There’s a new wave of artists from all over the globe emerging as the biggest stars of 2019 and now the new international collective The Uprise are poised to follow as they drop their debut single ‘Gale’ featuring MC Brankim – launched last night via Complex it’s already had over 120,000 YouTube views overnight.
The Uprise are a group of artists and producers who are aiming to use the universal language of music to connect with like-minded spirits across the continents. They share the belief that uniting cultures and empowering outsiders with a voice can be the start of a positive social change.
Although The Uprise’s participants will vary from track-to-track, their first track ‘Gale’ brings together three eclectic talents in the shape of W1zzy, Michael and featured artist MC Brankim. Previously a member of London’s influential Afrobeats trio Vibe Squad, W1zzy stands out due to his ability to be able to rap in both English and French. He’s joined by multi-genre newcomer Michael (AKA Mikespro), a producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has collaborated with Mr Eazi, Maleek Berry and Samm Henshaw. Finally, São Paulo star MC Brankim has picked up millions of streams, notably with the Dani Russo collab ‘Culpa da Cachaça’.
A searing summer cocktail of Brazilian Baile funk, Afrobeats, hip-hop and trap, ‘Gale’ is representative of what to expect from The Uprise: an uplifting, high energy funk-fuelled vibe which will appeal across the continents, from Rio to Miami and from London to Lagos.
The accompanying video was filmed by social media superstar KondZilla, who is hosting it on his huge YouTube channel. With over 46 million subscribers, KondZilla is one of the biggest music channels on YouTube – second only to the platform’s own official music channel. It outranks the official YouTube channels of Justin Bieber (43 million subscribers) and Ed Sheeran (37 million).
Filmed in São Paulo, where skyscrapers loom large over the favelas, the video captures the trio’s irresistible blend of charisma and sheer energy.
Check out Gale featuring MC Brankim below!
We managed to catch up with Micheal as he talked about the latest single and more!
So how has your latest single ‘Gale’ gone down with fans?
So far the feedback from our latest single ‘Gale’ has been superb, the fans are really receptive towards the new blend of Brazilian Funk and Trap.
Can you tell us something about the single no one else knows?
One thing that I would about the single that know one knows is that ‘Gale’ is a made up word that means something exceptional (i.e sick, wavy) ‘Gale Swag – Amazing Dress Sense.
How was it working with Mc Brankim on the single, are you good friends?
Working with MC Brankim was incredible, he showed nothing but genuine love from the first day and he was very enthusiastic during the collaborative process.
What’s next for you? Will you be releasing an EP/Album this year?
There will be more singles to drop during this year and who knows, maybe a body of work, stay tuned to find out.
Have you got any tour dates coming up?
At the moment there are not tour dates.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?If we could work with any artist, I think we would definitely choose MC Kekel because of the energy and melodic structure he brings on all of his songs.
If you could play at any venue in the world, where would it be and why?
As a kid, I always dreamt about performing at the Madison Square Garden, I think it would be a great platform to introduce The Uprise Sound.
What do you all get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
In my spare time, I usually go to galleries, museum, workout at the gym, take part in outdoor activities and sometimes social events.
If you could play at any venue in the world, where would it be and why?
As a kid, I always dreamt about performing at the Madison Square Garden, I think it would be a great platform to introduce The Uprise Sound.
What do you all get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
In my spare time, I usually go to galleries, museum, workout at the gym, take part in outdoor activities and sometimes social events.