Beginning intimately before opening into a large, cathartic chorus, the track moves between vulnerability and release. Sonically, it may appeal to listeners of artists such as KALEO, Hozier and Highly Suspect, while retaining a deliberately raw and personal character.

“Ghosts at 3 AM” was born from a period of profound personal loss and pain. Rather than presenting grief as something that eventually disappears, the song explores what happens when life moves forward while the person you lost remains part of it — in memories, regrets and those sleepless hours when everything comes back.

⇒ Read our review for “Ghosts at 3 AM” here.

That connection followed the song into the recording process itself. Most of the track was recorded in Michael’s studio in Bavaria. Just a few metres from where the vocals were recorded rests his mother’s ashes.

“I was recording a song about being haunted by someone you’ve lost while my mother’s ashes were literally three metres away from me. There’s this little shrine of memories beside me — her perfume, jewellery, photographs, seashells, teeth and, of course, her ashes. At some point, ‘Ghosts at 3 AM’ stopped feeling like a metaphor.”

“The year after she died, I tattooed myself like a berserker. I even considered having a tiny amount of her ashes incorporated into the ink. I was in an incredible amount of pain and so much guilt. Then I entered this strange period of nostalgia — just remembering and writing. It became almost like a workout, like therapy. Looking back, the creative process was intense, but the song became a beautiful way of honouring someone I really, really love and miss — even if I couldn’t always show her how much she meant to me.”

The verses carry that intimacy before the song breaks into its central plea:

“Cut me free from the chains of yesterday / Free me from the ghosts at 3 AM.”

Yet the song is not ultimately about forgetting. Its central idea is almost the opposite: moving forward does not have to mean leaving someone behind.

⇒ Read our review for “Complicated” here.

“Complicated” was co-written by British songwriter and producer Frankmusik, whose extensive writing and production credits include work with Lady Gaga, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, Ellie Goulding, and RuPaul. To achieve its specific sound, the production bypassed modern digital processes. The single was recorded using live instruments and routed through vintage analog equipment to capture a natural, lived-in tone that complements the track’s raw lead vocals.

“It’s a personal song about a relationship I was in many years ago with someone who just made every little thing difficult… for themselves and for us. And I chose to stay because it was easier to stay with something familiar even if it’s not right than leave and start all over again. ” — Bam Rigby on new single, “Complicated”

As the second single off of his upcoming debut album, Sometimes I Forget to Breathe, this track highlights the analog-focused direction of the project while giving listeners a glimpse of his own vulnerability.

That weight comes through clearly in how the song is put together. Harmonically, it’s fairly simple, but it’s still genuinely powerful because of how effectively the dynamics are used: the huge guitar sound pairs perfectly with the higher-register vocals in the chorus, while the verses sit in a lower, more baritone range that adds real narrative weight throughout. That contrast mirrors the song’s emotional arc, moving from something quiet and internal to something bigger and more released.

The central idea running through the track isn’t about forgetting; it’s closer to the opposite, the notion that moving forward doesn’t have to mean leaving someone behind. For a debut single built on such personal ground, “Ghosts at 3 AM” backs up its comparisons to artists like Kaleo and Hozier without leaning on those references, delivering a genuinely affecting alternative rock song that earns its catharsis honestly.

• You’re about to release “Bump N Grime” on October 25th. Before we get into the details — are you considering any collaborations or guest features connected to this release or in the near future?

My style is quite different, and I think every artist has their own vision. If another artist wants to sing or collaborate with me, they have to really feel the song and the vibe. Their vision may be different from mine, and that doesn’t make either of us wrong — that difference is part of what makes us artists.

For me, a collaboration has to create something special. Whoever I work with, whether they’re an up-and-coming independent artist or someone already well known, I want us to make magic and bring creativity to its highest level.

I’m open to working with both. What matters to me isn’t how famous someone is, it’s whether we connect creatively and whether the music comes from the heart.

That’s always been important to me because I write from things I’ve seen, lived and felt. I want to make music that people can hear and say, “I understand that — I’ve been there too.”

If a collaboration can create that kind of connection with people around the world, then I’m interested.

• “Swagger. Rhythm. Character. No rules.” That’s your campaign line for “Bump N Grime.” How did the concept for this single — including the cat mascot — come together, and what feeling did you want it to leave with listeners?

The first version of “Bump N Grime” started in 2025 as a funky groove, inspired by the feeling of having a good night out and enjoying yourself. But I wanted to take it somewhere different.

