WIESINGER is thrilled to grab 2022 by the horns and show the world what it looks like to be a passionate dealer in hope through energetic collaborations, most recently teaming up with Indigenous pop artist Jessa Sky who believes music has the power to heal the world as it has healed hers.

Together, they spread kindness via the inspirational single, “Just Give Up,” which despite its title encourages listeners to keep going; to live with the hope that things can get better. Every setback is really simply a disguised setup for a future success or victory. 

https://zez.am/justinwiesinger

WIESINGER took up songwriting and taught himself acoustic guitar in 2012 to help medicate and deal with a long and painful season of mental illness, hospitalization, and the loss of a close cousin of his family. He recalls writing music and lyrics bringing him out of a very dark place and even saving his life in moments of despair. 

ACER is a dream pop duo made up of multi-instrumentalist Kyle Gottschalk and vocalist/art director Connory Ballantyne. Borrowing from the brooding post-punk sound of their former band House Art, Ballantyne’s vocals lend a confident and lyrical vision to the dynamically maximalist instrumentals written out of Gottschalk’s love for bedroom pop and shoegaze. 

Brooding new single “Vacant” offers catharsis. Ballantyne had started dating someone new after a truly crushing breakup, and so the experience of restarting sparked reflection on the perpetuity and strangeness of his feelings. “Keep me in your contacts, keep me the boy you’re dreaming of,” he sings. 

ACER (July 8) is a youthful and hungry EP showcasing the musical diversity and raw energy of the two producers. Dreamy atmospheres abound (a nod to Beach House, Daniel Lanois, or Eno), the tracks sputter and glitch to life reminiscent of bedroom producers like JPEGMAFIA or the recent work of Toro Y Moi. Ballantyne’s vocals constantly flirt between the swaggering bravado of artists like Archie Marshal’s King Krule, the effect-laden Justin Vernon or Kanye, and the soft ambience of Slowdive.

Cat and The Queen a.k.a. CATQ is Cat Montgomery, Toronto-based musician and multidisciplinary artist. The keyboard – a.k.a. The Queen – is Cat’s first friend and has been her primary artistic outlet. 

After some time away from the city, Cat returned to Toronto and was confronted with reality. Mentally, she got herself into a bad spot. In the throes of pretty severe alcohol abuse, she felt as if she couldn’t get it together. One afternoon when she was in her bathtub – soaking silently, overcome with the fantasy of ending it all – something sparked in her: an urgent calling to go to her piano. Still wet from the bath, sitting at the piano, she wrote the lyrics out with total flow. 

“Leave Here Tonight” is a song that witnesses a journey from grief and darkness to release and freedom. It starts in a dark, dark spot: the desire to leave life. Throughout the track it breaks out of this paralysis and moves into a place of high energy prayer and life summoning. Cat wants this song to be an opportunity for listeners to get in touch with their grief – whether it be their own personal grief or a collective grief – and let it be a vehicle of some kind of emotional catharsis. It is also a gentle reminder that we need friendships and kindness in order to make sense and meaning in this insane world. 

Dance music legends Dimitri Vegas & David Guetta are teaming up with American singer & actress Nicole Scherzinger and DJ/Producer Azteck to release the addictive house single, “The Drop,” available today on all digital streaming platforms HERE. The new track is the second official solo single from Dimitri Vegas and is an addictive and uplifting song for the Summer which will take fans on a journey to chase “The Drop”. An animated music video will also be released soon, and show the four artists all transformed to an adventurous fantasy world, appearing as comic book superhero versions of themselves in a race to catch “The Drop.”

Collaborating for the first time all together, the artists also gave fans a surprise when they all recently appeared on stage together in Ibiza, at Ushuaïa outdoor club, to give a special live performance during David Guetta’s show. The artists performed “The Drop” live to a sold out crowd who danced excitedly to the new song on the moonlit sands of Spain. The artists all spent some time there together afterwards as well. Please see link to photos HERE of them all together in Ibiza.

