14 Year Old EDM Producer Black Summer Teams Up With International Artist Lowell and Tekzenmusic to Release His First Single "Young Like Me"
Black Summer is the alias of EDM whiz-kid Rhys Toms, the 14 year old producer and DJ unearthed two years ago by Triple J Australia.
LOS ANGELES, Jun 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- After being "unearthed" and added to regular rotation on Australia's national radio network, Triple J at age 11, Black Summer caught the attention of fellow Australian Chris "TEK" O'Ryan, a Grammy Award-winning producer and sound engineer in Los Angeles who has worked with artists such as Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Mariah Carey, Hailee Steinfeld and Selena Gomez. Before long, the two decided to collaborate on Black Summer's first EP.
"Over the last two years since being unearthed I've been working hard on my music," Toms explains. "I realized if I want Black Summer to get to the next level, I need to write songs that really connect with people and stand on their own. So we started working on the EP and this whole new way of making a record was an eye-opener for me. Tek would offer me feedback and guide me, everything from the detailed technical side to the musical side, trying different chord progressions and developing different ideas."
For 'Young Like Me', Toms enlisted the talents of singer-songwriter Lowell, a respected indie artist who Tek had met in Toronto in 2014 when he was recording Justin Bieber's "Where Are You Now". As well as being an artist herself, Lowell has penned tracks for established groups including Icona Pop. Toms says of Lowell, "Lowell's vocals really take this song to another level and I'm so excited to have her on this track."
The song is a powerful statement about what the youth of today are facing, As Lowell explains, "We wrote it about 2017 and where we are in the world today... how hard it can be to know you are the youth and you're the one who's going to have to pull us out of all this mess people are burying us in."
After the track was onto the mixing stage, Rhys and family travelled to LA to film the music video. Directed by filmmaker (and fellow Australian) Tim Madden, who has worked with some of the biggest names in EDM, the music video was filmed in Hollywood and features Black Summer setting fire to Los Angeles. Rhys says, "Working with Tim was a really cool process, he had a clear vision of exactly what we needed to do. There was no committee, just a central vision."
In looking back, Tek says, "I wish I had an established mentor when I was 14. Making a real international standard record is a process that you're just not going to figure out on your own. I started in studios in LA when I was 21 and it was so foreign to me as to how it's done. So when I saw Rhys, I saw it as an opportunity to not only mentor and pass on my knowledge but to also have a prodigy, someone of amazing talent to who I can guide, so it's a win-win for me. I see myself in him. When I was 11, I was writing music on the piano and as soon as I had a computer at 14, I was making music on it.
"Young Like Me feat. Lowell" Was debuted nationally on Triple J Australia on June 7th and has already been added into rotation following very positive feedback and many requests from listeners.
On Monday, June 11th, Black Summer was the house DJ for the Channel 9 Children's Hospital Telethon. Channel 9 debuted the music video for "Young Like Me" to a national audience.
Media Contact:
Tek
Email: [email protected],
Phone: +1(818)339-1237
Related Files
Black Summer Press Release.pdf
Related Images
Related Links
Black Summer Official Facebook
Related Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhXRuKagKmc
SOURCE Tekzenmusic, Inc.
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