(Clockwise from top left: Danielle Ponder, Mimi Webb, Joy Oladokun, Wet Leg, Bartees Strange, Jimmie Allen)
By Sorcha Collister, TMA’s Manager for Music Partnerships, UK
TMA Music has compiled the following recommendations of artists to watch based on data, dialogue with music industry partners, and signals from social media. Our goal is to provide you with a sneak peek of who is on the rise to spark new ideas and celebrate the joy of new music.
Here are some of the artists on our radar right now.
Anna of the North (Norway)
GENRE: Electro-Pop
AGE: 32
KNOWN FOR: Anna of the North is the solo project of Anna Lotterud, an Oslo-based Norwegian singer-songwriter. Anna was featured on Tyler, the Creator’s singles “Boredom” and “911 / Mr. Lonely” and performed with him on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her song, “Dream Girl” was featured in an Apple iPad commercial. Look for her new album coming later this year.
LYRICAL THEMES: Love, relationships
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: Norway, UK, Australia, US
LISTEN TO: “Dream Girl,” “Meteorite”
Bartees Strange (UK / US)
GENRE: Indie, Rap, R&B
AGE: 33
KNOWN FOR: English-born American-based musician Bartees Strange announced his new album with single “Co-Signs”- a cross genre, anthemic track; hip hop flavor heads to an epic indie rock crescendo, showing off Bartees’s wide musical appeal. His debut album received universal acclaim from reviewers and his upcoming album “Farm to Table” planned for release in June looks set to increase the following. Pitchfork said it: “Only a fool would doubt him.”
LYRICAL THEMES: Love, confidence, expectations
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: US
LISTEN TO: “Co-Signs,” “Heavy Heart”
Cat Burns (UK)
GENRE: R&B, Soul, Pop
AGE: 23
KNOWN FOR: Cat is a BRIT school alumni (prestigious UK performing arts school renowned for Adele, Amy Winehouse, Jessie J, and more) and prepares to release her six-track EP this summer, following which she has headline shows in London, is supporting Years & Years on their UK arena tour, and in what will surely be a big step in her career, is supporting Ed Sheeran on his European tour this summer. Her label is expecting big things.
LYRICAL THEMES: Relatability, mental health, friendships
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: UK, Ireland, Australia
LISTEN TO: “Emotionally Unavailable,” “Go”
Danielle Ponder (US)
GENRE: Pop, R&B
AGE: 39
KNOWN FOR: The only thing more powerful than her voice is her story: a former public defender who left her successful career as a lawyer to pursue her musical dreams, Danielle’s incredible vocals and song-writing abilities have been turning heads at places like SXSW and NPR’s Tiny Desk. Catch this star on the rise.
LYRICAL THEMES: Self-love, relationships, social justice
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: UK, Australia, US
LISTEN TO: “So Long,” “Be Gentle”
Ethel Cain (US)
GENRE: Lo-fi, Rock, Dream Pop
AGE: 24
KNOWN FOR: Ethel’s home base is Florida and she grew up in a musical household. While in college, she began experimenting with her music on GarageBand, releasing singles to a small group of friends on social media. She released an EP in 2019 and was subsequently discovered by rapper Lil Aaron, who signed her to Dr. Luke’s label and publishing company. She just released her first album and it’s been getting LOTS of industry buzz.
LYRICAL THEMES: Life experiences, growing up
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: US, Australia
LISTEN TO: “Crush,” “American Teenager”
Jimmie Allen (US)
GENRE: Country
AGE: 36
KNOWN FOR: Jimmie is making big moves after winning the Country Music Association Award for New Artist of the Year in 2021, becoming the second Black artist to win the category. He will support Carrie Underwood on her upcoming tour, and he recently had an impromptu duet with Cardi B on her show “Cardi Tries” with a country rendition of her track “Money.”
LYRICAL THEMES: Love, life, stories
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: US
LISTEN TO: “Down Home,” “Good Times Roll”
Joy Oladokun (US)
GENRE: Pop
AGE: 30
KNOWN FOR: Joy was born in the US to Nigerian parents and she grew up in rural Arizona. Her diverse musical influences are thanks to growing up with her father’s massive record collection with everything ranging from African to UK pop to US rock and even country. The multi-instrumentalist released her first album “No Turning Back” to critical acclaim thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign and has since signed to Republic Records. She is currently touring the US and a personal favorite of our whole team.
LYRICAL THEMES: Equality, LGBTQ
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: Australia, US
LISTEN TO: “Look Up,” “Sunday”
Mimi Webb (UK)
GENRE: Pop
AGE: 21
KNOWN FOR: Mimi is the first British female artist to have two singles in the UK’s Top 15 chart before releasing an album since Dua Lipa did it in 2017. Mimi’s impromptu acapella videos exploded on TikTok with over 20 million views and her 2021 tour sold out in one hour. Like Cat Burns, Mimi is also an alumni of The Brit school and BIMM (British Institute of Modern Music).
LYRICAL THEMES: Love, heartbreak, honesty
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: UK, Ireland, Australia
LISTEN TO: “House on Fire,” “Dumb Love”
Prateek Kuhad (India)
GENRE: Singer-Songwriter
AGE: 32
KNOWN FOR: Prateek started playing guitar and writing songs at just 16 and while studying math and economics in the US at NYU, fell in love with the singer-songwriter genre. His notoriety exploded when Barack Obama included “cold/mess” on his Best Songs of 2019 playlist. Now based back in Delhi, he’s the first Indian artist signed to the US office of Elektra Records. US Weekly praised his music as “beautifully haunting” and Brooklyn Vegan called his voice “purely angelic.”
LYRICAL THEMES: Life experiences, love, relationships
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: India
LISTEN TO: “Favorite Peeps,” “Just A Word”
Wet Leg (UK)
GENRE: Indie-Rock
AGE: 27, 28
KNOWN FOR: 2022 was a huge year for the dual female-fronted ’60s surf rock-inspired group. Their debut single, “Chaise Longue” has been streamed nearly 20 million times on Spotify and they were the toast of the town at the recent SXSW conference. In 2022 they hit #1 on the UK charts with the second biggest opening week this year. Meanwhile they are breaking equally huge in Australia and the US too.
LYRICAL THEMES: Relationships, empowerment
COUNTRIES WITH MOST SPOTIFY LISTENS: UK, Australia, US
LISTEN TO: “Ur Mum,” “Chaise Longue”
Here’s a Spotify playlist with all of these up-and-coming artists and their songs to listen to. Check it out here. Enjoy!
