How do you decide who is an up-and-coming artist? In today’s digital age of music where anyone can become a social media sensation, what do you use as the criteria for what an up and coming or rising act is? It is getting harder and harder for me to answer those questions and figure out where to draw the line.
Going through artists and playlists each week I am always unsure of who I am listening to is a rising act or just an artist on a label that I haven’t heard before. But, is the reason I haven’t heard them before because they are rising or because I wasn’t looking in the right places. Did I stumble upon a great new artist or one that has a large label backing but I may be late to the party? I don’t know and if anyone reading this article could help give me a clue as to how to answer these questions it would be greatly appreciated.
Until, then I will have to push on and dig for the diamonds in the rough hoping to hit a moving target, or stay on the right side of a blurred line.
This week I came across two, well, three actually, artists that for different reasons were fantastic in their own right. As you will see once I show you the artists why I have such a dilemma on my hands when it comes to figuring which side of the rising act line they fall on.
First, before I officially start, I came across this duo who I have heard music in the past. They released a new EP last Friday that I thought and still think is amazing. I won’t say much about them other than this in this article because I featured them in my top five articles that came out on Friday. Fiji Blue and their latest EP, “Reasons You Should Care,” is great. I love everything about it and it is one of the few albums that made it into my rotation when I listen to music. Most of the music today I save to listen to, not much of it gets played again past the initial one or two times through. However, this EP I have played probably close to 10 times since it came out. That is how good it is.
But, I digress. This week’s Watch Out Wednesday article features two female acts that both fall under the category of great rising acts (I think) that have great voices and songwriting to match. As always in no particular order:
As her social media pages clearly state IT IS HEPLER NOT HELPER!!
She is a 19-year-old singer/songwriter from Utah and Arizona that has an incredibly strong voice. She is one of those talents that just has a gift. Her voice has a distinctive tone and her singing is something you can’t teach. When her songs come on you stop and ask yourself, “Who is that?” She captures you with the way she sings.
Her song selection is perfect for her tone and voice too. You see so much today artists trying to fit in with what is popular and a sound they think can catch on, and in most cases, it is not always the best suited for their voice. Lillian does the opposite, she picks tracks that compliment her voice perfectly. Not too empty to be called a ballad, but not too busy to be called pop. It’s not a power ballad, it’s not an R&B/Pop song, I am actually not sure what to consider genre-wise, but I do know I consider it amazing.
“Easy,” and “Nightmare,” were the two songs that initially caught my attention, then as I went deeper into her catalog it got better and better. Even in her few, “pop” songs, her melodies remind you of old school 1990s and early 2000s R&B/Pop songs.
Lillian is a true talent and one you should go listen to and definitely keep an eye out for.
I don’t want to take anything away from Allie, but she is one of the ones that make me wonder if she is rising or if I missed the party and am just beginning to see the recaps on social media. Her following on social media is enormous, to the tune of probably close to 2 million or more across all platforms. Her videos of her singing live on the streets and on a hilltop with a band are incredible. She has a few songs out on DSP, but most of them are recordings of her live performances.
She is a young growing talent from Ireland, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to her sing. Not that it really matters, but when she is singing you hear no signs of an accent, just a beautiful voice. She is one of the few young singers, or any singer really, that sounds amazing live.
I am sure you have seen her videos on social media somewhere, I mean she is followed by Gary V after all, but if you haven’t you need to go check them out now. Each one is as good as the last and each rendition of the song she singings is just as good as the original.
Both of these girls are amazing rising artists in their own right and in their own way. Both taking two different strategies of building their careers. Both are young and have great voices making me wonder what they are going to blossom into in a few years. Be on the lookout for both Lillian and Allie very very soon.
Comments