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Song of the Week : Happy Birthday by Stevie Wonder (2002)
Hello {{firstname | Dear Friend }}!
Welcome to Mitxoda Weekly #44!
No, You’re Not Invited to the Cake”
This Saturday, July 26, is my birthday.
I’ll be somewhere in my hometown, celebrating with a few close friends, trying not to spill drinks on vintage amps.
But many of you are way too far, in the UK, the US, New Zealand, Canada, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Brazil…
So I thought: why not make this week’s Mitxoda Weekly the global version of my birthday party?
You don’t need to bring a bottle.
Just show up here, with your ears, your heart, and maybe a pair of headphones.
Le Salon Indie de Mitxoda will have its special B-Day edition, and is ready to soundtrack your week this Friday. Stay tuned, 4PM Brussels time.
Enjoy the read!
Mitxoda
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Mitxoda Update : Still Indie, Still Grateful
No big release this week, but lots of work in progress. What I can say is that the next songs will go deeper, wider, and maybe weirder.
Thanks for following me so far. Honestly. Every listen, every message, every share.. these are the best birthday gift. I mean it.
So Help Me Decide What’s Next
As I head into a new year of life (and noise), I’d love to know:
What kind of track would you like from me next?
🖼️ Poetic & Reflective
(philosophical nudity, old furniture, fleeting café moments, the quiet shift of time)
🌬️ Atmospheric & Mysterious
(three crows in the wind, a lost piano bar, something Radiohead-ish…)
🏙️ Grounded & Bold
(a powerful arrival, hometown tribute, political disillusionment)
What calls to you most? Reply with Poetic, Atmospheric, or Grounded. I’ll let the music follow your instinct.
💌 Whichever one you choose, I’ll dedicate the final track to you when it’s released.
The Indie Musician vs the Machine
There’s a major lawsuit brewing in the music world, but this time, it’s not just about the majors. It’s about independent artists fighting back.
Platforms like Suno and Udio, which generate music using AI, are being sued for training their models on tens of millions of copyrighted songs, allegedly without permission. The big three (Universal, Sony, Warner) have gone to court. But here’s the twist: a class action is forming for indie musicians too, led by Top Music Attorney.
Why does this matter?
Because your music, the stuff you poured your heart into, might have been used to train a machine that now spits out generic replicas in seconds. No credits. No royalties. Just theft disguised as innovation.
“Lawyer Reacts to AI Copyright Claims” is a must-watch video:
🧷 If you’re an indie artist, you can join the class action or learn more here:
👉 topmusicattorney.com/indieailawsuit
It’s not about stopping AI. It’s about making sure creators don’t get erased.
I am wondering if anything is ongoing in Europe as well. If you have more information about that, please reply now and let’s discuss it, thanks!
Crave indie discovery?
Step off the algorithm highway.
The Creator Spotlight is where handpicked brilliance shines, no fluff, just people who make things worth your time.
👉 Jump in, weekly, quietly brilliant.
Long Read: Getting Older in an Indie World
This Saturday, I’ll turn 47. There’s no dramatic milestone. No round number.
But still, this one feels different.
Maybe it’s because I’m finally old enough to stop pretending I’m not.
Maybe it’s because time hits differently when you no longer have parents to call.
It’s been 26 years since my father passed, and three years since my mother.
And yet this year, for the first time, I feel more grounded than ghosted.
It’s strange, how grief slowly morphs into geography.
You stop expecting the phone to ring. You stop rehearsing conversations that never happened. And instead, you build soundscapes where their absence can echo without hurting too much.
Music has always been my map.
Not a way out, but a way through.
Since you know me, every track I write is a little dialogue, between who I was, who I miss, and who I might become.
There’s pressure, sure. To be relevant. To be productive. To fit (even if this last one is not an real milestone).
But the older I get, the more I trust the slow burn, the silence between the beats.
The beauty of a song that doesn’t care if it goes viral, as long as it’s true.
I’m not selling any reinvention or something. I’m here to celebrate the quiet resistance of showing up again.
