Friday’s Five Tunes with Raphaella

Photo by Benn Healy

Always wondered what pop stars themselves listen to whenever they are not on stage or writing new music? It’s time to find out! Every week, A Bit of Pop Music will bring you Friday’s Five Tunes, a selection of five favourite songs by a current pop artist. This week Raphaella tells us all about her jams!

Raphaella is an electronic pop artist active in the UK, named as one of the most promising names for 2016 by A Bit of Pop Music. Her sound is unique as she mixes electronic elements with influences from her Persian background. We heard this on her stunning singles like ‘Parallel Lines’, ‘Fall’ and ‘In The Rain’. In the meantime she collaborated with artists like Gorgon City, Cardboard Foxes, Midnight City and Michael Caflan and performed with The Disciples at the Wireless Festival mainstage. Earlier this month she dropped her brand new dancefloor filling single ‘Alien’. She tells A Bit of Pop Music all about her musical inspirations!

Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
“I adore him as an artist and I love how every song is so iconic. I can’t listen to this and NOT dance. I love how there are so many hooks in the instrumental as well as the vocal and the percussion is still so relevant and clean; it just creates such a vibe.”

James Blake feat. Bon Iver – I Need A Forest Fire
“Two of my favourite artists in an ocean of synths, with a side order of juicy harmonies and ambiguous indie lyrics. I love to listen to this late at night while writing my own lyrics.”

Missy Elliott – Pass That Dutch
“She is actually my Queen. I love her humour and that beat gets me every single time it starts. Claps are honestly my favourite replacement for hi-hats.”

Hans Zimmer – Interstellar Main Theme Extra Extended
“This is one of the most beautiful film scores ever made. Coming from a classical background and being a string and piano player, I love film music, and the way Hans Zimmer uses the organ in this score is unreal. I listen to this in the morning and it even makes brushing my teeth feel profound, haha!”

Francis and the Lights feat. Bon Iver & Kanye West – Friends
“I have literally rinsed this song on repeat for the past three weeks. It has all of Bon Iver’s smooth immersive harmonies, with Kanye’s 808s and Francis’s quirky lyrics. I love the random high pitched portamento synth that comes in every chorus.”