betsy - lost and found
there's something fascinating about the buzzy welsh pop lass betsy. visually rooted in classic 80's fashion tropes (think helmut newton) and dipping her sound in retro indie dance themes (massive attack meets billie ray martin) the end result is this insanely catchy new single that i've had on repeat all weekend long (i mean that string hook!). throw in her thick cabaret vocals and you've got a very fabulous left of center new act that you'll be hearing alot about the 2nd half of 2016.
at the very young age of 17, declan mckenna has gone from unknown competition winner to a major label artist with critical acclaim as a wise songwriter that covers topics from the corruption of FIFA (brazil), the life of transgender youth (paracetamol) and how religion is the cause of war (bethlehem). taylor swift he is not! one can only imagine what other interesting perspectives declan has on the world around him, but for now it's darn fascinating to experience whats out already. one to watch indeed!
kehlani feat coucheron - alive
you know you've hit breaking point appreciation when taylor swift name checks your song as one of her current favorites. for the multi-cultural kehlani, the bay area singer/songwriter is breaking into the mainstream after her popular mixtape 'you should be here' generated a million streams in a day. celebrating 90's r&b kehlani is readying for her debut album with the official release of this breezy island love jam. she's on our radar and should be on yours too!
kehlani x charlie puth - hotline bling (drake cover)
hot damn! stripping down drake's single to the bare minimum, charlie & kehlani sound perfect on their duet cover of this hot jam. LOVE THIS!!
white - blush
um... what is this post punk disco with a funky groove and crazy sax thrown in? it's from new scottish 5 piece white and it's kind of genius in that sweaty 3am beyond drenched boogie kind of way. how lovely!
e^st - the alley
with just two tracks under her belt, aussie singer songwriter is getting some premium buzz as a possible indie leaning pop gal with lorde success potential. there's something interesting here, so i'd keep a radar on her in the coming months.
cam - burning house
oh the clarity of country singer/songwriter cam's voice (plus you can hear influences in both folk and country in the way she writes her songs)! the end result is something pretty sparse and spectacular that is not only different from what's popular at the moment but also gaining deserved word of mouth traction. with only an EP called 'welcome to cam country' under her belt i can't wait to hear more from this exciting talent!
like what you hear? check out cam singing "burning house" live at the grand ole opry
cam - burning house (live @ grand ole opry)
wanna know more about cam? check out this video intro by cam herself:
melanie martinez - sippy cup
fans of the voice will no doubt be long time fans of the 20 year old singer/songwriter with the cool vocals. with her new album 'cry baby' poised for release, melanie currently also has the pleasure of having 5 of those tracks on the itunes singles chart. definitely someone to keep an eye out for.
aurora - running with the wolves
at just the young age of 18, this norwegian performer is definitely setting herself apart from her contemporaries by making smart epic indie pop music NOT for the masses. definitely on our radar!
greg holden - boys in the street
NY based singer songwriter greg holden is exposing himself as an LGBT ally with this touching song that is turning into a bit of a viral hit. with zane lowe announcing the song as a 'world record', the stamp of approval will most likely propel the song even further in the coming weeks. press play, listen to the sometimes twee lyrics, maybe even get a chill and tear in the process. kind of brilliant.
clean cut kid - vitamin c
oh yeah, this debut single by liverpudlian quartet clean cut kid is pretty darn darn wonderful. with fuzzy guitars underlying a singalong love song (a duet no less), the track is just the perfect sweet gem that you can still feel cool about post gush (the band has beards and tattoos so back off!) if this is their debut, i can't wait to hear what else they have in store.
c duncan - garden
this is some wonderful psychedelica from the classically trained scotsman chris duncan (aka c duncan). buzzed among the uk blogs for a few months, 'c-dunc' (ok only I am calling him this) is crafting some beautifully layered, borderline choral, electronica with a folk/trippy bent and it's all collected in his debut album 'architect'. definitely nerding out to this all weekend, you should too!!
alessia cara - here
discovered via her youtube channel, toronto based singer/songwriter alessia is getting some serious buzz with her wallflower anthem "here" where she is seemingly vocal freestyling over the classic isaac hayes 'ike's rap II'. signed just a year ago to def jam, this is a very auspicious start for the young talent. radar alert!
