MNEK Archives - Angela McLean

Playlist: Black Excellence

June 10, 2020 No Comments

In place of June’s Favourites list, I will be sharing multiple posts spotlighting Black creators + businesses. Today and every day, Black Lives Matter.

There’s a conversation going on right now that we all need to be part of and it covers racism, discrimination, equality and basic human rights. Why, in 2020, are Black men, women and non-binary people still being treated as “less than”? Why must they live with a weight on their shoulders simply because of the colour of their skin? We need to say their names, know their stories and uplift their legacies: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin… and we need to recognize that there are far too many stories.

Change starts with each and every one of us. Over the past two weeks, the #BlackLivesMatter movement has spread internationally as people make their voice heard any way they can — through protests, signing petitions, educating themselves and their peers, lobbying government officials, and uplifting the voices at the heart of this movement. I want to do my part on this blog by amplifying my favourite Black creators and brands.

You may have heard several of these artists on previous playlists, but here’s your chance to get to know them better! Press play, check out the full tracklist and read more about three of my favourites below.

Playlist: Black Excellence — Full Tracklist

“Good as Hell,” Lizzo
“Do It,” Chloe x Halle
“In The Morning,” Jay Prince
“Chocolate.,” Kiana Ledé feat. Ari Lennox
“Eleven,” Khalid feat. Summer Walker
“The Worst In Me,” KAYTRANADA feat. Tinashe
“COFFEE,” Kelly Rowland
“When You Hold Me,” Braxton Cook
“Stormy Weather,” Tinashe
“Pretty Little Fears,” 6LACK feat. J. Cole
“B.S.,” Jhené Aiko feat. H.E.R.
“Give Me A Reason,” R.LUM.R
“Addicted,” Jon Vinyl
“Happy Without Me,” Chloe x Halle feat. Joey Bada$$
“Savage Remix,” Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé
“Sunflower Seeds,” Bryce Vine
“Midsection,” KAYTRANADA feat. Pharrell Williams
“Can I,” Kehlani feat. Tory Lanez
“OTW,” Khalid feat. 6LACK & Ty Dolla $ign
“Grinding All My Life,” Nipsey Hussle
“This Is America,” Childish Gambino
“If You’re Not There,” Reuben James feat. Braxton Cook
“Motivation,” Normani
“Die A Little Bit,” Tinashe & Ms Banks
“Boys,” Lizzo
“Boys Should Never Cry,” R.LUM.R
“FDT,” YG & Nipsey Hussle
“Hang on in There,” John Legend & The Roots
“Mad,” Solange feat. Lil Wayne
“Get Up, Stand Up,” Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Freedom,” Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar
“Cold,” R.LUM.R
“All The Stars,” Kendrick Lamar with SZA
“Correct,” MNEK
“Think About Me,” dvsn
“Wrong Places,” H.E.R.
“I Want You,” Tayla Parx
“Build,” Justine Skye & Arin Ray
“Catch Up,” Chloe x Halle & Swae Lee feat. Mike WiLL Made-It
“Love’s In Need Of Love Today,” Stevie Wonder
“Self,” Noname
“Trip,” Ella Mai
“Making A Choice,” R.LUM.R
“Bigger Love,” John Legend
“My Line,” Reuben James feat. Col3trane, Jay Prince, Vula & Soweto Kinch
“Surfacing,” R.LUM.R
“Honeymoon Phaze,” MNEK
“Rocket Man” (Cover), CammWess feat. John Legend
“What If I (Still Feel),” R.LUM.R
“16 Shots,” Vic Mensa
“Moment,” Victoria Monét

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New Music Friday, Playlists

Pride Playlist

June 21, 2019 No Comments

It’s time to get loud and be proud! June is Pride Month. Regardless of where and what you’re doing to celebrate, there’s no better time to let loose and be yourself. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Life is too short to be anything but in love with yourself and your life. If you’ve been slacking in that area, start now!