I started playing the guitar and working through the chords, and that’s when I realised the track had real swagger, rhythm and character. It had its own personality, and I wanted the whole release to reflect that.

The cat came from my imagination and my love of creating a strong visual identity. I wanted “Bump N Grime” to have a character people could recognise straight away, not just as part of the music video but as part of the branding and marketing around the song.

So I created this cool cat character to live alongside the track and give the whole campaign a fun, stylish personality.

At the heart of it, “Bump N Grime” is a feel-good dance song. I want people to smile, move, dance, enjoy themselves and feel comfortable being who they are.

That’s the feeling I wanted from the beginning — confidence, fun, freedom and good energy.

• “Mangal Gel” is currently ranked #3 in the Timbaland Global Search powered by Orbiit. What has that experience been like, and what has it meant for your visibility and momentum as an independent artist?

Being part of the Timbaland competition has been an honour and a privilege. Timbaland is one of the biggest producers in the world, so just being part of that environment means a lot to me.

At first, I was actually undecided about whether I should enter. There are some big artists in the competition and people with much bigger budgets behind them, so I thought to myself, “Should I really do this?” Then I decided, let’s have fun with it.

I wanted to be different. I wanted to put forward something fresh and something that really represented my roots. I have so many songs that I believe in, so choosing one was difficult, but in the end I went with “Mangal Gel.”

The whole journey has been amazing — from the BBQ, to the studio, to the world, to the Timbaland competition, and then into the London press.

To see the song reach Rank #3 and connect with people has given me real momentum as an independent artist. It’s brought more attention to the music, more people discovering who I am, and more confidence to keep pushing forward.

It’s been an amazing experience, and I’m enjoying every part of the journey.

• You launched your solo career in 2025 after more than 25 years dedicated to music. What led you to that decision, and what changed when you finally stepped out as a solo artist?

Over the years, I learned a lot as a songwriter, producer and artist, and from working with professionals in the music industry. All of those experiences helped me understand not only how music is made, but also what I wanted to say with my own music.

Eventually, I reached a point where I wanted to express myself fully and show my own creativity and passion.

Music has always been my escapism. When I’m creating, I enter a completely different world. My imagination runs wild and free, and for that moment there are no limits on where a song can take me.

As life changes, you also start to find more space for yourself. My children have grown up, and I realised I finally had the time to really follow something I had carried with me for many years.

Everyone has a dream somewhere inside them. When the opportunity comes, I believe you should give yourself permission to follow it.

This is the beauty of my dream — and this one is mine.

• Your catalogue spans more than 330 original songs across an extraordinary range of genres — R&B, Afrobeat, Hip Hop, Reggae, Latin, cinematic music, and more. How do you manage such a wide creative range without losing a coherent artistic identity?

Most of my songs come from real life. What your eyes have seen, what your ears have heard, what you’ve lived through and what you can relate to — all of that finds its way into the music.

Then my roots naturally come into it as well. That’s why I can move between different genres without feeling like I’m losing myself, because the foundation is still coming from the same place.

For me, the most important thing is the feeling. If I’m not feeling the vibe, then I know the listener probably won’t either. I’m quite ruthless with myself in that way — if a track doesn’t connect with me emotionally, I’ll bin it there and then.

That’s probably how you know a song is Omer Ahmet. The genre might change, the rhythm might change, the language might change, but the emotion has to be real.

• “AZIZEM” has crossed 1.2 million streams and clearly resonated far beyond what many independent releases achieve. Looking back, what do you think made that song connect the way it did?

“AZIZEM” actually goes back to 2019. I was in the studio with Everett Peters, known as Soundbwoy Entertainment, who sang “Never Wanna Say Bye Bye.” At the time, my partner’s name was Azizem, and we had met in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye.

The very first version of the song had more of a Latin feel. I wrote and produced it, but I remember telling Everett, “I’m still going to work on this.” I knew there was another version of the song inside me.

So I went back to my roots. I brought in Afro-inspired drums, Turkish and Middle Eastern influences, and an authentic instrumental break that gave the track its own identity.

I finally released “AZIZEM” in March 2025 as something personal for my beloved partner. That emotion is probably one of the reasons people connected with it. It wasn’t just a song I made for the sake of releasing music — there was a real person and a real story behind it.

For me, what makes “AZIZEM” special is that it carries love, history and different cultures in one song. I think listeners felt that honesty, and seeing it go beyond 1.2 million streams has been incredible.