andra day - forever mine
oh that timeless soulful voice! newcomer andra day sounds like a blast from the past, but she is fully entrenched in the now garnering fans as diverse as stevie wonder to spike lee (who directed this video) by offering her takes on current hits via her youtube channel. with her debut album 'forever mine' due for release, check out her current single "forever mine" (and DEFINITELY that crazy note she slides into at the 3'15" mark) and you'll understand why this soul gal is seriously on our radar.
sinead harnett - she ain't me
UK singer/songwriter sinead harnett has been working towards bringing her soulful vocals to the masses for a good few years. featured in tracks with wiley, disclosure and rudimental, sinead is now front and center with her latest single that is easy on the ears and sets sinead up for what could be a solid debut album. she's on our radar!
btw, if you wanna check out sinead sing this catchy number live take a look at her wonderful acoustic performance below:
rag'n'bone man - bitter end (live)
um... what just happened? watching rory graham (aka rag'n'bone man) perform this live version of his current single is like discovering chocolate for the first time. i think i may have found my fave male vocalist of the year!!
want more? check out his current single where he rips into the chorus like a mack truck and takes you down with him. awesome! (oh and the video is pretty dramatic too!)
shura - 2shy
what a lovely introspective wallflower 80's jam of a pop song! aleksandra denton (aka shura) ventures from being a bedroom producer of music into the limelight as her new song has captured the admiration of some pretty influential music folks over in the UK. we will be hearing more of this young gal, if only she'll get off the wall and stand into the spotlight.
nothing like introducing a bunch of new acts to the masses on a friday!
the truth of the matter is that i've got such a backlog of music i wanna share with you that these compilation days work the best for me from now on! so expect something like this once a week. spend some time, discover (or replay) some awesome stuff and head into the weekend all the wiser!
so check out 7 of my fave new voices around below:
lion babe - treat me like fire
hot damn do i LOVE jillian hervey's hair! throw in her silky vocals over the minimally sexy production of lucas goodman and you've got the buzzy duo of the soul scene right now. oh and one for the fact file, jillian is vanessa williams daughter, no wonder she's so gorgeous!
raury - god's whisper
there's something very exciting about atlanta based rapper/singer raury's music. no wonder he's turned into one of the more buzzed acts around with his folk hip hop soul sound. press play and experience one of the more interesting songs you'll hear this weekend.
karen harding - say something
with her soulful house debut single 'say something' making it into the uk top 10, this mnek signed artist is geared for big things from the uk soul scene. this track has been on blast since last year and still sounds hot today!
elle king - ex's & oh's
with her debut album 'love stuff' just released, raspy voiced elle king has the kind of country swagger and rip roaring retro soul that makes her just the powerhouse to seek out this year. you have been warned!
clare maguire - don't mess me around
after getting dropped from her major label deal, 27 year old songstress clare maguire spent some serious time working on new material and discovering her true voice. the result is this rip roaring retro soul number that just deserves some serious stomp on the dancefloor. welcome back!!!
josef salvat - hustler
mmmm this aussie singer/songwriter has crafted a soothingly tantalizing electronic lush pop number with an equally sexually ambiguous video to match. good stuff and i'm curious to hear more!
BØRNS - 10,000 emerald pools
cali-based electro folk newbie (and now taylor swifts indie pop obsession), garrett borns, has crafted one of the best indie pop songs of late! not much is known about the singer songwriter, but with a debut like this, i'm definitely in on future releases!
apologies for my complete lack of descriptions. i am away for work, but wanted to leave you a mini mix of wonderful songs for you to discover every day this week. press play. see if you like. discover new music. spread the word.
sasha keable - living without you
already getting loads of exposure through her contributions with dj zinc and disclosure the past year, UK soul vocalist sasha keable is slowly putting out stuff of her own. releasing the free EP 'lemongrass and limeleaves' (to which this awesome late 80's soul jam hails from), i can't wait to hear what other gems she has up her talented sleeves.
paul thomas saunders - appointment in samarra
at the age of 24, this UK indie boy is making music that sound beyond his youthful years. call it dream pop or epic folk, there's something interesting here that deserves to be on your radar. while you're at it, check out his debut album 'beautiful desolation' to see what other gems the kid has up his sleeve.
