With so much music out there today and with so many streaming services, it's impossible to hear all of the amazing things that are out there. These are 17 musicians and bands that have not yet risen to stardom, but all have the potential to be radio chart-toppers! Give 'em a listen!
1. New Hope Club
New Hope Club is a British pop trio with some serious pop radio vibes. They'll be on the radio in no time— they're sitting on a hit song that's literally waiting to be discovered, called "Medicine." Their cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" would melt the hearts of every teen girl. Just watch the music video! It'll make you swoon as they sing it to you!
Listen to New Hope Club here!
2. Ansel Elgort
Yeah, I am sure you have heard of this sexy heartthrob before, but did you know he sang too? AND he's a classically trained dancer!! Ansel, what can't you do? If you have heard they he's singing, then check out some of his less popular, but still bangin', songs like "Thief" and "All I Think About Is You." He also has a SoundCloud account under the name Ansølo, where he produces EDM music and remixes of popular EDM songs!
Listen to Ansel Elgort here!
Listen to Ansolo here!
3. Six60
Six60 is an R&B, soul, and pop rock band from New Zealand. As a lover of all foreign accents, particularly those of the British colonies, I was pleased to learn that Six60 is a band from NZ! My favorite songs of theirs, "Vibes" and "Special," have funky flows and undeniable beats!
Listen to Six60 here!
4. Amber Run
Amber Run is a British alternative band who just finished their first U.S. tour! They traveled with another alt band called Ellevator. Their concert in Washington D.C. was their first concert on the tour to be sold out, and I was lucky enough to have gotten to be there! They played all of my favorite songs, like "Noah," "Heaven," and "Just My Soul Responding," and there are some sad, slow songs that are guaranteed to put you in your feels, like "Amen" and "Haze." They were so nice and stayed afterward to meet fans, take pictures, and sign tee shirts and merchandise!
Listen to Amber Run here!
5. Hippo Campus
A personal favorite from my high school days, Hippo Campus is getting to be better known, and they got a spot performing during Gov Ball 2019! They're an indie rock band that hails all the way from St. Paul, Minnesota, with great jams like "South," "Buttercup," and "Bambi."
Listen to Hippo Campus here!
6. Catfish and the Bottlemen
Catfish and the Bottlemen is that one alternative/indie rock band plenty of people have heard of due to their particularly interesting name, but I have yet to meet anyone who knows or has listened to any of their music? Well here's some of their best: "Cocoon," "7," and "Longshot." Some more trivia: they're a Welsh rock band that's now topping the charts in the U.K., and they even have a Platinum album!
Listen to Catfish and the Bottlemen here!
7. Angus & Julia Stone
A brother and sister Australian folk and indie pop group, they are currently on tour, traveling across Australia and New Zealand until the end of March! "Cellar Door" and "Chateau" showcase how much talent must run in the Stone family, and their covers of Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" and 5 Seconds of Summer's "Youngblood" are seriously awesome.
Listen to Angus & Julia Stone here!
8. boy pablo
boy pablo is a Norwegian indie pop-rock band from Bergen, Norway who is currently touring Scandinavia before going to California to perform at Coachella 2019! Their songs "Dance, Baby!" and "Feeling Lonely" will definitely be crowd-pleasers over the weekend at the Coachella Valley festival.
Listen to boy pablo here!
9. Cinders
Cinders is a boy band from Utah, and according to the bio section of the band's website, some of the members met when they went to high school together in Salt Lake City. They classify themselves as indie/pop/folk/rock, which is one too many genres if you ask me! I think I can speak for everyone when I say, please just pick one genre because I'm hella confused! Even so, their songs "Tree House" and "Illinois" are very upbeat and energetic, and the lyrics, especially in "Tree House," are really fun and playful!
Listen to Cinders here!
10. Smallpools
Another band that I'm a big fan of, Smallpools has never produced a bad song, so choosing some of my favorites was super hard! But "Million Bucks," "Street Fight," and "Killer Whales" are my top three, and I love to listen to them when I'm working out since they are all really upbeat and fun. They're a U.S. based indie-pop band, and (fun fact!) two years ago, they even came to Penn State to perform through PSU SPA!
