Circle the Earth is a female-fronted, diverse, multicultural rock band with talented musicians from all corners of the earth now based out of Los Angeles.
Female-fronted rock band Circle The Earth recently released their debut EP Hey Goodbye. The band is fronted by Khadia, a former background singer for Imagine Dragons, American Idol, and the American Music Awards, who has also performed with artists such as Prince. Rounding out the band is the talent of Michael McBay (founding member/bassist), Sandro Feliciano (drummer), Sandy Chao Wang (keyboardist/music director), and Kazuki Tokaji (guitarist/songwriter). Blending a variety of genres such as rock, pop, soul, and hip-hop, Hey Goodbye is dynamic and uplifting. For fans of The Aces and Willow, Circle The Earth breathes new life into the rock scene.
Hey Goodbye is energetic and full, giving the effect of a live show. From Khadia’s outstanding vocal belts to thunderous guitar and drums, Circle The Earth commands attention with each fiery anthem. “Sweetest Pain,” one of the EP’s singles, carries quick, booming drums and bold vocal harmonies. Tokaji’s melodic guitar solo gorgeously complements the song’s powerful rock style. These heavier tracks feel expansive, large enough to dominate any venue.
Pop and hip-hop elements shine through in tracks like “Dead.” Gritty guitar stands out against rap verses and bright, pop inspired background vocals. Khadia’s striking voice effortlessly shifts from forceful rock to earthy soul. “Pick Your Poison” features similar stylistic elements. With synthy beats and a catchy chorus punctuated by heavy guitar, this track is a sweeping fusion of pop and modern rock.
By featuring a lineup of members from across the U.S., Taiwan, Brazil, and Japan, all who bring an extensive range of professional experience, Circle The Earth joins a unique array of genres. The band strives to produce positive music with messages of unity and inclusion. Monumental and harmonizing, Hey Goodbye is an explosive, vibrant EP.
For Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating female artists in all generations and genres of music. Specifically, this list aims to cover women in typically male-dominated music genres that deserve more notoriety.
From popular to underground; here are 31 different musicians to check out:
Courtney Barnett- “Pedestrian at Best” (Indie rock). As part of the recent Australian Invasion, Barnett combines punk rock elements into her work with comedic lyrics and a deadpan vocal delivery. Pedestrian At Best – Courtney Barnett
Bent Knee- “Land Animal” (Progressive rock). Being a modern progressive rock band, Bent Knee’s instrumentals tell the story while vocalist Courtney Swain sings her heart out for an emotional payoff. Bent Knee – Land Animal (official video)
Kate Bush- “Sat in Your Lap” (Art pop). After her song “Running Up That Hill” was featured in Stranger Things, the rest of Bush’s discography has been discovered and now appreciated by a younger audience. Kate Bush – Sat in Your Lap – Official Music Video
Tracy Chapman- “Fast Car” (Singer-songwriter). This legendary ballad propelled Chapman into fame through her unique voice, lyricism, and guitar work. Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (Official Music Video)
CHVRCHES- “The Mother We Share” (Electronic pop). These Scottish synthpop artists were inspired by a vast number of musicians from the classic goth rock to new age electronic genres. CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share
Circle the Earth- “Sweetest Pain” (Hard rock). The band’s name was inspired by the fact that each of the five members come from four different countries: the U.S., Brazil, Taiwan, and Japan. Circle the Earth – Sweetest Pain (Official Video)
Delta Rae- “Hands Dirty” (Folk rock). Three siblings make up the foundation of this group, with this feminist anthem becoming one of their most popular songs. Delta Rae – Hands Dirty (Official Music Video)
Pearl Derringer- “The Fool” (Country). This anonymous vocalist allows her work to speak for herself with some bright, country-inspired tunes. Pearl Derringer – The Fool
The Go! Team & The Star Feminine Band- “Look Away, Look Away” (World fusion). Being the only song on this list that’s in French, the supergroup The Go! Team has collaborated with the Benin-based The Star Feminine Band for a traditional yet ahead-of-its-time hit. The Go! Team – Look Away, Look Away (feat The Star Feminine Band)
