America is the place a lot of musicians hope to make it big. Pop radio is great, but it needs to change. When the same song plays every 30 minutes, it clearly means that too many artists and songs are overplayed. Luckily, there are plenty of international musicians around the world that are worthy of American success. Check out a few of the artists that should be dominating the iTunes charts!
1. Grace
This Australian teenager has an extremely powerful voice that sounds like a mixture between Amy Winehouse and Duffy. She worked on a remake of the classic song “You Don’t Own Me” with legendary producer Quincy Jones. Expect to be hearing a lot more from her soon!
2. Fleur East
This sassy, dancing machine was runner-up, but definitely the rightful winner, on the eleventh season of The X Factor UK. On the following season, she premiered her first single and Simon Cowell claimed she gave the best debut live performance he had ever seen. East has found the perfect way to make old-school R&B music current and popular. Her lead single, “Sax,” off her album is the perfect dance song.
3. Birdy
Some may know this British musician from her platinum-selling cover of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” when she was only 14 years old. Well, five years later, Birdy is making a comeback with a new sound. Her new music resembles Florence and the Machine’s style, but still has Birdy’s unique vocals to match.
4. The Vamps
Who doesn’t love a good boyband (although technically The Vamps should just be considered a regular band since they are all adults and each play instruments)? These four Brits have electrifying stage presence and their cheeky lyrics make their songs easy to sing along to.
5. Kaleo
This Icelandic band founded in 2012 has been gaining some popularity. Recently, the band performed on Conan and serenaded the audience with a new song called “Way Down We Go.” If you like folk or blues music, you should absolutely preorder their album and listen to their soulful songs.
6. Conrad Sewell
Another Australian artist, Conrad Sewell is actually Grace’s older brother. So, obviously crazy vocal abilities run in the family. Sewell added vocals to Norwegian DJ Kygo’s hit song “Firestone” last year. His effortlessly cool persona and Adam Lambert-like sound will have you hooked!
7. Matt Corby
So many Aussies! Matt Corby is used to number ones in Australia and definitely deserves to achieve some here. A few of his musical influences are powerhouses like Lauryn Hill, Jeff Buckley and Otis Redding. You can hear his diverse music taste in his songs, which combine multiple genres like folk and gospel. He is truly an original artist.
8. Ella Henderson
Another The X Factor UK participant who should have won is Ella Henderson. The British beauty’s single “Ghost” was very successful on the Billboard charts, but she deserves more recognition for her strong voice and song-writing skills. Her debut album, Chapter One, is filled with radio worthy songs like “Rockets,” “Pieces” and “Billie Holiday.”
9. Olly Murs
Like Fleur East, Olly Murs won second place on The X Factor UK but went on to be more successful than the actual winner. He has had four albums and his song “Troublemaker” received some success in the U.S. His last album featured a great pop song called “Up” with Demi Lovato. It will not be hard to fall in love with Murs’s music and his infectious personality.
10. Tobias Jesso Jr.
Can’t forget about the Canadians! Tobias Jesso Jr. was named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 20 Biggest Breakouts of 2015. He has helped pen hits for fellow musicians like Adele’s “When We Were Young” and Sia’s “Alive.” But, his music is just as incredible. He will be your next musical obsession!