Currently based in New York City, Sgmaniak is an artist who’s self-produced releases have already struck a chord with listeners around the world, thanks to their refreshingly experimental and confessional takes on love and life.
Taken from the album ‘The Global Heart Awakens’ which is out now.
A bold, self-assured and punchy blend of dark pop, rock and country from an artist who is unafraid to push the boundaries of music.
‘Fist Fight’ is an infectiously memorable track that is sure to turn you into a devoted fan of this wildly promising new talent.
Australian artist Yen Strange blends emo tones with pop in a beautifully considered way to create a sound that is near impossible not to love.
Hailing from Syracuse, New York is artist Feyde, who’s distinctive vocal is the first thing that catches the attention of any listener that presses play on ‘sorry’. And with over 75k monthly listeners on Spotify alone, this is one pop talent to watch out for!
“‘sorry’ was written to be an upbeat Alt-Pop track about falling out of step in a relationship and (not) being sorry for the changing emotions someone feels in this difficult (sometimes toxic) transitional period.”
Taken from the EP ‘NEARSIGHTED’ which is out now.
Citing the likes of Jeremy Zucker and Brakence as influences, Nottingham-based artist and producer TruePilot has a type of sound that feels melancholic and moving, while also easy to form a connection with.
A hugely promising talent hailing from the UK, Leeds-based pop artist Agi’s style of music occupies a space between Jeremy Zucker, Lauv and Julia Michaels, yet still feels characteristically unique.
As has been the case with so many great bops lately, new single ‘Lonely’ was written during lockdown while Agi was living alone. Although the song highlights the hardship of isolation, it also offers us a sense of freedom and optimism.
“The thought of being alone for more than two or three days used to scare me and made me really uncomfortable. The bizarre experience of being stuck inside taught me to be okay with being by myself. It made me realise even when I’m feeling lonely, I’m never truly alone. Especially in lockdown, in a weird way, I felt more connected to people by the fact we all felt lonely.”
A massively promising new talent hailing from Sweden, Aida Lee is blending RnB with pop in all the right ways. ’90’s Baby’ is a sleek, finessed and polished vibe that is ready to invade the charts at any moment.
With over 280k followers on TikTok alone and 40 million streams across her Spotify catalogue, 20-year old Londoner PinkPantheress is already garnering significant traction thanks to her distinctive approach of creating sounds that have a nostalgic yet future-forward flair to them.
This may be the debut release from Argentinian-American vocal dynamo Just Stef, but this talent has already successfully built an audience of millions across social media and garnered streams in the hundreds of millions.
After dominating TikTok, she’s primed for stardom this year; so make sure you don’t ‘miss’ her in 2021!
A gorgeously dreamy fusion of pop and alt-RnB, with finessed vocals and a smooth melodic flow.
Tokyo-based Robert Taira Wilson is an English singer and songwriter whose style of music-making brings a modern approach to folk. Emotive soundscapes and thoughtful lyricism come together to create a sound that is as timeless as it is beautiful. On the production of the video to ‘Blackbird’ he says:
“When lockdown came around last year, I sat down at my desk and started drawing. Then I couldn’t stop. Hours and hours each day I drew, and the pictures stacked up. Finally, after a year, I had made enough pictures to make a 3 minute animation.”
The almighty re-emergence of punk-pop continues! It seems that the genre is on it’s way to making a comeback in epic fashion, and if Shai Skye’s approach is anything to go by, then I am here for it!
On the surface, this song comes across as a sweet and nostalgic blend of soul and RnB. But listen closely to Shaolinn’s voice and you’ll discover deeply moving lyricism that looks into the fears and insecurities that many young people experience.
The 20-year-old Virginia Beach-based singer-songwriter creates music that is clearly beyond her years; these are songs that are smart, observant and powerful.
A fantastically chilled slice of summery pop from LA-based artist Ben Again. ‘My Baby Likes it! (On The Weekend)’ is the kind of track that is all about doing less, but still getting more from life. Perfect for the weekend ahead!
“This is all about doing less and getting more from life. I wrote this during the pandemic, while at home with my partner and 3 daughters (they are on the track too!).”
Faith Richards has a kind of expressive vocal that glides beautifully over soulful and dark indie notes. This is a sound that is effortlessly charming, all the while moving and captivating.
“I wrote ‘Same Language’ after falling in love with a man who was still learning the English language. Love itself sparked something new in me. Simultaneously, I felt free and safe, and words didn’t matter as much anymore – ‘We speak the same language in everything we’re not saying.'”
Hailing from London, pop talent Scott the Pisces is a songwriter and producer with a flair for creating bops that are infectiously catchy and near impossible not to love.
A perfect addition to your summer playlists, ‘Crazy About You’ took two months of producing, writing and mixing, and features vocals from Raene.
“I wanted to write a song about the experience we all have when we first get a taste of love. That magical feeling we embrace while we’re young, the simplicity of it all. How we begin to experience the excitement and all the little elements that come with it. I tried to create a summarising narrative of how I experienced my first love, the innocence of wearing your heart on your sleeve.”
Debut EP ‘Ocean Blue’ is out now.
Hyperpop comes in two forms: it’s either fantastic, or fantastically bad. Fortunately, Luke Black seems to be a master of the genre, crafting some of the finest blends tracks you could expect.
Hailing from the Serbian city of Čačak, this talent has been named by the media as ‘The Serbian Pop Alchemist’ for his songwriting style as well as his live performances, channeling modern mysticism through a uniquely distinctive sound. On ‘Amsterdam’, Luke says:
“It’s a coping mechanism, an escape from the real world into the smoke and mirrors of the beautiful city.”
Influenced by the likes of Frank Ocean, Brockhampton, D’Angelo, Kelis and Justin Timberlake, Phoenix-based Irish singer and producer Pop Wallace has created one of my favourite alt-RnB tracks this week.
A stripped-down and mellow affair, ‘Out Sick’ is a finessed and sleek sound that deals with self-sabotage, excess, and self-worth.
The brainchild of Liverpool-based artist Kate Hazeldine, NIIX is a musical project that perfectly blends hyperpop with deconstructed club sounds. The result is a style of song that is distinctly unique and intriguing, yet easy to connect with.
“Dance music for introverts. A floaty garage number exploring unrequited love beneath strobe lights and on cold nights.”
Taken from the EP ‘I’ which is out now.
Born and raised in Brighton, British alt-rock artist Edward Sansom is a singer, songwriter and producer who’s approach to music-making promises sounds that are electrifyingly energising and packed with intensity.
“The song reflects my feelings of isolation in a digital world. It acts as a circuit breaker to all the noise.”
