ONR is a brilliantly talented singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist, and producer who just released a banger of a track in “Kill TV”. The track features Nile Rodgers, Bastille’s Chris Wood on drums and was mixed by acclaimed producer Spike Stent who has worked with the likes of Madonna and Beyonce. The song touches on the subject of media and social media and just how toxic it can be to us. Definitely something that has all affected us during this pandemic. The story of how the song came to be is rather unique and is such a big step in ONR’s career.
ONR was at a songwriting camp at Abby Road Studios before the pandemic was in full force and it was there where he met Nile Rodgers. ONR was originally set to release his EP and go on tour but had to cancel due to the pandemic. So with that he decided to focus his energy to his home studio in Scotland where he would write this captivating song, or as he describes it as an “anarchic, incredibly aggressive track”. He decided to send the track to Nile who loved it so much that he immediately laid down the guitar tracks. Nile did such an amazing job on the guitar tracks, they really give the song that extra flare, not to mention that killer guitar solo in the middle of the song. Chris Wood also did a fantastic job on the drums that kick straight through in the beginning of the track and really set the groove throughout the track. ONR has a killer voice on this one and you can feel the aggression on this track especially when he shouts “I’m gonna kill TV” repeatedly. You really feel the need to actually want to smash your TV or phone and get away from all the media. If there’s any indication of just how stellar this track is, well the music video for it blows it out of the park. The music video is entirely animated, something you don’t see too often in music videos which makes it so unique. The video features animated versions of both ONR and Nile Rodgers who are seen dressed as superheros who came to literally kill TV and save humanity from the pitfalls of media. Check out the video below, you surely don’t want to miss it.
This project was so surreal for ONR to work on as he has always admired Nile and the role he played in David Bowie’s career. Nile saw a kindred spirit in ONR, praising, “There’s so many things I could say about Robert, but this is what just popped into my head: his sense of composition is wonderfully chaotic, but also really musical. When we first started working together I was drowning in so many ideas, it was almost as if it was a challenge. SO you know what I did? I just picked up my axe and said yo, let’s get it on brother. Let’s do this.”
It’s almost like they were meant to meet and work together. ONR is no stranger to the music scene and this isn’t his first project. ONR otherwise known as Robert Shields is originally from Scotland, where he would spend most of his time at his family’s farmhouse or on cliffs. It wasn’t until he was 12 or 13 when he would first start making music. He taught himself to play piano. He coined songwriting as his way to escape his isolated childhood. He had an opportunity with a few record labels and flew out to LA but felt he wasn’t ready musically or mentally so he declined the offers. After perfecting and honing his songwriting and music skills he would decide to sign with Warner Records. Since then he has released countless jams like “5 Years Time”, and “AMERICAN GODS”. He has performed hundreds of gigs across Europe including touring with Bastille. Shields has finally figured out who he is as a songwriter, making music that is true to himself, of which he is proud. He has a lot of great things in store and is someone you definitely don’t want to miss out on!
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