LOVE
Dude. What is there not to love about this track, and frankly every second of every song this self-assured sexy-as-fuck genre-buster has released so far?
WHO & WHERE
Two Feet is a music maker in New York City with very little other info out there about him.
CRED
Four tracks in it’s clear this guy’s going to be huge, with 400k+ listens despite little mainstream attention. Go listen to the 4-track EP immediately.
LOVE
I hear a ton of artists trying to drop a smooth, vibey track like this and missing, because it’s not easy to get right. This is how you do it right.
WHO & WHERE
Lowerpase is a production duo from Los Angeles, California.
CRED
Far as I can tell these guys are criminally under the radar, with six excellent tracks so far. Definitely check them out.
LOVE
This track is perfect pop, and no surprise considering Maty's already collaborated with The Weeknd and co-wrote Kygo's massive hit Stay.
WHO & WHERE
Maty Noyes is a singer songwriter from Los Angeles, California.
CRED
Highly anticipated due to her previous work, this solo debut was a huge hit on Spotify, racking up nearly 2M listens.
LOVE
I’m such a sucker for folk/country songwriters who release electronic projects, especially ones (like this one) that really nail it.
WHO & WHERE
SUMif is the electro-pop moniker of Steph Wells, now based in San Francisco, California.
CRED
This project is really taking off, with previous single Want Your Love crossing 250k+ listens. Can't wait to hear more.
LOVE
West coast hip hop vibes with an electronic kicker, this track makes me miss California. All the vibes on this are stellar.
WHO & WHERE
Coolwater Set is a collab between hip hop group Far East Movement and producer Autolaser. JVZEL is a vocalist from California. RAC is a producer from Portland.
CRED
This track shot to the top of Twitter Music charts and HypeM, currently at 125k+ listens, aided by the buzz around all artists involved.
LOVE
Soulful funky pop music from a 19 year old who sounds like he’s 40, and from my old stomping grounds in Vancouver to boot. Hell yeah.
WHO & WHERE
Mathew V is a 19 year old singer songwriter in Vancouver, British Columbia.
CRED
Still pretty unknown, but listen to this live performance of this song and tell me you wouldn't see this kid play in person.
LOVE
This is one of those rap ensemble tracks that could start a party, keep it alive, or end it perfectly. Also, major Fugees vibes going on.
WHO & WHERE
F.Virtue (real name Will Kowall) is an emcee from New York, as are the others on this track.
CRED
This track is basically a who’s who of upcoming New York emcee’s right now. Fun fact: Infinite Coles happens to be Ghostface Killah’s son.
LOVE
There’s something ethereal about this lo-fi pop tune, something that’s really timeless and infectious. It takes you away from now and into some sort of dream or memory.
WHO & WHERE
Mons Vi is the recording moniker of Matthew Hershoff and a group of collaborators, based in Brooklyn, New York.
CRED
Just a few songs released, with American C.R.E.A.M crossing 50k listens, you can still hear this project evolving with every new song.
LOVE
Mann, well known in folk circles, adds a bit of an electronic keys + acoustic beats vibe that works perfectly on this track.
WHO & WHERE
Lauren Mann is a singer songwriter from Calgary, Alberta.
CRED
Mann's been releasing inventive folk music with her band, the Fairly Odd Folk for years – I encourage you to check it out, as it all really nails home the strength of her unique voice.
LOVE
Totally infectious beats and Rey’s beach vibe vocals really make for a summer-tinged dance song that does actually make you want to be in California.
WHO & WHERE
Arman Cekin is a young producer from the Netherlands. Paul Rey is a vocalist from Sweden.
CRED
Cekin’s spent the last few years amassing millions of listens and a reputation for smooth, crisp house/trap music.
LOVE
The subtle sound bits dropped into this track (and all Fhin’s work) are positioned so perfectly, with such crisp attention to detail, I can’t stop listening.
WHO & WHERE
Fhin is an autodidactic producer from Paris, France.
CRED
Fhin's just dropped a six-track EP, A Crack In The Eyes, that is about as sexy as it gets. I highly recommend spending time with this guy's music.
LOVE
Skott grew up in a forest commune, hearing contemporary music for the first time in her teens. This feels like a perfect forest song, unsurprisingly.
WHO & WHERE
Skott is a singer from a forest commune. Yup, just wrote that.
CRED
This track cracked 500k+ listens between Spotify and Soundcloud. Heck of a debut from this young singer, and excited to hear more.
LOVE
A 14 year old singing a savagely mournful love song I can’t stop listening to is both impressive and weird at the same time.
WHO & WHERE
Billie Eilish is a 14 year old singer from Los Angeles, California.
CRED
Eilish's single Ocean Eyes last year really made her name, with 11m Spotify spins alone after reaching #3 on their Global Chart.
LOVE
The fucking beats. The vocals. The glitch. I’d normally pass on pop supergroups but hot damn we’re checkin’ that attitude at the door.
WHO & WHERE
Terror Jr is pretty secretive at this point (sigh), a trio I’m pretty sure’s in LA. Felix Snow and David Singer-Vine are involved, the female still playing coy.
CRED
These guys are straight up 4 for 4 this year. Also definitely check out Trippin, Sugar, and 3 Strikes, collectively with 12M+ listens at this point.
LOVE
Deliciously understated and expertly crafted by a one-man band (yeah, this is all him), this is sunglasses and sunshine music just in time for mid-summer.
WHO & WHERE
Youngr is a Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts graduate and musician in London, England.
CRED
This official debut really blew up on Spotify, with more than a million listens. He does list another track on Spotify worth a listen, called September Sun.
LOVE
Beautiful interplay between two exciting new artist, a vocalist from Detroit and a producer from Seattle. All the edges of this are perfectly crafted.
WHO & WHERE
Manatee Commune, real name Grant Eadie, is a producer & multi-instrumentalist from Seattle, Washington. Flint Eastwood is a singer from Detroit, Michigan.
CRED
Grant's been an audiophile fave for a while, with his Thistle EP a few months back setting the stage for a full album later this year. His live shows are reportedly magic.
LOVE
Goosebumps. It's really rare to hear a debut that really carves out its own space, because it's so authentic and remarkably honest. This is that. Also, Pharrell's reaction.
WHO & WHERE
Maggie Rogers is a student artist at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, where Pharrell is the artist-in-residence.
CRED
That Pharrell reaction video went insanely viral (14M views) even before Maggie had a polished version of the song live. She dropped the track to ~2M immediate listens.
LOVE
Jesse’s vocals are delicious here, and this is one of those sweet, tender love songs that finds a way to stand out in a sea of tender love songs.
WHO & WHERE
Jesse Ruben is a singer songwriter in Brooklyn, New York.
CRED
This song seems to have really broken out with 600k+ listens, but Jesse’s been building a dedicated following for quite a while now.
LOVE
Banger alert. Lay beautiful vocals on top of this kid’s tasty beats and you’ve got a summer winner. So juicy.
WHO & WHERE
FØRD is an 18 year old producer from New South Wales, Australia.
CRED
It’s early for this young, talented producer, but with Dunn lending his talents and 55k listens on this track already, it should be a big year for him.
LOVE
Mothica crushes these vocals, and the bright, bouncy beats from this rising producer literally can’t be ignored.
WHO & WHERE
Pusher is a producer from Toronto, Canada. Mothica is a singer in Brooklyn, New York.
CRED
Pusher’s made a huge name for himself early in his career with remixes and originals, with this breakout tune hitting more than 3m+ listens on Spotify and Soundcloud.