06.07.26
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VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s WITH SCARLET AYLIZ

say I

Every artist has that one song that refuses to be left behind. For rising rock artist Scarlet Ayliz, that song is “Say I.”

Originally written when she was just seventeen during an impromptu basement jam session, the song lay dormant for years before being rediscovered and transformed into the powerful alt-rock statement it is today. Drawing inspiration from 90’s grunge, classic rock, and the trials and tribulations of growing up, “Say I” captures the raw emotions of youth while showing an artist determined to carve out a sound entirely her own.

With an accompanying music video created alongside Ikon Media, vibrant visuals, and a renewed sense of artistic purpose, Scarlet Ayliz is entering an exciting new chapter in her musical journey. We caught up with her to discuss the origins of the song, the creative process behind the video, her influences and why “Say I” represents far more than just another single release.

Tell us the story of this track. Why did you choose to visualize it specifically in this way?

My new song ‘Say I’ was written by me when I was seventeen. I had gone through multiple bands, and the pandemic hit shortly after. The band I was with was having a jam session in my basement, so I took control of what I heard, shot out a few directions, and sang a bunch of nonsense until something started to hit me. I had just wanted to rant about how crappy life had been recently with regards to growing up, having crushes on douchebags, and being scared of falling back into the loop of fake friends, and unrequited feelings.

The initial recording was a voice memo of me and my old band having a jam session, I had liked what they were fooling around with and decided to give them some directions in hopes they’d like what I came up with to give the song more structure. The demo came out great, but after we split I completely forgot about it until I was looking through my files and began to listen to it again. I presented the recording to my executive producer, and we redid the track with all new instruments and a clean final mix. We switched up some of the format, but the heart of the song remains the same. 

What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?


I was heavily inspired by 90’s grunge and 2000’s “dad rock” for the sound. My band and I at the time played mostly covers that leaned into a classic rock genre, but decided to shift gears once I started presenting more songs to them to learn. I wanted to fuse genres and make my own rock sound. Say I marks the end of fitting a mould, and the beginning of putting together my own unique sound.

What was the process of making the video?

For my new MV, Say I, I partnered with Ikon Media to bring to life a fun summer-esque vibe, that has a bit of edge to it—the bright colors and rocker edge are meant to paint a picture of moving forward into brighter days, while remembering how tough the past was in certain aspects.

Keep up with Scarlet Ayliz on her Website

06.03.26
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Ammar Farooki’s “Twelve” – An Album for Those Still Searching

TWELVE ALBUM COVER

Some albums are collections of songs. Others feel more like conversations. Ammar Farooki’s Twelve falls firmly into the latter camp, and it’s an album less interested in telling listeners what to think and more concerned with asking the sort of questions that tend to continue long after the music has been heard.

Written and recorded between Brooklyn and beyond, Twelve finds Farooki wrestling with themes of identity, loss, love, spirituality as well as personal transformation. That might sound heavy – and, at times, it is – but this is not an album that disappears into its own philosophy. Instead, it uses those bigger ideas as fuel for songs that remain remarkably human and relatable. Whether reflecting on the uncertainty of leaving behind a stable corporate career to pursue music or exploring the ways people search for meaning in an increasingly chaotic world, Farooki approaches every song with honesty rather than certainty.

Musically, the album occupies a fascinating space between indie rock energy and singer songwriter intimacy. There are moments that soar, moments that simmer, and moments that seem content to simply sit with difficult emotions. Tracks such as “Wanderer” embody the album’s central theme of growth through self-discovery, using driving guitars, keys and an uplifting sense of momentum to capture the experience of shedding old identities and stepping into the unknown. Throughout the record, the arrangements serve the songs rather than the other way around, which is a surprisingly rare quality these days.

Farooki says about The Wanderer “The song is really about me growing as an individual, as an artist, and leaving everything I knew to be comfortable and familiar behind to pursue the dream of being an independent musician in NYC. This song as well as all the other tracks were composed, recorded and produced by myself, Diane Desobeau and Sarmad Ghafoor.“

What makes Twelve particularly compelling is that it never feels confined by geography or cultural labels. Farooki’s story may stretch from Lahore to New York City, but the questions he asks belong to everyone. Themes of belonging, purpose, heartbreak, and reinvention are presented not through the lens of nationality, but through shared human experience.

There is also a poignant emotional thread running through the album. Twelve is dedicated to the memory of Farhad Humayun, the legendary Pakistani musician, composer, and producer who inspired Farooki to pursue music more seriously and whose passing in 2021 left a lasting impact. That sense of loss and artistic purpose quietly informs much of the record, giving it an emotional depth.

Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Twelve was entirely self-funded and self-produced. In an era when artists are often encouraged to chase trends, Farooki has done the opposite, creating a body of work that feels uncompromisingly his own. The successful Kickstarter campaign behind the album, recognized as a “Project We Love”, suggests that listeners are responding to that authenticity.

What Twelve ultimately offers is something increasingly valuable – space to reflect. It invites listeners to sit with uncertainty, embrace complexity, and perhaps discover something about themselves along the way. Music that challenges, comforts and connects in equal measure is a rare thing. Ammar Farooki has managed to make an album full of it.

About Ammar Farooki

ammarfarouki

Ammar Farooki is a Brooklyn based singer-songwriter originally from Lahore, Pakistan. His music brings together the musical traditions of indie rock, folk, and introspective songwriting. After gaining recognition in Pakistan’s independent music scene, Farooki released his debut EP Songs From the Cave in 2019, earning coverage from Rolling Stone India, Forbes, as well as other international publications.

Later that year, he relocated to New York City on an artist visa and has since become a regular presence on the city’s live music circuit, performing at venues including The Bitter End, Rockwood Music Hall, Pianos, and the American Folk Art Museum.

While his journey spans continents, Farooki’s music is rooted in universal human experiences, creating songs that transcend borders and cultural labels. His recent album Twelve, is his most ambitious work to date. It’s an entirely self produced collection exploring philosophy, spirituality and the search for meaning in an increasingly complex world.

Keep up with all things Ammar Farooki on his Website

06.01.26
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Beau Nectar Confronts a Fractured World with Ecological Pop Imagination on Debut English Album Dandy, Alongside Chill Lead Single “Artichoke”

Bilingual indie-pop duo Beau Nectar (singer-songwriters Marie-Clo and éemi) share with their first full-length English album Dandy, released alongside lead single “Artichoke,” a project that turns ecological collapse, emotional fatigue, and modern disconnection into something strangely hopeful, playful, and alive. Framed through the lens of personified nature, Dandy imagines a world where flora and fauna speak back; not as symbols, but as characters with agency, humour, and resilience.

At its core, Dandy explores a world “at war with itself,” where attention is fractured, trust is eroding, and creativity is constantly under pressure. Yet instead of leaning into despair, Beau Nectar reframes the chaos with irony and softness. “It’s all fine and ‘Dandy’,” the duo suggest, holding space for contradiction while inviting listeners to reconnect with the natural world as something alive, aware, and emotionally present.

Speaking on “Artichoke,” Beau Nectar channels nature’s perspective through a flash of humour and rage, capturing a moment where Mother Nature pushes back against rising heat, both literal and emotional. “In ‘Artichoke’, Mother Nature is mad that things have gotten so heated; literally and figuratively,” the duo explain. “It’s female rage at its finest. Don’t mess with her, don’t mess with women, because we can take the heat.” The track leans into this energy with a breezy, groovy edge, balancing attitude with playful restraint.

Across Dandy, nature becomes both metaphor and companion. Listeners are invited to meet characters like the Apple, Tulip, Loggerhead Shrike, Lion’s Mane, Dandelion, and Artichoke; each representing a different emotional frequency within the modern world. Rather than distant symbolism, these figures are rendered as relatable beings, encouraging empathy for a natural world often taken for granted.

Musically, the album blends alternative pop textures with indie-folk warmth and synth-driven experimentation. The result is a sound that feels fluid and tactile; equally suited to introspection and movement. It’s a record that leans into contrast: warmth and tension, playfulness and critique, softness and bite.

Beau Nectar is the bilingual collaboration of singer-songwriters Marie-Clo and éemi, crafting intimate and vibrant synth-pop-folk rooted in ecological storytelling and emotional resonance. Their work personifies nature in a way that invites listeners to empathize with the living world, blending conceptual depth with melodic immediacy.

Following their debut album Two Lips, the duo have toured extensively across Canada, earning recognition from platforms including CBC Music and Sirius XM, as well as multiple Trille Or and regional award wins. Their music has appeared on editorial playlists such as Montreal Chill, Québécois Contemporain, and Nouveautés Francophones, while their growing international profile continues to expand through festival appearances and cross-country touring.

With Dandy, Beau Nectar continues to build a unique sonic ecosystem where pop music becomes a dialogue between humans and nature; playful, political, and deeply human in its curiosity.

06.01.26
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Heliara Debuts Everything’s a Love Song EP, with Lead Single “Confessions to my Daughter”

Ottawa-based singer-songwriter Heliara shares Everything’s a Love Song, a deeply intimate and emotionally rich EP that explores love in all its forms. Blending pop, rock, indie, and genre-spanning influences, the six-song collection unfolds as both a personal reflection and a universal meditation on connection, vulnerability, and what it means to love and be loved.

