Tag Archives: musician

Artist Spotlight: Zach Bryan

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Spoiler: I love this man.

Considering the rather infrequent updates in this category, I have (wisely) changed the Artist of the Month feature on Widow’s Lure to the more aptly named Artist Spotlight, where I can highlight a certain musical artist or artists at my own pace.

Even though I have since updated previous posts to reflect this change, the first official spotlight will focus on one of the fastest rising stars in country music – and music in general – Zach Bryan.

Hot girls listen to Zach Bryan. (SOURCE: Zach Bryan’s Instagram)


My introduction to Zach Bryan came perhaps towards the middle of his ascent to stardom. Bored of my usual rotation, I went looking for new artists to listen to, and a name that I came across frequently was that of handsome Zach Bryan.

The first song that I streamed of his, coming from his third album American Heartbreak which is Zach’s major label debut album, was Something in the Orange. Perhaps because I’m used to the overproduction of pop songs, I was relatively surprised at the low maintenance of this easy-listening track, and even more surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Zach sings with pure and raw emotion to the point where you can hear the pain in his voice as he tells his stories through his music, and I think this point cannot be made any clearer than in Something in the Orange. Backed only with a harmonica and an acoustic guitar, Zach really lays himself bare as he tells the heartbreaking story of a love lost and a love that he holds onto with hope.

The simplicity of Zach’s music is also apparent in Heading South, from his second album Elisabeth. Apparently he recorded this song, as well as the entire album, on his laptop in a shed, which attributes to its low maintenance indie feel. Sometimes I can get lost in how an artist sings their lyrics that my empathy ability kicks in and I truly feel something, even if I have no idea what the lyrics are; this is how I felt listening to Heading South.

I think in a genre like country music, its almost expected that male artists have a certain sound – the deep, southern drawl a la Luke Bryan or Chris Stapleton – and while I’m not saying Zach is the complete opposite of this, he has his own unique sound that, coupled with his ability to pour his raw emotion into his music, makes for a very compelling and intriguing artist.

Recommended Tracks
“I Remember Everything” ft. Kacey Musgraves (Zach Bryan)
“Fear and Fridays (Poem)” (Zach Bryan)
“If She Wants a Cowboy” (American Heartbreak)

Not to sound like I’m shitting on an entire genre, but I feel like country is one of the most regulated genres of music there is. I mean, god forbid you support trans rights or something. My own personal views aside, though, what I find so refreshing and endearing about Zach is he seems so unfiltered and like he walks to the beat of his own drum, despite any arguments that country music purists might have.

I mean, his recent collaboration with Sexyy Red really shows this tbh.

Again I say: I love this man. (SOURCE: Zach Bryan’s Instagram)

Anyways, if you haven’t already, I highly suggest you look into Zach Bryan. Come for the handsome face, stay for the music, live for his cheeky approach to life.

– by The Black Widow

Artist Spotlight: Erika Jayne

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“Some people call me cold, but that’s not ice; it’s diamonds.”

If you know me, then you know that I am a HUGE fan of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. As such, it should come as a shock to no one that the blonde pop diva herself would appear on Widow’s Lure as a featured artist of the month.

She’s crass, she’s sassy, she’s blonde, and she’s super fabulous… she’s the alter ego of Erika Girardi…

The artist of the month for December 2020: Erika Jayne.

The fabulous Erika Jayne being interviewed about how damn fabulous she is. (Photo taken from kathryn deem’s Flickr photostream)

Erika Jayne has been creating music since 2007, but her popularity has soared on the dance charts due to her appearances on RHOBH. Even if you weren’t a fan of Erika Girardi on the show, then I’m sure you would be a fan of Erika Jayne.

When I do personal training with my PT every Tuesday morning and he asks me what music to play on his outdoor speaker, I can literally hear the groan when I suggest Xxpen$ive by Erika Jayne. He shouldn’t be surprised; it’s the song I always request when he asks me this question.

If you’re looking to be introduced to Erika Jayne’s music, Xxpen$ive is a good place to start as I believe it shows off every intricacy about her that makes her so appealing. This track is unapologetic as Erika casually sings about how expensive it is to upkeep her lifestyle and appearance, and she still doesn’t give a fuck. When I first heard this song, I compared her to the likes of Mariahlynn, as both of these women have such bold lyrics that suit the hip-hop inspired dance accompaniment.

If you want another example of just how bold, daring and carefree Erika Jayne can get, then look no further than How Many Fucks. As the song suggests, she gives zero fucks about what anyone thinks about her, and who doesn’t want to admire someone like that? How Many Fucks follows the same kind of trend as Xxpen$ive: the lyrics are brash, the dance music will get even the most introverted person onto the dance floor, and the unapologetic approach this song has is infectious. If you needed any more convincing to listen to this track, it peaked at number one on Billboard’s US Dance Club list.

Now to soften the mood a bit, let me introduce you to the song that shares the name of Erika Jayne’s gimmick name: Pretty Mess. I’m aware that there are a lot of remixes for Erika’s songs, so referring to the original version itself, Pretty Mess has a slower, softer approach than the previous two tracks have. Erika’s vocals offer a sense of vulnerability, which matches the more subtle dance tones of this song.

Recommended Tracks
“Painkillr” (non-album single)
“Roller Coaster” from Pretty Mess
“Party People (Ignite the World)” (non-album single)

The thing I love most about Erika Jayne is she doesn’t necessarily have this dance music career for the money or the fame. She does it because she genuinely loves it, and has fun slipping into her Erika Jayne persona.

