I often joke that my “talent”, for lack of a better term, is that I can predict who the next up-and-coming stars of the pop and alternative music world will be. My credentials? To name a few headliners, I have been a fan of Gracie Abrams since I heard “I miss you, I’m sorry” and “21” during COVID lockdown, when she had a total of four songs out. I was lucky enough to see her on tour for her This Is What It Feels Like album in 2022 at Neumos in Seattle, with only 700 other fans. Tate McRae and Sabrina Carpenter ruled my late middle school years. My best friend had the vinyl editions of Singular Act 1 and Singular Act 2 from Sabrina, and we had a sleepover the night Too Young to be Sad, Tate’s EP, came out just to listen to it. Around that same time, I also started following Charli XCX after seeing her open for Taylor Swift on her Reputation tour, and Crash, her album released before Brat, still remains one of my favorite albums to this day. Some newer names include Raye, whose EP Euphoric Sad Songs and remix of her song “Bed” with David Guetta always get me moving. And I’m not embarrassed to admit that the soundtrack to season one of The Summer I Turned Pretty put me onto The Beaches, before they became popularly associated with another prime video series, Off Campus. Role Model, Troye Sivan, and Beabadoobee are artists I have also loved watching succeed.Â
My most recent claim to fame: Adela, whose debut album Prima has caught the attention of many with both her bright pink hair and the very catchy tunes of “Ain’t in LA,” “Nicole Kidman,” and “KGB.” I first heard Adela’s hardcore pop song “Superscar” in June last year, where I listened to it over fifty times that summer, especially after her August release of the album The Provocateur. She has the dance talent of Tate McRae, the creative vision of Lady Gaga, and the confidence of Lily Allen rolled into one, and I was thrilled for her when she got signed to Capital Records.Â
I can’t take credit for everything on my playlist, though. Chappell Roan, Noah Kahan, Alex Warren, Malcolm Todd, and Olivia Dean are some big names that I did not see coming, despite their years of releasing talented discography, until they blew up with the public at their respective times. Hours of listening to random playlists, exploring recommended artists, and saving sounds I like from social media have helped me discover artists before they become mainstream, and there is nothing like sharing new music with friends!
My future predictions, you may ask? British alternative artist Rachel Chinouriri, who is dropping an album this October, is already popular in the UK and is bound to have her fame spread here. I have also been listening to a lot of Empress Of’s new tracks, my favorite being “Hands On,” and “Blue Light,” featuring Blood Orange, the artist behind “Champagne Coast”, which many know from TikTok. While I don’t think I could call Slayyyter or Between Friends underground anymore, I recommend hopping on those bandwagons before it’s too late to call yourself an OG fan! While I would not classify myself as a fan of country music, Joshua Slone’s debut album, Thinking Too Much, may have converted me. Slone opened for a Zach Bryan concert in September of last year, and his raw voice and emotional writing make his songs hard not to love. My last recommendation, Balu Brigada, a duo of brothers from New Zealand who are starting to gain traction and perform at more events in the USA. Now that Adela has become mainstream, I’m on the hunt for my next prediction and am excited to see who else emerges in the music world.