New signings & rising stars (Nov–Dec 2018)
Emmanuel Jal and Nyaruach (SS)
Agent: Serena Parsons, Primary Talent
Siblings Emmanuel and Nyaruach draw strongly on the unique sounds of their native kingdom of Kush in South Sudan, interweaving traditional folklore and love songs alongside infectious dance tunes.
Their music is often at odds with the image of war and poverty that has blighted South Sudan, instead focusing on its resilience and rich culture.
The duo’s background is challenging, to put it mildly: Emmanuel Jal was a child soldier in the early ’80s and has come through huge personal struggles to become an acclaimed recording artist and peace ambassador, now living in Toronto. Nyaruach was separated from the rest of her immediate family at the age of four and has witnessed family members killed and raped by government officials. Although reunited with Jal in Nairobi, in 2004, Nyaruach is forced to live in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya, where her future is uncertain.
Emmanuel Jal and Nyaruach have performed together in Kenya for Oxfam, and in South Sudan’s first peace concert, and despite immense obstacles have now completed their first album.
Badflower (US)
Agent: Neil Warnock, UTA
Badflower have quietly become one of LA’s most buzzed-about rock bands. Since their emergence in 2014, they have shared stages with the likes of Kongos and the Veronicas, earned acclaim from OC Weekly and Loudwire and achieved a two-week run at No1 on the KROQ Locals Only show with single ‘Heroin’.
Wielding their signature energy, the music taps into a gritty, grungy gutter-rock spirit complemented by jarring theatrical delivery and unshakable riffing.
Following the release of their Temper EP, Badflower became the first signing on the new Big Machine/John Varvatos Records joint venture. The crushing realness of their latest track, ‘Ghost’, brought the band to the attention of iHeartRadio, which highlighted them as one of their On the Verge Artists, and it later topped the Active Rock Radio charts.
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