Seattle-based artist and rapper Angela Angel’s and GRAMMY-Nominated pianist/producer Josh Rawlings debut their second single release Grey Star featuring the soulful vocals of Katrina Kope. The song, like their first release Chosen Love (feat. Otieno Terry & DefSeed), is a product of a homegrown Northwest collaboration.
Written to a beat originally titled “Dilla Land” (an homage to J. Dilla), Angela chose this song out of countless rough sketches saying, “I felt connected to it right away because it was a feel-good that I wanted to write a dark aesthetic to.” To add to the darker lyrical landscape, Rawlings penned the chorus while grappling with addiction and family trauma. Grey Star aims to send an uplifting message in times that feel the heaviest.
Their first recording session happened on June 23rd, 2018 at Hall of Justice Studio in Fremont. They started the session with an eight-piece gospel choir featuring alumni from Seattle’s Total Experience Gospel Choir. Josh recalls the experience saying, “This was my first recording session as a producer and the choir made the hair stand up on arms and gave me goosebumps. To me, this is the universal human sign that what you’re doing in that moment is something special beyond your wildest dreams.”
Angela raps lyrics with imagery of her life experiences while realizing she is in the act of diving deeper to find inner peace. The result of this song lands between summertime feel-good/nostalgic hip-hop of the 90’s. Angela and Josh are planning their debut performances for late 2020/early 2021, and are primed to release more singles in the near future.
credits
released October 30, 2020
Angela Angel's (Vocals)
Josh Rawlings (Producer, Piano)
Katrina Kope (Vocals)
D'Vonne Lewis (Drums)
Elan Wright (Electric Bass)
Choir:
Tanisha Brooks (vocals)
Chris “C.J.” Dudley (vocals)
Gena Brooks (vocals)
DeShe’ Brooks (vocals)
Josephine Howell (vocals)
Maelu Strange (vocals)
Michael Allen (vocals)
Sam Townsend (vocals)
