Local emerging artists release their Philly Anthems
Listen to Philly Anthems tracks from Grace Gardner, Sug Daniels, Black Buttafly, The Bul Bey, JR Everhart, Moustapha Noumbissi, The Flying Vees, and Second Star, featuring Alexis Cunningham and Eric Bazilian.
All summer, we featured established local artists’ commissioned songs as part of our Philly Anthems project. We asked Eric Bazilian, Lady Alma, Devon Gilfillian, Eliza Hardy Jones, and Christian McBride to compose original songs stemming from their perspectives on freedom, identity, belonging, and hope.
All five of those tracks are out now. And we’re here to share Philly Anthems from eight emerging local artists who we assigned the same task.
The songs from Grace Gardner, Sug Daniels, Black Buttafly, The Bul Bey, JR Everhart, Moustapha Noumbissi, The Flying Vees, and Second Star (a new collaborative project from Alexis Cunningham and Eric Bazilian) are out now. Listen to them—and learn about them—below.
Grace Gardner — "Backspin"
Philly Anthems – Emerging Artists
“I’ve had the privilege of seeing so much of the United States, particularly the roads less traveled, due to the nature of my work as a touring artist,” Gardner said. “While many of my guiding values and causes didn’t necessitate much explanation for me to know and fight for the importance of human rights, residing so much in rural parts of the country only deepened that fight. This song is meant to serve as a letter to anyone of any affiliation that confronting and breaking from your prejudices, and refocusing on central tenets like autonomy, empathy, and community, will be a deeply enriching decision. This song also doesn’t ask for perfection of its audience, and admits a lack of perfection in me, the writer; it instead asks for active listening, care, and tenacity. The song’s title, ‘Backspin,’ refers to a repeating motif in the bridge that calls for forward motion while changing our current direction—not a halt or a reversal, but a shift.”
Written by Grace Gardner; recorded, engineered, and produced by Grace Gardner and Lonnie Davis; mixed and mastered by Lonnie Davis.
Black Buttafly — "That's Home"
Philly Anthems – Emerging Artists
“I wrote That’s Home as a reminder of what makes Philly so special to me,” the artist said. “This city has a very rich history with love being at the center of all we do. Sisterly love and brotherly affection are the connective tissue of our everyday lives here in our city.”
Written and composed by Kayla Childs (Black Buttafly); produced by Kayla Childs; mixed by Kayla Childs; engineered by Steve Mckie; recorded at Studio Pine; mastered by Benjamin F. Thomas; performed by Black Buttafly; lead Vocals by Kayla Childs; background vocals by Kayla Childs; Wurlitzer by Kayla Childs; drums by Steve Mckie; guitar by Anthony DeCarlo; bass by Eric Whatley; percussion by Charlie Hall.
Sug Daniels — "Are You With Me"
Philly Anthems – Emerging Artists
“The lyrics from this song came in collaboration with my good friend and mentor, John Faye,” Daniels said. “They were inspired by the need to bring people together to fight against a common enemy. To me, that common enemy is the worst and most dangerous villain of them all: complacency. This song is dedicated to the working class, who have planted roots and are invested in improving their own lives, and those of their families and neighbors. I know if anyone will be able to make the changes needed to create liberty and justice for all, it is us.”
Lyrics by Sug Daniels and John Faye; vocals by Sug Daniels and John Faye; drums by Alex Clayton; alto, baritone, and tenor saxophone by Frankie DeRosa; piano by Robbie Simmons; guitars by John Faye; produced by John Faye; mixed and mastered by Robbie Simmons.