Horsegirl- “Anti-glory” (Indie rock). Inspired by the dissonant post rock of the nineties, this Chicago band came in swinging with their debut album, “Versions of Modern Performance”. Horsegirl – “Anti-glory” (Official Music Video)
The Inflorescence- “Phantom Feelings” (Indie rock). This brand new four piece band already found a cult following in their home base of San Diego with some energized summer hits. The Inflorescence – Phantom Feelings (Artwork Video)
The Interrupters- “She’s Kerosene” (Punk rock/ska). Aimee Allen and the Binova brothers prove ska’s not dead as long as they’re around, especially after the release of their most recent album, “In the Wild”. The Interrupters – “She’s Kerosene”
Jefferson Airplane- “Somebody to Love” (Classic rock). As one of the pioneers of psychedelic rock, Jefferson Airplane created one of the most memorable songs of this era with Grace Slick on lead vocals. Jefferson Airplane – Somebody to Love (Official Audio)
Jinjer- “Perennial” (Alternative metal). Based out of Ukraine, Jinjer and Tatiana Shmailyuk touch on the more sensitive, introspective, and emotive aspects heavy metal has to offer. JINJER – Perennial (Official Video) | Napalm Records
Alanis Morissette- “You Oughta Know” [Explicit] (Singer-songwriter/pop). This concept album turned stage play offers an awesome front to back listening experience as Morissette satirizes her life as a star in the music industry. Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know (Official 4K Music Video)
No Doubt- “Just A Girl” (Pop rock). Being Gwen Stefani’s big debut, No Doubt continues to be one of the most beloved grunge-adjacent pop rock bands around, with their songs still getting plenty of airtime. No Doubt – Just A Girl
Oceans of Slumber- “The Water’s Rising” (Heavy metal). Cammie Gilbert proves that metal vocals can still suit heavy instrumentals if it’s done well, which comes naturally to this band. OCEANS OF SLUMBER – The Waters Rising (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Paramore- “Figure 8” (Alternative rock). Paramore returns with their first album in six years, drawing from a wider variety of rock subgenres in this satisfying comeback. Paramore – Figure 8 (Official Audio)
Pit Pony- “Tide of Doubt” (Alternative rock). This highly underrated band from England offer a moody yet catchy banger to open up their album “World to Me”. PIT PONY – Tide Of Doubt (Lyric Video)
Portishead- “Glory Box” (Trip hop/electronic). As one of the pioneers of trip hop, Beth Gibbons’s vocal delivery perfectly fits the dreary noir atmosphere set by the album “Dummy”. Glory Box
Santigold- “Disparate Youth” (Alternative pop/new wave). This genre-defying soloist reaches out to all kinds of musicians both for inspiration or collaboration, offering an entirely unique soundscape in her music. Santigold – Disparate Youth (Official Music Video)
Skunk Anansie- “I Can Dream” (Hard rock). Skin’s soulful and expressive singing voice make this band a sort of hidden gem in the grunge and English punk rock circles. Skunk Anansie – I Can Dream
Sløtface- “Nancy Drew” (Indie rock). The band’s debut, “Try Not to Freak Out”, made this Norwegian punk outfit a new age classic, flowing between edgy rock and soft indie vibes with ease. Sløtface – Nancy Drew (Official Music Video)
Sonic Youth- “Kool Thing” (Post rock/shoegaze). Vocalist and bassist Kim Gordon was inspired to write this song after a very awkward interview with rapper LL Cool J; now considered a tongue-in-cheek commentary on feminism and progressivism. Sonic Youth – Kool Thing
Spiritbox- “Secret Garden” (Hard rock/alternative metal). Courtney LaPlante along with her husband Mike Stringer on guitar wrote this song as a “love letter” to the influence Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno had on their music. Spiritbox – Secret Garden (Official Music Video)
Starbenders- “Downtown” [Explicit] (Alternative rock). From Atlanta, Starbenders utilized the most fun aspects of glam rock and pop to make their debut album, “Heavy Petting”. Downtown
White Lung- “If You’re Gone” (Alternative rock). The Vancouver group sent off their fifth and final album, “Premonition”, with a passionate, high octane alternative rock banger full of resounding instrumentals and soaring vocals. White Lung – If You’re Gone (Official Visualizer)
Wye Oak- “Civilian” (Indie rock). Featured in “The Walking Dead”, Jenn Wasner compliments the somber instrumentals with heartfelt lyrics and a vulnerable vocal performance. Wye Oak – Civilian (Official Video)
