010 → South by Southwest, 2021
Online Publication, Coverage/Review
Coverage and review contributions for South by Southwest 2021 online publication, detailing performances throughout the week including aftershow coverage for SXSW 2021 artists. All photographs by Morgan Winston Photography.
Ones to Watch
Coverage
SXSW 2021’s cancellation marked the beginning of an unbelievable year for the global music industry. Now, a year later, SXSW Online brings us a new way of enjoying music. Here are the artists, newcomers, and accomplished alike, that are set to take 2021 by storm.
CONNIE CONSTANCE (WATFORD UK-ENGLAND) An inspiring English singer/songwriter whose music doesn’t identify with one specific genre. An innovator at heart, Connie fabricated her own record label (Jump The Fence) to bring her hybrid of modern indie pop and soul-focused R&B manifestations to reality. Her 2019 full-length debut album, "English Rose," brings forth her storytelling with buzzing indie instrumentals and slick vocals. With support in both the fashion and music communities, Connie is just getting started with her reign.
KATY J PEARSON (BRISTOL UK-ENGLAND)The dreamy state of Bristol’s Katy J Pearson is nothing but inspiring in a time of dullness. Her high-tremolo vocals, crossed with country twang acoustics, influenced the next generation with 1970s breezy love anthems. The release of her debut album, "Return," emphasizes her personal style — “Texas Mama” meets vinyl classic rock— while simultaneously bringing songs to the ones who need it the most, the natural romantics.
INDIGO SPARKE (BYRON BAY AUSTRALIA) The natural-born talent, Indigo Sparke, brings introspection into her musical work. She elucidates healing and peace with her indie folk, spacious ballads. Co-produced with Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker and Andrew Sarlo, the debut album "Echo" brings out her muted allure and soft-spoken finger-picking. Indigo Sparke remains the first to accurately create palpable gentleness through sound production. A must-watch during the SXSW Music Festival 2021.
VIRGINIA WING (MANCHESTER UK-ENGLAND) The experimental pop trio Virginia Wing, comprised of Alice Merida Richards and Sam Pillay, guides you into an ego journey through flourishing instrumentals and layered washed synths. In private LIFE, Virginia Wing produces pop-structured tracks while revealing psych-pop jazz and spoken word to call out societal injustices. Their relayed message: we must be better, we must change our habits. The perfect motto for 2021.
AWICH (OKINAWA JAPAN)Awich, short for “Asia Wish Child,” is an established Japanese hip-hop artist who uses bold production and lyrical flexes to bring forth her greatest power: being a woman in a male-dominated industry. She demands space with her gritty base synths and indigenous verses in her extensive projects, "Partition" and "Kujaku." An activist at heart but a musical guru at the core. If you’re looking for truth to be shed, her SXSW set is a must-watch.
JOHNNY ARIES (MARGATE UK-ENGLAND)
The former guitarist/vocalist of the 50s-inspired surf band The Drums comes out with his sophomore solo album, "Park The Van," in the fall of 2021. The highly acknowledged Johnny Aries expresses his talent through surf rock and punk melodic jams. Currently in NYC, he is working on evolving his solo career and musical style.
BONGEZIWE MABANDLA (JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA)
The beautiful face of Afro-Folk, Bongeziwe Mabandla, brings global expansion through his embracive performances and gracious musical capabilities. Between the flirtation of tempos and his sonic falsetto, he exudes harmony and understanding, especially in his recent album release, "Rimini." “I want listeners and audiences to experience my music as artistic and interesting but also as something that they can connect with, no matter whether they understand the lyrics or not,” he says. “It’s been amazing seeing how my music is finding a global audience. This has made me think a great deal about lyrics, the meaning of songs, and what I want my music to convey.” Bongeziwe Mabandla’s musical growth is a must-follow.
MAMA DUKE (AUSTIN TEXAS)
Mama Duke— a Black, queer hip-hop award-winning native of Austin, Texas— brings a state of female dominance to a male-dominated industry. Taking home both “Artist of the Year” and “Female Artist of the Year” in the same night, Mama Duke catapulted her career through power and solid determination. Her music consists of new school style with the details of old school influence; an iconic duo for hip-hop success. Find her intimately performing at SXSW 2021
COUCH PRINTS (NEW YORK, NEW YORK)NY-based Couch Prints’ atmospheric, synth-pop soundscapes are undeniably gorgeous. Their debut EP "Tell U," released in October 2020, takes the listener on a complete journey across its 6 songs. The band’s sound is hard to describe, “The whispered words, the raised hairs, the sinking stomachs - the EP is an attempt to celebrate those feelings that we just can’t quite find the words to describe. Where words fail, the EP aims to Tell U.” Couch Prints are Jayanna Roberts, Brandon Tong, and Jake Truax.
