Discovering the alternative and underground music scenes was one of the greatest joys in my life. Realizing there was more to music than what the radio served up opened my ears to a journey of musical exploration that has continued to this day, as I discovered everything from classic punk, to metal, to post hardcore. However, those of us who love these genres can sometimes get so caught up in our underground scenes that we forget there is a wealth of great music outside of them, in hip-hop, R&B, indie, and even mainstream pop. Broadening your musical tastes can only be a good thing, so with that in mind, I’ll be bringing you a new weekly feature called Pop Spotlight. Each week, I’ll spotlight a track or artist from a genre you wouldn’t expect… anything from a big pop hit I dig, to a rap track I found on Soundcloud. I hope you enjoy, and broaden your horizons even more.
MakeYouKnowLove is an up-and-coming R&B singing/songwriting/production duo composed of two brothers from London. While their only publicly released material consists of two tracks released on SoundCloud, the songs they have released show a wealth of raw talent and immense promise for the future. “Red” showcases a pulsating guitar-driven beat as a backbone for the singer’s gorgeous tenor vocals. Thankfully, all of this sheen is in support of a truly infectious hook that lodges itself in your head for hours or even days:
“From the morning till the evening/Till the sun goes red, red, red, red, red”
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Their other released track is a breathtaking, fully original take on Coldplay’s “Magic”, which takes the song’s lush minimalism in a soulful new direction. While their scarcity of material may suggest an act that is just finding its footing, MakeYouKnowLove showcase a maturity and sophistication beyond their years, and the music industry has evidently taken notice: the duo has recently co-written and co-produced the smash debut single by former One Directioner Zayn, “Pillowtalk”.
