Interview: Christian Leave on new songs 'Milksop' and 'Darling'.

Anderson .Paak has a special place in his heart for New Zealand - a country in which he played his first ever arena show at, back in January of this year.

Flash-forward to the present, and .Paak already has another album out in the form of ‘Ventura’, the older father figure to last year’s ‘Oxnard’, with heartfelt songs like ‘Make It Better’ and ‘Twilight’ highlighting .Paak’s vocal abilities, alongside empowering anthems like ‘King James’.

If you’ve already watched Netflix’s ‘The Society’, chances are you became obsessed with Grizz and Sam’s relationship - and Grizz, played by Jack Mulhern, has become one of the show’s breakout stars, for his portrayal of a shy jock who falls in love with deaf character Sam (Sean Berdy). He even learnt American Sign Language as part of the role.

21-year-old Omar Banos, best known by his musical moniker, Cuco, is excited about living on his first ever tour bus for the next month when I call him in Boston, having recently kicked off his summer headlining tour of America.

Ari Lennox’s twelve-song debut album ‘Shea Butter Baby’, released earlier this year, sees her explore funk and soul - with songs like ‘I Been’ and ‘New Apartment’ highlighting her rich and soothing vocals.

Since signing to J. Cole’s label Dreamville three years ago, Lennox has toured with him (coming to New Zealand to open for his 2017 show), as well as establishing herself as an artist to watch - just recently making her television debut on The Tonight Show.

With her debut album ‘LUCID’, Indian-American artist Raveena crafts an intimate and healing world which she invites her listeners into - with songs like ‘Stronger’ highlighting a journey to empowerment.

In a Instagram post about the album’s release, Raveena calls the album a “piece of my soul,” and it’s a powerful piece. Her heritage is also integral within the album, with ‘Mama’ working as an ode to her mother, and her grandmother’s voice featuring on ‘Nani’s Interlude’ after Raveena recorded conversations she was having with her.

William Jackson Harper is in the midst of filming the final season of ‘The Good Place’ - a show that has just recently been announced to be ending after four seasons, with the show’s creator Michael Schur explaining in a statement that “making this show is a rare, creatively fulfilling joy, and at the end of the day, we don’t want to tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant.”

During the three years of the show, Harper’s character Chidi has become beloved for his incessant indecisiveness, quoting ethics philosophers left, right, and centre.

Following the release of her critically acclaimed debut album 'Premonitions' (which includes the incredible cuts 'Leave The Party', 'Stock Image' and 'Stop Talking') last year, Miya Folick has shared a new song, 'Malibu Barbie', about which she says: "'Malibu Barbie' is about my exploration of what being a woman means to me - it’s a longing for an ideal. It’s realising that I can go to an extreme in pursuit of physical perfection, look around, and realise that I haven’t changed. I am still longing and seeking something more.

20-year-old Dizzy Fae is on a roll - having toured with the likes of Lizzo and Jorja Smith, and starring in Khalid’s short film ‘Free Spirit’, the queer Black artist uses her unique sound as a means to explore love and human connection.

Having just dropped her ‘No GMO’ mixtape - the second of her mixtapes - Dizzy continues to make strides, all as an independent artist.

We spoke to Dizzy Fae just after performing at Troye Sivan’s Go West Fest about the new mixtape, her songwriting, and more…

Having already amassed over 30 million streams for his debut single ‘Waiting’, winning Triple J’s Unearthed competition, and opening for the likes of Jorja Smith, it’s fair to say that Australian singer KIAN is one to keep an eye on.

Following the release of his ‘Bliss’ EP, we spoke to KIAN about his songwriting process, growing up, and more…