New year, new tunes. Representing everything from hip-hop to K-Pop and Nigerian rap, these rising stars on the music scene might just be writing the soundtrack to your 2019.
Superorganism are the platonic ideal of a band birthed by the internet. Its members – hailing from England, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand – met online. They started recording together despite living in different countries, and even give interviews as a group from different locations. Their electro-pop sound transcends genre borders, and their music videos at times look like meme collages or tongue-in-cheek video game spoofs. The band’s world tour continues through 2019.
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In many ways, Jorja Smith has already made it. Her vocals have featured on tracks by the likes of Drake, and she contributed a song to the Black Panther soundtrack. Now, her soulful voice, pulsating beats and mature lyrics are just waiting to be discovered by a wider public. Following the release of debut album Lost and Found and her first headlining US and Australia tour, 2019 could be the year she officially finds her place on the global A-list.
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Olamide Adedejiachieves the rare feat of recording in a language entirely alien to the majority of Western listeners, but resulting in a musical experience that doesn’t feel alienating in the slightest. The Nigerian hip-hop artist mainly raps in his native Yoruba and has been a big deal in his home country for years, racking up hit singles and national awards. He has been releasing his own music and signing young artists to his YBNL Nation record label since 2012. The support for his newest release shown by influential international radio DJs should help introduce him to more Western listeners.
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slowthai does not do things by half measures and, as evidenced by his growing gaggle of grassroots supporters, his enthusiasm is infectious. The rapper has effectively declared himself the grime-y chronicler of Brexit Britain, grandiosely announcing his intentions to run for Prime Minister in a radio interview and naming his ongoing European tour Brexit Bandit. He more often than not finishes shows stripped down to his boxer shorts, surfing the crowd and presumably acquiring new dedicated followers with each live appearance.
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Two years after the release of her last album, Stillness in Wonderland, UK rapper Little Simz dropped two new tracks within a week, leaving little room for doubt that she means business. Offence, a funky, percussion-driven jam with mouthy lyrics foreshadows the confidence of Boss, a brassy girlboss anthem. The next album, eagerly awaited and likely to be released in 2019, is sure to be fuelled by the same bravado that brought us lyrics like “I’m Jay-Z on a bad day, Shakespeare on my worst days” and “I said it with my chest and I don’t care who I offend“.
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Billie Eilish has just turned 17, but her CV belies the prodigal singer-songwriter’s age. Her debut single Ocean Eyes went viral after it was released on SoundCloud in 2016. That success was followed by several more Gold and Platinum singles, an EP called Don’t Smile at Me and a fully sold-out US tour (with her brother as supporting act). Having signed a co-publishing deal with Universal Music in late 2018, the release of her debut album is only a matter of time. Needless to say, we are in awe of her success and can’t wait to see what she does next.
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Vince Staples is already on his third album and firmly established on the West Coast hip-hop scene, but his latest release FM! Could be the one that introduces him to the mainstream. As the cover with all its summer fun in the sun would indicate, the album was already vying for “summer jam of 2019” when it was released in November 2018. Despite the fact that it is basically a concept album with some pretty gritty lyrics, it’s certain to get some airplay once summer finally rolls around. In addition, contributing a track to the Creed II soundtrack should seal the deal.
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The Top 11 Music Artists To Watch In 2019.
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Loud, brash, unabashedly political and with a punk rock attitude (although they reject that label), Idles are a riot of energy, most recently unleashed on second album Joy As An Act Of Resistance, which debuted at number five in the UK album charts. However, the band really come into their own live, as evidenced by a recent appearance on Later… With Jools Holland. A massive 2019 world tour will give fans around the globe a chance to experience their raw force up close and personal.
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The Top 11 Music Artists To Watch In 2019.
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Crewel Intentions went on tour as support act for Johnny Marr last year, with only a debut single – and a year of gigging around London – under their belts. How did they established themselves in such close proximity to British rock royalty so quickly? Probably at least partly due to the previous success of founding member Chilli Jesson’s former band Palma Violets. Although once again an indie guitar band, his new project is more than just a rehash of past successes. There’s more pathos, melancholy and hopefully also more longevity to this new band.
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You may have heard Sampha‘s warm, mellow voice that rises to a fragile falsetto for emotional emphasis before. It has featured on tracks by artists like Jessie Ware, Drake and Solange. Following the release of his debut album, Process, in 2017, the British artist with Sierra Leonean roots won the Mercury Prize. He closed out 2018 and rang in his first movie awards season with Treasure, which featured on the soundtrack for Oscars contender Beautiful Boy, starring Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell.
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Queens-born Korean-American Kathy Yaeji Lee is an artistic all-rounder who defies categorisation. A musician and visual artist with an arts school background, she makes electronic music that borrows from K-Pop and Ibiza dance as well as trap and club house, with lyrics that weave and blend her two native tongues. If you’ve ever heard Yaeji‘s 2017 club anthem Raingurl, the track will automatically play in your head at the mere mention of the lyrics “make it rain gurl, make it rain”. After almost a dozen singles and two EPs, surely she has an album up her sleeve for 2019?
Music enthusiasts, take note: these female artists are set on shattering the glass ceiling with their powerful voices, razor-sharp lyrics and ever-growing fan bases
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Azar Nafisi, the multi-award-winning author of ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’, has plenty to say about storytelling and imagination, as well as the dangers of today
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