Categories
Essential Artists

Essential Artists #02: From Shakira to The Gnomes

The artists killing it in Australia and around the world this week.

I’ll dive in more deeply below but, if you just want to get straight into it, the artists you need this week are:

1. The top five global superstars with new releases

2. Five artists punching above their weight around the world this week:

3. In terms of Australian artists, these are the acts seeing playlists at home and abroad making bets that they’ll be taking it to the next level soon:

If you want to know why they’re on my list this week, let’s get into it…

The artists killing it on New Music Friday playlists around the world this week

First of all, these are the big five – these are the artists you’ll probably be hearing the most about this week.

The releases that put them on the top of the pile this week:

However, only looking at the big stuff means you can miss the up-and-comers. These are five artists that I think popped out while punching above their weight globally this week:

The releases that put them there this week:

  • STELLA LEFTY – Is This Heaven? (EP)
    • The only artist with <1m followers to make it into the top ten this week – but also, it’s crazy tough to get into the top ten with <1m followers, let alone (just over) 100k
  • Chloe Qisha – Surprise Surprise (single)
    • bagged some truly global backing (especially for an artist at this stage in the journey) across a remarkable array of playlists and languages
  • DJ HEARTSTRING – A Thousand Lies (ft DMA’s, Saidah) (single)
    • a smart collab with DMA’s put them on the radar of some big lists round the world – only six of them, true, but the Global, Deutschland, and UK NMFs are big players
  • Sofia and the Antionettes – Leaving The House Is A Performance (EP)
    • My fav find this week is this rising UK alt-pop act with strong early-stage support and a bucketload of swagger. Spots on the UK and Global NMFs will put – or keep – them on a lot of radars.
  • M.O.T.H.E.R – M.O.T.H.E.R (EP)
    • A brilliant – and semi-anonymous – debut by Robbie Furze, who is also in The Big Pink. You’ve got to love an artist that basically keeps everything totally secret and whose first upload bags a spot on the global NMF. Well played.

The artists killing it on the best new music playlists in Australia (and globally) this week

First of all, there are three artists who bagged more space on more Australian playlists proportionate to their size, than any others. These are the three artists critics and tastemakers in Australia are betting will break big soon.

Owning the playlists in Australia is one thing but breaking out into international markets is quite another.

This week, all three of the top-performing artists in Australia all did well on global and / or international lists too, so I’ve listed them first. The remaining five though also jumped out of the data at me as those being given more opportunities to be heard than you’d expect for artists of their size.

So, the artists and releases putting Aussie artists on the radar at home and abroad this week:

  • The Gnomes – More (EP)
    • the widespread and impressive backing for this new artist continues apace with tons of local support and an equal amount of global backing including a spot on The Indie List, which carries over 1m followers
  • RAGEFLOWER – PUSH PIN (single)
    • A great bloom of support for one of my favs, plus international slots too 
  • Scratching – Malvern Star (single)
    • Slow-burn support coming in strong both here and abroad for last month’s release
  • Swapmeet – Sand (single)
    • The *massive* backing isn’t slowing down for this fabulous homegrown artist
  • Larissa Lambert – Blood On The Strings (single)
    • Big reach from super-important lists in australia but also internationally too
  • Any Young Mechanic – Captain And Compass (single)
    • Another week of this artist being backed at home and abroad
  • Jaguar Jonze – Naked (single)
    • Continued broad support at home, with strong asian support thrown in
  • Bjéar – I Love You, Brae (album)
    • notable oz backing, and a sweet boost from a globally important genre list in the shape of Fresh Finds R&B

—-

There you have it – the artists from Australia and around the world whose new releases have been pushing buttons for critics and tastemakers at home and abroad.

Go and discover something new and amazing 🤘

—

Photo: Madeleine Powers, aka RAGEFLOWER, at Lazy Thinking, Sydney (performing here as part of FVNERAL)