After moving to New York to study film, Julian Lamadrid took the risk to write, record, and produce a 12-track concept album called Mala Noche. Born in Dubai to Mexican expats, Lamadrid’s love of literature, film, and music is reflected in his lush melodies that flow between new wave, bedroom pop, hip-hop, 80s synth, and British rock. He released a string of singles throughout 2020 (“Cigarette,” “My Time,” and “Patience”), and his latest song, “15 Minutes,” dropped in April.

Growing up, Taylor Janzen wasn’t encouraged to express her feelings, so she turned to songwriting instead. Her 2018 album, Interpersonal, received praise from New York Times writer Jon Pareles, who commented, “The powerful simplicity of a voice, a guitar, a restrained melody, and a raw emotion has been rediscovered by songwriters like Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and now Taylor Janzen.” Making headway, Janzen kicked off 2019 as an Official Artist at SXSW, where she performed at the Rolling Stone Emerging Artist Showcase, and NPR featured her in their coveted Austin 100 list. In 2020, she released three songs: “I Feel A Darkness,” “Devotion,” and “What I Do…”

Breaking barriers of music and sexuality, Lauren Sanderson is bringing heat to the music scene with her blend of pop, alternative, hip-hop, and R&B. Going in the opposite direction of traditional, Sanderson has decided to be completely independent in this new era and level of her career, and her song, “QUEEN BEE,” is a mission statement for those of us with big dreams in small towns; she even released an album aptly titled Midwest Kids Can Make It Big.

After sharing numerous singles and weaving their indie influences, HOKO released their debut EP, Heathen, in March 2021. The project, which not only bends genres but features intense visuals inspired by the likes of David Bowie and Queen, was two years in the making and features production work from GRAMMY-nominated producer, John Hill. The eight tracks on Heathen are soundscapes that range from breakup anthems to delicate summery soothers, and songs like “Hellogoodbye,” “Candy Eyes,” and “OK OK” are among the top-performing tracks from the set.

“An exceptionally forward-thinking project” and “experimental genius” is how Ones to Watch describe Absofacto and his music. The Michigan-born artist’s fusion of dream pop, art-rock, and inventive electronica helped him gain attention before releasing his hit song, “Dissolve.” With no online promotional support from 2018 to 2020, “Dissolve” impressively went to #1 on Hype Machine, was named Sirius XM Alt Nation’s Song of 2019, and earned praise from both Billboard and Mediabase (it also has 145 million spins on Spotify alone). In 2020, Absofacto released a handful of singles like “Someone Else’s Dream,” “All the Things She Said,” and “Childhood Dreams.”

While studying together at Berklee College of Music, David Stewart Jr. and Chava Ilizaliturr’s shared musical taste inspired them to join forces for a band they call Migrant Motel. The rock and roll power duo started out playing hundreds of shows in the New England and New York areas, and they released their first album, Volume One, in 2017. Led by the single, “New Religion,” the LP was a success and was followed by “Different Kind of Leather,” a Mexican American fusion song, in 2019. Stewart Jr., the US-raised and Peruvian-born vocalist/bassist, and Ilizaliturr, the Mexican drummer, were able to continue working on music throughout the pandemic; they were already accustomed to a remote work style since one now lives in LA and the other in Mexico City. They collaborated with Latin American artist Soy Emilia on “I Don’t Wanna Know,” which became their first bilingual song (performed in English and Spanish), and so far in 2021, they have dropped a pair of singles titled “Muñequita Rota” and “Bad Machine.”

A storyteller, songwriter, and visionary, Jake Wesley Rogers expresses his queer authenticity and artistry through his music. Rogers and his love for musical theater and songwriting led to his eventual signing with Justin Tranter’s Warner Records imprint, Facet Records (Tranter is notably a fellow BMI affiliate), and he turned his most formative years into some of the most stunning and evocative songs the world will hear this year. “I don’t think my story has been fully told,” he says. “There are so many forms of art, but the reason I make music is that my soul is at its happiest place when it’s singing and performing, and I resonate at the highest level in those moments.” Under the skilled mentorship of Tranter, Rogers has released two singles this year: “Middle of Love” and “Momentary,” and he counts artists like Adele, Madonna, and Florence + the Machine as inspirations. Says Rogers, “Few queer people right now are getting a platform to tell these kinds of stories, [and] I think it’s time to have some of our own artists doing and saying the things that we want to say.”

Kenny Mason is a West Atlanta native who started writing raps at just 12 years old. His budding talent for songwriting and rapping coincided with his discovery of and love for bands like My Chemical Romance, Smashing Pumpkins, and Deftones (thanks to video games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Madden), and all those inspirations can be heard in the music he creates today. Rolling Stone describes Mason’s work as a mix between “acrobatic rap and alternative rock,” two divergent genres that he melds together on his breakthrough single, “Hit,” and on more recent work like “Handles” and “Pup.” Now living on Atlanta’s east side, Mason sees duality everywhere; he represents that duality not only in his music, but in his album art/marketing (a dog with wings), in his jewelry (also a dog with wings), and in his album title, Angelic Hoodrat. He explains, “I think it’s just a perfect representation of not only the duality of being an angelic hoodrat, like being aware of that yin and yang in yourself, the beast and the angel, but also is a symbol of growth.” Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut is out now.