WEIRD MILK (BUCKINGHAM UK-ENGLAND)
As soon as we heard "Anything You Want" in SXSW’s Spotify playlist, we could tell that Weird Milk is destined for great things beyond their own little pop-spangled, indie rock world. Their songs evoke feelings of nostalgia and delight. Gorgeous harmonies, expertly crafted melodies, and bouncy love songs, what more could one want? The quintet, based in North London, is made up of Charlie Vaughan, Zach Campbell, Alex Griffiths, and Joe 'Blue' Moyle.
Best of Fest
Coverage/Review
This year’s SXSW 2021 festival was a cybernetic escape as the Austin, Texas, music, film, and tech festival went virtual for the first time. The new layout gave the opportunity for isolated music lovers to connect through pre-recorded sets from the comfort of their quarantined quarters. SXSW Online provided performances and easy access for music discovery with nearly 300 artists performing over a five-day period. The team takes a look back on the five sets that blew us away, highlighting both buzzing performances and fresh, new faces who left us satisfyingly surprised. Discover the artists below.
TUESDAYConnie Constance was an independent guru on the British Music Embassy stage, where she took center stage with support from only one DJ encouraging her in the background. She wore posh school attire that was suited with a Gucci blazer and an eclectic plaid dress complete with simple black stockings. Her hair was in a long, thick ponytail that flew effortlessly through each songful dance. We were blown away by her barbed vocals filled with smooth raspy undertones and a mutable, charged technique. She mixed and matched blunted vowels and consonants to bring driven lyrics to the forefront. In the performance of the song Monty Python, she mirrored a fun, art-punk attitude with choreographed arm movements and catchy “woohoo!” chants while doing it all with an effortless smirk. Connie Constance is a confident performer who is filling out a higher purpose— setting a new standard for the term “genre-bending.” The vocal depth of her orotund, soul melodies resonating through a thick and full British accent left us in awe.
WEDNESDAYThe Wednesday highlight, hip-hop artist Yung Baby Tate, performed an engaging set, delivering each hit track with high energy and self-awareness. Her set design was one of the best throughout the virtual festival. We were transported to a different realm— a hybrid of a sensual candy land and a '90s-infused pop music video. “My name is Yung Baby Tate, but you already know who I am,” was her humble introduction before performing her viral bops: hot girl mantra I Am, soulful electro-pop jam Bounce, and edgy mystic Rainbow Cadillac. Through the fluffy clouds, her smooth sonic palette matched her playful harmonies and hard monologues. Her vocal talents, musical production, and lyrical writing are only a few reasons why Yung Baby Tate is one to look out for; she is just getting started. The full set was dressed as an intimate homage to self-acceptance, ending on a new track Me First from her upcoming After the Rain deluxe EP.
THURSDAYOlivia Dean gave an absolute knockout performance on the third day of the British Music Embassy showcase. A rising and fresh new shining star in the singer/songwriter space, there’s no way that Dean isn’t set for a whirlwind year. Despite being fans for some time before SXSW, her effortless onstage demeanor and honey-like vocals immediately stunned us. The humble power that she exudes just by “being” is magnetic. She performed fan favorite The Hardest Part and delighted us with a playful unreleased single Be My Own Boyfriend. Flooded in a blueish-purple light and dressed in an oversized tee and jeans, Dean’s simplicity in stage design allowed for her vocals to shine through. There was something in her performance—a delicate addition of just the right amount of emotion—that gave her presence a profound genuineness that was unmatched by other SXSW performers. We were utterly captivated from start to finish.
FRIDAY
Awich was an impromptu highlight for Friday. She arrived on stage beautified in black with fierce, hooded dancers surrounding her performance. The rap-poet chose grace throughout her set, starting with the steady flow of Whoru? to pop-focused love track Bad Bad, embracing the choreographed dancing, hyped energy, and evolved change of pace. Awich’s robust vocals and intense energy proved to us that she is a national hip-hop artist, and no one can stop her erupting momentum. With animated passion filling the stage, we forgot about the absence of an audience and the virtuality of the production for one quick second. That’s what a qualified, versatile performer does— creates a show where we can escape reality to bask in warm vocals, lights, and sonic sensations, leaving the crowd in euphoric chaos. We applaud Awich for doing just that; she is one musician we are excited to see in person in the near future.
SATURDAYAs one of the Ones to Watch for SXSW 2021, DeVita did not disappoint. Her stunning performance was just what we needed to close out the week. Set in a clean, white room with a few well-placed props—the picture of the tiger was our favorite—DeVita gave off elegance and decadence. Her voice is perfectly suited for pop: bright, rich, and not all-too-dissimilar from powerhouses like Ariana Grande, yet it is wildly unique, and there’s a fullness to it that is all her own. To start her set, she gave a gorgeous rendition of Show Me off of her 2020 EP CRÈME and reached her peak during the unreleased track Song 4 U. As a relative newcomer to the music industry and with an already impressive list of collaborations under her belt, SXSW is sure to be a stepping stone in a long and successful career. We can’t wait to see what she does next.