Meet Lil Tjay, the US rapper whose new song with 6LACK - Calling My Phone - is a hitAfter collaborations with The Kid LAROI. and Pop Smoke in 2020, the New York rapper's first song for 2021 is already weaselling its way to the tops of the chart.
Listen to Billy Davis' new team-up with Ruel and Genesis Owusu, Dream No More
The track is from the Melbourne super producer's forthcoming album THIS IS WHAT’S IMPORTANT, out April 16th.
Posted By Hayden Davies
3 years ago
We've known about Billy Davis for a long while now, with the Melbourne multi-hyphenate being the type of musician that excels in everything he attempts. On his own work, he fuses together stark lyricism with slitherings of hip-hop and pop; his 2017-released debut album A Family Portrait enlisting acts including Denzel Curry and Jace XL for an emotive celebration of family, in the sense of both his Philippines-centred home and the family he's built in Australia. Then, there is his work with acts like GoldLink and BROCKHAMPTON, pushing Billy Davis' imprint into international waters.
In 2018, he made a return with the VanJess-featuring Shoulda Known and the year after, made it two-for-two with Headspace - one of the year's best, if not most-overlooked Australian singles that came with a full feature interview in-tow. The singles were building towards the release of his forthcoming second album, which after delays and setbacks now has a name and a release date: This Is What's Important arriving on April 16, bringing a second reckoning of one of Australia's most talented and accomplished names in the process of doing so.
The news comes alongside a new single Dream No More, which in the days leading up to release, was already making itself known as a breakthrough moment for Billy Davis. It features Ruel and Genesis Owusu, capturing some of the country's most striking and brilliant names in hip-hop and R&B for a song that fuses their strengths together; Ruel's silky-smooth vocal dancing amongst a backdrop of hip-hop percussion and woozy melodies that Genesis Owusu excels over in his own contributions to the song.
It's a striking display of Australia's musical highlights - Billy Davis, Ruel and Genesis Owusu are all amongst the strongest musicians in their respective crafts - and Dream No More emphasises all of that, something that Billy Davis has created a real knack for.
Billy Davis' strengths in collaboration is something bound to shine throughout his forthcoming second album, which in addition to Genesis Owusu and Ruel, will also feature past guests including Jordan Dennis, PJ Morton, Phoelix, EMRSN, KYE, VanJess and Matt McGhee, as well as Aodhan King and David Ware on a still-unreleased track. It's also bound to be a record as personal and intimate as his debut, as he explains: "There’s some fun upbeat tracks where I discuss choosing a career in music the paranoia associated with that and living off nothing," he says. "Then the loss of my Mum and the dark days after that then paying homage to her and moving forward with my life. Realising the importance of your loved ones and friends and those around you."
There's plenty more to come and no doubt we'll have plenty more to say, but in the meantime, take a dive into Dream No More below, and pre-order Billy Davis' new record here.
Tour Dates (supporting Tones and I):
APR 21, The Forum - Melbourne, VIC
APR 22, The Forum - Melbourne, VIC
MAY 01, Mac2 - Hobart, TAS
MAY 06, The Fortitude Music Hall - Brisbane, QLD
MAY 07, The Fortitude Music Hall - Brisbane, QLD
MAY 12, Thebarton Theatre - Adelaide, SA
MAY 14, Metropolis - Fremantle, WA
MAY 15, Metropolis - Fremantle, WA
MAY 17, Enmore Theatre – Sydney, NSW
MAY 18, Enmore Theatre – Sydney, NSW
Meet Lil Tjay, the US rapper whose new song with 6LACK - Calling My Phone - is a hitAfter collaborations with The Kid LAROI. and Pop Smoke in 2020, the New York rapper's first song for 2021 is already weaselling its way to the tops of the chart.
Meet Sydney's Cap Carter, who makes empowering R&B with his debut, RelapseThe Western Sydney musician fuses R&B with empowering songwriting for a debut single amongst the year's best.