Even voorstellen – Liesa Van der Aa – Caramel
LIESA VAN DER AA -'CARAMEL'
Nieuw album uit 28 November (via Louisa's Daughter Recs).
+ Releaseconcert 9 December @Roma/Amor
Caramel
First Move (feat. Niels Broos)

Een veelzijdig talent dus, actief als componiste, muzikante en actrice, en ze staat bekend om haar grensverleggende en multidisciplinaire output, van haar muzikaal werk met Boris Wilsdorf (Einsturzende) tot Baloji en Zwangere Guy. Haar erg gesmaakte rollen in film en Tv reeksen, haar eigen eigenzinnige muziektheatervoorstellingen in binnen en buitenland, en ook films.
Zo heeft ze deze zomer al een erg succesvolle muziekvoorstelling opgezet in Berlijn: HUNTER. Een muziektheatervoorstelling i.o.v. Neuköllner Oper in Berlijn, geïnspireerd door het album Homogenic van Björk. Dit was een erg mooi succes, met erg goede Duitse pers,  en de voorstelling zal (tbc timings) volgend jaar ook in België te zien zijn.
Daarnaast is er ook een muzikale hoofdmoot, Caramel: een sterk nieuw album dat Liesa uitbrengt 28* november (pop/soul).
Releaseconcert /try out op 9 December @Roma/Amor (Antwerpen) loopt vol, meer concerten worden weldra aangekondigd

Als een slak op een scheermes
Zo omschreef een vriend van Liesa Van der Aa haar nieuwe plaat Caramel — als zachtheid die zich om scherpe randen vouwt, maar zich nooit laat snijden. Een treffend beeld, want met Caramel brengt Liesa haar meest persoonlijke werk tot nu toe.
Caramel is de grote zus van haar vorige plaat Easy Alice beweegt zich nog steeds in eenzelfde jazzy universum. Je hoort echo's van Laurie Anderson, dit keer vervlochten met de vroege klassiekers van James Blake en flarden van Billie Eilish en FKA Twigs. Elektronica, hedendaags klassiek, barok, jazz en hiphop — Caramel draagt, zoals Van der Aa het zelf graag omschrijft, al deze jassen tegelijk, nonchalant over elkaar heen. En daarbovenop vallen, meer dan ooit tevoren, de maskers.
'Caramel' is een warme, toegankelijke, eclectische mix die invloeden uit diverse hoeken combineert, waaronder Pop en Electro, Jazz en Hiphop tot zelfs verwijzingen naar Hedendaags Klassiek. Ze beschrijft het zelf als het tegelijk nonchalant dragen van "al deze jassen over elkaar heen."
Het resultaat wordt vergeleken met een caleidoscopische ontmoeting tussen artiesten als FKA Twigs en PJ Harvey, Bill Withers en Soulwax, maar ook invloeden van Solange, James Blake, Tirzah, Laurie Anderson, Billie Eilish tot zelfs Annette Peacock of Jenny Hval. Check lager zeker ook het lijstje van muzikanten en guests op de plaat.
Voor de basis van dit album gebruikte Liesa Van der Aa een intensieve 'cut-and-paste' methode waarbij piano, één-take zang, loops en viool in stukjes gesneden en weer in elkaar gezet als legoblokjes tot geheel organische nummers. De single 'Caramel' is de titeltrack en diende als het startpunt en de basis voor de muzikale grondslag van het hele album, toegankelijker, speels, soms sensueler, warm en verleidelijker dan ouder werk, vol 'sizzling tension'.

V2 records news - CASPAR AUWERKERKEN - Announces Debut Album "Figuring Out My Horizons"

OUT 27 FEBRUARY
NEW SINGLE "PILGRIM"
9 December Live @ AB, Brussels (support Portland)
31 March Release Show @ Depot, Leuven
Two Ravens - Single by Caspar Auwerkerken | Spotify
Pilgrim - Single by Caspar Auwerkerken | Spotify

Good news for fans of melancholic indie folk. Caspar Auwerkerken has just announced his long-awaited debut album 'Figuring Out My Horizons',  out 27 February via V2 Records. Alongside the album announcement, Caspar releases a second single 'Pilgrim', the perfect track to celebrate the autumn. He will celebrate the release on March 31 at Het Depot (Leuven),

"What does it mean to be human today, and how can one live authentically in the world?"

