It’s not always easy to find any interesting information about the artists I feature at Carte Blanche Music. Especially when it looks like the acts are doing their best to maintain a mysterious profile. Obviously, my ultimate goal is to introduce you to the best new music, not to ‘expose’ artists against their will. On the other hand, having been a radio DJ for 30 years, I know it’s fun to play a great song, but equally satisfying to be able to give some nice background info. So I did some digging…

Turns out, I’ve been writing about Barks IV before. His real name is Bjarke Sørensen, born in Denmark, but currently working from Berlin, Germany. He used to be in the band The Dead-On, who had to change their name to The New Madness due to legal issues. I recommended their debut single Lovesick back in 2017. Nowadays, Sørensen is a producer and A&R at Deadly Tunes, a company that’s specialized in producing and licensing music for commercials and TV.

I.Am.Em is the artist name of American artist, singer-songwriter and music producer Emmery Williams. She’s currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Her LinkedIn profile states: ‘A multifaceted pianist, I.Am.Em thrives in providing top quality productions for artists & music synchronization’. Her Instagram bio adds: ‘Placements on TV, Film’.

Now, Barks IV and I.Am.Em found each other in song and mission. Hittin’ It is a top-notch tune with a great beat and swinging vocals. To me, it immediately brought back memories of Neneh Cherry. And did they succeed ‘synchronization’-wise? Oh yeah, they did. You can hear the song in the Netflix series ‘Twentysomethings: Austin’. Mission accomplished on every level. Good story, brilliant song!

Oh, and here’s another ‘placement’: Hittin’ It by Barks IV & I.Am.Em is our new Wildcard. This means it’ll feature at the top of the Carte Blanche Music blog for a full week.

Follow Barks IV on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
Follow I.Am.Em on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.

Werner Schlosser

I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.