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QYMIRA RELEASES CAPTIVATING MUSIC VIDEO “SHADE OF MY SHADOW”

Sistra News Team
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QYMIRA RELEASES CAPTIVATING MUSIC VIDEO “SHADE OF MY SHADOW”
Qymira invites audiences into a spellbinding new chapter of her creative universe with the release of her latest single and music video, “Shade of My Shadow,” via QiiA Media. The luminous orchestral piece serves as the official theme from the forthcoming feature film Shadow Transit, in which Qymira stars as Celeste—her first leading film role and her debut as both actress and film score composer.“Shade of My Shadow” is a sweeping cinematic journey through memory, emotion, and transformation.
Written and composed by Qymira with celebrated musical director Richard Taylor (Boyzone, Westlife, Ronan Keating), the track was performed with the Qymira Symphony Orchestra. It masterfully blends orchestral grandeur with moments of quiet intimacy, mirroring Celeste’s search for truth within the shadows of her own soul.
The gripping high-stakes action-noir Shadow Transit has been officially selected as one of the closing films under QC Selects at QCinema International Film Festival, Asia’s largest international film festival. The film receives its world premiere in the Philippines on 22 November, followed by its UK premiere in March 2026.
Directed by Pedring Lopez, Shadow Transit stars Qymira as the mysterious Celeste, alongside Yoshi Sudarso. The production is poised for international acclaim with its sleek visuals, emotional depth, and powerful musical identity crafted by Qymira herself.
In conjunction with the festival, Qymira has been invited as a guest speaker for the prestigious panel “Actresses as Agents of Change – Women in Front of the Camera Leading the Narrative,” underscoring her advocacy for women’s empowerment and creative leadership in the arts.
The release of “Shade of My Shadow” perfectly coincides with QCinema’s promotional campaign, offering audiences an exclusive first glimpse into the world of Shadow Transit ahead of its cinematic debut.
Qymira is a force of nature whose artistry fuses orchestral grandeur with dark urban allure. Born in Hong Kong and raised in San Francisco, she is classically trained in piano, violin, and voice. Her passion for orchestral music flourished when she became the first violinist in the UK National String Academy during her teens. She channels her diverse cultural roots into immersive, genre-bending productions where fantasy and reality collide.
Her breakthrough came with the debut single “Satisfied” (EEDB Remix), which soared to No. 1 on the UK Music Week Breakers Chart. She has since dominated international charts with hits including “Boom Bang Bang,” “Wait For No One,” and “Give It To Me,” the latter sparking a major collaboration with Brazilian artists and multiple No. 1 radio hits in Bahia. Qymira has conducted members of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Guangzhou Symphony, Philippine Philharmonic, and Manila Philharmonic Orchestras for live recordings of her original orchestral works. Her productions are performed worldwide by the Qymira Symphony Orchestra, a collective of top-tier symphony and philharmonic musicians from across the globe.
Beyond music and film, Qymira is affectionately known as “Mother Gaia” through her philanthropic work. She founded the One Gaia Foundation to support and connect children in need, empowering young people through music, arts, and sports across the Philippines, Hong Kong, Jamaica, and Brazil. Initiatives include donating tablets for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuilding schools after typhoon Odette, providing medical supplies and accommodation at Everlasting Hope cancer centre in Cebu, hosting feeding programs and dance initiatives for homeless children in Binondo, and collaborating with the PWD community in Mindanao. One Gaia is currently launching ten new initiatives in music, arts, and sports, with the One Gaia Stage Quest (formerly One Gaia Singing Souls Contest) now in its fourth season and open for auditions in the Philippines.“Shade of My Shadow” is now available on all major streaming platforms. The official music video premieres alongside the single.
About Qymira
Qymira is a multi-faceted, genre-blending artist and the inspiration behind a first-of-its-kind 3D multimedia universe. A sophisticated star who has graced the covers of Fame Magazine, Surrey Rocks, and Revamp Magazine, she has also been featured in Wonderland, Irish World, Belfast Times, and the Yorkshire Evening Post. She conducts her own compositions and leads the Qymira Symphony Orchestra in performances of her original orchestral works around the world.
About the One Gaia Foundation
Founded by Qymira, the One Gaia Foundation empowers children in need through music, arts, and sports. Active in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Jamaica, and Brazil (with forthcoming expansions into India and Africa), One Gaia provides platforms for young talents to shine under the guidance of world-class mentors. The foundation’s work includes disaster relief, educational support, medical aid, and community-building programs that foster creativity and opportunity for the next generation.

