April 5, 2019
Harleighblu & Bluestaeb
"Cake" is a stunning meld of progressive electronics and thumping beats, whilst Harleighblu's unique vocal push through the sonic boundaries of R&B. Speaking about the single, she reflected "'Cake' is the first track Blue and I ever made together. It's about going for what you want in life... Having your cake and eating it." The Nottingham native make specific references to London stating: "London has always been a very special city to me, musically and in my personal life. Whenever I go to London, I feel inspired and I've met some of the most creative people in my life in that city." Harleighblu heard Bluestaeb's music for the first time in London's Jazz Cafe in 2016, approached him to work on the album shortly after that. The multinational duo decided to search for new ways to express their common love for uncompromised hip-hop and R&B. Bluestaeb's approach complements Harleighblu's performance perfectly as she stakes her claim on the neo soul and hip-hop territory she always identified with as an artist. Speaking about the collaboration Bluestaeb said: "When I got the demo recording from Harleighblu, I was blown away. I've worked with multiple singers before, but this time I felt that somebody finally really knew how to handle my beats properly and turn it into a song." Their collaboration has achieved a distinctive sound that merges old school aesthetics with a new school attitude and organic instrumentation. Hailed as an up and coming 'queen of soul' with references to Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse, Harleighblu's signature sound has matured into a frank, self-possessed voice that pulls no punches and makes no apologies. Bringing us honest, feminine, yet unrepentant lyrical touches and establishing herself as one of the UK's most promising young artists. Harleighblu introduced herself in 2013 with the charismatic, beat-heavy soul of her Tru Thoughts debut LP "Forget Me Not", which was championed by 1xtra's Mistajam and BBC 6 Music's Don Letts. Since then she has not looked back, garnering critical acclaim for her unique style from the likes of Complex, Dummy, The Line Of Best Fit and Clash to name but a few. She has performed at prestigious festivals such as Glastonbury, Bestival, Kendal Calling, Boomtown and Gilles Peterson's Worldwide festival. On the other hand, Bluestaeb made his name through his releases via German tastemaker label Jakarta Records, where he released alongside Kaytranada, Ta-Ku and Mura Masa. His solo efforts 'Rodalquilar' and 'Everything Is Always a Process' have been internationally praised for their warm characteristic sound receiving airplays on Soulection, BBC 1, Rinse and many more. His works have amassed more than 20 million streams and Bluestaeb has played shows and festival all over Europe.