SALUTE TO INDEPENDENTS!

Ask any executive at a major record label and they’ll tell you: technology has completely changed the music business forever. Now, more than ever, talented artists are able to create, distribute and promote their original music outside of the traditional industry machine.

And while this new accessibility of music has received mixed reviews from music executives and critics, it has definitely been a benefit to music lovers everywhere! In the modern era, not only are fans enabled to enjoy their favorite artists, but, along with the ability to freely discover new artists, comes a deepening of cultural understanding and, hopefully, a bridging of cultural gaps.

As part of our month-long celebration of independence, Wiles Magazine is proud to feature some of our favorite independent singers and songwriters from all over the globe. Take a look, take a listen and, after that, we encourage you to support the voices and the visions of creative artists everywhere!

PAOLA JEAN – CLASSIC SOUL

Paola Jean was born and raised in Switzerland,  but has also called Brooklyn, New York home. Her debut full-length album “Right on Time” in 2008 also brought forth the release of her first music video “Featherlight.” The video was received so positively that it ran on VH-1 Soul and BET for weeks. In 2012 she will complete her new EP. Truly an international artist, she’s performed alongside The Roots at the Highline Ballroom in New York, with Rahzel @ the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, at Hobgoblin in London and in Russia and Germany with Rolf Stahlhofen, just to name a few. Paola Jean’s music truly transcends categorization.  Her art is an intersection where Switzerland sensibility meets New York flavor, London grit and Los Angeles expression.

 

 

SID AND JOE – ROCK/POP/ALTERNATIVE

Sid and Joe is a collaborative musical duo from the United Kingdom comprised of Sid Bowden, a singer/songwriter from Harlow and Joe Turone, a rapper from Hertfordshire. The music merges and takes inspiration from many genres, ranging from Rock/Pop to alternative Hip-Hop. The duo is currently working on their debut album.

 

 

CLARA CHUNG – POP/SOUL

Clara Chung, also known as Clara C, is an American guitarist and singer. Clara Chung is a YouTube phenpmenon who rose to fame when she won Los Angeles’ Kollaboration 10 contest, KAC Media Juice Night, and ISA in 2009.

 

 

GOTYE – INDIE ROCK/ALTERNATIVE ROCK

Wouter “Wally” De Backer – also known by his stage name Gotye –  is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumental musician and songwriter. Gotye has released three studio albums independently and one album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums. Gotye’s 2011 single “Somebody That I Used to Know” recently reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the fifth Australian artist to do so and the second Belgian (after Soeur Sourire in 1963). He has won five ARIA Awards and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act.

 

While it may seem strange to include Gotye on this list because we hear this song EVERY time we turn on the radio, Gotye is probably one of the best examples of an Indie musical act success story in recent memory!

 

 

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