In the City: Cathleen Ireland Reclaims the Groove Between Survival and Soul

Michael Stover
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In the City: Cathleen Ireland Reclaims the Groove Between Survival and Soul

Cathleen Ireland’s In The City operates in a space that has long been central to Black popular music’s evolution — the intersection of groove, storytelling, and emotional truth — even as it pulls from a broader contemporary pop palette. What she’s chasing here isn’t just a sound; it’s a feeling. And more specifically, it’s the feeling of reclaiming rhythm in a life that’s been out of sync.

The album’s title track sets the tone with an urban sensibility that feels rooted in experience rather than imitation. “I’ve been feeling without soul / And the city lights revive me,” Ireland sings, and that word — soul — carries weight. Not just as a genre marker, but as a condition. The groove is clean, built on a steady bass line and crisp percussion that nods toward R&B without fully committing to its conventions. It’s polished, but not sterile. Ireland understands that groove isn’t about complexity; it’s about feel.

Across the album, she navigates a series of emotional states tied to movement — physical, psychological, and social. “Strategic” slows things down, leaning into a more intimate R&B framework. The track explores vulnerability with a measured touch. “No need to be strategic,” she insists, though the arrangement itself suggests careful control. It’s a tension that reflects contemporary relationships: the desire for openness colliding with the instinct for self-protection.

What Ireland does particularly well is shift between outward energy and inward reflection without losing cohesion. “Coastin’” is the album’s release valve. Where the title track is about re-engaging with the world, “Coastin’” is about finding equilibrium within it. The groove is relaxed, almost understated, allowing her to sit comfortably inside the rhythm. “I’m thankful, grateful, I’m so blessed to be here,” she repeats — a line that, in lesser hands, could feel like filler. Here, it reads as affirmation shaped by experience. She’s not selling happiness; she’s documenting it.

 

“Breathe” is where Ireland’s voice takes on a sharper edge. The song addresses the pressures placed on women navigating work, identity, and expectation. The refrain — “You got this, girl” — operates as both encouragement and necessity. There’s an urgency in the beat that contrasts with the album’s otherwise measured pacing, giving the track a sense of purpose that cuts through the polish.

By the time “Proud of Me” closes the album, Ireland has moved from external validation to something more internal, though she leaves that transition unresolved. “I just wanna make you proud of me,” she sings, the ambiguity of you left intact. It’s a fitting conclusion for a record that’s less about answers than about process.

In The City doesn’t reinvent the vocabulary of pop or R&B, but it doesn’t need to. Ireland’s strength lies in her ability to synthesize familiar elements into something coherent and personal. She understands groove as foundation, not decoration. She understands emotion as structure, not accessory.

And in a landscape often driven by excess, that clarity feels like its own kind of statement.

–George Nelson

 

DPB’s Undefeated Is a Faith-Driven Hip-Hop Statement Rooted in Legacy and Longevity

Michael Stover
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DPB’s Undefeated Is a Faith-Driven Hip-Hop Statement Rooted in Legacy and Longevity

There’s a certain weight that comes with longevity in hip-hop—and on Undefeated, DPB carries it with purpose. This isn’t a newcomer trying to find his lane. This is a seasoned artist stepping into the booth with decades of experience, a testimony to tell, and a message that refuses to bend with trends.

From the outset, Undefeated establishes its identity as a fusion of hip-hop grit and gospel conviction. “I Feel So Good Today (Happy Mix)” opens the project with an infectious optimism that feels intentional. DPB isn’t ignoring struggle—he’s choosing joy in spite of it. That mindset becomes the backbone of the album, threading through every beat, hook and verse.

