Up Subsequent: Ten Artists Who Are Shaping Music’s Future

An enormous a part of being a music fan is maintaining with the music of the second; There’s a motive widespread artists have gotten to the place they’re, in spite of everything. One other equally vital side of being an knowledgeable client of music, although, is sustaining an consciousness of the up-and-coming artists who’re primed to form the business in their very own methods.

That’s what Uproxx’s new Subsequent Up sequence is all about.

Over the course of ten function profiles, you’ll find out about artists at the moment laying the inspiration for some main issues to come back, issues that can each set up themselves as forces and affect those that come after them. Earlier than these options begin rolling in, preserve studying for a rundown of who we determined must be part of this dialog.

Dove Cameron

The pipeline from Disney Channel star to music icon has been fruitful over time, as people like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Ariana Grande have began on the community and gone on to large musical success (additionally Olivia Rodrigo in case you depend her Excessive College Musical sequence on Disney+). Now it’s wanting like Dove Cameron, whose prolonged performing resume contains the lead function within the Disney Channel sequence Liv And Maddie, might very effectively be subsequent. Her debut EP, Bloodshot / Waste, arrived in 2019 and he or she only recently had her greatest hit but in February with the dramatic single “Boyfriend,” which was her first, and sure not final, music to grace the Billboard Scorching 100 chart.

Saya Grey

Together with her latest signing to Soiled Hit, Canadian-Japanese singer-songwriter Saya Grey finds herself in nice firm: The label’s esteemed artists embody The 1975, Beabadoobee, Wolf Alice, and Rina Sawayama. Her first album for the label, 19 Masters, is on the way in which in June and primarily based on songs just like the latest single “If There’s No Seat In The Sky (Will You Forgive Me???),” it’s straightforward to see why Soiled Hit introduced the revolutionary younger artist on board, who’s adept at switching genres not simply between songs, however typically proper in the midst of them.

PinkPantheress

TikTok has turn into an actual proving floor for up-and-coming artists because the younger era will get uncovered to a variety of new music on the platform. PinkPantheress managed to face out above all of the noise and earn herself a file take care of Parlophone. Her music positively embraces the fast-paced nature of TikTok: A lot of the songs on her 2021 debut mixtape To Hell With It are shorter than two minutes. That didn’t cease the multi-genre challenge from performing notably effectively, because it landed within the high 20 of the charts in PinkPantheress’ native UK.

Kali

Talking of TikTok, Atlanta rapper Kali additionally discovered success on the platform and now she’s breaking new floor past it. As Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes, she’s shifting into an area historically dominated by male rappers, one that’s “marked by passive aggression, avoidant attachment, and audio gaslighting, with rappers and singers delighting in maintaining their vital others guessing within the narratives of their songs.” Kali parlayed her breakout single “Mmm Mmm” right into a debut EP, Poisonous Chocolate. The Yung Bleu-featuring “UonU” is a spotlight, on which she turns the tables and asserts dominance, rapping, “It’s a two-way road, we in the identical lane / Play you ‘fore you play me, that’s simply my mind-frame / However you continue to mine, babe.”

Tobi Lou

Odds are you’ve already heard Tobi Lou working with one in every of your favorites, because the Chicago-via-Nigeria rapper has collaborated with a few of his greatest hometown friends, like Likelihood The Rapper, Dreezy, and Saba. He was on the poll for the 2020 XXL Freshmen record and whereas he didn’t make the reduce, he’s on to greater and higher issues, like his not too long ago launched new album Non-Perishable, which largely options Lou shining on his personal but in addition alongside visitors like T-Ache and Chika. All of the name-drops are as an instance that Lou has help from people in excessive locations, co-signs that present Lou is value consideration.

Omah Lay

Plenty of issues have been going proper for the 24-year-old Nigerian afrobeats star currently. Since touchdown a file deal a pair years in the past, Omah Lay’s ascent has been fast, as he had a social media hit with “Unhealthy Affect,” dropped some EPs that landed on Apple Music’s charts in Nigeria, and caught the eye of Justin Bieber, with whom he not too long ago launched the collaborative single “Consideration.” Moreover, Lay’s standing as an afrobeats favourite was cemented with the launch of Billboard’s new US Afrobeats Songs chart in March. On the inaugural ranks, he had two songs within the high 30, together with “Consideration,” which graced the highest 5. Principally, Lay’s on an upward development, so in case you haven’t been paying consideration thus far, now’s an excellent time to begin.

Bakar

Like many artists earlier than him, Bakar obtained his begin importing songs on SoundCloud. That’s actually one of many few methods the experimental UK indie rocker is like different artists, although. He progressively labored on his craft, solid a definite aesthetic id, and had himself a little bit of a success in 2019 with “Hell N Again,” which popped up on a number of rock and different Billboard charts, together with a No. 1 placement on Grownup Different Airplay. Issues have solely gotten higher since then, as he had a function on one in every of 2020’s most esteemed indie/pop albums in Benee’s Hey U X and launched his debut album, No one’s Dwelling, in February. He obtained some hometown love for that one, because it was a top-40 album within the UK. Now it seems like only a matter of time earlier than the remainder of the world catches up.

Horsegirl

Chicago trio Horsegirl fashioned in 2019, when its members have been all teenagers. Whereas many teenage endeavors are finest left forgotten, Horsegirl has constructed on their begin in a significant manner. They’ve since signed to Matador Information and thus far launched two singles for the label: 2021’s “Billy” and this yr’s “Anti-Glory.” As for the sound, the group falls someplace between post-punk and shoegaze, a zone that has clearly labored for them given the aforementioned examples of their success. It’s the form of music that begs to be heard dwell, so there’s excellent news there, as one of many yr’s buzziest bands has a slew of tour dates set for this summer season.

Caracara

The 2019 EP Higher was large for Caracara, because the rocking effort landed them on many individuals’s radars. That features famend producer Will Yip, who has labored with everyone from Lauryn Hill to Keane to The Surprise Years. He additionally linked up with Caracara on their not too long ago launched album New Preoccupations (As The Gods Descend), which is highlighted by the only “Colorglut,” which options Circa Survive’s Anthony Inexperienced. The corporate a band retains can say lots about them, and thus far, a variety of top-tier people have discovered their strategy to Caracara’s nook. Now that the brand new album is out and music followers have one thing contemporary to sink their tooth into, the Caracara nook is about to get much more crowded.

Zack Fox

As social media has turn into a major technique of fan interplay for celebrities, a variety of musicians have emerged as legitimately hilarious social media personalities. Then there’s Zack Fox, who’s approaching issues from the other way: He was a comic first, however in recent times, he’s discovered some stable footing in hip-hop: His debut album, Shut The F*ck Up Speaking To Me, got here out final yr and he’s touring with Freddie Gibbs this yr. On high of all that, he’s nonetheless performing and has a recurring function in one of the acclaimed comedies of the second, Abbott Elementary. He’s even an completed visible artist, as he illustrated the album sleeve of Thundercat’s Drunk. Principally, Fox has achieved one thing you’d in all probability get pleasure from in nearly each inventive medium, which is one thing only a few folks can say.

Some artists coated listed here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an unbiased subsidiary of Warner Music Group.