Dear listeners,
This is Jon. I’m filling in for Lindsay today for a really special episode of The Amplifier. By way of introduction, I’ve been pop music critic at The Times for… about 15 years? (Let’s not discuss it anymore). I also host Popcast, our weekly music podcast, and co-host, with Joe Coscarelli, Popcast (Deluxe), our conversation show on YouTube. Like and subscribe!
The fundamental reason I actually have enjoyed this job for thus long is that it isn’t boring. Surprise lurks around every corner and in every web wormhole. There are all the time recent artists emerging who use old ideas in revolutionary ways or, sometimes, completely recent ideas. Pop is centerless, ambitious and ever-mutating. If you’re thinking that things are stagnant, you are not listening fastidiously enough.
Here’s a listing of seven emerging artists who I feel have real potential, spanning a spread of genres and styles: People to maintain an eye fixed out for to get a taste of what’s to come back this yr, and sure the coming years as well.
Keep listening while reading.
1. Tanner Adell: “FU-150”
There will soon be an enormous discourse on the inclusion and exclusion of Black people in country music regarding Beyoncé’s upcoming album “Cowboy Carter.” But there are countless Black artists who’ve been working on the front lines in Nashville for years. For a taste of someone with an ultra-modern tackle country hybridity, try Tanner Adell’s “FU-150” – a surprising mix of country flex, hip-hop production flourishes, R&B harmonies and pop confidence.
▶ Listen Spotify, Apple Music Or Youtube
2. Nettspend: “We don’t like you”
In the emerging scene of post-rage rappers raging on SoundCloud and TikTok, teen rapper Nettspend stands out along with his playful groove, rapping over beats that convey each exuberance and disorder.
▶ Listen Spotify, (*7*)Apple Music Or Youtube
3. Xavi: “La Diabla”
Young singer Xavi is an element of the wave of Mexican and Mexican-American music that has made its way into global pop over the previous couple of years. Of all his generational peers, he is maybe the most sentimental, singing with desperation and conviction in “La Diabla,” which peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
▶ Listen Spotify, Apple Music Or Youtube
4. This Mexican OT: “Glocks and Hammers”
When Houston rap was booming and gaining popularity in the late Nineties and into the 2000s, it was notable for its slowness. Houston’s current rising star That Mexican OT is a transparent heir to this style and combines it with a high degree of lyrical dexterity, like tap dancing in molasses.
▶ Listen Spotify, Apple Music Or Youtube
5. Bizarrap and Young Miko: “Young Miko: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 58”
One of last yr’s breakout acts was Young Miko, a Puerto Rican singer and rapper so talented at each skills that she effectively stole it “Fina” from the host her collaboration with Bad Bunny. This later collaboration with the relentless Argentine hitmaker Bizarrap is futuristically sensual and hints at the explosions yet to come back.
▶ Listen Spotify, Apple Music Or Youtube
6. Buggin: “All Eyes on You”
Hardcore has been thriving and growing over the past few years, with quite a few throat-grabbing bands playing at home shows and DIY festivals. But few of these bands are as agile and loose as Chicago’s Buggin, whose music is touchy, abrasive, funky, and someway refreshingly airy.
▶ Listen Spotify, Apple Music Or Youtube
Come on, idiot,
Ion
Amplifier playlist
“7 artists shaping the sound of 2024” tracklist.
Track 1: Tanner Adell, “FU-150”
Track 2: Nettspend, “We Don’t Like You”
Track 3: Xavi, “La Diabla”
Track 4: This Mexican OT, “Glocks & Hammers”
Track 5: Bizarrap and Young Miko, “Young Miko: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 58”
Track 6: Buggin, “All Eyes on You”