Wow, very powerful song!! I love this vocalist, her voice is stunning, its gives an incredible feeling to the music. Congratulations about this work. I will share on my social media and website as well! –Canal Bloody Mary
Thank you so much for choosing us again, another great song. This is a gift to us, thank you. Great song, high energy, high quality, good riffs, good lyrics, good vocals, your voice is wonderful, everything well recorded and produced, everything perfect. Everything professional. You’re a great band and you’re going to top the rock charts. Great video, great performance. Sounds good and we’re going to play the song on our radio. –Rádio Alternativa Rock
I liked a lot how the vocals (thee main voice + the chorus) had a nice dialogue contrasting with the guitar over-drived set. Everything got very catchy, and introduced the chorus very well, that is the best part to me by the whole power exhaled. So I’m sharing this track and hope to receive more from you in the future. –Natália Barão
Your song has fascinated us, you have a unique and catchy style, we will share it through a post on social networks and through our playlist “Rock On alternative” we wish you much success! – Danel Records
Happy to receive another material from you, by far, I saw a great evolution in the sound and also in the video. Honestly, for my personal taste, by far this is the best song I’ve been presented with, with more identity, sounding different. The other songs were within a pattern, and now you’ve broken that pattern and put your own identity, I loved it and I’m going to play it on my show! –Rock’n’Roll Vibration | Alternativa Rock
Thanks for the request! Listened to the song, sounds good! Songwriting and melodies are really cool! Added to our Spotify playlist “100% NEW Rock & Metal” for the weekly rotation! Happy to support. Best Rock & Metal! –M&R Digital Agency
Great song, high energy, high quality, good riffs, good lyrics, good vocals, your voice is wonderful, everything well recorded and produced, everything perfect. Everything professional. You’re a great band and you’re going to top the rock charts. Great video, great performance. Sounds good and we’re going to play the song on our radio. Let’s go together for another year, long live independent rock. Hugs. Congratulations on the great musical work. See you soon. Obrigado \0/ –Nilton Vieira, Rádio Alternativa Rock.
This is one incredibly powerful rock track with some incredible vocals and some great story telling here. Great symphonies amazing record. –UK Independent
The voice it’s incredible, the vocalist has a nice vocal range. The combination of styles it’s great, it has the better of voice sides. The guitars are distorted but not so much, so it doesn’t destroy the song. The drums are solid. –Nuevas Frecuencias
The song is great, well produced and has a beautiful melody, the vocals are really great, it has a beautiful timbre, energy and range, I loved the backing vocals and the high notes. The song has a great structure and an energetic chorus, the instrumental is really great and very well produced, congratulations. -Only Indie Music
The music transports you to exotic places in your imagination that call to mind the nightlife of faraway countries. This track happens to be one of the best sounding, put-together, musically inclined I’ve heard in a while. The song contains nice harmonies, great vocals and a pleasant melody and makes you feel good while listening to it. Good luck with whatever comes next. -Dreamy Paradise
Impactful and gorgeously cinematic powerhouse of a single! We’ll add this as a post on our IG when we get a chance and thanks so much!
–The Sounds Won’t Stop
Dear Circle the Earth, thanks for reaching out and letting me check your music out. I loved Diamonds’ easygoing fluid flow and emotional depth, it has some catchy moments that’ll make it easily appeal to a wide range of audiences. Wishing you the best of luck with you full-length release, I’ll be sharing it on our FB page as well as our IG stories and will add it to one of our Spotify playlists, keep on rocking! -I Wanna Rock
Hi Circle The Earth, another good track, an energic song, a good video too, we love. We’ll do a post to announce your entry!
– Montréal Radio Cité
In my opinion the song is a good one, it has very good energy… and that guitar solo is concise but forceful. pass me the press release and I’ll upload it to my website as a recommendation.