Dimitri Vegas, David Guetta, Nicole Scherzinger, and Azteck have released hit songs in the past; however, it’s the first time all four are collaborating together to shake up the music industry. It mixes legendary dance music artists Dimitri Vegas and David Guetta with Pop superstar Nicole Scherzinger and new age DJ Azteck to make the ideal song to please their fans,  both young and old. “The Drop,” starts with a solid electro drum beat and hits the soul with engaging lyrics by Scherzinger’s distinctly harmonious vocals as it draws listeners into a break that heads into the climax and high percussive beats. The addictive tune will keep fans fully immersed in its house music vibes as it ends, leaving fans wanting more.

“I’m very excited to release “The Drop,” a track we have worked on for quite a long time to try and bring the perfect balance between radio and club sounds. We really wanted the vocals to sound like an old skool 90s R&B sample, so we asked Nicole Scherzinger to record her amazing vocals on a much slower beat. We then reprocessed everything to a higher tempo and different key so we could create this pseudo-sampling feel. Very happy to collaborate on this with my good friends David Guetta and Azteck and can’t wait to share it with the world.” – Dimitri Vegas

Electronic music lovers and fans all over the world know Dimitri “Vegas” Thivaios as half of the monolithic brotherly duo Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike and as ambassador of the worldwide phenomenon, Tomorrowland. He has been voted #1 DJ in the world two times and has previous collaborations with global superstars Daddy Yankee, Natti Natasha, David Guetta, Sebastian Yatra, Armin van Buuren and many more. “The Drop” is Dimitri’s second official solo single, following “Pull Me Closer,” which was released in March of 2021.

French DJ and producer David Guetta has over 50 million record sales globally, with more than 14 billion streams, and he was voted as the number one DJ in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll several times! David has been active for many years in the music industry, where he built himself a name and an image as a dance music pioneer and icon, but still continues to evolve his sound and work with the hottest artists of the moment. The most recent artists David has worked with include Becky Hill, Joel Corry, Robin Schulz, MORTEN, and more. Guetta has won two Grammy Awards, an American Music Award and a Billboard Music Award for his work.

Nicole Scherzinger is a multiple award-winning, multi-platinum selling performer, singer, actress, dancer and television personality, selling over 37 million singles worldwide and 16 million records as a solo artist. Formerly a member of one of the worlds best-selling music groups of all time, selling over 55 million record worldwide, she has graced the stages of London’s West End, performed at Madison Square Garden, voiced the character Sina in Disney’s animated blockbuster ‘Moana,’ starred in ABC’s remake of ‘Dirty Dancing,’ and most recently was the resident panelist on the runaway TV phenomenon, The Masked Singer on FOX. Producer/DJ Azteck has had a rapid ascent to success in a short space of time, having contributed writing and producer credits of hit songs with some of the biggest names in music. He closed 2020 with the bilingual anthem ‘Do It!’ alongside No 1 Dj’s Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Mexican singer and influencer Kimberly Loaiza, which received over 40 million views on TikTok in the first 24 hours of its release.

Today, singer-songwriter Taylor Grey releases the upbeat single “Ever Knew Me” via Kobalt. The pop song describes the story personal to the songstress having a paralyzing fear of saying goodbye to people. This is the first single launching her comeback to the music industry after a two year hiatus, with more singles set to launch in 2022.

Alongside a catchy rhythm, listeners will feel Grey’s words and the feelings of life’s blurry emotional ups and downs, as the lyrics of “Ever Knew Me”, hold a deeper, almost melancholy tone describing the reality of moving on. Vulnerability and authenticity exude from every note, especially with words and comparisons such as “Looking like a silhouette” convey a message that instead of saying goodbye head-on, there is an attempt to fade into the background. The lyrical storytelling exudes a strong imagery that fills every phrase of Grey’s new single, perfectly crafting a rich rhythmic and visual atmosphere for every listener.

