Now Hear This: New music from Bakar, Hiss Golden Messenger and Lonepsi, plus spotlight artist OK OK

As the music industry recovers from the Mercury Prize (congratulations Dave!) I’m feeling very positive about the future of British music. Cheesy, I know, but watching a ceremony where some of the best artists the UK has to offer are all cheering one another on and performing live, it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement.

In the spirit of celebrating new talent, let’s have a look at the releases from the past week. There’s an EP from Camden-born artist Bakar, titled Will You Be My Yellow?, that’s worth checking out – “Stop Selling Her Drugs” is a particular highlight. You should also listen to indie soul singer Max Pope’s EP Up – I’ve thrown “You’ll Never Die” on the playlist and you can expect to hear more about him next week.

Georgia’s single “Never Let You Go” is a buzzy, frenetic bop from one of the most hotly tipped artists for 2020. I plan on spending most of the weekend listening to Hiss Golden Messenger’s eighth album, Terms of Surrender, which was written during a period of deep depression for singer MC Taylor. Yet it’s a strangely uplifting listen, as he looks for the things that offer glimpses of hope.

Liam Gallagher’s second solo album is out, which my colleague Adam White hailed as feeling more authentically “him” than his debut As You Were. Read his full review here. Meanwhile, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Keane’s new album – one particular standout is “Strange Room”, written by frontman Tom Chaplin’s bandmate and songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley. Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes fame has released her solo record Jaime, named after her late sister, which our critic Alexandra Pollard noted explores themes of racism, religion and sexuality.

Pop group Four of Diamonds have a catchy new jam, “Eating Me Up”, and Bebe Rexha has released an empowering anthem (“You Can’t Stop the Girl”) from the forthcoming film Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. I’m looking forward to seeing Angelina Jolie in horns again. I finally saw one of my faves, Collard, perform live in west London the other week – he recorded a stripped-down session of "Warrior Cry" that really shows off his vocal prowess (full-on Prince vibes).

French-Algerian rapper Hornet la Frappe has released the slick new joint “La Peuf 4”, while relative newcomer, 25-year-old French-Argentine rapper Lonepsi dropped the moody “Relations”. He’s a philosophy student as well as an artist, so it’s not surprising that he sounds so contemplative here. There’s a posthumous release from French-Algerian icon Rachid Taha, who died of a heart attack last year, titled Je Suis Africain, which is a stunning and fitting final work from a man who refused to acknowledge the divide between Africa and the West.

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My spotlight artist this week is Danish newcomer OK OK, who recently released his trap song “Flightmode”. It’s the solo project of producer Oliver Kincaid, who describes the new track as being “about self-determination… the urge to choose your own path, to ride your own wave”.

He previously served as producer and co-founder for Scandinavian pop act Julias Moon, moving onto a solo project after dabbling in songwriting for other artists. I’m premiering the video for “Flightmode” (below) and you can read my Q&A with him too.

Hey OK OK! How's your year so far?

It’s a rollercoaster, beautiful and chaotic, I feel alive. Strong in spirituality, I’m overcoming myself, growing from past mistakes. I love getting older.

Tell me a bit about the trap scene in Denmark

It’s diverse, but I feel that everyone is mixing styles and scenes, so It’s hard to label. Afrobeat’s been big for years. The fashion scene is the most crazy part though. So inspiring. There’s a lot of energy, but smørrebrød (a traditional Scandinavian open sandwich) is definitely still bigger than trap on a national level. I’d like to change that.

What are your primary influences and are there any themes you find you return to for your music?

Yeah, the songs coming out this year is about my own behaviour, the limitations of my mind, feelings out of control. That’s a theme lyrically. Getting lost in ideas of how love should be and what my life should look like, making an example of myself. My debut single is pure confidence though.

Influences vary a lot. I tend to switch from track to track, in one of the songs coming out I only heard Ennio Morricone and Young Thug while I wrote it so it became kind off a psychedelic western movie. I love pulling from visual art as well, I can see abstract flowers on a wall and do a straight house track on that vibe, you get the picture. Art just gives me a feeling. Today I’m on my Elvis thing, listen to this version of "Blue Moon" called "Take 9", s**t’s crazy. The guy invented youth culture and croons with the softest voice. I love that contrast. I imagine Napoleon on a hilltop directing his army into chaos while playing a little flute, you get me?

What are your plans for the rest of 2019?

Being in love and in the studio. Shooting some videos. Spending New Year's in Havana.