Ash Molloy’s latest single, “Breakdown,” is a raw, introspective exploration of the mental battles we all face. Known for her unapologetic authenticity and powerful vocals, Molloy dives deep into the moments of vulnerability that make us human. A multi-instrumentalist with a background in neuroscience, Molloy draws inspiration from the iconic alt-rock sound of the 90s, reminiscent of legends like Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette.
With “Breakdown,” Ash Molloy offers a musical reflection on the complexities of mental health, echoing the nostalgic and emotionally charged tones of her influences while maintaining a fiercely modern, individual voice. The single invites listeners to consider their own struggles with self-care, set to the backdrop of Molloy’s evocative instrumentation and unforgettable melodies.
It’s so much easier to let go and go off the rails, even when we know it’s not the right choice. In “Breakdown,” you experience that inner conflict – how we might learn what we need to do to avoid a breakdown, yet still find ourselves slipping back into those old habits. It’s a reminder of how challenging it can be to prioritize our mental well-being, even when we know better. – Ash Molloy
Singer-songwriter Jessica Chaz is sharing a radiant new remix of her single, “Promise of Sunlight,” reimagined alongside South African jazz pianist and longtime collaborator, Lindi Ngonelo. Originally from Durban and now based in Vancouver, Chaz brings a global influence to her music, blending her soulful roots with an uplifting message of resilience and hope.
The remix is part of Chaz’s Promise of Sunlight Remixes EP, a special collection that features multiple reinterpretations of the track, originally from her 2023 River EP. Each remix showcases a collaboration with artists from Brazil, South Africa, the USA, and Canada, with each musician bringing a unique cultural perspective to the track. From EDM influences to live jazz instrumentation, the EP offers a diverse sonic palette that reflects Chaz’s journey and dedication to cross-cultural collaboration.
Written during the depths of the pandemic, “Promise of Sunlight” was inspired by the belief in new beginnings and the promise of brighter days. With this remix, Ngonelo’s unique blend of groove and live instrumentation helps infuse the song with an organic warmth that speaks to that hopeful message.
This remix EP was a global project, with each artist bringing their own culture and sound to the track. Lindi’s version is a beautiful reminder that even in hard times, there’s light to be found – a message we all need. – Jessica Chaz
Fast-rising teen actor, dancer, and singer to watch from Toronto, Niko Ceci, is sharing his second single, the propulsive “Outta Control.” This soulful, piano laden pop and RnB number was inspired by the added pressures that come with being a teenager.
Not only is everything changing for us but we have to manage school, family, a social life and keep our mental health good at the same time. – Niko Ceci
The song’s varying beat reflects Ceci reaching a breaking point as it escalates, juxtaposed with slower sections of the song where he talks through his anxieties. Recorded heartbeats and ad libs add texture and presence to the track, reflecting the thoughts racing through the back of Ceci’s mind.
The idea for this song came to me while I was sitting and waiting in an airport. I was on my way back home from holiday break and the reality of life dawned on me. I remembered the school work I had to catch up on, making sure to reply to everyone on social media, exam review was starting and I was freaking out. I thought to myself wow, I could write a song about how I feel right now – and I did. I wanted to let people my age know that they aren’t alone and [that] everyone has ups and downs. – Niko Ceci
Born and raised in Toronto, Victoria Staff was always an “anxious child.” The string that connected much of her young life was using music to communicate with family, friends, teachers, and even therapists. Over time, this coping mechanism developed into a passion for music that would lead to her career as an indie-pop artist. Staff continues to use the written word to communicate with her audience. Her debut EP, Records & Honesty, was released in 2023 under the guidance of Canadian music producer Dan Hosh.
Sophomore EP, I Wake Up Smiling 😦, continues her narrative, as she begins to build the world around her. The record follows her journey through love, life, and mental health, as she navigates this next chapter of her life. “Happiness is super elusive. It can feel like your chasing it down, but it’s often faster than I am,” says Staff, “it’s just about trying to find it, whether or not you actually get there is beside the point sometimes.”
I Wake Up Smiling 😦 features highlighted single, “My Whole Life Long.” Instead of being a cathartic outlet, “My Whole Life Long” finds Staff communicating through a new lens, one where her storytelling is centered around a place of joy. Her public autobiography this time tells the story about love found, not love lost. So many relationships are one sided, but “My Whole Life Long” tells a story where both people were in it together as equals.
‘Records & Honesty’ was about where I was last year, and in contrast, this is all about where I am now. I got to work with some incredible musicians: Will Crann, John Karkar, Luke Fair, and Dan Hosh. I also built‘I Wake Up Smiling 😦’with my sister. She is and always will be my favourite collaborator. Her voice is all over the songs. She makes me a better musician. – Victoria Staff
Born to a French/Vietnamese mother and a German father, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Nathalie King’s music is noted for its cinematic electro-pop and trip hop style, while her sound expresses deeply rooted themes like mental health and emotional life experiences. She is known for her sultry smooth low voice, reminiscent of the true artists of the vintage jazz era.
King is now releasing her new six track EP, PTSD, which is a healing journey throughout her childhood trauma. “I’ve been writing songs as a therapeutic means to overcome childhood trauma and depression throughout my life,” says King. “Working in the studio together in Toronto, PTSD has a more electronic and UK sound to it, thanks to the contributions of Bristol born producer Joseph Snook.”
