LOCK Magazine

Following her journey from Trinidad & Tobago to Austria and onto some of television’s biggest stages, LOCK caught up with Katiuska McLean to explore the experiences, values and beliefs that continue to shape her as an artist and woman. From discovering the transformative power of music through her great-grandmother to finding her voice as a shy teenager in a new country, Katiuska reflects on resilience, self-belief and the importance of staying true to yourself.

Following the release of 2AP’s ‘Sweet Harmony’, LOCK caught up with Lenka K. to explore the deeply personal journey behind her songwriting, her evolving confidence as a vocalist, and the creative chemistry that comes from sharing a project with Jarek H.

Montréal multidisciplinary artist and producer Musroe explores the transition from emotional overload to stillness on ‘Left2Rot/Now’, introducing her forthcoming EP ‘EPHEMERA’. Designed to flow into one another, ‘Left2Rot’ and ‘Now’ represent contrasting points within the same experience. The former captures the sensation of becoming consumed by a moment, while its companion focuses on the quieter realisation that intense feelings eventually pass.

‘16’ arrives with the kind of confidence that makes its contradictions feel effortless. Wormogenic takes the uncertainty of adolescence and pushes it through a kaleidoscope of shimmering synths, gritty electronics and driving bass, creating something that feels both euphoric and unsettled, and we are happy to be premiering it here at LOCK.

London artist Alysha turns faith into something altogether more nocturnal on ‘Take It or Leave It’, a brooding blend of goth, new-wave and electronic textures that finds spirituality occupying unfamiliar territory, and we feature it here at LOCK. Co-produced with Matt Rist, the track trades conventional gospel signifiers for shadowy synths, electronic pulses and an atmosphere steeped in late-night tension. There’s a deliberate sense of provocation at work here.

Clarity Liao knows that heartbreak doesn’t always sound the way it feels. On ‘Lose’, jealousy, insecurity and romantic obsession are dressed in bright guitars and buoyant pop rhythms, creating an intriguing tension between the song’s emotional weight and its outward sense of momentum, and we premiere it here at LOCK.

New York singer-songwriter Amanda Holley channels personal experience into her latest single ‘NO MORE’ as another preview of her forthcoming EP ‘The HolleyGraphic’. Blending pop and R&B, the track centres on leaving destructive experiences behind and searching for a more fulfilling way forward.

Florida’s The Ruffles make a brilliantly energetic introduction with ‘Baby Blue Bronco’, turning memories of their first car into a joyous pop-rock anthem recorded at none other than Abbey Road Studios. The single captures teenage sisters Kenzington, Charlotte and Paris at their most carefree.

London’s Sim Simi has built her music around a quality that can feel increasingly difficult to find: authenticity. Unafraid to confront uncomfortable realities or turn personal experience into sharp-edged songwriting, she brings together raw pop, R&B grooves and guitar-driven alternative influences with an instinct for holding a mirror up to the world around her. Following the response to ‘Truckers and Trolls’, her latest single, ‘Salt’, pushes that approach further.

There’s something especially fitting about Vanessa Moussa choosing a self-titled release for her debut EP. After years spent writing, performing and helping shape other artists’ music, these five tracks finally place her own voice at the centre, bringing together songs that have followed the Sydney singer-songwriter through nearly a decade of change.