–LA GRAMOLA ENCENDIDA
Hi Circle the Earth, Great song!! We really enjoyed listening to your song. We think your vocals are great! The quality is excellent. We will be adding it to our “Heartbroken” playlist. -ITCAM MUSIC
A catchy voice, with well placed musical riffs, I really liked it, the band seems to me to be ready. The clip was very well produced. I will not criticize the lyrics, because it is not my native language. Send me all the material for the release. I have a place to put the song on the immediate release schedule. I look forward to it. -Radio Saquarema Surf Rock
Hello welcome back, nice piece. Pop rock just the way I like it. The soft start, the energy that rises up to the refrain and then explodes with energy and involves the listener. I put it in the playlist. -Brainstorming Music
WOW! I think this rock’n roll girl band concept is incredible! You have amazing visuals; I was curious about your music in the first second that I put my eyes on it. I really like how the voices go, the melodics are catchy and pop, and a perfect mix with the heavy metal based instrumental. I really really want to hear more from you guys! – Na Beira do Palco
I like your sound, it’s powerful, fresh and catchy. I will glad to share it on my radio show, on 88.5 FM in Valencia Spain. -Aire alternativo – Aire latino 88.5 FM
I liked a lot the 2010’s pop vibe of this song. The melody has a nice balance between the piano clean chords and with effects, the beat and the guitar overdrived chords of the chorus and the bridge (that I thought interesting how it was soft till those parts). I also liked the vocals pitch and how energic it was at the chorus. So I’ve decided to share this track and I hope to receive more from you in the future.-Natália Barão
Thank you for submitting your music! I’m going to add your track to our playlist/radio TODO DIA FM 😉, which will be available during the next week, and may return in future updates, in order to help promote your music. Thank you for trusting this partnership! -TODO DIA UM CD DIFERENTE
“Too Many Pieces” by Circle the Earth, for new rock fans
What an amazing sound! I really like the way you build an authentic and energetic sound using nostalgic rock elements. The vocals sound quite powerful, as well as the instrumental riffs. The result sounds quite complete, well-executed and professional. Congratulations on the beautiful work! -Natália De Mitri
For those looking for new sounds that refer to the so-called “New Rock”, the North Americans from Circle the Earth demonstrate all their power in “ Too Many Pieces ”, a song that condenses very well the old influence applied to a modern and authentic sound of the new generation of rock stars. The song promises to please mainly those who like powerful female vocals, which interact very well with the balanced and charismatic instrumental. Be sure to listen and fall in love.
Circle the Earth is back here and is already one of the most interesting bands in the current music scene. In “ New Religion ”, the North Americans create a modern rock with a vibe that flirts with nostalgic glam metal. The combination of electric guitars and synthesizers creates an intense and captivating sound. The result is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a different and impactful musical experience. –Rocknbold
Exciting music, powerful female vocals, energy to spare, sensational and alive, electronic rock, original and brilliant. We love it and will add it to our Spotify playlist. –Indieoclock
I especially liked how contagious the beat of this song is and how the vocals gave a kinda fearless vibe creating a whole modern rock atmosphere. I liked it a lot, the chorus is extremely catchy and the guitar solo really surprised me by its composition. I’m sharing this track and looking forward to get more from you in the future! –Natália Barão
The song is awesome i really like the punk rock style and i have a perfect playlist for you! –Brainstorming Music
If Muse was composed of a woman and had a more psychedelic and rock n roll influence, it would be exactly like this! I loved this song, i didn’t know the band, but now i will add that to my personal playlist. Congratulations about this song, guys, its very good! –Canal Bloody Mary
We would like to thank you for submitting your work. We listen carefully to each song so that it is in line with the Radio audience and your sound is very incredible. It’s been a while since we’ve heard this rock/punk vibe. We wish health and success! –Radio Supersonica
Thanks so much for sharing another great track! And what a powerful sound! I really like the way this song reminds me especially of Muse for the intense and powerful instrumental and I really like the way you use this instrumental quite naturally, demonstrating that you have enough “Power” to sustain a frenetic and well-executed instrumental. Congratulations on yet another amazing song!”
Female-fronted, multicultural rock band Circle The Earth’s newest single is a nice, fitted gift to fans that showcases some of the best aspects of their project: beautiful chords, vocals, and overall presentation.
If you’re nostalgic like me, early 2000s breakup songs were what made my childhood and teen years sane. I think that is what we are missing in this mainstream music world. Just the title, “Sweetest Pain” makes you understand the feeling of what this song is trying to portray. The breath before the first lyric was legendary, because you know we are about to hear some magic.
I like that the beat starts off slow. We are getting into the feeling of the “Sweet pain”, starting off with the sweet. As the song progresses, so does the beat. The drum drop every few seconds between lyrics is the best climb to the drop we are anticipating. Once that beat drips, you want to jump up and dance to the beat because you FEEL it. The song is pretty understandable with the title, but don’t let that fool you, it is everything you’d want and more.
We all know what it is like to be in a painful relationship. “I hate you but I want to stay” is probably something every girl has said to themselves at some point. Listening to Circle The Earth feel relatable and at home. I look forward to seeing what else they put out!