“When a relationship comes to its natural end, I get scared that the person will hate me, so much so that I end up pulling away and being unable to say anything substantial at all,” says Grey. “The track references musical elements from the 70s and 80s, which create an energetic pop rock backdrop to this more nostalgic storyline in my life, and I am sure the lives of many others who experience social anxiety like myself.”

In 2017, she released her first studio album Space Case via her standing relationship with Kobalt Music Group and won two Independent Music Awards. The 12-track release featured a notable collaboration with The Vamps’ Brad Simpson. The same year Taylor revealed the Indie-Ballad single “Poison,” which further showcased the playful yet meaningful side of her writing and on-stage presence. A gifted songwriter and talented performer, she provides pristinely produced tracks with enrapturing vocals that surround each piece. Taylor’s 2018 project, her self-titled EP GREY,  was produced by Oliver “Oligee” Goldstein (Foster the People, Ellie Goulding) with executive producer Josh Abraham (Thirty Seconds to Mars, Weezer, P!nk). The release was featured on Official Spotify playlists, and supported by Just Jared, iHeartRadio, among other high profile outlets.

Taylor has toured internationally with Why Don’t We in late 2019, and has shared the stage with Walk the Moon, Fall Out Boy, Sabrina Carpenter, The Vamps, Flo Rida, Jake Miller, and more. Driven by an intricate sound that is vibrant, seductive, classy, and distinctive, Taylor is quickly paving her way in the music industry.  With several releases slated for the upcoming months, she’s going full-steam ahead in her musical endeavors with 2022 gearing up to be Taylor’s biggest year yet.

Today, the innovative music and technology company, KLKTN and Japanese cult indie band Gesu no Kiwami Otome, announced their collaborative first ever OpenSea NFT collection, Maru, along with Warner Music Japan. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the band, Maru is a generative art project consisting of 1,203 NFTs of varying rarity, including unique music stems.

Created for superfans of the band, Gesu no Kiwami Otome, ownership of these collectibles will grant exclusive access to giveaways and a live musical session, among other perks, NFT holders are able to participate in the creation of a music video. This will be the company’s first ethereum-based (ETH) project and the first project presented by KLKTN Studio, which is an arm of KLKTN and business unit focusing on bespoke Web3 projects with artists and their fans. KLKTN originated as a music tech company that focuses on cultivating unique, artistic experiences between fans and their favorite artists.

Gesu no Kiwami Otome (ゲスの極み乙女。“Lowest Girl”) formed in Tokyo in 2012, and paved the way for progressive indie music in Japan, going beyond the bounds of J-pop to bring together musical influences from hip hop to jazz to classic rock. In the process, they’ve created a sound uniquely their own, amassing critical praise and millions of devoted fans who love them as much for their musicianship as for their charisma.

Maru, a multi-purpose generative art project, captures the personality of all four Gesu No Kiwami Otome members and is inspired by the band’s art. Every one of the 1,203 NFTs of the Maru project are designed to be bright, eccentric and simply put, round. The multi-color pop feel gives off energy aligned with the band’s colorful nature and will engage fans to be able to envision Maru’s story journeying through a decade of the band’s greatness. As an added utility, token holders will be able to participate in the creative process as co-creator of the new music video, which will be announced within the project website at a later time.

Fans will be able to attend the presale on June 28th and join the allowlist for giveaways from social media until June 27th, 2022. All eligible winners will have a 24-hour window to mint starting at 6pm PT (10am JST) on June 28th. There will be a roll over of any NFTs that are not minted from the allowlist sale into the public sale that goes live on June 30th. Maru will be distributed as a presale to allowlist winners that will have 740 NFTs available, and a public sale that will have 360 NFTs.

The reveal will be hosted on Discord on July 7th by connecting the users’ wallets to enter the NFT-gated channels inside the Maru Discord. All users must hold a Maru to enter. These channels will include details on upcoming community events, upcoming drops from KLTKN and more. Fans will be able to participate in exciting giveaways early in August, as merchandise raffles and KLKTN NFT Project Whitelists will be part of the prizes. In mid-August, a Holders Live Session will be live for NFT holders.