Of making noise, without permission. Of turning 47 and saying: "Yes, I’m still here. Yes, I still believe. Yes, I still have things to sing about"
So, thank you for listening.
That alone makes this birthday feel like a new beginning.
🎁 And I have a Gift to You!
If I could host a real birthday party with all the artists who’ve moved me lately, we’d need a few extra planets to hold the magic. But hey, this is the indie scene, and we don’t need walls to gather, right?
So consider this Friday’s Salon Indie my virtual birthday room…
I’m lucky to have crossed paths with a ton of artists, here and there. Now it’s your turn.
Discover them. Support them. Dance in your kitchen. Cry in your headphones.
That’s what birthdays are for.
And… keep your ears open: There might be one or two very special songs waiting for you in this edition :-)
Quick Indie News
Goodbye Ozzie 😭
🎧 Crowsilver – Your Embrace
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Rock | 4:34 | Spotify
A haunting opener from their debut EP, "Your Embrace" captures the ache of long-distance love. Atmospheric, bittersweet, unforgettable.
🎧 Benjamin Russell – WAVES
🇨🇦 Canada | Pop | 3:46 | Apple Music
What happens when Virginia Woolf meets a sea shanty? Benjamin Russell’s electronic playground blends Bowie, Culture Club, and emotional depth.
🎧 WORLD5 – You and I ( (Duo with Jonna Sailon).
🇺🇸 United States | Pop | Bandcamp
Uplifting, melodic pop-rock vocal duo from their album 3. Sweet harmonies and timeless energy.
🎧 Destroy The Moon – Looks Like Revenge
🇺🇸 United States | Rock | 2:59 | Spotify
Alt-rock gets gritty and emotional. Grief, pressure, and a bassline that grooves like a fuse. Unpredictable, visceral, unmissable.
🎧 Jaelyn – Forester’s Plight (Acoustic)
🇺🇸 United States | Rock | 2:55 | Spotify
A stripped-down ballad that cuts deep. Hope flickers through heartbreak in this raw acoustic version.
🎧 Nikola Zenko – Night Will Never End
🇫🇷 France | Rock | 3:46 | SoundCloud
A hypnotic indie anthem about dancing, excess, and insomnia. Raw lyrics, high energy, a night that never ends.
🎧 The Ineffectuals – The Hum
🇺🇸 United States | Alternative | 4:05 | Spotify
A thunderous wake-up call. The noise of the world, the grief we ignore, all in one explosive alt-rock track.
🎧 Katana – Scars
🇺🇦 Ukraine | Metal | 3:50 | Spotify
Brutal, honest, unforgettable. Katana unleashes their trauma and rage through this devastating metalcore anthem.
Nadine's Indie Treasures: Ja-Wrk
Written with passion by Nadine de Macedo
Are you tired of hip hop music, because it's drifting into autotune mumbling and flexing about ghetto life? Please give Ja-Wrk a try, because his lyrics are about life and all its struggles, and there's always a catchy hook. Maybe "Slide" is a good introduction, before diving into heavier topics like "Trying To Smile", but you'll also hear a positive message with "One Day at a Time". Authentically written and well produced - that's stuff I like!
💬 Introducing Nadine’s Indie Treasures a new chapter where Nadine de Macedo handpicks and spotlights exceptional artists. Subscribe to her Bandcamp to support her work, enjoy exclusive singles, and be part of her evolving story!
Until Next Week: 47 Candles, One Light
Thank you for spending this little moment with me.
This week’s edition was a room. A space. A quiet celebration of the things that keep us going: songs, stories, people, and the strange beauty of sticking around long enough to watch it all evolve.
To everyone who read, shared, replied, or just listened in silence: you’re part of something rare. Not a fanbase. Not a “community” in marketing terms. Just people who care. About music. About words. About each other.
And that, honestly, is the best present I could ever wish for.
See you next Friday, with a few more wrinkles, and maybe a new melody in the works.
Until then… be loud, be kind, be indie.
🖤 Mitxoda
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END 😆