Seven artists who have the goods to surpass internet hype and become genuine stars...
Tara Carosielli
Leave You Lonely
Tara Carosielli is a London singer and her debut Leave You Lonely is a radio hit in the making. It's a slithery, glitchy pop song that travels down the same sort of lane as Kiiara's Feels. It's weird and wonky but it's also centred enough to make some serious waves in the mainstream. Oh, and it also helps that she's got a perfect, angelic voice.
Russ
We Just Haven't Met Yet
Russ' We Just Haven't Met Yet pulled us in originally because it has a similar guitar-driven vibe to Frank Ocean's Blonde but where Blonde holds itself back from being melodically straightforward, this is a song you can get on board with in the first listen. Russ has produced it himself and leads it with a voice that's deep and then lofty. You can tell he's talented from just one song and that's the sign of a superstar.
SLO
Birds In The Cage
SLO's not a the sort of superstar who is going to go into the studio with Calvin Harris and write a banger. She operates in that realm of singers like Jessie Ware and FKA twigs who slowly work their allure and create something special. Birds In The Cage is the highlight of her latest EP Atone, driven by soft guitar picks and a lightly pulsating beat. It's the perfect environment for her dulcet tones, proving she doesn't have to do much vocally to show she's a superstar.
Quiet Luke
Escapist
Quiet Luke is an NYC-based singer/producer who has a couple of great songs to his name now. His latest Escapist is his best yet because it forthright, punchy and full of groove. It's a supremely produced tune with a vocal melody that is elongated in the choruses and speeds along in the verses. He's releasing a debut EP Beholden via Mom + Pop soon which is the label that also houses Flume and Jagwar Ma. Expect big things.
Jessie Reyez
Figures
Bibi Bourelley and Kehlani are two of the most exciting names around right now and that's probably why we're so excited about Jessie Reyez's Figures. She brings that same raw, honesty to the table over a simple guitar which she wraps her raspy tones around. It's aggressive and attitude-filled and despite it's simplicity, it's a song that would sound flat at the hands of anyone else.
Kalin White
twisted
Kalin White was part of the duo Kalin and Myles but he's going it alone now and showing that he's more than capable of doing so with a woozy, dark R&B tune. If The Weeknd was able to mould his brand of R&B for the radio then White has a real chance at cracking through the mainstream and also satisfying the underground. Twisted is a cocky late night anthem with exciting production touches and the hook will be in your head all day.
Dead Language
Stockholm
Shout out to Project U for the tip on this one. Dead Language is a Sydney dude making music that sounds like Morrissey got really into pop music and wrote with Bastille. His vocals are immediately recognisable but his songwriting is succinct, melodic and hooky. It's the sort of song that you'r either going to love or hate but that's the mark of most people worth getting excited for really.
