We Speak Music
Introducing Allyson Whitmell: The Voice You’ll Fall for This Year
When was the last time a single stopped you in your tracks, took you on a cinematic journey, and left you thinking about the little things in life? Allyson Whitmell’s debut UK single, Crack in My Window, does just that—and then some.
Releasing on January 17th via EMU Bands, this soulful Canadian artist brings us a fusion of pop, jazz, and a sprinkle of musical theatre magic. Think Sara Bareilles meets Lizzy McAlpine with a Laufey-esque string arrangement—pure artistry.
The track’s inspiration? A window. Yes, you read that right. Allyson found beauty in the quirks of her old home, a stubborn window that wouldn’t quite close. But as she’ll tell you, it’s not about the window itself—it’s the memories, the goodbyes, and the gratitude tied to leaving a place you love. Cue the tissues.
And let’s talk about the sound! Allyson’s piano-led arrangement is paired with a breathtaking solo violin (thank you, Jono Hill of Bridgerton fame) and top-notch production by Ben Pelchat. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to light a candle, sip tea, and have a nostalgic cry.
Beyond her music, Allyson is a multi-talented force of nature. A graduate in Piano Performance and Composition from the University of Toronto, she’s also studying Neurologic Music Therapy—essentially, she’s finding ways to heal with music. When she’s not composing heartfelt ballads, she’s indulging in 90s movies, running, or perfecting her pasta game.
Some artists write songs; Nia Perez writes confessions. Her debut EP, Things I Wish I Said, feels like stepping into a private emotional journal—one she has generously decided to share with the world. The Venezuelan singer-songwriter blends indie-pop warmth with the introspective quiet of bedroom pop, approaching heartbreak not as spectacle but as a lived, unfolding process. The EP’s framing—five songs as five letters—gives the project its emotional backbone.
“If you had asked me two years ago to share these personal letters with the world, I would have run the other way,” Nia shares. “But writing these songs has helped me finally say things I kept inside for too long. We’ve all got those unsent letters; maybe hearing mine will help others send theirs.”
“Shapeshifting” introduces the theme of identity as something fragile within love. Perez explores the subtle ways one can disappear to make space for someone else, singing with a softness that makes the realization even more devastating. “Not Her” then pulls us deeper, its portrait of betrayal laced with longing and painful clarity. It’s no surprise the song has become Perez’s breakout moment—it says exactly what so many listeners have felt and never voiced.
“Oh Sweet July” is the emotional centerpiece of the collection. Perez transports us directly to the moment of a birthday breakup in New York, writing it with the raw immediacy of a memory that hasn’t faded. Each repetition of its central question sounds like a wound reopening, but also like someone finally giving themselves permission to speak.
The final track, “Little Old Flame,” acts as both emotional release and narrative closure. Here, Perez stops asking what she did wrong and instead asks the other party to look at themselves. The EP feels like a healing journey traced in real time—tender, incisive, and deeply human. With Things I Wish I Said, Perez establishes herself as an artist who turns silence into story, and story into connection.
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