The title track, “Undefeated 3.0,” hits like a mission statement. Over a steady, confident production, DPB reflects on betrayal, endurance and survival, making it clear that his strength isn’t self-made—it’s God-given. In a culture that often celebrates self-glorification, DPB flips the narrative, giving credit where he believes it belongs. The result is a record that feels both personal and universal, speaking to anyone who’s had to fight through adversity.

But what gives Undefeated its edge is how it balances message with movement. “God Mode” and “Power in the Name Of (Jesus Anthem)” bring high-energy, chant-driven production that feels built for live crowds. These tracks tap into hip-hop’s call-and-response roots while injecting a faith-based urgency, turning spiritual declarations into something you can feel in your chest.

Then there’s “Back in the Day,” arguably one of the album’s most vivid moments. DPB takes it back to Nyack, New York, painting scenes of block parties, jump rope, and DJ-driven summer nights. But beneath the nostalgia is something deeper—family, prayer, and the kind of upbringing that builds spiritual foundation. It’s storytelling that doesn’t just reminisce, it connects.

Tracks like “Let It Go” dig into heavier territory, tackling bitterness, addiction and internal struggle head-on. DPB doesn’t sugarcoat the pain, but he also doesn’t glorify it. Instead, he offers a path forward rooted in release and faith. It’s one of the album’s most grounded and relatable records, showing a willingness to address real-life issues without losing the message.

On the flip side, “Consume Me” and its reprise strip things down to pure worship. These moments give the album breathing room, allowing listeners to step away from the bounce and lean into reflection. It’s a reminder that beyond the bars and beats, this project is anchored in something spiritual.

Production-wise, Undefeated doesn’t chase the latest sonic wave—and that’s part of its strength. The album leans into a blend of classic hip-hop grooves, gospel influences and inspirational energy. It feels intentional, not trendy. DPB knows his lane and stays in it, delivering a sound that aligns with his message.

At its core, Undefeated is about resilience. Not just surviving, but standing firm with purpose intact. In a genre built on authenticity, DPB brings exactly that—life experience, conviction and clarity.

This isn’t just an album. It’s a statement: after everything, he’s still here. Still standing. Still undefeated.

–Jamie Ross

A FRAGILE BALANCE BETWEEN IMMERSION, FEAR, AND FASCINATION!

Cherine Abulwafa
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A FRAGILE BALANCE BETWEEN IMMERSION, FEAR, AND FASCINATION!

Ever been so extremely deep in the ocean and was both extremely frightened as well fascinated by the depth and darkness? This is exactly what RUST is all about! Genoa-based electronic artist Guido Affini invites us into a submerged sonic landscape where sound feels pressurized, corroded, and strangely alive. This is not an EP that immediately engulfs you. You are instantly pulled beneath the surface into a space where orientation dissolves and listening becomes a fascinating, yet unfamiliar, act of navigation.

Constructed entirely from hydrophone recordings gathered over the span of a decade, RUST is rooted in the real, yet it feels almost otherworldly. The acoustic debris of the ocean’s industrial underbelly: engines, cargo alarms, and shifting wreckage becomes Affini’s raw material. Through granular synthesis, these fragments are stretched, fractured, and reassembled into a language that sits somewhere between documentation and abstraction.

There is an unpredictability to how the EP moves. It drifts between IDM, ambient, industrial, and noise, but never settles. Instead, it behaves like the environment it captures: unstable, immersive, and constantly shifting. At times, the textures feel abrasive, metallic, almost invasive; at others, they open into vast, suspended spaces that echo with an eerie stillness.

Rusty Ghost, shaped from recordings near a wreck in the Ligurian Sea, stands out as one of the EP’s most haunting moments. Its sonic presence lingers like something half-visible, as if the ocean itself is carrying memory through vibration. Elsewhere, rhythm emerges not as structure but as fluctuation, pulses that feel like pressure changes rather than beats, reinforcing the sensation of being physically submerged.

