WONGIE SOUL JAM OF THE WEEK: mahalia feat ella mai - what you did

mahalia feat ella mai - what you did

WONGIE INDIE SONG OF THE WEEK: beabadoobee - she plays bass

beabadoobee - she plays bass

WONGIE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: sigrid - raw (live)

sigrid - raw (live)
the simplicity of the video is what is so wonderful about it all. not only does it showcase a new song, but i love the fact that sigrid has the confidence to sing it totally live while doing a walk through in a day of her life. there's a reason why she was chosen as the sound of 2018 by the bbc and this video further cements her as star in the making! love it!

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: cautious clay - cold war (acoustic)

cautious clay - cold war (acoustic)
after falling in love with cautious clay last month, josh has decided to offer a live version of his release 'cold war' and it's AMAZING!!! just press play and get drawn into his brilliant single which ends with a wonderful sax solo (A SAX SOLO!!!). easily my fave act of 2018 so far, hope he gets on your radar too!

ONE TO WATCH: cautious clay - juliet + caeser / joshua tree

cautious clay- juliet + caeser / joshua tree
ooh it's always a good day when you discover a new act that shows up locked and ready with a sound that's distinctly theirs. at just 24 singer/songwriter josh has released a few singles that showcase his eclectic soulful sound with a twist of indie thrown in. it's lush really! turn up these two jams and look out for this brooklyn based performer when he embarks on live performances later this year. LOVE THIS!

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: raphaella - turn around

raphaella - turn around
love me a good stripped down jam these days! after guesting with the likes of gorgon city, mnek, rudimental and wilkinson, singer/songwriter raphaella has gone and released "turn around" as a solo artist. with this as an intro for most people, i can only imagine what else this talented young singer has in store for us!

WONGIE INDIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: sigrid - plot twist

sigrid - plot twist
there's something wonderfully fierce about 20 year old norwegian singer/songwriter/pop gal sigrid. with just an EP to her name, there is already a solid 1/2 album of strong material that most newbies would kill to have under their belt. her latest single "plot twist" is all the more interesting with the mantra inducing shout-along "shots fired" as part of the chorus hook. easily one of my fave pop songs of the summer! want more? check out her glastonbury debut of her 1st single "don't kill my vibe" which is equally catchy and wonderful!

sigrid - don't kill my vibe (live @ glastonbury 2017)

ONE TO WATCH: tom walker - blessings / just you and i

tom walker - blessings

tom walker - just you and i (mahogany session)
with just the EP 'blessings' under his belt, this manchester singer/songwriter has slowly turned into one of my fave debut acts of the year. with his manly growl plus sensitive lyrics overflowing with youthful phrasing, tom is primed for big things in the coming year. check out the double bill of the EP title track (and best video to showcase a successful threesome poly relationship!) followed by one of my fave songs of the year 'just you and i'. sigh...

WE HEART ISAAC GRACIE: isaac gracie - all in my mind / reverie / last words

isaac gracie - all in my mind

isaac gracie - reverie

isaac gracie - last words
yeah... can you tell i'm a fan? around the beginning of 2016 i heard a diy track by an unsigned singer/songwriter named isaac gracie that easily made my year end list. simple yet vulnerable, turns out i wasn't the only one that was floored by the debut, isaac quickly got signed to a major and has since put out two glorious EPs capturing his wonderful vocals while adding some proper orchestration to back this young talent (he's only 21 people!). collected here kicks off his latest single 'all in my mind', then moves into one of my fave songs of the year 'reverie' and then the track that started it all 'last words'. so yeah... we heart isaac gracie SO MUCH!!!

WONGIE SOUL SONG OF THE WEEK: d/c - badman

d/c - badman (live @ mahogany session)
nothing like discovering a new soulful singer songwriter from the UK through this wonderful self penned track. just listening to daniel caplen's (aka d/c) gravelly storied voice telling his story of redemption through this gospel tinged gem is worth our collective love. definitely one to keep on our radar!

wanna hear the studio version of badman (and some other lovely tracks?), click on the soundcloud player below:

WONGIE DISCOVERY: betsy - lost and found

betsy - lost and found
there's something fascinating about the buzzy welsh pop lass betsy. visually rooted in classic 80's fashion tropes (think helmut newton) and dipping her sound in retro indie dance themes (massive attack meets billie ray martin) the end result is this insanely catchy new single that i've had on repeat all weekend long (i mean that string hook!). throw in her thick cabaret vocals and you've got a very fabulous left of center new act that you'll be hearing alot about the 2nd half of 2016.

