Orlando Mendez, a renowned American singer, songwriter, and composer, shares his impressive abilities and a lifelong love of country music. Orlando's high school years were marked by a tremendous affinity for country music, which, combined with his upbringing in a mostly Cuban environment in Miami, earned him the loving moniker "Cuban Cowboy." To further his musical goals, eight months ago Orlando started his own band, simply...

Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...