“Within a Dream” is about the many nights I spent in my bed as a child, sweating and being scared and feeling a ton of anxiety because my parents were fighting or I just got a beating and got screamed at for nothing important in particular. This song revisits the tremendous anxiety I felt in my stomach and sorrow as I cried myself to sleep countless times. It’s about the dark memories of my childhood that stored the trauma in my cells and the beginning of generational trauma. – Nathalie King
Julie Haven’s latest single, “Running Man,” is a surprising, upbeat shift from the more introspective ballads that have established her as one of Metro Detroit’s most soulful and evocative singer-songwriters.
Known for her honest reflections on heartbreak and life’s tougher lessons, Julie’s music has always been an outlet for the heavier and more complex emotions that resonate with listeners.
But with “Running Man”, a cheeky, piano-powered pop-rock anthem, Julie lets her lighter, wittier side take center stage. Inspired by an emotionally elusive partner with a “dismissive avoidant attachment style,” the song is a burst of energy and personality aimed squarely at a man who “runs at the first sign of struggle or closeness.” The music video, however, takes things a step further, and captures the humor and absurdity of this dynamic with over-the-top silliness.
With a cast of hilariously exaggerated characters and laugh-out-loud moments, the video features Julie’s friends dressed up in zany roles. From the elusive Running Man himself to a wig-wearing “mother” crying over her daughter’s love life.
Filmed in her old Florida home and local parks, the video transforms familiar settings into a stage for playful scenes that poke fun at her own heartbreak.
Here, Julie shares what inspired “Running Man,” how the video came together, and why this song is such a departure for her musically and emotionally.
1. Tell us the story of this song; why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
The song itself was written as a sort of follow up to “See Me Cry”, where I was already in a state of frustration from feeling like I was being toyed with by an emotionally unavailable partner, (who now I realize many years later, was man with a dismissive avoidant attachment style), and the constant hot and cold dynamic led to an even angrier version of myself when I wrote “Running Man”. Which essentially, is about a man who constantly runs at the first sign of struggle or closeness in a relationship.
I wanted this video to be just super over the top, ridiculous and silly. Most of my songs are very serious and about heartbreak or the constant lessons of life that I’m trying to interpret and learn. I released “Kill Me”, which is a pretty dark song about being lied to and about infidelity, which had a very creepy animated video along with it, then followed that up with the emotionally heavy, “Between the Lies”, about domestic abuse, and I wanted this video to be the total opposite of that and just be stupid, really. I have a bunch of different sides of me, and the people who know me very well, know that as dark and depressed I can be, I can also be really silly and have no problem making fun of myself. So I wanted that to come through in this video.
So with the video, I wanted to take the lyrics and over exaggerate them with a very tongue and cheek tone. We have Benjamin Card, (a super talented songwriter under the name “Breezy Tempest”) the Running Man himself, and he’s in this bright yellow outfit and basically running the whole time. My friend Glenn Baker (Glenn Baker Band) plays my mother, and he’s wearing a bright red wig with a full beard. And the basic story is I give him my heart, which in the video is an actual heart shaped totem, he runs away with it, but keeps coming back while I keep giving him chances. Eventually I run after him and get my heart back once and for all.
2. What inspired this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
When I thought about making this video, I just kept picturing the most ridiculous scenes and this guy just running away from the simplest things like milk spilling onto the floor, being intimate and bolting, taking off when I’m crying watching a movie (“Kill Me” easter egg moment), actually biting me and running away (a line in the song). And it just kind of morphed into what we have. I added the idea of my mother crying every time this guy runs away and breaks her little girl’s heart, and it hit me one day “What if Glenn dresses in a wig and a tight dress?! It would be hilarious!” Then my disapproving father (who has never approved of any man in my life) is smoking a bubble pipe with a drawn on beard (Ironically enough played by my now ex). It’s just over the top silly. And just for fun I added my friend Michelle Johnson in there for no reason other than being the “BANG!” girl who is a random character who pulls a trigger on a prob gun that says “BANG!” and cheering for everything cause she loves everyone. She cracks me up.
3. What was the process of making this video?
Lance Goodman was the videographer, director and editor. He is the same guy who filmed “Between the Lies”, and I loved working with him the first time, so I decided to do it again. One of the cool things is that we filmed both videos in the same locations; the house where I used to live with my ex in Florida, and the park where we used to run. I thought it was neat to have the dark and the light in the same places.
We filmed this in one day. So the day of the shoot everyone showed up at the house and I had my ideas written down as certain scenes I wanted to try and we tried it all. We then went to the park and finished the running scenes, which was very funny because there were random people walking around and watching us as we acted out this ridiculous video. A scene we added last minute was Ben dropping my keyboard and breaking it and then taking off, leaving me to clean up the mess. I would never condone destroying a piece of perfectly good equipment, however, two days prior to filming this video, I was rear ended and my car was totaled along with my keyboard while I was driving to a gig. I wanted to add a car scene in the video but the car was undrivable. So I decided to add the keyboard scene in since it was already destroyed. Very “Rock ‘n Roll” lol.
I also gave Ben full reign to do whatever he wanted with the character, and he was perfect for that role. I could not stop laughing. I kept breaking character because he would surprise me with the faces he would make or moves he would just randomly do. We all had a lot of fun making this. Great memories for sure.
“Running Man” is a track from “Dramatic Departures”, Julie’s first full-length album, crafted from an intimate collection of songs she’s kept close over the years.
Her discography already includes an album, four EPs, and a live record, capturing a journey that has seen her perform across the U.S., from small coffeehouses to major festivals.
Julie has been a recurring artist at Michigan’s celebrated Arts, Beats and Eats Festival, where her music resonates with audiences year after year. With the upcoming worldwide release of “Dramatic Departures“, Julie invites listeners to connect with her most personal work to date.
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