• You draw creative inspiration from Cyprus, Türkiye, Greece, Italy, the Middle East, and East Africa. How do those cultural roots show up in your music — and does it change depending on which genre you’re working in?

Wow Mena, that’s another interesting question.

When a song first comes into existence, I honestly don’t always know what genre it will become. Sometimes the lyrics come first, sometimes the beat, sometimes the chords. A lot depends on how I’m feeling that day — whether I’m happy, sad, reflective, excited, or going through something emotionally.

From there I start asking myself: how does this connect with me? What feels natural? What represents who I am?

That’s when my roots and culture begin to come through — in the rhythm, the soul, the sound, the melodies, and sometimes the language.

I don’t like to force a song into one box. I prefer to think of myself as a global songwriter. I love experimenting, exploring different sounds, and letting each song find its own identity.

And sometimes we get things wrong. It might be the lyrics, the sound, the mix, too much reverb, or simply a creative decision that doesn’t quite work. But that’s part of being an artist. What makes us unique is that we can change, adapt and learn from it.

That’s how music works for me — you keep creating, listening, learning and improving. The genre can change, but the emotion and the connection to who I am always stay at the centre.

• You’ve had airplay on Rhondda Radio for “I Wanna Be Your Man,” with “Mangal Gel” also confirmed for October 3, as well as press coverage from London to Brazil and features in outlets including Rock Era Magazine. How important has that international press and radio support been to building what you’re building?

When I hear my music on the radio, I get emotional because I know how much hard work, dedication, time and love has gone into creating it.

What means the most to me is when a listener or fan appreciates the music, connects with it, relates to it and understands where I’m coming from. That’s what makes all the work worthwhile.

I’m truly grateful to everyone who has given me an opportunity along the way — radio presenters, journalists, press outlets, curators, creators, fans, family and friends. Every person who has listened, shared, played or supported the music has become part of the journey.

To see something that started in the studio travelling to different countries and reaching people around the world is something I never take for granted.

From the studio to the whole world, I’m honestly honoured. Peace and love to all — always be well.

• You’re developing a 31-album project — 30 in English and one in Turkish. That is an extraordinarily ambitious long-term vision. How do you think about sequencing and pacing a project of that scale while also releasing music regularly?

🤣🤣🤣 Mena has definitely done his homework on me!

For me, songwriting comes very naturally. Some artists need a full team around them — songwriters, musicians and producers — and that’s how a lot of major-label projects are built. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. But for me, I can sit down with some chords, an idea or a feeling, and a song can start forming very quickly.

A lot of that comes from age, mindset and life experience. I’ve seen a lot, lived through a lot and met people from many different backgrounds. That gives me stories, emotions and perspectives to draw from.

If you ask someone to write about struggle, soul, the streets, family, love, loss or real life, not everyone will know where to begin. It depends on your roots, what you’ve seen, what you know and what you believe.

I honestly believe everyone has a story and everyone has a melody somewhere inside them. I seem to pick up on those stories and turn them into songs.

That’s why the 31-album vision doesn’t feel impossible to me. The songs are already coming. The important thing is not rushing them. I want to group them properly, let each album have its own character, and keep releasing singles along the way so every song has a chance to breathe.

I’ve also taken that storytelling into musical theatre and film. I’ve written “Torn,” a musical story with ten original songs about two brothers who fall in love with the same woman, blending opera, rap, R&B, soul and pop.

I’ve also written “Cleopatra,” another ten-song musical project with a full story built around time travel — a traveller goes back in time, falls in love with Cleopatra, and by doing so changes the course of history.

Those are projects I’d love to take further with the right directors, producers and creative team.

For me, it’s not about putting out 31 albums as quickly as possible. It’s about building a body of work that reflects different parts of life, culture, emotion and experience — music and stories that people can listen to, relate to and hopefully see a part of themselves in.

• Alongside your music career, you’ve worked in ambulance transportation helping vulnerable people, cared for both parents through cancer, and supported Comic Relief and cancer research campaigns. How much of that lived experience feeds directly into your songwriting?

Life is like the game Snakes and Ladders. None of us really knows what is going to happen next, what life will throw at us, or who we will become along the way. All we can do is keep trying, keep learning and keep going.

I’ve seen and heard a lot in my life, and those experiences stay with you. Helping vulnerable people, supporting charities, caring for my parents and seeing people go through fear, pain and illness taught me a lot about humanity.

There is something very powerful about being able to help someone, support someone, put a smile on someone’s face or simply understand what they are going through. Those moments change you.

