LA-based genre-bending talent King Isis has to be one of the most impressive new musicians that we have come across so far this year.
With an unashamedly raw style of sound, this hugely exciting artist creates pieces of music that feel organic, authentic, and refreshingly powerful in tone.
New single ‘4leaf clover’ spotlights Isis’ musical craftsmanship through its melodic composition, lyricism and vocal delivery. While minimal in production, this is one song that is sure to stay with you all day.
Hailing from Canada is singer, songwriter, composer and producer Jackson D. Begley.
Through his intelligent merging of genres as diverse as 60’s beat, indie, pop, synth and garage-rock, Begley crafts songs that feel original and fresh, while also maintaining an essence of nostalgia.
Songs like ‘The Universe Hates Me’ showcase Begley’s artistry perfectly. Listeners can experience a sound that is sonically bold and confident, while the lyrics feel raw and personal in tone.
If Isaiah Grass looks and sounds familiar, that’s because you may have already seen this rising singer and songwriter from his recent appearance on American Idol.
Aside from his performances on primetime television, Grass has come to be known as an accomplished musician who writes all his lyrics – resulting in catchy pop sounds that carry with them personal and honest messages.
Now garnering more than 250k followers globally, Grass looks set to continue building momentum with the release of more new music this year.
Multi-talented creative Carmel Paradise is not only a singer and songwriter, but also an artist, model and author.
After spending the majority of her childhood in Slovakia, Carmel and her family decided to move across the Atlantic, before settling in Nashville so that Paradise could develop her creativity.
Since the unveiling of her debut back in 2016 with‘Turn Me On’(a song which has accumulated almost half a million streams on Spotify alone), Carmel has gone on to work on various projects that span experimental music, poetry and story-writing.
Oklahoma’s MORE&MORE might be the hardest-working newcomers that we have come across lately.
Since their debut just last May, this emerging five-piece outfit have already released two well-received EPs (both of which can be heard here).
Inspired by nights out at the St. Vitus club in Tulsa, infectious new single ‘SUPERSONIC’ serves as a masterclass in alternative pop, and treats listeners to a sound that is as charming as it is energising.
“This song has been in-the-works for almost 3 years. It’s started slow+moody and it’s seen ~10 versions since the first demo. Good things take time I guess. It feels really good to be landing here, the way it is. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we released a couple different versions of this song.”
We are kick-staring the day with one of the most exciting newcomers to have emerged this winter.
Already an accomplished producer, Danish-born Morten Lava has worked alongside artists as notable as JAE5, Skepta, Rema and Headie One.
Aside from his accomplished work behind the scenes, Morten is also a rising artist in his own right, and today’s unveiling of bouncy heartbreak-anthem ‘Fake It’ looks set to propel the London-based talent further into the spotlight.
“‘Fake It’ explores the late night melancholia of a past relationship, as Morten, originally from rural Denmark, deals with heartbreak in the big city.”
While accumulating more than 150k career streams to date, Morten has also played iconic London spaces like Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Abbey Road Studios and even sold out his own headline show at Islington’s Academy2.
An artist already on the rise in Sweden, Edgar Homeros looks set to take on the rest of the continent by storm in 2023.
Following on from the release of his debut song ‘Centerfolds’ last year (which became an instant hit, amassing well over 80k streams on Spotify alone), Homeros returns with new single ‘Heartless‘.
Through its gorgeously emotive fusion of indie and electronic pop, the song presents listeners with a sound that feels both melancholic and energising in equal measures.
“When I released “Centerfolds” several people told me that it felt like a song for autumn, which was great to hear. In the same way I think ‘Heartless’ fits perfectly now after new years, where you have one foot still in the darkness of winter, but we still move towards brighter times.“
“Even though it’s more upbeat and dynamic in comparison to ‘Centerfolds’ it keeps the same theme, and it’s one of my favourite tracks from the EP.”
With such a strong start to the year, Homeros is one Scandinavian artist to keep on your radars.
Showcasing some of Calgary’s most interesting new alt-pop sounds is independent singer, musician and producer Malcolm.
New single ‘Closure’ presents listeners with a charmingly playful indie production, while the sad lyricism makes for a refreshingly interesting juxtaposition.
Fans of the song will be delighted to know that an upcoming EP, entitled ‘I Think I’m okay‘ is due for release soon.
With more than half a million career streams to date, Malcolm. might well be one of Canada’s most exciting newcomers to emerge this year.
Denmark’s burgeoning indie scene continues to surprise and impress with today’s introduction of alt-rock duo No Project One.
As school friends on the island of Bornholm, Jesper Møller and Jakob Hjarsø would skip classes to work on their music.
Fast forward to 2023, and the two 23-year old musicians have just unveiled their anthemic debut single, ‘Connected’.
Bold, intense, epic and cinematic in character, the song serves as an impressive taster to the duo’s work. Explaining the track’s story, they elaborate:
“In a magical and somewhat coincidental way, ‘Connected’ ended up being the first No Project One-song. Its sound instantly hit this pure feeling in both of us – something that is both raw and powerful and an atmosphere you can step into. The lyrics sum up a theme of human connection and feeling comfortable in what you do, where you are and with whom. A moment where nothing else really matters.”
It’s rare to find a new outfit unleash their sound in such a confident and self-assured way. Be sure to keep these kids on your radars – they might be one of Denmark’s most interesting bands this year.
“To us, No Project One means that you rarely succeed in what you do the first time around – that everything must be tried and explored. This project reflects our abilities, curiosity and ideas that narratively tells the story of where we are and the fact, that this band is No Project One.”
Representing some of the finest indie-pop to emerge from Pittsburgh is promising duo Sad Girls Aquatics Club.
