – Want U Back
- Joel Culpepper – WAR (WC)
- Julie Bergan – Commando (WC)
- Kailee Morgue – This Is Why I’m Hot (*)
- Keleketla! – International Love Affair (WC)
- Killboy – That’s OK I’ll Just Fuck Myself
- King Princess – Pain
- Kristiane – Wish I Could Be Your Girl
- La Oreja De Van Gogh – Te Pareces Tanto A Mí
- Lauran Hibberd – Boy Bye
- Lime – Fever
- Lola Lennox – Back At Wrong
- London Grammar – Baby It’s You
- The Lottery Winners – An Open Letter To Creatives (WC)
- Lova – Black Converse
- Lova – One Day Left
- Lucas Hamming – Falling
- The Magic Gang – Make Time For Change (WC)
- May-a – Apricots
- Miss Li – Therapy
- Miss Machine – Tout Autour
- MisterWives – Rock Bottom (WC)
- Monowhales – BL/FF (Fake Friends) (WC)
- Ocean Grove – Dream
- ONR (feat. Nile Rodgers) – Kill TV (WC)
- Palace Winter (feat. Penny Police) – Richard (Says Yes) (WC)
- Pixey – Just Move (WC)
- Pyro – Your Love
- Raave Tapes – Habitual
- The Radar Station – Zanzara [2020 Version] (*)
- Raye – Love Of Your Life
- Red Rum Club – The Elevation
- Ren – I Drive Me Mad (WC)
- Rinse feat. Hatchie – Back Into Your Arms
- Rooue – What You Want (WC)
- Sebu with Eraserfase – The Worst That Could Happen To Us (WC)
- Semisonic – Basement Tapes
- Sidonie with Delaporte – Mi Vida Es La Música
- Slum Sociable (feat. Kye) – You’re In My Head
- Super-Hi x Neeka – Following The Sun
- T99 vs. Youngr – Anasthasia [Youngr Bootleg]
- Temples – Paraphernalia
- Texas & Wu-Tang Clan – Hi
- Town Of Cats – Lemons (WC)
- Veronica Fusaro – Beach
- Videoclub – Enfance 80
(WC) ex Carte Blanche Music Wildcard
(*) album track
Werner’s Weekly (week 34)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Town Of Cats – Lemons (Wildcard this week)
- Altered By Mom – Walking With The Enemy (Wildcard last week)
- Altered By Mom – Better On The Page
- Amy Allen – Difficult
- Fritz – Arrow
- Liela Moss – Turn Your Back Around
- Päter – Sleep
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: The Cribs, eels, Tame Impala, Weezer, and more.
The Confederation – Coat In The Hallway [New Version]
Coat In The Hallway is The Confederation’s fifth single of the year so far. Or their sixth, actually, for this new version replaces an earlier mix. In their own words, their music is ‘a melting pot of musical dna fusing styles from the golden past, vibrant present and exciting future of music’. The band name soul, pop, rock, jazz, funk and fusion as their main musical influences. With a sound somewhere halfway Amy Winehouse and Morcheeba, new single Coat In The Hallway is a great example.
The Confederation are Lynz Crichton (vocals), Jill Mccracken (vocals), Steven Blessing (guitar) and Simon Jolly (songwriter, keyboards). They recorded this single via online sessions, which had its technical challenges. Still, the quartet managed to maintain a live performance feel. Lyrically, the track is about letting go of the world, if only for a short time.
Follow The Confederation on Facebook | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
The Haggis Horns – Haggis Express
I’m a sucker for bands with great horn sections. The likes of Chicago and Tower Of Power. Or the Dap-Kings, who worked with Sharon Jones, and later with artists like Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson.
UK funk/soul kings The Haggis Horns were new to me. My fault, because they’re around for over two decades, working with Corinne Bailey Rae, Lily Allen, Jamiroquai, and many more. I only heard of them recently, when doing research for my recommendation of Izo FitzRoy’s Red Line.
The Haggis Horns are about to release their fifth album Stand Up For Love. Its first single is the full-on instrumental banger Haggis Express, for all you funk/soul brothers and sisters out there.
Groovy rhythm section: check.
Scratchy funk guitar: check.
Fiery hammond organ solo: check.
Latin fire congas: check.
A horn section so sharp you could shave with their riffs: check.
It’s never too late to discover a great old band. Please meet The Haggis Horns. Pure dirty funk at it’s best.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.