Originally conceived under the working title Eclectic Love Songs, the project evolved organically as its deeper thread revealed itself. “I wanted to explore different types of love and different musical genres,” Heliara explains. “When I realized each song reflected a different form of love, the title Everything’s a Love Song just made sense.”

The EP culminates in its most personal moment: “Confessions to my Daughter,” a heartwarming and vulnerable closing track that captures the depth of motherhood and unconditional love.

What makes Everything’s a Love Song particularly striking is its unexpected alignment with the Ancient Greek concept of love, which categorizes love into distinct forms such as eros, agape, mania, and storge. “I found out about this after I had already written all six songs,” Heliara says. “When I looked into it, I almost fell off my chair. Each song I wrote corresponded to one of those forms. In two cases, it was right down to the title.”

That sense of intuition carries throughout the record. Written and recorded over a year and a half, the EP showcases Heliara’s growth not only as a songwriter, but as an artist learning to trust her creative instincts. “I’ve learned that my creativity is limitless when I’m in alignment with myself,” she shares. “The lyrics come naturally without me asking them to. I tweak them to make the message more universal and pithy, but the essence of what I am communicating feels quite channeled in a way.”

Written in the quiet stillness of a 3AM moment while caring for her sick child, the chorus for “Confessions to my Daughter” arrived in a rush of emotion. “This is a song that my daughter will have forever,” Heliara explains. “I want her to know these things about herself and about me as a mother.”

The track is made even more special by the presence of her three-year-old daughter, whose soft backing vocals appear from the very first line. Musically, “Confessions to my Daughter” blends warm, country-tinged verses with soaring, Motown-inspired choruses, building toward a powerful, modulating finale.

06.01.26
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Next Week’s Washing Debuts “All You Fear Is All You Feel”

Toronto indie quintet Next Week’s Washing shares “All You Fear Is All You Feel,” an exciting new single that fuses driving post-punk instrumentation with shoegaze textures. As the final release from their debut EP, the track captures the overwhelming experience of navigating a world saturated with noise, opinion, and constant digital connection.

“It’s about the challenge of knowing what’s real when you’re getting bombarded with opinions and people trying to sell you something,” explains singer Miles Duffy. “All the noise really gets under your skin. It’s all-consuming.”

Born from the disorienting effects of the digital age, “All You Fear Is All You Feel” reflects a deeper generational anxiety. “It came out, being bombarded with media at all times. It can be really difficult to disengage from that stuff sometimes- Especially for young people. It’s overwhelming, and it’s turned into something that you can’t opt out of. It’s a world that is designed to take us out of the moment, and that’s really scary,” Miles shares. “Eventually, fear and anxiety start to feel like part of your existence rather than a reaction to something specific.”

That tension is mirrored in the track’s sonic identity. What began as a slower acoustic song evolved into a full-band arrangement, driven by propulsive drums and distorted guitars. The track represents a fusion between driving post punk energy and the more atmospheric elements of shoegaze music- a fusion that reflects the wide array of music that the band is inspired by.

“We wanted the music to reflect the lyrical tone,” Miles explains. “It feels very relentless, and induces (at least for me) feelings of anxiety just by listening to it. That was the goal haha.”

06.01.26
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Eric Reinhart Brings the Energy on New Single “Keep It Simple”

Building on the momentum of his debut single, “Chances,” emerging pop artist Eric Reinhart returns with “Keep It Simple,” a sleek, edgy, and self-assured new single that channels frustration into clarity. Built around a tough, no-nonsense mindset, the track captures the moment of choosing to cut through drama, trust your instincts, and move forward without overthinking.

“I found myself in a really frustrating situation,” Eric shares. “Someone did something I just couldn’t believe, and I had to deal with it. I hate drama, but I had no choice. So I just told myself: keep it simple, don’t overthink it, move forward. That mindset became this song.”

More than just a reaction, “Keep It Simple” reflects a personal philosophy. “It’s kind of a personal motto,” he explains. “I can naturally overcomplicate things, so I’m always reminding myself not to. Life is better when you strip things back.” That mindset drives both the song’s message and its confident, stripped-yet-impactful delivery.

What sets the track apart is its dynamic production. A whispery, tension-building pre-chorus gives way to a bold, high-impact chorus, while the bridge shifts the song into entirely new territory. The production pulls from a wide palette of rap cadences, subtle Spanish guitar textures, and polished pop sensibilities while maintaining a cohesive, unmistakably Eric Reinhart sound.

“Keep It Simple” came together quickly, but not by accident. Written during a first-time session with producer Sam Shrieve, the chemistry was immediate. “He built this beat with a real Justin Timberlake kind of energy, and we both just started losing it,” Eric recalls. “I started freestyling over it, and the whole song came together in about two hours.” That spontaneity remains embedded in the track’s energy, giving it a sense of urgency and authenticity.