If you have any social media and you’ve been on said social media in the past month, then you obviously know that Spotify released its 2019 Wrapped for premium members. If your timeline wasn’t bombarded by these recap posts, the 2019 Wrapped is basically an overview of all the music you’ve listened to over the course of the year.
The recap compiles this data into different lists: your top five favorite songs, top five favorite artists, and this year, a decade-long recap. But the information that interested me the most was the section about new music. Somehow, the all-powerful Spotify knows when I listen to a new artist for the first time, which I apparently did 386 times in 2019.
Okay, so it’s not an exact science, but as someone who usually sticks to a few main artists (Don’t worry, Panic! At the Disco is still my fave), I was excited to see how much I’ve truly broadened my musical horizons. These artists aren’t new, but they’re all new to me. So, without further ado, here are my favorite “new” artists that I discovered in 2019.
- Lizzo
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As I’m sure many of you can agree, 2019 has been the year of Queen Lizzo. I am proud to admit that “Truth Hurts” was my number one most played song of 2019. There’s just something so fun and empowering about screaming “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell” in my apartment kitchen with my best friends.
- Betty Who
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The subject of my first ever Her Campus UMKC article, Betty Who, was my second most-listened-to artist of the year (followed by, you guessed it: P!ATD). If you want to know why I love Betty so much, check out my article about what a legend she is.
- Rozzi
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If anyone reading this has ever heard of Rozzi, I will be impressed. She’s not huge (yet), but her talent is. I first discovered Rozzi when she opened for Betty Who at her concert in May. Rozzi’s voice is the perfect combination of raspy and soulful, and her lyrics are so relatable that it’s scary. Go check her out. Seriously.
- Jukebox the Ghost
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Like I said above, I discovered this band (and the next two) thanks to Chloe, my super awesome friend and fellow HC girl gang member, via her awesome alternative playlist. The song “Girl” by Jukebox the Ghost was one of my top ten most-played songs of the entire year, and I didn’t even hear it for the first time until October. Needless to say, this band has been on repeat ever since.
- Bleachers
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I feel like I’m late to the party on this one, but I love Bleachers! Their sound is so unique and fun. Don’t ask me to explain why, but their music just sounds like a really good coming-of-age movie soundtrack. I can’t wait to listen to more of their music this year.
- Smallpools
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Okay, this is probably my favorite band at the moment. It all started with the song “Million Bucks,” which I once played on repeat for an entire hour because I like it so much. I’ve been listening to more Smallpools music, and I’ve yet to find a song that I don’t like.
Sure, music may just be a bunch of words put to a beat, but each one of these artists helped me get through 2019, whether it was putting exactly how I was feeling into words when I couldn’t or just making me smile and dance around my kitchen after a tough day. So thank you, music, for making the rough days bearable and making the good days even more amazing.