A lot of that naturally feeds into my songwriting because real life gives you real emotion. Love, pain, fear, hope, family, loss and resilience — those things are part of all of us.

One of my songs, “There’s Only Me and You,” really reflects that belief. It’s about standing beside someone when life gets difficult, giving them strength when they’ve lost hope, and believing that love can carry people through hard times.

“When times are hard, we gotta be strong

Love will carry us on.”

We are living in a time where so many people are suffering and where humanity can sometimes feel divided. I believe we need more compassion, more understanding and more unity. We should always stand against suffering and anything that takes away from our humanity.

If my music can make someone feel understood, less alone, or even just bring them a little peace, then that means something to me.

That’s the kind of message I want my music to carry — support, hope, strength and humanity.

• You produce your own music videos and handle much of your own creative direction. In a world where visual identity is increasingly central to an artist’s success, how do you approach the visual side of your releases?

Oh my God, I love this question because this is where I really feel like I shine. I get genuinely excited talking about the visual side because creativity is one of my greatest passions.

When I write and produce a song, I normally start getting ideas for the video almost straight away. Sometimes the direction comes from the lyrics, sometimes the beat, and sometimes an image just appears in my mind and I know exactly where I want to take it.

That could be anything — futuristic worlds, studio scenes, boxing, Bollywood influences, robots, cinematic sci-fi or even something with a space-opera feeling. I love experimenting and creating a different world around each song.

When I’m working on the visuals, I honestly become like a little child again. My imagination runs free and there are no limits. That’s when I feel most alive creatively.

For me, the video isn’t just something you add after the song. It’s another part of the storytelling. The music gives you the emotion, and the visuals let you bring that emotion to life.

I also think about how the visual can become part of the identity of the release — something people recognise instantly on social media, artwork or video. That’s why characters, styling, colours and concepts matter to me.

I want each song to have its own world, but still feel like part of the Omer Ahmet journey.

That’s where my passion and creativity really shine.

• Your music is being positioned for sync licensing across film, television, advertising, gaming, and branded content. Is sync a strategic priority for you right now, and what opportunities are you actively pursuing in that space?

Absolutely. This is one of the areas I want to develop the most.

I have more than 330 original tracks, covering many different genres, moods and cultural influences, and I would love to see that catalogue licensed and used across film, television, advertising, gaming, trailers and branded content.

I’d love to have my music placed with major studios, streamers and production companies, but I’m equally interested in working with independent filmmakers, producers, music supervisors and creative companies. For me, it’s about finding the right home for the right piece of music.

I also have my two musical theatre and film concepts, “Torn” and “Cleopatra,” which I would love to develop with the right producers, directors, investors and creative teams. These are not just collections of songs — they have stories and characters behind them, so I see them as complete creative projects that could potentially grow into stage or screen productions.

I’ve also recently started developing another project that is very close to my heart called “Zeynep,” inspired by my daughter. It follows her adventures and life through original songs and stories.

I’ve already started creating music around things such as the alphabet, numbers and fruit, with the idea of developing it further into children’s videos, educational content, colouring books and other creative material.

I want “Zeynep” to keep growing into its own little world — something colourful, musical, educational and fun that children and families can connect with.

So when I think about sync and the future, I’m thinking much bigger than one placement. I want to open up my 330-plus-song catalogue, develop “Torn” and “Cleopatra,” and continue building “Zeynep” into something that could live across music, film, television, theatre and children’s entertainment.

I’ve created a lot of music and a lot of ideas. Now I want to connect with the right people who can help take those ideas from the studio to the world.

• What does the rest of 2026 and early 2027 look like for you beyond “Bump N Grime”? Are there more singles, album projects, or live opportunities on the horizon that you can share?

The plan first is to continue releasing the singles I’ve been working on, and then bring them together into my first full album, “Omer The Maestro.”

That journey should take me through to around May 2027, and after that I want to give myself a couple of months to recharge, reflect and come back with fresh energy.

But the next chapter is already taking shape. I’ve also prepared my second album, called “Words of Wisdom.”

That project is very personal to me. It reflects me as a child, discovering and showing my talent, but the journey develops into something much deeper. It takes me back to my roots, where I meet Aphrodite, and she becomes almost like a guide through the story — leading me through time, reflection and the journey still to come.

Through that concept, I want to send a message to the world about life, identity, wisdom, where we come from and where we are going.

There aren’t any live dates I can announce just yet, but I’m absolutely open to the right live performances, showcases and festival opportunities as the releases develop.