The Bul Bey — "North Star"
Philly Anthems – Emerging Artists
“I wrote this contribution to Philadelphia’s 250th, ‘North Star,’ as a nod to Frederick Douglass’s abolitionist newspaper,” The Bul Bey, real name Amir Bey Richardson, said. “It is an anthemic look at a city whose social and civic fabric has frayed. Some would even argue it was never as strong as we pretended. Starting from that tension, I explore as many opposites as I can, pairing stark realities with a reflective, hopeful turn. The chorus asks, ‘How’d I get lost?’ and answers, ‘Found my north star.’ Holding myself to the standard set by the city’s greats, I’ve written this with bridge-building spirit. Producer and engineer Julian Harris brings the record fully to life, joined by additional vocals from emerging Philadelphia singer ANGELCONCEPCION.”
Written by Amir Richardson; produced by Julian Harris.
JR Everhart — "Bells of July"
Philly Anthems – Emerging Artists
“As an avid student of American history, I found myself looking forward to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia,” Everhart said. “Soon, however, feelings of anticipation turned to dread as I was confronted with images of brutality, war, and division. The ticking of the clock counting down to 250 years of the United States started sounding like the knelling of a funeral bell. Refusing to be completely discouraged, I imagined what the country’s mood must have been like in 1776 amid the blustering musket fire and rumble of cannon, and decided that times of chaos and strife are precisely when we are driven to make a change. ‘Bells of July’ can thus be viewed as an anthem—not celebrating a country, but offering a stark warning that history repeats itself if we fail to learn from it. The same bells that rang for liberty back then are still swinging more than ever today.”
Written and produced by JR Everhart; lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar by JR Everhart; drums and percussion by Josh Friedman; electric guitar by Justin Mazer; bass by Tyler Yoder; UDO synth and Casiotone Organour current by Logan Roth; fiddle and vocals by Kiley Ryan; vocals by Ali Wadsworth; engineer by Josh Friedman; mastered by Charlie Stavish.
Moustapha Noumbissi — "America"
Philly Anthems – Emerging Artists
“America is not her government,” Noumbissi said. “Nor is it her policies, or institutions, infrastructure, or economy. Or even her geography. America is her people. A collection of people from innumerable backgrounds that have come together to make this place home. I believe ‘We,’ her people, deserve a home that we are proud of. A home that fulfills its responsibility of being a place of love, care, and refuge. An America that is beautiful for everyone.”
Written and performed by Moustapha Noumbissi; Wurlitzer by Lee Clarke; electric guitar by Charley Coin; drums by Mikey Mester; pedal steel by Will Currier; produced by Lee Clarke and Charley Coin; mixing and mastering by Charley Coin at Soundchild Studio.
The Flying Vees — "Workman's Song #1"
Philly Anthems – Emerging Artists
“‘Workman’s Song #1’ was our attempt to explore the concept of freedom in an authentic and relatable way,” the quartet said. “In spite of the widespread messaging that we receive as Americans about how fortunate we are to be free, the truth for most working people is more complex. This song tries to capture what it feels like when the promise of personal liberty is constantly being dangled just out of reach. It speaks to the cognitive dissonance Americans experience as they continually defer their own personal fulfillment in order to do what is often back-breaking and monotonous labor. We want ‘Workman’s Song #1’ to be an anthem for regular people who feel overwhelmed and overlooked. In order to truly liberate working-class people, we need to first strip away the nationalist propaganda that obscures their lived reality and acknowledge their struggle. We hope this song helps do that.”
Vocals and percussion by Hannah Taylor, Brechyn Chace, Shannon Vasile, Caitlin Ramsey.
Second Star — "American Dream"
Philly Anthems – Emerging Artists
“‘American Dream’ was sparked by WXPN’s America 250 project and explores the distance between the promise of the American dream and the complicated reality of living inside it—it’s ‘poison and poetry,’ which inspired the name of our forthcoming EP,” Cunningham and Bazilian said.
Performed by Second Star; written by Alexis Cunningham and Eric Bazilian; recorded, produced, and mixed by Eric Bazilian.
The Philly Anthems project will conclude on Record Store Day in April 2027 with a Philly Anthems album featuring all the songs, marking WXPN’s annual vinyl release.
Philly Anthems has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