Listen to Smallpools here!
11. Alpha Moses
Alpha Moses is the stage name for college student and DJ, Amir Mackey. He is also a radio DJ for Penn State's radio station: 90.7, The Lion! He plays several instruments, one of which is the saxophone, which he features in his remix of "Off Ship" by Qur'an ft. Just Jay! Also be sure to listen to his collab with Ashaad Xavier and Qur'an called "Right Away!" Since he is graduating this spring, his senior project will be a full-length album, so be on the lookout for the release date sometime this spring!
Listen to Alpha Moses here!
12. Hunter Hunted
Hunter Hunted is an indie pop band from the wonderful city of Los Angeles, whose songs are classified as melodic, dance-infused pop music. "Lucky Day," with its ukulele intro and cheery melody, has vibes similar to that of Jason Mraz or John Mayer. Another song, "Keep Together," has upbeat west coast vibes, and, for any country pop fans, is reminiscent of Sheryl Crow's song "Soak Up The Sun." 10 out of 10, would recommend to a friend!
Listen to Hunter Hunted here!
13. CRUISR
This American pop band started in Philly, where they write, of all genres, 'surf music.' Don't ask why a band from Pennsylvania, a state with no surf whatsoever was inspired to write surf music, but we're not complaining about it! "All Over" has some of the realest surf music vibes I have ever heard! And "Throw Shade" has got to be this summer's hit song, you know, the one you play non-stop, that you hear on every radio station while you drive with the windows down. Okay so it's January, and I'm a little (a LOT) nostalgic about summer...sue me!
Listen to CRUISR here!
14. Mansionair
Mansionair is an Australian indie electronic trio, and can I just say, what is in the water in Australia that so many amazing musicians are from there?? They've done some collabs with bands we all know very well, like the song "Line of Sight" they did with ODESZA, and they made a remix with Portugal. The man! Their originals include jams like "Astronaut," "Hold Me Down," and (no, I'm not joking) "Pick Me Up."
Listen to Mansionair here!
15. Geowulf
Yet another group from Australia, Geowulf is an alternative/indie band now stationed in London. Similar to CRUISR (#13), they also produce music that they call 'beach pop.' Their song "Saltwater" would definitely fall under the beach pop category if you're looking for some laid back tunes. Another one of their songs, "Get You," has a warm, sunny, and almost sleepy vibe to it. I could definitely see in in the soundtrack for a Netflix teen romance movie set in Los Angeles...tell me you don't see it!
Listen to Geowulf here!
16. Landon Sears
Okay listen here guys, Landon Sears is quite possibly one of, if not the greatest, undiscovered musicians on this list, and I only found out about him a week ago! He's super low-key, and a lot of his music is still on SoundCloud instead of Spotify. He is an amazingly skilled singer and songwriter, and his songs are all hit music material! Sears has some great softer, lazy songs, like "Teardrops to a Glass Eye," "Blueberry Cadillac," and "Blue Light Smoke," and some more hype bops like "Backwoods & Lipstick!" My favorite is "Teardrops to a Glass Eye," which is a sweet love song, and his lyrics are so fun and easy to listen to!
Listen to Landon Sears here!
Listen to Landon Sears' SoundCloud here!
17. Nicco Rosato
Finally, our last artist on the list, Nicco Rosato, another SoundCloud artist, is actually a student at Penn State! His first album, Pathways, was released only 8 months ago, with tracks like "drive/wave" and "97purpleivory." For Nicco, producing music isn't his career, just a hobby, but let's face the music (pun intended), what he produces, though it may not be professional yet, is really good! Other than his remixes, like "After I Met You," the tracks are all instrumental with amazing, easy-listening vibes that you'll wanna listen to when you wanna relax or chill at the end of the day (pro tip: level 100).
Listen to Nicco Rosato here!