From a young age, Sa-Roc has had a love for writing and language. Her early years were filled with exposure to the harsh realities of poverty and disaffection, and she used those experiences in her early short stories and poetic works. On the verge of graduating from college, Sa-Roc relocated to Atlanta, where she was introduced to DJ and producer, Sol Messiah. That introduction led to her creating and dropping her first two EPs in 2008: Astral Chronicles and Supernova, the latter of which quickly gained her recognition. Signed in 2016, Sa-Roc toured with Brother Ali in 2017, and she has released a string of powerful music videos along the way, including “Hand of God,” “Goddess Gang,” and “Forever.” She continues work on her skill-heavy Wisdom Wednesdays series on her social media accounts, and the deluxe version of her latest LP, The Sharecropper’s Daughter, was released earlier this year.

Sharing a passion for international travel, world beats, global cultures, and their nonprofit organization, married couple Jason and Victoria Evigan are together known as Elephant Heart. The couple creates music by combining multicultural influences with Jason’s studio prowess; impressively, he is a singer, songwriter, and producer who has worked with pop icons like Madonna, Dua Lipa, and more. Elephant Heart’s most recent LP, Seasons, is out now and features fan favorite tracks like “Love is the Weapon,” “The Digital,” and “THE THUNDER.” Check out their collaboration with Madhu Kumari, “Behke,” available now.

With his gift of graphic design, Southern California-bred singer, rapper, and songwriter, contradash, caught the attention of rapper and singer Dominic Fike. Through that online connection in 2017, Dash got to experience working with real musicians in a recording studio, which in turn inspired him to work on his own music alongside producer and engineer, Sage Roberge. Dash’s music is heavily influenced by early 2000s pop, and he released his first song, “Blocked,” in 2019. After the song took off on streaming, Dash signed to Interscope Records and spent 2020 dropping songs like “white lie,” “cat out of the bag,” and “favorite color.” contradash is perfecting his guitar skills for tour and has released the songs “222pm” and “triple check” this year.

Since self-producing her first EP, Mythic, in 2015, Mothica has stayed true to her DIY ethos. Her song “No One” reached #1 on the US Viral Spotify chart, and she consistently released music for six years before going viral on TikTok in 2020 with her song “VICES.” With over 20 million streams for “VICES” on Spotify alone and 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners, Mothica is flying. Following her TikTok success, she released her debut album, Blue Hour, which hit #1 on Apple Music’s pop charts, followed by the forever fifteen EP in March 2021. Mothica’s collaboration with nothing,nowhere., “upside down,” is out now.

Sophie Cates has changed. Once known as Silver Sphere, she created a musical world defined by experimental pop and boy band bashing on songs like “drinking games,” “sucks 4 u,” and “crowd.” But those days are over. Now content to go by her real name, Cates is in the process of creating music that gives her audience a glimpse of her real life on songs that feature a mixture of pop, punk, and folk sounds. Say goodbye to Silver Sphere, Sophie Cates is here.

Magnifying his personal perspective through music, Rence is a genre-defying singer, songwriter, and producer. Rence’s sound covers pop, alternative, electro, indie, and hip-hop all at once (but never too much of each one!), and he landed a record deal with Epic in 2019. Following his signing, Rence released the single “Expensive” featuring Noah Cyrus, and his major-label debut, Fall 2019, dropped that September. With over 50 million catalog streams across platforms, he has gained attention from PAPER Magazine, FLAUNT, and more with his 2021 single, “Endless.”

Joy Oladokun is a delightfully eccentric first-generation Nigerian American singer, songwriter, and producer. Oladokun grew up in Casa Grande, Arizona in a primarily white town surrounded by images of white men with guitars, but when she caught a glimpse of Tracy Chapman performing to a full stadium with her guitar, she was mesmerized. Oladokun began releasing music independently (including her first album, 2016’s Carry), and her song “No Turning Back” made the rounds on social media following its inclusion in a pregnancy announcement from singer, Ciara. Oladokun’s songs have been featured on NBC’s This Is Us, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q, and she has received recognition from Billboard (Top 10 Best LGBTQ Albums of 2020) and NPR (“i see america” among the “100 Best Songs of 2020”). Her latest album, in defense of my own happiness, made its debut in June and features poignant messages in songs like “look up,” “jordan,” and “Bigger Man” featuring BMI affiliate, Maren Morris. A deluxe version of the album dropped in July.

Since emerging on the scene in 2014, Kid Quill has built a core fanbase of nearly 800K monthly Spotify listeners. The Indianapolis-born recording artist utilizes hip-hop sampling, melodic rap verses, and witty hooks to create a sound that can be heard on his albums Ear to Ear, The Name Above the Title, 94.3 the Reel, and Sunset Diner, as well as on songs like “Playlist,” “Small Talk,” and “Kids in the Summer.” In 2021, Kid Quill launched a partnership with the Indiana Pacers and released two singles: “Curbside” and “90s kids.” Quill is hard at work on his next album alongside Rick Rubin.