So although I’ll take some time to recharge after “Omer The Maestro,” creatively I’m already looking ahead. I’ve got more music, more stories and more ideas ready to grow.

After that, I’ll see what opportunities come my way — whether that’s live performances, collaborations, sync, film, theatre or something completely unexpected.

For me, every project is another chapter of the same journey — and “Words of Wisdom” will take that journey somewhere very different.

Built around Omer and the instantly recognisable Bump N Grime cat mascot, the release carries a distinctive visual identity designed for streaming, short-form video, press, radio, and visual marketing. It is a record with attitude — and the artistic track record to back it up.

“Bump N Grime” does not arrive in a vacuum. It arrives as the next move from an artist who is visibly, measurably gaining ground across every front simultaneously.

His breakthrough single AZIZEM has surpassed 1.2 million streams, attracted international press coverage, and generated enough heat to spawn AZIZEM Dance — an extension of the original into a Mediterranean dance setting. “I Wanna Be Your Man” earned confirmed breakfast show airplay on Rhondda Radio on September 26, 2026. “Mangal Gel” followed on October 3rd on the same station, within the prestigious Rhondda Radio Introduces segment.

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And “Mangal Gel” is doing something else entirely right now: it is currently ranked #3 in the Timbaland Global Search powered by Orbiit, a culture-led, high-energy release built around audience participation, streaming, voting, and international discovery. That placement has added significant momentum to Omer’s ongoing press and radio activity — and signals the kind of international attention that his catalogue has long deserved.

Press coverage has accumulated from London Post Daily, Music-News.com, Plastic Magazine, Doppio Magazine, Rock Era Magazine, Repeat Fanzine, Broken Color Music, Quiet Coast, and Radio Armazém in Brazil. A feature interview aired on Stereo Heart Radio USA / The Culture News with David Serero, available on Spotify.

What makes Omer Ahmet’s current momentum all the more striking is the depth of catalogue sitting beneath it.

Since launching his solo career in 2025, Omer has released music from a body of work that spans more than 330 original songs and a long-term 31-album project — 30 in English and one in Turkish. His range is genuinely extraordinary: R&B, Hip Hop, Rap, Afrobeat, Reggae, Pop, Dance, Rock, Country, Latin, Hindi-inspired, and cinematic music — all drawing from a life shaped by Cyprus, Türkiye, Greece, Italy, the Middle East, and East Africa.

“Real music. Real emotion. Global connection.” That is his mission statement, and his catalogue is its proof.

The creative approach behind all of it is rooted in lived experience. Omer has supported cancer research campaigns and Comic Relief, worked in ambulance transportation helping vulnerable people, and cared for both parents through their battles with cancer. He is a proud father and grandfather. Those experiences — of resilience, of compassion, of love tested by real hardship — shape the honesty that runs through everything he makes.

His music is being developed for streaming, radio, film, television, advertising, gaming, and branded content, with broadcast-ready masters, instrumentals, clean edits, and curated selections available for sync and licensing briefs.

What makes the finished recording notable is how much work sits behind its simplicity. Foxy Leopard reports over 40,000 words exchanged and more than 1,250 versions explored building the track, using AI throughout not to generate a finished song outright, but as one tool inside a long, human-directed cycle of writing, rejecting, rebuilding and redirecting. The irony is that all that iteration led toward less rather than more, a stripped-back arrangement built around a worn, raspy vocal, sparse resonator guitar, restrained percussion and a children’s choir kept intentionally imperfect rather than polished.

That instinct pays off in the closing verse, which returns to the same old man from the opening rather than offering any tidy resolution. Where the song once questioned whether anyone would step in to help him, it’s the children who answer by the end, a small but real shift from uncertainty toward commitment. There’s no victory lap, just a quiet refusal to look away, fitting for an album whose real subject was never really the Civil War itself, but everything people keep inheriting long after any war ends.

Built around a restrained male vocal, spacious electronic production, and a cinematic sense of movement, the song blends alternative pop, electronic pop, and dream-pop textures. Rather than offering a dramatic transformation or neat resolution, it focuses on something smaller and more human: the idea that moving forward can begin with a single step.

The track grew from the feeling of being overwhelmed by everything happening at once: pressure, noise, uncertainty, and the sense of temporarily losing direction. Its message is deliberately simple and compassionate: you do not have to solve everything at once to begin finding your way again.

That emotional core sits at the heart of Horizon Beyond, an independent project that brings together a longstanding love of music and technology. Each release is treated as its own story and atmosphere, exploring reflective, cinematic, and electronic sounds while remaining firmly artist-directed.