RUST is striking with its conceptual precision. Affini doesn’t treat field recordings as passive texture; he actively reshapes and interrogates them. The result is a body of work that reflects on the impact of human presence in spaces we rarely witness, turning environmental noise into an electro-acoustic narrative that is both unsettling, awe-inducing, and deeply immersive.

And yet, beneath its tension, there is something profoundly introspective about this EP. Listening feels like drifting inward as much as downward, like observing not only the ocean’s depths, but your own. It invites a kind of stillness that is not calm, but expansive; a quiet confrontation with scale, with distance, and with the depth of the unknown.

RUST ultimately stretches the boundaries of what music can hold. It moves beyond familiar structures into something more elemental: an experience that is as much about sensation and perception as it is about sound. Could be a descent, yes, but also a reflection, suspended somewhere between fear, wonder, fascination, and the formative and fragile act of listening..

 

Maddox Jones Reimagines Single ‘No More Ghosts’

Sistra News Team
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Maddox Jones Reimagines Single ‘No More Ghosts’

Northampton, UK – January 29, 2026 – Northampton singer-songwriter Maddox Jones steps into 2026 with a bold reimagining of one of his most beloved tracks. “No More Ghosts,” originally the closing song on his 2020 debut EP Headspace, returns as a dance-infused synthpop anthem that marks his first new music since the acclaimed second album Waiting for the World to Turn.

Six years on, the song feels like a conversation between who Maddox was then and who he is now. What began as a delicate, slow-burning ballad has been transformed into a pulsing, confident synthpop track. Retaining the same emotional weight and themes of lingering past relationships and the struggle to let go, the 2026 version feels lighter, clearer, and filled with release. Pulsing synths and expansive production replace the original’s stripped-back arrangement, reflecting growth, acceptance, and forward motion.

The release is accompanied by a striking new visualiser that uses subtle shifts in light, shadow, and movement to mirror the song’s journey — from being haunted by memories to finally finding stillness and closure.

“This song has followed me for much of my solo journey,” says Maddox. “Reimagining it now feels like closing a chapter with strength and peace.”

The single arrives ahead of two major live commitments: Maddox supports Great Adamz at the St. Crispin Community Centre on Valentine’s Day (February 14) and joins Tyler Hilton and Katie Voegele on their European tour in April, celebrating the music of One Tree Hill:

  • Copenhagen – April 21
  • Berlin – April 23
  • Munich – April 24
  • Vienna – April 26
  • Zurich – April 28
  • Milan – April 29

Maddox enjoyed early success with The Departure (four Top 40 hits, performances with The Killers and Placebo, and festivals including Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds). As a solo artist, he has built a strong following, with his EP Headspace reaching #4 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart and “Can’t Wait for the Summer” hitting #1. Recent highlights include a #1 on the Music Week Black Music Club Chart with Great Adamz on “Body & Soul” and being named Songwriter of the Year at the Northamptonshire Local Music Awards.

“No More Ghosts” is available now on all major streaming platforms.

50mething Releases Bold Protest Single “Drag Me by the Hair”

Sistra News Team
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50mething Releases Bold Protest Single “Drag Me by the Hair”

At 58, former dancer and garden builder 50mething steps forward with “Drag Me by the Hair,” a fierce and unflinching new single written in direct response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Released just one day before International Women’s Day, the track confronts the loss of bodily autonomy and the ongoing erosion of rights for women and marginalized communities.

From the very first line — “When I bleed, I know I’m safe” — the song lands with visceral impact. Addressing social and political issues through music is deeply satisfying for the artist, who uses his platform to keep critical conversations in the spotlight rather than letting them fade into the background.

“I guess for me, the detail is in the storytelling,” says 50mething. “Too much stuff gets reported on and then forgotten about. Brushed under the carpet. It’s important to keep things in the forefront. If we want to see change.”

The track was written, performed, and recorded entirely at home in a self-built vocal booth using a 24-track digital recorder. Vocals were later enhanced through the online mastering platform SOUNDBETTER. The result is raw, honest, and intimate — no gloss, just voice, guitar, and unfiltered emotion.

