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Essential Artists

Essential Artists #04: From Ariana Grande to Mulga Bore Hard Rock

This week’s data-driven roundup of artists killing it around the world and in Australia this week

Start next week right by getting across the biggest and the hottest new music around – as usual, I’ve taken a look at which artists are bagging the most spots (especially those punching above their weight) on both the best Australian playlists and on New Music Fridays around the world.

Don’t forget there are two dashboards you can play with via the site if you want to get into the raw data behind it, one for Australia and one for the New Music Friday stuff.

Diving 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 going…

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:

  • Baby J – Fallen Angel (single)
    • The hype is red-hot for this artist ahead of her debut album. Only her 3rd upload, a mere 2k followers, but a top 20 placement across global NMFs? Wow.
  • finnjävel – notime…youshouldbeaskingmeout (single)
    • This Scandinavian hyperpop artist ticked boxes everywhere round the world. Top 20 for a brand new act? Whaaat?!
  • Silva Bumpa – On 2nite (single)
    • This fast-emerging UKG artist bagged some significant support this week. A compact spread, but with some important lists.
  • ear – Rumspringa (album)
    • The A24 stamp of approval pretty much guarantees playlister attention, as it did for ear, here, gifting them some big lists across a wide geography
  • Nia Smith – High (single)
    • The South London retro-soul singer bagged a solid range of big spots this week, with the global and UK slots in particular being critical for reach

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.

These three landed at the top of the list with these releases:

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

These featured artists 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.

These are the artists and releases putting Aussie artists on the radar at home and abroad this week:

  • Swapmeet – 2 C U (single)
    • Permanently encamped on huge global lists & building up to a hell of a year
  • Mia Wray – Isn’t It Funny (single)
    • A ton of home-turf adds, with some important in-roads abroad
  • Le Shiv – For The First Time (single)
    • Last month’s single release slow-burns its way onto some influential lists
  • Bjéar – I Love You, Brea (album)
    • Repeat adds on the big folk lists is doing some pretty heavy lifting
  • Suzi – Short Lived (single)
    • Suzi’s ‘Short Lived’ single proves to be anything but with these repeat adds
  • Olivia Escuyos – GET RIGHT! (single)
    • Strong local backing with an important global genre list to back it up
  • PASH – PASH (EP)
    • Second-week wins for PASH’s EP, both at home and on two big global playlists

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.

If you’re into raw data, then there are two new dashboards you can play with on the site for the Australia and the New Music Friday data.

Go and discover something new and amazing 🤘

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Photo: Mulga Bore Hard Rock at The Underground, Sydney