Amplify your Pride Month festivities with my 40-track playlist, linked below — and keep scrolling to preview some of my favourite Pride plays, new and old.

“Girls Like Girls” – Hayley Kiyoko

Girls can like girls, just like boys—and what about it? That’s the attitude “Lesbian Jesus” Hayley Kiyoko takes on in her smash single “Girls Like Girls,” which has amassed over 150 million listens online. From the start of her career, Kiyoko has been vocal about struggles faced by the LGBTQ community in her music, raising awareness of violence against transgender women on “One Bad Night” and highlighting self-doubt on “This Side of Paradise.” She’s described “Girls Like Girls” as a “female anthem for a girl stealing another guy’s girl,” contrasting the stereotypical girl-steals-girlfriend’s-guy/guy-steals-guy friend’s-girl themes.

Playlists

Playlist: November finds & faves

November 28, 2018 No Comments

November finds & faves playlist cover - Angela McLean

If I’m being real with you, November was A MONTH. I was so busy and all over the place between meetings, midterms, work and catching up with life, I basically forgot what having a social life was like. A great benefit to this, though, was all the time I had to curate and obsess over my November playlist. It definitely provided a great escape and made doing homework much more entertaining!

It was a great month for music, so I’m sharing 66 songs. Continue scrolling to check out the playlist and get my take on six must-listen tracks (then press play and get through these last weeks of work before the break!)

Music Monday, Playlists

MUSIC MONDAY: Springing into Spring with Vibrant Tunes

March 21, 2016 No Comments

Although the weather may indicate otherwise, spring is officially here and a new playlist fit for the season is a necessity.

You may have noticed that there was no new Music Monday playlist on my blog in February. In case you missed it, I partnered with Girls’ Life magazine to curate five Valentine’s Day-themed playlists covering everything from love songs for happy couples to girl power anthems for the single and proud chicas. These playlists are guaranteed to hit you right in the feels all year long!

For this month’s playlist, I’m starting off spring on a musical high with 15 handpicked tunes that will bring out all the good vibes! Before you listen to it in full, preview my selections from three of the hottest artists in the industry.

“LIKE I WOULD” by Zayn

Zayn Malik broke off from his One Direction bandmates to take time off and experiment with new projects. Then, rumours started swirling about an official solo music venture. Zayn officially responded to the speculation by dropping his single “Pillowtalk” and giving fans their first taste of his new sound. Now, leading up to the release of the full-length disc ‘Mind of Mine’ on March 25, Zayn has been surprise releasing his favourite songs from the album. Fan-favourite “LIKE I WOULD” is an upbeat track about reconnecting with a former fling.

Interviews, Music, Music Monday

MUSIC MONDAY: Brayton Bowman gets “Skin Deep”

April 27, 2015 No Comments

Brayton Bowman is one busy bee. After releasing his EP ‘Here | Now’ this past winter, the 21-year-old electro-pop singer from Philadelphia released “Skin Deep”, the follow-up single off his upcoming EP ‘The Update’. Through the power of the internet, the world has quickly caught on to Brayton’s incredible talent (#slay) and his quirky, but undeniably genius and entertaining, tweets.

Brayton holds nothing back in his music – his vocal abilities shine through on songs like “Jaywalk” and “Privacy”, and, as shown on the track “Stephen”, he isn’t afraid to send shout outs to the heartbreakers, à la Taylor Swift. When he’s not releasing bangers of his own, you can find him ‘refixing’ songs like Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time”, interacting with his fans on Twitter, rehearsing for upcoming shows with artists like Betty Who and CRUISR, or working towards his debut album. Next, look out for ‘The Update’, which is set for a June release.

On this MUSIC MONDAY, I caught up with Brayton to talk about the inspiration behind his new single, working with powerhouse and friend MNEK and the artistic holy trinity.

What is your new single “Skin Deep” about and what inspired it?

“Skin Deep” is basically my Tinder boy’s lament. It’s a song about realizing you’re only dating someone because of how they look in their selfies. It’s shallow, and frustrating, but we all do it.