“Drag Me by the Hair” is the latest in a wave of releases from 50mething’s extensive unreleased catalogue of over 70 tracks. His first single, “Slowly Through the Night” (January 2026), was a personal testament to his 2024 cancer diagnosis. Now in remission and pushing forward, he continues to release music gradually via Ditto Music.

At an age when many slow down, 50mething is just getting started — proving it’s never too late to speak up, create, and fight for what matters.

Stream “Drag Me by the Hair” now on all major platforms.

About 50mething

50mething is an independent artist who turned to music later in life after careers as a dancer and garden builder. Having faced marriage, divorce, raising children, buying and selling a home, and a battle with cancer, he channels life’s hardest chapters into honest, socially conscious songs. His work blends storytelling with raw emotion, refusing to let important issues be brushed aside. With a large catalogue ready to share, 50mething is releasing music gradually — one powerful statement at a time.

A LITTLE TOO SWEET, A LITTLE TOO SWEATY – AND IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE!

Cherine Abulwafa
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A LITTLE TOO SWEET, A LITTLE TOO SWEATY – AND IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE!

There’s something deliciously unserious, and yet sharply intentional about m0n0 jay’s “L.L.L. (Lift, Lift, Lick It)”. The Stockholm-based artist doesn’t just drop a track; she stages an entire neon-lit micro-universe where gym culture is reimagined as spectacle, ritual, and something far more playful than discipline ever allowed it to be!

At first glance, L.L.L. masquerades as a hyperpop-inflected workout anthem; all bouncing rhythms, chantable hooks, and kinetic urgency. But it doesn’t take long for the song to slip out of that frame. What begins as “lift your lollipop” quickly unfolds into something cheekier, more embodied, and knowingly double-coded. It’s this tension, between exertion and indulgence, between parody and sincerity, that gives the track its pulse.

The production is delightfully chaotic. A mischievous, almost childlike xylophone cuts through a thick, industrial bassline that feels less like it’s accompanying the body and more like it’s hijacking it. The tempo pushes forward insistently, as if stillness itself is the only unacceptable response. There’s a tactile quality to the sound: you don’t just hear it, you feel it moving through you, slightly invasive, entirely addictive.

Vocally, m0n0 jay leans into breath, strain, and release. Her delivery blurs the line between physical effort and pleasure, making the repetition of “lift, lift, lick it” feel less like a lyric and more like a mantra: absurd, hypnotic, and strangely convincing. It’s not about perfection or transformation; it’s about being in the body, however messy or unserious that experience might be.

What makes L.L.L. particularly compelling is its quiet refusal of conventional “self-improvement” narratives. There are no before-and-after arcs here, no moral undertones about discipline or productivity. Instead, the track proposes an alternative: movement as play, strength as sensation, and the gym not as a site of correction, but of expression, or even mischief!

L.L.L. (Lift, Lift, Lick It) is, ultimately, a Trojan horse of a pop track. It hooks you with its gloss and rhythm, then leaves you somewhere unexpected: laughing, slightly disoriented, and maybe a little more aware of your own body than you were a few minutes ago. Whether you take it at face value or read between its lines, one thing is certain: it doesn’t ask for discipline. It demands participation!

WHAT SURVIVES YOU BECOMES YOU!

Cherine Abulwafa
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WHAT SURVIVES YOU BECOMES YOU!

What we have here is the kind of track that doesn’t try to pull you in. It simply exists, steady and self-assured, waiting for you to meet it where it stands. That’s the quiet pull behind Divineisll’s Fake Real Makes, a piece that leans into reflection without ever losing its magnetic sense of ease.

Built on a foundation of alternative indie R&B and hip-hop grooves, the track unfolds with an unforced rhythm. It doesn’t chase intensity; instead, it settles into a loop of thought and feeling, where the beat feels like a backdrop to something more internal. The delivery sits somewhere between rap and spoken word, almost like an inner monologue made audible. You can sense the small moments of amusement, and times the artist catching his own thoughts mid-flow and letting them breathe.