That's the central question Caspar asks himself on Figuring Out My Horizons. His songs are thematic in nature, drawing inspiration from philosophy, visual art, and the natural world. A central theme concerns how humanity deals with climate change in a world that is becoming increasingly materialistic and detached, and what concepts like authenticity and genuineness still mean.

At the same time, the songs also symbolize his search for inner peace, an attempt to respond to an anxiety disorder that at times rears its head intensely. The album is an act of resistance against fear — a manifestation of his "self" as something crystallized out of that fear, yet simultaneously offering a constructive counterbalance to a destructive force.

Loyal sources of inspiration that guide him in exploring these questions — and that are sometimes referenced directly — include philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Henry David Thoreau, and poets Arthur Rimbaud and Georg Trakl.

In this searching mindset, he wrote the songs in the natural surroundings that inspire him most — at a fixed writing spot in a forest near his home. This environment plays a crucial role in the creative process of the album as an atmospheric sounding board. If a song could be played there and the energy of the place resonated with it, he knew it was a piece worth keeping. For months he refined the songs, but the ideas truly came to life during band rehearsals.

Xavier Declercq (bass/synth), Arno De Bock (drums), and Mauro Bentein (guitar) further shaped the tracks in a more daring way, leaving their mark on the album with bold arrangements and choices — sometimes resulting in intimate, hushed songs, and at other times in fuller, guitar-driven soundscapes.

Album Tracklist

1. Blossom
2. Two Ravens
3. Pilgrim
4. Into Thin Air
5. Woodland
6. The Pond
7. Let Me In
8. End Of The Line
9. Feather
10. Songbird
    
    The result is an album that breathes. The songs were recorded live together in one room, allowing the studio to act as a catalyst for reconstructing the live energy from which the songs were born. The music is defined by an organic sound, merging the acoustic influences of artists such as Aldous Harding, Beirut, Fleet Foxes, and José González with the disruptive edge and experimental drive of Radiohead and DIIV.

Early praise for EP "Abloom" (2023)

Caspar Auwerkerken Live

9 December - AB, Brussels (support Portland)

31 March - Het Depot, Leuven

2 April - Club AFF, Hasselt

Pias news – Thundercat – upside down
THUNDERCAT SHARES NEW COVER OF "UPSIDE DOWN" IN COLLABORATION WITH CANDY CRUSH SAGA

ON TOUR NOW
IN BELGIUM 22.03.2026 AB, BRUSSELS
Candy Crush x Thundercat – 'Upside Down' (Official Video) | Music Season 2025

The amazing Thundercat returns with a new cover of "Upside Down," released in collaboration with Candy Crush Saga®, out now via Brainfeeder. The new track arrives hot on the heels of Thundercat's recent releases "I Wish I Didn't Waste Your Time" and "Children of the Baked Potato" (feat. Remi Wolf).

Candy Crush Saga has kicked off its latest Music Season by teaming up with Grammy-winning artist Thundercat to flip the iconic "Upside Down" into a multisensory world brought to life through a playable music video and limited-edition bone-conduction lollipops that literally let you taste the beat.

At the heart of the campaign is a one-of-a-kind playable music video that lets fans step inside the new track. As the beat builds, fans can match visuals in sets of three to gamify the story, triggering bursts of color, unlocking surprises, and racking up points in a topsy-turvy, joy-filled ride.

On the creation of the song, Thundercat notes ""I'm grateful to Candy Crush for the opportunity to cover such a legendary song."

Thundercat recently performed his newest single "Children of the Baked Potato" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with featured guest Remi Wolf.