God, no wonder why I want to be her so much.

– by The Black Widow

Artist Spotlight: Harry Styles

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Just like strawberries on a summer evening.

There will always be debates of which former One Direction member has had the best solo career, and a solid argument can be made for each one, but what everyone cannot deny is just how great Harry Styles has been since leaving the iconic boy band.

The artist of the month for November 2020 is Harry Styles.

What a deadset healthy mop of hair. (Photo taken from Ianthebush’s Flickr photostream)

While his talent has never been denied, I don’t know if people were actually prepared for the absolute bangers Harry Styles has produced ever since branching off on his own. While most pop singers resort to the same old tactics to keep their music on the top 10 lists, Harry doesn’t have to hide behind a catchy tune and repetitive lyrics; his music tells stories – whether they’re subtle like Two Ghosts or blatantly obvious like Kiwi – and his vocals are almost unmatched when it comes to male popstars.

The first song, as referenced by the opening line of this article that I would like to touch upon, is Watermelon Sugar… and not just because a series of events has made this song remind me of RHOBH legend Eden Sassoon and her iconic black bob wig.

This track has an easy summer holiday kinda vibe to it, which goes with the lyrics of the song. While many people have their own interpretations about what this song is actually about, I don’t think I could care less, because this song doesn’t need some blatant or obscure meaning to justify just how awesome it is. It’s a track that I can see appealing to any music taste and suiting any situation, from going for an early morning run, to sitting by the pool with a strawberry daiquiri.

The first song of Harry’s that I really felt deep in my core was Woman from his debut album. While essentially the entire album was #fire, Woman struck me as powerful simply because of how Harry sings the chorus, which contains only one word: woman. You can feel the passion and gusto he feels for this unidentified woman just by how he says the word. This song has an almost R&B piano style feel to it, or as my friend Michelle once so eloquently put it, “an 80’s porno vibe”.

It would be remiss of me not to talk about my feelings towards Kiwi considering my New Zealand heritage. But even besides that little fact linking me to this song, I have a soft spot for this track because it reminds me of Candice Swanepoel walking down the Victoria’s Secret runway while Harry Styles performed it at their now-defunct annual fashion show in 2017. One of the more overtly sexual songs of Harry Styles’ career, the chorus itself should give you a fair idea of how blatant the song is: “I’m having your baby, it’s none of your business”. This track is full of high energy with a quick pace and loud instrument accompaniment, so you would understand why the VS Angels could master their strut while Mr. Styles himself song behind them.

Recommended Tracks
– “Only Angel” from Harry Styles
– “Adore You” from Fine Line
– “Sign of the Times” from Harry Styles

Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to put on an iconic Eden Sassoon black bob wig, sit in my lounge, and listen to Watermelon Sugar with a glass of wine.

– by The Black Widow

Artist Spotlight: Little Big Town

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I know there is a recurring theme of country musicians featured as our Artists of the Month, but bear with me.

Even if you aren’t a country music fan, if you watched the most recent Grammy’s, you’ll have a fair idea of who Little Big Town are. They are the group of four (two men and two women) that won the Grammy for the Best Country Duo/Music Group Performance for their hit song Girl Crush, and they also had the honour of performing that song on stage.

Introducing February’s Artist of the Month… Little Big Town!

Much serious in one picture.

Much serious in one picture.

In a music genre that is so behind the times traditional, it should come as no surprise that Girl Crush certainly pushed the barriers and stirred a lot of controversy between country music fans even though it shouldn’t because it’s the 21st century. If you hear the song playing, you will envision a story of a woman being obsessed with another woman and wanting to be her lesbian lover. If you actually listen to the song, though, you will witness a story of a woman who is in love with a man who is actually with someone else, so the first woman wants to be the second woman so the man will love her instead. Sounds like a standard love song, right? Well, with lyrics like “I want to taste her lips, yeah ‘cos they taste like you“, it’s easy to see some would think why this song is about same-sex romance.

The song has stirred up a lot of controversy, but if you just ignore the unnecessary critical attention to the song, it’s actually a beautiful love ballad? Karen’s vocals in this track are actually phenom, and if it were anyone else singing, I don’t think this song would have been as great.

Oh, speaking of, meet the members that make up Little Big Town. From left to right, we have Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Roads Schlapman, Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook (#DamnDaniel), with the latter two of the four being happily married since 2006.

littlebigtown1

Little Big Town were formed in the early 2000s, but their career never really picked up momentum until 2006 with the release of their single Boondocks, the first single from the album The Road to Here, which became their first top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This was really the catalyst behind their kickstart to stardom, because ever since then, Little Big Town have been a big player in the country music genre, and their star power has only grown exponentially.

My personal favourite Little Big Town song Tornado emerged from their fifth studio album which was called – GASP! – Tornado. While one would naturally think that this song would be about a natural disaster, it actually details a woman’s anger towards her unfaithful man. “Yeah, I’m gonna lift this house. Spin it all around. Toss it in the air and put it in the ground. Make sure you’re never found.“ Like, damn girl.

It doesn’t seem as if Little Big Town’s momentum is going to be stopped any time soon, so while I’ve got you here, here are a few recommended tracks for your entertainment:

Recommended Tracks
Day Drinking from Pain Killer
Your Side of the Bed from Tornado
Girl Crush from Pain Killer
Pavement Ends from Tornado

And I will leave you with the plain and simple music video that shook the close-minded traditional world of country music.

– by The Black Widow