By combining elements of alternative, indie, hip-hop, and R&B, 20-year-old Serena Isioma caught the music industry’s attention with her massive hit “Sensitive,” which has clocked over 50 million streams across platforms. The Nigerian-American artist landed on Rolling Stone’s Breakthrough 25 Chart, and she ranked at #6 and #1 on Shazam’s Predictions 2021 chart. Since releasing her first two EPs in 2020, artists like SZA, Lizzo, Doja Cat, and many more have cosigned Isioma’s music. Her latest song, “HUH?,” dropped in June.

While remaining completely independent, the writer, vocalist, and producer known as phem is breaking the music scene. Her EP, VACUMHEAD, was released in 2019, and the project not only earned her millions of streams, but also a cult following of fans who love her tales of creativity, sexuality, and self-discovery. Through the gifts of solitude and understanding, phem has co-written songs with artists like G-Eazy, Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Tracy, and Iann Dior, and in 2020, she released a series of new singles and an EP called how to stop hating urself (pt 1). Earlier this year, she was a featured artist on Tyler Posey’s single “Shut Up” alongside Travis Barker, and how to stop hating urself (pt 1.5) dropped in March. Check out “SICK,” phem’s collaboration with American Teeth and DE’WAYNE, out now.

With roots stretching from gospel and jazz to R&B, soul, and hip-hop, Shy Carter’s gift for storytelling and love of organic instrumentation led to a natural transition into country music. A songwriter, artist, and producer, Carter’s credits include Kane Brown’s “Heaven,” Charlie Puth’s “One Call Away,” Billy Currington's “It Don't Hurt Like It Used To,” Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue,” and Rob Thomas’ “Someday.” Carter is now ready to show his talents on his own as a country artist, and his song “Good Love” was recently featured in the Hallmark Channel’s Spring Fling movie trailer. Since his debut, he has been named a 2021 Artist to Watch by Amazon Music, MusicRowMagazine, Pandora, Sounds Like Nashville and more, and his hit single with Cole Swindell and David Lee Murphy, “Beer with My Friends,” was released in June.

Neal Francis is a Chicago-based musician who draws inspiration from New Orleans rhythms and early ‘70s rock and roll. Francis’ childhood obsession with boogie-woogie piano can be heard in the music he creates today, and his work—even down to his album art—evokes a bygone era of R&B’s heyday while also forging a new path on the musical landscape. At the age of 18, Francis was touring Europe with the son of blues legend Muddy Waters (along with an impressive roster of blues artists with whom he traveled coast to coast), and he is now proudly liberated from a self-destructive past. Francis signed with Paradigm Talent Agency in 2018 and recently released the demos and instrumentals that coincide with his 2019 album, Changes. Standouts from Changes include the title track, “This Time,” and “These Are the Days.”

After writing for artists like Zara Larsson and Rita Ora, Sarah Barrios is stepping into her own spotlight. Weaving together stories (or as she says, “spilling my guts”), Barrios’ sweet voice, beautiful melodies, and playful pop sensibilities come together to form one big breath of fresh air. This year, she has released four singles, including her most popular, “Have We Met Before,” which features Eric Nam. After coming out as bisexual, Barrios is on the cusp of releasing a new song this summer which she hopes will become a bi anthem. Check out her recent releases, including “Conversations with Myself,” “Pretty In Pink,” and “IH8EVERY1.”

Based out of Venice Beach, OTTTO is a three-piece band with strong roots in thrash, funk, and metal. Fusing inspiration from their surroundings, the band—made up of Bryan Ferretti, Ryan Duswalt, and Tye Trujilo (whose father is Metallica’s Rob Trujilo)—are creating a powerful new style of music. Notably, this is not their first time performing at Lollapalooza, as they previously played as their former band, The Helmets. OTTTO’s first project, Ottto, was released in 2020 and features fan favorites like “Sorius,” “Rising Machines,” and “Ghost Rider.” The trio’s full-length album is due later this year.

To celebrate his high school graduation, artist, songwriter, and producer, Ant Saunders released the song “Yellow Hearts” without knowing just how big of a smash it was going to be. A lyrical story with a velvet delivery and unique sound, the single found viral success on TikTok—success that translated to a platinum certification (thanks to its nearly half a billion streams across platforms), a spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and a remix of the song with Audrey Mika. With more than 1.8 million listeners on Spotify alone, Saunders is signed to Trash Bin / Arista Records and continues working on new music. He spent 2020 dropping previews of what’s to come, and “MISCOMMUNICATIONS” and “u know its real” are among his top performing tracks on streaming. Saunders’ latest single, “Spoiled,” is out now.

Originally from New Jersey, RIZ LA VIE is a soul-baring artist with an impressive vocal style that is both underground and mainstream. He has showcased his bluesy hybrid of R&B, hip-hop, and pop through his songs “Tesla” and “She Said” from the Feed EP, and his popular tracks include “Napkins,” “Saturn,” and “Pisces.” Throughout 2021, fans can expect exciting new music and visuals from his forthcoming debut album. LA VIE’s collaboration with 6 Dogs (“Beach House”) is out now.