Left image via @coughs //
The post-COVID world has seen so many acts emerge from their bedroom studios into the limelight, with the two years of hiatus leading to the birth of some truly special artists and sounds. Unsurprisingly, the global music scene is thriving as a result, with artists from all corners of the world emerging each and every day, taking over the mainstream until you quite literally can’t get them out of your head. We’ve wrangled a couple of those very artists together for your listening pleasure.
Some of them you may already be familiar with and might have managed to see live, and some are yet to head Down Under. Regardless, they’re all great picks. Get familiar below.
Ice Spice
New York rapper Ice Spice is one of the leading rappers to emerge in recent years. Known for a relaxed flow and rapping style, Spice has amassed a legion of fans across TikTok and social media as a whole. Although ‘Munch (Feelin’ U)’ was one of our first introductions to her back in 2022, it was this year’s ‘Barbie World’ Nicki Minaj that truly blasted her into the limelight. After listening to it almost a million times over, its clear her voice has this ethereal aura to it that manages to put you at ease no matter what she’s rapping about.
Understandably, her talents have already brought her Down Under, with crowds across the country raving to her sets at Listen Out festival. She’s definitely one to watch out for as we head into the new year, and is helping to lead the way for new-age hip hop as we approach the mid 2020s (anyone else having an existential crisis right now?!)
Jasper Tygner
British producer Jasper Tygner is a total dark horse in the global dark scene, his insatiable edits and stirring original works quickly beginning to permeate DJ sets all across the globe. Add the fact that he’s a boss DJ and high energy live performer, and it’d be hard to predict anything but global acclaim for his works.
He definitely taps into the more emotive and nostalgic realm of dance music that’s seen such a resurgence as of late, with the UK upstart managing to curate symphonies of emotion that manage to make you feel while garnering commercial appeal. His latest single ‘Ready’ with Art School Girlfriend is a perfect example of this. However, we recommend checking out his full live set below to truly understand just what makes him so damn special.
Matisa
Italian DJ and queen of the beat, Matisa, is fast becoming one of our favourite artists, with her addictive dance bops and magnetic stage presence helping her to surge to the front of the dance sphere. Boasting releases with Peggy Gou’s Gudu Records and Newcastle’s Steel City Dance Discs, it’s clear her contemporaries agree, hence why she’s risen to such heights across Europe.
One of her most recent singles, ‘Tongue’, is a hypnotic groove that utilises Matisa’s own buttery vocals along with her refined production layers, as she crafts a dance floor bomb impossible not to vibe out to. Add the fact that her ability to curate a set list that’s second to none, and you’d justified in thinking that she’s got the best of both the DJ and producer worlds at her fingertips.
Flowdan
London grime MC Flowdan is no stranger to the music scene, having been releasing hard-hitting records for literal years on end. It’s only in recent times however that he’s achieved the success he’s been deserving of, however, with his appearances on massive dance hits like ‘Rumble’ with Fred Again and Skrillex, ‘Shella Verse’ with Sammy Virji and Interplanetary Criminal’s massive ‘Flowdan Dub’ propelling him to the forefront.
His voice is powerful in its delivery and totally impossible to mistake for anything else, with the grime OG capable of projecting heights of attitude with total ease. And judging by his recent show at Marrickville’s Factory Theatre, it seems Australia is fast catching on to his talent, and that 2024 is the year Flowdan, the solo artist, finally gets his flowers.
Rachel Zeglar
Despite being predominantly known for her work on the big screen, multi-talented Rachel Zeglar has some crazy pipes on her, and after her work in West Side Story and most recently, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, we’re guessing it’s only a matter of time before she takes the music world by storm.
Displaying a vocal agility and effortlessness that you just dont hear in contemporary music anymore, Zeglar manages to induce goosebumps with each and every word she sings. Case in point, her singing of the iconic Hunger Games protest anthem, ‘The Hanging Tree’. Thank us later:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRsv8MHwJXg
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