What gives the piece its edge is not its sound, but its perspective. There’s an unusual lightness in the way it approaches difficulty, as if past versions of the self are being revisited, not with regret, but with a knowing smile. Struggle is reframed here, not as something to escape, but as something that had a role to play. Necessary, even.

The track revolves around a question that lingers rather than resolves: Who are you within your worst moments? And what happens when you stop resisting that question and actually sit with it? The song allows the act of questioning itself to become the point of transformation.

There’s also a subtle philosophical thread woven throughout, shaped by ideas of self-mastery and spiritual awareness. But it never feels distant or abstract. The language remains grounded, almost conversational, giving the impression that these realizations were lived before they were written.

What stays with you is the tone: the calm, and the almost playful defiance. There’s no heaviness in the reflection, no attempt to dramatize what’s already been endured. Just a steady clarity, as if Divineisll has already made peace with the versions of himself he once had to outgrow.

Fake Real Makes asks for honesty, and in doing so, it cleverly leaves you with the realization that what remains after everything falls away might be the truest version of you yet!

A GENTLE TAKE ON LONGING

Cherine Abulwafa
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A GENTLE TAKE ON LONGING

There’s a quiet confidence in choosing softness over spectacle, especially when revisiting a song already etched with emotional familiarity. With Better Be Home Soon, The Parachute Testers approach the beloved Crowded House track not as something to reshape entirely, but as something to hold: carefully, attentively, and with a sense of emotional clarity.

Rather than leaning into the original’s understated melancholy, the band draws it further inward. Their interpretation feels hushed, almost weightless at times, carried by delicate acoustic textures that never rush the listener. The arrangement breathes slowly, allowing each note to settle before the next one arrives.

At the center of it all are the vocals: soft, luminous, and slightly distant, as if drifting through memory rather than occupying the present moment. There’s an intimacy here that feels unforced, echoing the band’s affinity for atmospheric acts while still remaining grounded in the warmth of Americana and alt-country sensibilities.

The Parachute Testers resist the temptation to heighten the song’s emotional peaks. Instead, they smooth them out, creating a more continuous, reflective listening experience. It’s less about heartbreak as an event, and more about longing as a state that quietly lingers.

Emerging from a collaboration that spans Wexford, Leeds, and Ukraine, the band carries a subtle sense of distance within their sound, one that complements the song’s themes of return and absence. It feels expansive yet personal, as though shaped across spaces but rooted in a shared emotional language.

As The Parachute Testers move toward their debut album, Halfway to Everywhere, Better Be Home Soon offers a clear glimpse into their artistic direction: one that honors its influences without being confined by them. Here, nostalgia isn’t recreated; it’s softened, re-experienced, and gently reimagined..

We All Need to Get a Cat by Deptford Sound Collective

Abdelrahman Khaled
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We All Need to Get a Cat by Deptford Sound Collective

South London’s Deptford Sound Collective dropped their second single, “We All Need to Get a Cat”, on March 21st, following their debut “Give Me. Give Me. Give Me, I Want It All” – an 80s disco parody with a satirical political bite that came out on Valentine’s Day. This one goes somewhere different. Two members of the collective lost their dog, and when grief settled into their South London flat, a six-month-old rescue kitten named Aki showed up and systematically refused to let them stay sad. The song is their thank-you letter to him.

It’s a parody song with a big heart and a genuinely catchy hook, and it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. The jangly guitars, handclaps, and sunny synths are all doing exactly what they’re supposed to do – the arrangement nods to classic indie-pop and keeps things bright and uncluttered. “We All Need to Get a Cat” will probably get stuck in your head for a couple of days, and it’s absolutely worth sharing with your cat-loving friends. A fresh musical take it is not, but that’s fine – the song earns its charm through warmth and sincerity rather than anything adventurous. The detail that Aki spends his days “slinking around spying on neighbours” before “burrowing under the duvet, working on his next seduction” is the kind of specific, lived-in writing that makes the difference between a novelty track and one that actually lands.

With their first two singles, the Deptford Sound Collective have already shown they can work in more than one mode – sharp political satire one month, something genuinely tender the next. That’s a decent range for a band with only two singles out.

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