Consisting of college friends Marie Mashyna and Chelsea Rumbaugh, the group initially formed under the name of Side Eye in 2016, before changing to Sad Girls Aquatics Club in later years.
Inspired by 90’s alt icons like The Breeders, Veruca Salt and Hole, new single ‘Who’s Your Witness’ perfectly balances elements of dark indie pop with garage rock, resulting in a sonic aesthetic that feels nostalgic and grungy, while still maintaining a current edge.
“It’s a tongue in cheek send off to that frustrating situation of person that you can’t wait to never see again. All the tings you wish you were brave enough to say, with the most perfect nostalgic 90s grungy guitar as a backdrop.”
Hailing from Toronto is emerging artist Puma June. As a self-taught singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, June creates intricate and elegant pieces of pop that are not only sonically mesmerising, but lyrically powerful.
Written as a dedication to self love, empowering new single ‘Holy’ treats listeners to a luxurious sound that its utterly captivating to experience.
“This song is an anthem to women, non-binary people, and all people in their search for self love.”
With support from the likes of Exclaim Magazine already under her belt, Puma June is one Canadian talent to watch for.
Track of the week. As one of London’s most hyped neo-soul newcomers, BINA.’s momentum has built steadily over the past year.
‘Blackjack’ presents listeners with a beautifully textured production that sets the scene for BINA.’s dreamy and captivating vocals to glide over a mesmerising melody.
To date, this starlet has amassed close to a million cumulative streams on Spotify alone, while also garnering praise from tastemakers as prominent as Notion Magazine.
Paris-born starlet Malou Madi is a singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist currently based in Brooklyn.
New single ‘What We Don’t Say’ is taken from Madi’s freshly-released EP of the same name (out now), and treats listeners to a finessed fusion of mellow soul and alternative R&B. Explaining the story behind the track, Madi elaborates:
“I wrote this after a long late night conversation with someone who seemed unable to say what seemed to so evidently emanate from her. It felt as if she was not yet ready to hear the words come out of her mouth. I was questioned by her impossible wall, and I wrote this both wanting to say it’s ok not to say what we’re not ready to say, but also to express my deep commitment to being a safe, judgment-free space for people to say what they truly think or feel. We’re all complicated beings, and I’m always drawn to writing about the cracks, the unsure, the ambiguity of our ever-moving minds.”
Already an accomplished musician, Madi has worked alongside the likes of Kadhja Bonet, Emel Mathlouthi and Emily King.
Fans can look forward to a recorded live rendition of ‘What We Don’t Say’, which will be released soon.
Hailing from London is emerging multi-talented creative Amaroun. An acclaimed singer, songwriter and producer, this rising artist creates sounds that seamlessly fuse a multitude of genres together.
Amaroun’s cinematic reworking of The SOS Bands’ iconic‘Just Be Good To Me’ is one of the most impressive releases we’ve heard so far in 2023.
Elaborating on the reason for choosing this song in particular, Amaroun explains:
“This song is like a balm for all the ills of the year gone by and a cleanse bringing in hopefulness in time for the year ahead of us.”
With support from industry heavyweights as noted as CLASH and Wonderland magazines already under her belt, Amaroun is one UK talent to keep on your radars this year.
As a truly versatile creative, Ona Tzar is an independent artist, singer, producer and visual & kinaesthetic creative director based between London and Berlin.
Cinematic and immersive in tone, new single ‘Chains Of Angels’ feels future-forward, avant-garde and intriguing.
The song has captivated audiences so much so that it has recently been announced as ‘Best Original Score’ at Berlin’s Wall Film Fest.
To accompany the song, Tzar has also unveiled some stunning and surreal visuals today, which were written, produced, directed and edited by Ona herself.
Representing Missouri’s next generation of musical talent is 25 year old Haitian-American artist Whit.
Whit. has captivated audiences across the globe with his distinct style of music-making, which boldly fuses together genres as diverse as electronica and underground hip hop into sounds that feel refreshingly unique in character.
Melodic new single ‘WEIRD FLEX (WORK IT OUT)’ is part of a wider collection of works entitled ‘WUNDER: A DEMO DISC’ (out now), and serves listeners with a heady mix of alternative R&B and dreamy pop.
“This song is about the feeling of longing for a past relationship or partner. A realisation that they may be the one and coming back together after some time.”
Hailing from the small Finnish island of Åland (population 30,000), leoblu is rapidly gaining momentum as a Scandinavian artist to watch for in 2023.
Inspired by grief, ‘cake’ is leoblu’s newest release, and showcases a dark-pop sound that beautifully and thoughtfully encapsulates the essence of melancholy.
To date, this rising alternative talent has amassed more than 800k career streams on Spotify alone, and performed on festival stages globally – from Spain to Canada and Argentina.
As far as emerging Scandinavian music goes, Denmark really has been a hotbed for talent this year, and William Torp is yet another case in point.
Lifted from an EP of the same name (out now), ‘still u’re all i’m thinking about’ is a beautifully atmospheric and intimate piece of indie-pop that feels emotive and captivating in equal measures.
Torp plays two live shows in January – Copenhagen’s Ideal Bar, and VinDanmark in Aarhus. Tickets can be found here.
One of the most beautiful releases of the week comes courtesy of New Orleans musician Gaines.
‘I JUST WNT U’ features the talents of fellow artist Tasty, and delivers a sound that is truly unique in its concept. By fusing dreamy, lo-fi electronica with essences of alternative R&B and pop, the song feels almost transcendental in character, and showcases a level of artistry that really is quite impressive for a newcomer.
Already garnering interest from noted tastemakers as prominent as Early Rising, A1234 and Fashionably Early, Gaines is most certainly one to watch.