About Horizon Beyond
Horizon Beyond is an independent music project focused on atmospheric electronic, alternative, and cinematic music. Lyrics, concepts, and creative direction are developed by the artist, with modern AI music tools used as part of the creation and production process. Technology serves as a creative instrument while the underlying ideas, stories, and final creative choices remain fully artist-led. The project moves across alternative pop, atmospheric electronic, and cinematic styles, with each song built around a feeling or moment worth exploring.

Quiet Kind of Lost is available now.

The track began in London after Shivers met a ballerina through a mutual friend. Walking her home one evening, the two talked about life, travel, their dreams, and how difficult it can be to pursue the lives we imagine for ourselves. Later, while she slept, Shivers lay awake staring at the moon through her window, her ballet shoes hanging nearby.

Inspired by that night, he began writing “Changes” in London and finished the lyrics after returning to New York City, only to shelve the song for nearly fifteen years. Now traveling the world on a journey to rediscover himself, Shivers finally completed the recording in Thailand. A song originally written by a young man wondering whether he would ever pursue the life he dreamed about was ultimately finished while he was doing exactly that.

Dante Shivers is known for a gritty, melodic voice that anchors music refusing to stay in one genre. His songwriting moves freely between alternative rock, blues, folk, cinematic arrangements, and raw stripped-down performances, following the emotional needs of each song rather than a fixed sound. Drawing from love, loss, identity, regret, change, and resilience, he creates deeply personal songs while leaving enough space for listeners to find their own stories within them.

His debut album, American Nightmare, brings those different musical worlds together into a body of work connected by storytelling, dynamics, and emotional honesty. “Changes” stands as both a personal milestone and a powerful example of how songs can wait for the right moment and the right life experience- to be fully realized.

About Dante Shivers
Dante Shivers is an American independent singer-songwriter and producer whose music moves between alternative rock, blues, folk, and cinematic styles. Guided by emotional honesty and narrative depth, his work explores themes of change, resilience, and the pursuit of authentic life. “Changes” is a long-awaited release that captures both the dreaming and the living of that pursuit.

“Changes” is available now on all major platforms.

There is something beautifully tangible about the world preserved in this song. The lyrics return to Café De Harmonie, the village church and its enormous tree, and the wooden building beside the school where the two boys performed together for the first time. These aren’t simply nostalgic details; they give the song a physical landscape, allowing a distant childhood to exist again through music.

“Can you recognize me, after all these years?” Knowing that Tom died at just 17 gives the lyric an entirely different weight. Later, “If you’re still making music / We’ll try again” transforms the song from a recollection into an imagined reunion; one where music might bridge the distance that time and loss created.

The release doesn’t try to recreate the past. It acknowledges that the past cannot be recovered, while allowing the music that came from it to continue forward.

More than five decades after two young friends first started writing together, the unfinished song finally exists. “Can You Recognize Me” by Teanko becomes, in that sense, more than a song about memory. It is a reminder that music can preserve a moment, carry a friendship across generations, and sometimes give an unfinished story one last chance to sing.

Written originally for Sarah during a difficult period following COVID-19, the song began in an unexpected place: Ashby’s typewriter. Before there was a melody or a defined structure, there were words. That organic process gives “Over” an intimate quality, as though the song is capturing a thought while it is still taking shape rather than presenting a neatly packaged conclusion.

The title itself carries an interesting tension. “Over” suggests finality, yet the song is less concerned with closure than with what follows it. There is no insistence on erasing the past; instead, Ashby considers the more complicated process of recognising when something has run its course and allowing yourself to move forward.

Queenie’s distinctive vocals add another emotional layer, transforming what began as a personal reflection into something more open and conversational. Her presence gives the song another perspective, allowing the experience at its centre to extend beyond Ashby’s own story and become something listeners can locate within their own experiences of change and letting go.

That movement from the personal to the universal also connects naturally with Ashby’s multidisciplinary practice. Known for working across painting, photography, performance, skateboarding, writing and music, he has long been interested in movement and process. Here, that movement becomes internal: the typewriter captures thought, the lyrics give it form, and music gives the emotion somewhere to live.

Brett Ashby’s “Over,” featuring Queenie, is a song about what an ending makes possible; a private moment becomes creative material; reflection becomes expression; and what once felt like an ending becomes another beginning.

Sometimes moving forward doesn’t mean leaving everything behind. Sometimes it simply means understanding what is over, and making something extraordinary from it!