I feel like this post is going to make me sound really pretentious and eDgY… but let’s roll with it anyway…
I listen to a lot of artists that aren’t necessarily in the charts or considered conventionally “mainstream” so I thought why not make a list because they deserve more attention… enjoy!
Bille Eilish
Ok so she’s already getting a lot of attention but I fell one day, she’ll make a massive impact on the charts. That being said, a few of her songs have already debuted in the UK top 40 and rightly so. Billie’s vocals and writing abilities for someone who hasn’t even turned 18 yet are incredible and honeslty make me question what I’ve done with my own 21 years of life… Anyway, my favourite track of hers is definitely Bellyache because although I don’t think she has quite found a style yet, this song definitely has the most “Bille Eilish vibe” and it’s super catchy without being a cliche pop song and the video, along with most of hers are visually stunning. A prime example of her directing abilities is the beautiful self-directed video for when the party’s over which on paper should make for a really boring, uninspired video but on the contrary, it’s brilliant to match the song (go and watch it, no spoilers from me). I’m super excited to be seeing her live in March as videos from her gigs look insane and her vocals sound exactly the same as the studio recordings.
Rex Orange County
Now you may have heard Rex’s song Loving Is Easy in the Milkybar advert if you’re a fellow Brit but if not, I definitely recommend looking it up. It’s such a fun, upbeat song that sums up his artistry perfectly as depicted in his albums Bcos U Will Never Be Free and Apricot Princess. He does still have a fair share of songs that will hit you right in the feels like Never Enough and Rain Man but there’s a song for every emotion in his discography. Also after finding out he plays his own instruments, I was even more impressed so I’m really looking forward to what this year brings.
Skizzy Mars
I’ve followed Skizzy Mars for a good few years now and am yet to see him blow up. He does have mainstream appeal as his style is very similar to Khalid and Kyle who have had time in the spotlight. His songs Time, Girl on a Train and American Dream are personal favourites but he has a hefty discography behind him from solo songs to features, which he also takes advantage of himself from the likes of rapper G-Eazy, Hoodie Alllen and even JoJo (you know the Get Out girl from like 10 years ago?). Hopefully 2019 will be his year because he has some bangers in tow.
BROCKHAMPTON
OK so I am a little obsessed with them but can you blame me? They’ve been compared to this generations Wu Tang Clan which honestly is a corker of a compliment but it’s deserved. Self-proclaimed “hardest working boyband in show business” and it shows – continuous tour cycles, and album every year including the monster Saturation trio and multiple festival appearances, its no wonder that they are finally starting to get the recognition they deserve. Despite their recent album iridescence not lining up as well as the Saturation era, it does still have a place as one of the best albums of last year purely because it’s different and they haven’t tried to change to fit in. The group is made up of numerous members, each with their own strengths which are utilised perfectly to create a unique sound that grabbed my attention along with their massive legion of fans. 2019 may very well be the year of BROCKHAMPTON and if so, I am definitely here for it.
EARTHGANG
The reason I cam across these guys is because they are supporting Billie Eilish on tour and I like to do my research before hand… and I’m so glad I did. This duo made up of rappers Johnny Venus and WowGr8 bring back the old school hip hop influences of the 90’s to create some really solid hip hop tracks. You can hear the passion they have for their music in every song – Up is a great example of this as it’s so great listening to artists that clearly love what they do and I definitely believe these guys have a place in music scene to replace the horrendous mumble rap that seems to have taken over.
Charli xcx
Ahh Charli, my favourite artist since 2013. Yes, you may of already heard of her becuase of Boom Clap which did do incredibly well in the UK and US back in 2015 which was a great year for her. So why is she on this list you may ask? Well since then, I guess she’s fizzled out from the mainstream attention, mainly becuase of her more that underwhelming second album Sucker. I say this because compared to her debut album True Romance, anything will suck (pun intended). The debut came in 2013 and nothing has knocked it off my mental favourite albums list. It’s truly brilliant as it’s like nothing I heard before, blending dark, witchy pop with a beautiful, glittery production that shouldn’t work but does and if there’s one song out of all her discog, it would be Grins (you’ll thank me later). Thankfully, she’s ditched the “trying to appeal to the mass market” and gone back to her roots with 2 mixtapes being released last year: No1 Angel and Pop2 which are homage to old school PC music. With the release of her third album this year, I really hope it’s as eye-catching as her debut.
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