Everyone eventually gets tired of listening to the same couple of songs by the usual handful of artists that get played on rotation over the radio. At some point everyone craves a new artist with a fresh sound that has not quite hit heavy radio airplay. Here are four artists that you should listen to before they become famous and saturate the airwaves.
1. Jessie Reyez
Jessie Reyez is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from Toronto. As an artist, Reyez writes and sings about topics and themes that she does not feel comfortable talking about. In her latest singles, “Figures” and “Shutter Island,” Reyez sings about a cheating ex-boyfriend. The latter features creepy pizzicato strings and angry vocals that fill the track with darkness. Reyez is at the very early stages of her career, but as she has managed to garner attention from industry superpowers like Zane Lowe who featured “Shutter Island” on Beats 1, it has become clear that Reyez is not going anywhere but up.
2. Khalid
Khalid, an American artist from El Paso, Texas, found early success when Kylie Jenner found his track, “Location,” on Soundcloud and proceeded to feature it on her snapchat. After this, Khalid’s increased streams and traction skyrocketed him into the public sphere and led to a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Khalid, 19, is still incredibly young, but his sudden boost in popularity has set him on a crash course for fame as predicted by Elton John who’s said that, “he’s going to be a big star.”
3. Maggie Rogers
After capturing the attention of producer and recording artist Pharrell Williams at a music business masterclass, Maggie Rogers started her journey to fame. Williams’ emotional reaction to Rogers’ folk-inspired pop song, “Alaska,” quickly went viral and received millions of views. Subsequently, Rogers released “Alaska” as a single in addition to releasing more tracks from what would later become her first major-label EP, “Now That the Light Is Fading.” Rogers has continued her unceasing success with performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Late Show with James Corden
4. Betty Who
An Australian singer-songwriter currently based in New York City. She is currently signed to a major record deal at RCA, but has yet to break through to mainstream radio. Who, born Jessica Anne Newham, is most well known for the lead single off of her first album, “I Love You Always Forever.” Who recently released her second full length album, “The Valley,” which is filled with anthemic pop tracks that are radio friendly. I suggest you become a fan before she becomes a pop sensation.
Everyone likes to say that they were the first person to listen to someone’s music before they reached celebrity status, so give these artists a listen before they become music megastars.