WONGIE DISOVERY: declan mckenna - bethlehem / brazil / paracetamol

at the very young age of 17, declan mckenna has gone from unknown competition winner to a major label artist with critical acclaim as a wise songwriter that covers topics from the corruption of FIFA (brazil), the life of transgender youth (paracetamol) and how religion is the cause of war (bethlehem). taylor swift he is not! one can only imagine what other interesting perspectives declan has on the world around him, but for now it's darn fascinating to experience whats out already. one to watch indeed!

declan mckenna - bethlehem


declan mckenna - brazil

declan mckenna - paracetamol

WONGIE INDIE SONG(s) OF THE WEEK: barns courtney - hands / fire

barns courtney - hands
after finding his music held up indefinitely from a bad recording contract, barnaby "barns" courtney finally found traction with his music when a certain harvey weinstein personally chose his "fire" demo and placed it in the 2015 film 'burnt'. that placement and subsequent US charting led to a new record label and now FINALLY a debut album for the bluesy rockster. definitely one to watch this year!

wanna hear the song that re-ignited barn's music career?


barns courtney - fire

WONGIE INDIE FOLK SONG OF THE WEEK: billie marten - milk & honey

billie marten - milk & honey
the gentle assured sound of newbie singer/songwriter folk gal billie marten has been on my radar for a few months, but it's her latest single 'milk & honey' that cements my appreciation of this definite one to watch for 2016. at just 18 years old, i'd say the prospects are pretty darn good so far!

WONGIE SONG(s) OF THE WEEK: dua lipa - last dance / be the one

dua lipa - last dance
forget about the mesmerizing beauty of the albanian british dua lipa (the girl made dosh as a model yo!) and just check out the captivating releases of this new artist that spans pop, indie with a sprinkle of electronic fabulousness that most debut artists have confidence fronting. it's kind of breathtaking really to witness the potential of dua before she gets super massive. you have been warned.

want more? check out what is already one of my fave songs of the year below:

dua lipa - be the one
omg i LOVE this tune!!!

WONGIE INDIE SOUL SONG OF THE WEEK: jack garratt - worry

jack garratt - worry
with his debut album 'phase' just released this weekend, wongie fave of 2015, jack garratt, graces us with a brand new album track in the form of "worry". like all of his previous tracks there is ALOT going on but strip away the multi-instrumental pile up is a solid songwriter who knows how to craft near perfect tunes. oh and the video is a hoot too!

A NEW WEEK! PLAYS with Wongie: Zak Abel - Say Sumthin

PLAYS with Wongie: Zak Abel - Say Sumthin
so it looks like we're gonna try to make this PLAYS series a weekly gathering! last week nadia brought the sweet storied voice of brandi carlile to you guys, now it's my turn as i kind of turn up the 90's soul jam, refurbished into the very modern "say sumthin" by the 20 year old uk act zak abel.

though we're not too far from a proper debut album release, zak has been busy lending his vocals to hits by gorgon city & joker last year. but what i'm bringing you is a gem from his EP 'one hand on the future' which features this amazing tune that one can't help but bop heavily to.

i'm a total fanboy, and it looks like i found a new convert in nadia too. just press play and see us seat dancing... it's not a pretty sight! enjoy!

rather than watch us growl alot of 'ughs' and jam like dorks, why not listen to zak abel sing this awesome song during an eton messy session? press play below:

zak abel - say sumthin (em sessions)

if you like what you hear, remember to check out more of zak's music on your fave streaming site.

WONGIE HIP HOP SONG OF THE WEEK: pell - queso

pell - queso
to be honest the thought of food (i LOVE me some queso!) brought me to the world of new orleans based hip hop rapper pell. but sometimes these shallow reasons brings a positive outcome as his catchy 70's afro retro infused single has been on repeat since discovering it last week. already buzzed as a one to watch on loads of tastemaker music sites, let this be my hype addition to an exciting new artist to keep an eye out for!

SOUL GAL: kehlani feat coucheron - alive / feat charlie puth - hotline bling (drake cover)

kehlani feat coucheron - alive
you know you've hit breaking point appreciation when taylor swift name checks your song as one of her current favorites. for the multi-cultural kehlani, the bay area singer/songwriter is breaking into the mainstream after her popular mixtape 'you should be here' generated a million streams in a day. celebrating 90's r&b kehlani is readying for her debut album with the official release of this breezy island love jam. she's on our radar and should be on yours too!


kehlani x charlie puth - hotline bling (drake cover)
hot damn! stripping down drake's single to the bare minimum, charlie & kehlani sound perfect on their duet cover of this hot jam. LOVE THIS!!

WONGIE HIP HOP SONG OF THE WEEK: travis scott - antidote

travis scott - antidote
with a list of mentors like kanye west and jay z who are more than keen to help this newbie rapper, travis scott is coming into the rap scene with some serious buzz behind him. throw in the fact that his current single 'antidote' is crazy hypnotic (with killer lyrics to boost) and you've got yourself one to watch for the rest of 2015 and beyond. hot damn this song is cool!