Penny Taylor Elevates His Sound with R&B Hit ‘Cuff’

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Hip-hop and R&B musician Penny Taylor drops his latest single, the catchy and vulnerable track, “Cuff.” Exploring a softer side with deep R&B roots, Penny Taylor unveils a side of his music that listeners are sure to love.

From a young age, Penny Taylor developed an appreciation for all different types of music. “Around age 7 or 8,” he shares, “I really started to enjoy music more than hearing it and it being background noise.”

What began as dabbling on Audacity with friends—trying to rap and imitate his favorite artists of the time—became a devotion to the craft. Not long after, Penny Taylor adding singing to his resume. “I moved towards singing because of the melodies,” shares the artist. “I don’t classify myself as a singer—I’m a harmonizer.” He slowly began cultivating his passion into a skill, and the rest is history.

Penny Taylor credits several musicians for impacting his work over the years, including Drake, J. Cole, Timberland (for production/beat making) and Kanye. “…Bryson Taylor, Party Next Door.. SZA is amazing… there’s so many I can name that I pull inspiration from,” adds Taylor.

How was the name, Penny Taylor, born? At the time, Penny was intrigued with 50 Cent and the number one. The combination culminated in the name coming together. “Friends started calling me ‘Penny.’ I adopted the last name from Wiz Khalifa and the Taylor Gang group. It just stuck.”

Known for his hip-hop sound, Penny Taylor ventured into R&B for the creation of his latest record. “Cuff” isn’t just a single. It’s the best song Penny Taylor has ever made, and he intended for it to be so. “I really wanted to create the best song I ever made if I included a well-structured song with lyrics and something catchy that could be played in summertime, wintertime, any time of the year. Something that could be enjoyed by different demographics.

Listening to beats, Penny Taylor came across the instrumental that would soon become “Cuff.” The beat sets the tone for a catchy hook, which informed the rest of the song. “It’s funny, because I actually had the pieces of the song made from different songs and pieced them together to fit the beat / theme of the track,” adds Penny Taylor. “Typically, I listen to the instrumental, and it’s a feeling. The beat has to speak to you. If you can’t have a conversation with it, then it’s difficult to write to it. It might be the second or third or however many beats you go through, but then the words come out of you. For this one, I didn’t have to try too hard to find the words—there were kind of just there.”

“‘Cuff’ came about because I wanted to challenge myself to make a hit record with the R&B side of myself,” shares Penny Taylor. “I’m definitely happy and grateful the listener gets to enjoy it and get what they take from it. I’m cook with whatever they get from the song, even if it’s the feeling evoked when the listen to it.”

So far, the feedback for “Cuff” has been overwhelmingly positive. “People have loved the song. I’ve heard things like, ‘this is a hit. This is a platinum record,’’’ shares Taylor. “It’s surreal. It’s crazy that I wrote this thing completely and so many people enjoy it. That’s what’s special to me. I often think, ‘I used to do this in my bedroom on a laptop and I wasn’t good, just trying my best.’ From that to this is insane.”

Penny Taylor is enjoying the moment, weaving through the unfamiliar territory that comes with widespread success. In addition to the release of his single, Penny Taylor looks forward to bringing his show to live audiences.

Make sure to stay connected to Penny Taylor on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

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Southern Girl Aprena Bloou Is Coming in Hot Like a “Volcano” on Her New Neo-Soul Single

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Texas neo-soul singer Aprena Bloou is hot like a volcano, and she doesn’t plan on cooling off anytime soon.

On her new single, the self-proclaimed “Southern girl” heats things up quickly. The song starts with soulful guitar. Soon, deep bass and drums enter. Aprena’s vocal layers describe a sultry and sexy scene, of a thermostat rising and ready to burst.

You got me hot, hot, hot
Like a volcano, like a volcano
You got me hot, hot, hot, hoo-hot
Like a volcano, like a volcano

For Aprena, this was a track that came together very quickly: first the instrumental track, then the lyrics, and she banged it out in the studio in minutes. Obtaining the beat from a YouTube beatmaker, Aprena brought her song to Spitshine Studios in Austin. There, she worked with producer Dutch Boy to create the polished and professional sound on “Volcano.”

Born Aprena Dimone Stodghill in Germany, the singer grew up in Alabama, spending time in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Montgomery. Her southern pedigree is evidenced by the twang in her voice. Aprena’s stage name came about from hanging out in the salon of her mother, a professional stylist, who dyed Aprena’s hair her signature blue, or “Bloou.” The name stuck.

Aprena now lives and works in Austin, Texas. A proud and hard-working single mother of five, Aprena dedicates her music to all of the other single mothers and fathers out there doing double duty in the service of their kids.

Aprena says, “I want to be an inspiration for single mothers and fathers. Just because we have kids, that doesn’t mean our hopes and dreams are over.”

Self-direction is evident in every part of her music career. This includes the musical production itself, garnering rights to her music, and directing and planning photoshoots, such as the one that resulted in the striking cover image for “Volcano.” In it, she poses in a black suit, her bright blue hair and face illuminated in front of rising smoke, suggesting the burning heat of the music.

Aprena sees her music as soulful, expressive, personal, and genre-fluid. The extent of this fluidity is apparent in her influences which include Erykah Badu, Prince, and The-Dream.

A previous single, “My Life,” was more personal, focused on mindset, emerging from a downfall, standing strong, and believing in yourself.

But whether Aprena is singing about making positive changes, or getting steamy with a hot new love, she intends to keep it real.

She says, “I always want my music to be real, you know? Based on true stories and what I’m experiencing in my life. To encourage others.”

The heat of her new music is encouraging indeed.

“Volcano” is out now with promotional support from Starlight PR. Listen everywhere, and follow Aprena Bloou at the links below.

Spotify | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Apple Music | TikTok | Amazon Music

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