In Rotation: flowerovlove

Joyce Cisse had to go on the record recently to debunk a wild internet rumor that Solange Knowles was her aunt. The myth claimed Solange handed her a notebook at ten years old to start writing lyrics. It’s the kind of origin story fans invent when a young artist shows up with an unnatural amount of poise. Operating under the moniker flowerovlove, the London-born singer-songwriter built her buzz in reality, navigating a whirlwind rise that reads like a pop fever dream: breaking out at Coachella, opening for Olivia Rodrigo at Hyde Park, and fronting autumn issues for magazines like Glass. I usually keep my ear planted firmly in hip-hop and R&B, but a meticulously constructed pop record is impossible to ignore. Her track "American Wedding" is currently sitting near the top of Spotify's #NowWatching playlist, and it earns the real estate. The production relies on a driving, syncopated bassline that anchors her airy vocal delivery. When the hook hits, the drums snap into a tight pocket, leaving just enough negative space for her melodies to breathe. She isn't over-singing to prove a point. She just glides over the rhythm. The momentum is spilling off the internet and onto the pavement. Independent radio like WCNR in Charlottesville just put her in rotation, and she recently dropped a sharp visual for the track "I've seen ur ex." Come September, she’s packing up this sound for massive rooms across the UK, opening an arena run for Niall Horan that hits Manchester's Co-op Live and Newcastle's Utilita Arena. Before that, she's flying out to Japan for a festival slot at ZOZO Marine Stadium. A lot of young pop acts get completely swallowed by the scale of their own sudden hype. Cisse just sounds like she's exactly where she planned to be all along. Hit play below.