Although it's been more than five years since his last full length, It Is What It Is, Thundercat keeps himself busy. Collaborations with Tame Impala, Gorillaz, Silk Sonic, Kaytranada, and Justice maintained his presence in the music realm, while the bassist has also branched out into acting with roles in Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett. Continuing his foray into the realm of television, the bassist joined Yo Gabba Gabba for a special performance at NPR's Tiny Desk and appeared as a featured musical guest on the rebooted Yo Gabba Gabbaland Apple TV+. This past April, he appeared at the show's Coachella set for both weekends. He's stuck in your head, he's playing in Gap ads, he's onstage with Steve Lacy and Red Hot Chili Peppers — Thundercat's warm, playful presence is never too far away, and life's all the more enlivened by it.

V2 records news – Laufey - Premieres cover of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town"

28 February at ING Arena, Brussels
Laufey - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (Official Visualizer)

Laufey - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Laufey's music has become synonymous with the season. A Very Laufey Holiday started in 2021 with "Love To Keep Me Warm" (with dodie), followed by "The Christmas Waltz" in 2022, "Christmas Dreaming" in 2023, and "Santa Baby" last year with a music video featuring Bill Murray. Also last year, Laufey recorded a holiday original, "Christmas Magic," exclusively for Amazon Music, which will now be included on the A Very Laufey Holiday collection.

Laufey's latest album, A Matter of Time, was released to widespread critical acclaim in August, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Jazz Albums chart. On the album, Laufey further crystalizes her singular sound—one still rooted in her beloved influences, but which forgoes any strict standards or rules. "I'm constantly thinking about classical and jazz, how to properly preserve them and pay homage." For this album she continues to do so while also noting, "I just wanted to let my heart wander." To that end, she teamed with a pair of co-producers, one comforting and familiar—Spencer Stewart who worked with Laufey on her first two albums —and one new to her but deeply attuned to artists looking to open up: Aaron Dessner (Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran). Feeling sonically unrestrained gave Laufey the space to share new sides of herself while exploring sometimes heavier themes. A Matter of Time finds Laufey at her most daring—and also playful—as she captures the experience of "real love" in its many forms and what it means to observe as it strips you down to your most vulnerable and anxious.

Laufey wrapped the North American leg of her record-breaking A Matter of Time arena tour last week, and has confirmed further touring throughout the UK and Europe for 2026, with dates already sold-out at London's O2, Paris' Adidas Arena, Dublin's 3Arena and more. Of the live show, the Houston Chronicle hailed, "Everything about the show sparkled — in every sense of the word. The castle-like set was Disney worthy. The quartet of dancers was quirky and campy. The band was resonant and refined. There were costume changes, from ball gown to fringe minidress to toreador-style jacket. This was Laufey embracing the biggest moment of her career so far."

Laufey (pronounced lay-vay) has captivated a generation with virtuosic songs of love and self-discovery by manifesting her vision of jazz-and classical-infused pop music. She has become a bridge for the older music she adores, from Chet Baker to Carole King to Ravel, by offering her bold interpretation to a younger crop of listeners who have become deeply connected over time. This was all by design — Laufey's self-assigned raison d'être — and it worked, allowing her to bring to life the whimsical universe known as "Laufey Land."

Raised between Reykjavik and Washington, D.C., she learned piano and cello as a child, later studying at Berklee College of Music. There, she wrote her debut EP, 2021's Typical of Me, whose striking single "Street by Street" debuted at No. 1 on Icelandic Radio—the first of many achievements that have grown to include 5 billion global streams, a social media audience of 25 million, the biggest jazz LP debut in Spotify history and an album in Billboard's Top 20 (both for Bewitched), a growing pile of Platinum plaques, a Forbes 30 Under 30 designation, and being named one of TIME's 2025 Women of the Year. She's sold out the Hollywood Bowl, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, Crypto.com Arena, and London's Royal Albert Hall; performed backed by the LA Phil, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the China Philharmonic Orchestra; shared the stage with the likes of Noah Kahan, Hozier, Jon Batiste and Raye; and collaborated on records with artists including Barbra Streisand, Role Model, Beabadoobee, and Norah Jones.

LAUFEY LIVE

February 28—ING Arena—Brussels, BE SOLD OUT

March 1—Ziggo Dome—Amsterdam, NL SOLD OUT

March 2—Adidas Arena—Paris, FR SOLD OUT