We Speak Music

Sonny Tennet returns with ‘Sick Note’

Published

11 months ago

May 17, 2024

Don Reed

Sonny Tennet is back with his heartfelt tribute to people suffering with their mental health and substance abuse – ‘Sick Note’.

Co-written with Ed Drewett (One Direction, Little Mix, Jonas Blue) and Jo Perry (Stooshe, Labrinth) ‘Sick Note’ describes the struggles faced by Sonnys peers as they battle with issues around mental health, substance abuse & drinking culture. The chorus is a plea for help which escalates into a chaotic finale mirroring the mood of the theme.

On ‘Sick Note’ Sonny says– “‘Sick Note’ was written about the drinking culture in the North East where I grew up. I’m from a small working class town called South Shields and we live for the weekend, the community is amazing and we often pride ourselves on our drinking and social lives. But actually we wake up in the morning with not much pride left. There’s alcoholism in my family and it’s deep rooted in my culture and I want to talk about this sore subject and bring it to light. I definitely drink far too much and it’s good for me to talk about it in my music, it’s therapy! and hopefully help anyone that’s struggling with the matter.’”

Scheduled for release on May 17th during the UKs Mental Health Awareness Week, this song will land as Sonny is midway through his UK tour. The track will be followed up by a full music video and acoustic live lounge style version of the song & announcement of Xmas charity show in partnership with Mental Health UK.

The Newcastle born 24 year old has over 65M streams to date & this year releases his debut album ‘Panorama’. The first 2 tracks – ‘Panorama’ & ‘Howay’ received support from BBCR1, featuring on their ‘Future Pop’ show + multiple plays on local radio stations including a recent interview on BBC radio Newcastle. Also, a recent feature on upcoming dance act ‘Jodapac’ saw Sonny feature on ‘New Dance Revolution’ which has allowed Sonny to be discovered by new fans.

‘Sick Note’ is set to be released 17^th May via The Qworkz and tickets for Sonny Tennet’s May 2024 UK tour are on sale now here- https://linktr.ee/sonnytennettour

We Speak Music

Waz-u drops ambient gem ‘Vermillion’ ft. Lilyg

Published

16 hours ago

April 25, 2025

Don Reed

London-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Waz-u returns with his second album, Preludes: Dusk Psalms, set for release on 16 May 2025 via independent label Biodiversity. The 15-track record further refines the artistic depth of his debut, blending electronic textures and classical compositional techniques in an intricate, immersive listening experience.

Ahead of the album release, Waz-u is dropping an exclusive vocal version of ‘Vermillion: G Major’ from the album, accompanied by its original instrumental version. ‘Vermillion’ with Lilyg will be released on 18 April 2025, evoking intimate indie-folk and pop and follows the release of a vocal version of ‘Lament’ with Tom Norrington. ‘The singles are a way to give a voice to the atmosphere of the record and to lyrically encapsulate some of the themes explored,’ explains Waz-u. ‘Lily and Tom are good friends of mine and have both been listening to early iterations of these preludes – it felt right to involve them directly on this record.’

‘Preludes: Dusk Psalms’ marks a new branch of Waz-u’s emerging sound, guided by the duality of tradition and innovation. Combining his musical roots in early ‘90s dub techno and classical music, the album weaves carefully layered synthesizers and electronics to evoke the ambience of sacred music — from the gentle timbres of a choir or an organ to the quiet, open, and reverberating spaces of a church. Also featured throughout the album is experimental musician G9 LUV, who creates textures and drones by bowing his bass guitar, resulting in cello-like sounds. The release follows Waz-u’s 2024 debut LP, Prayer For Dawn, which merged dub, techno, and electronica in an exploration of the ritualistic traditions associated with both organized religion and dance.

Bringing the album’s themes to life, Waz-u will celebrate the release of Preludes: Dusk Psalms with a special performance at Our Holy Redeemer in Clerkenwell, London on 14 May 2025. Set against the church’s resonant acoustics, the event will feature live performance arrangements, including a choir, with further details to be announced soon.