by Will Butler / Andrew Trendell / Alexandra Pollard | Photos by Press
50 artists that are going to be huge in 2016
The future is bright - From Aurora and Hinds to Lion Babe and beyond
Get Inuit: Kent based indie-rockers who understand the raw power of simplicity. Signed to Alcopop! records, home of Johnny Foreigner, Brawlers and Tellison, Get Inuit have the fresh choruses and enough trebled hits to frequent indie discos for many years to come.
Gilligan Moss: Making waves since 2013, this Chicago producer has only started to get the attention he deserves recently. An dizzying blend of organic samples, synth-pop and memorable house beats, Moss will undoubtedly grow on you.
Hinds: Last summer may have been when the buzz began to gather, but now is when the Spanish Hinds (fka Deers) turn into real, widespread, worldwide love. We have no doubt that their warped, punky, youthful exuberance will be soundtracking those mental afteroons will into summer 2016 when their debut finally drops and they conquer the world.
Blossoms: : An aching cool from an age gone by, matched with a universally loveable blend of psychedelia played within the realm of classic pop, rock and mod sounds. We fell in love when they stormed our Stylus stage at Live At Leeds, and now that they've signed to a major label, the rest of the world will follow.
Georgia: Having just released her debut all written, recorded and produced in her bedroom over a two-year period, Georgia's urban cocktail of pop, electronic and grime has enough flavour and kick to satisfy even the most critical of palettes.
Ben Khan: Jai Paul with more consistency, Ben Khan's glitch infused electro-pop is a vibrant and fevered rework of the typical neo-soul 2015 has heard far too much of and, with an EP already under his belt, Ben Khan seems to have every intention to stick around.
Lion Babe: US pop duo Lion Babe have been cropping up here and there since 2012 but next year looks to their most lucrative yet. Having worked with Childish Gambino and Pharrell, superstar status is just round the corner for Lion Babe.
Nai Harvest: Sheffield duo that don't compromise melody or grit with their brand of garage-rock. Somehow finding the perfect marriage of the two, listening to Nai Harvest is a fun and somewhat irresponsible experience that's best shared with friends.
Oscar: Equal parts Damon Albarn and Steve Malkmus, the melancholic fuzz of Oscar Scheller is blissful enough to warm even the most frigid of heartstrings. Tracks like 'Sometimes' and 'Beautiful Words' aren't going to reinvent sound for 2016 but are aural remedies for the disheartened and that's more than good enough.
Honne: Seductive rhythms that resonate on record, but are effortlessly accentuated in a live environment, the best way we can describe them is 'sex music'. Adding a tinge of lust to pop and electronica, let them woo you as all of the behind the scenes industry hype blooms into making them a household name in 2016.
Jay Prince: Having appeared on the latest Mura Masa EP, Jay Prince is turning heads by curating a new London hip-hop scene that breaks off the grid of the Grime label. Chilled beats akin to Tribe or, more recently, Kaytranada and effortless flow, this 21 year old rapper has got the talent to match his ambition.
Alex G: By no means a new artist, Alex Giannascoli has uploaded hundreds of songs onto the internet but not for us, for him. His wordplay and DIY charm has been gaining traction for years but, if everything falls in place, 2016 could be the year Alex G breaks through the Bandcamp barrier.
Hippo Campus: Since SXSW the Minneapolis indie-rockers have been on the radar for all the biggest Indie blogs and websites. Their intricate riffs and spritely lyrics will ring especially sweet for any fans of Dutch Uncles, Vampire Weekend or Wu Lyf.
Slutface: We must admit, we first went to see this band based purely on the name alone. What we discovered may well just be the best new band we've heard in a long, long time. With the riot-grrrl attitude of Sleater-Kinney met with the pure rush of Blood Red Shoes, the emerging Norwegian quartet Slutface throw out infectious pop punk riffs and irresistible choruses that demand every moment of your attention. Check out 'Bad Party', 'Shave My Head', 'Angst' and 'Call To Arms' if you don't believe us. We have seen the future, and its name is Slutface.
Kero Kero Bonito: Video games, house and bubble-gum pop is the secret to Kero Kero Bonito's one-of-a-kind sound. Featuring multi-lingual rapping and a production duo including rising star Kane West, KKB are fast becoming an iconic name in new dance music.
Nao: Breaking through with the sleek hit 'Zillionaire', London songwriter Nao is harnessing the power of late 90s RnB and pointing it in the direction of a digitised future.
Hannah Lou Clark: Not your average singer-songwriter, the obtuse and emotional whirlwind of 'Silent Type' is evidence of that. With jittering guitar lines and resonating pines, this London songwriter has bags of determination and a visceral honesty.
Kateboy: Swedish pop trio, Kateboy, have been staggering their hype over a few years now. They finally dropped debut album One in 2015 after a terrific self-titled EP, their tactile blend of dance-pop is sure to frequent sound systems of 2016 both at home and in the club.
Oceaan:The internet has been caught in an undertow of adoration over this Manchester based producer for a number of months now. His emotional and yet distant soundscapes are craft atmospheres not of this terrestrial realm.
Formation: Bouncy dance vibes taking a page out of Hot Chip's or LCD Soundsystem's book. The speaky-sing vocals and effervescent drive of 'Hangin' is more than enough fun to tantalise, not to mention that Formation make use heavy use of cowbell - enough said.
Ho99o9: Despite appearing hellbent on destruction, Ho99o9 (pronounced HORROR) are an unmissable live prospect. Hailing from New Jersey and blending elements of hip hop, punk and blistering white noise, the duo are currently adding the finishing touches to their debut album, with their live shows as unpredictable as their recorded output - just don't blame us if you don't make it out alive.
The Big Moon: Formally The Moon, The Big Moon's name-change came just at the right time. Their sweet and sour songwriting and wired instrumentals throwback to Runaways style rebellion but with a distinctly London bite.
Neon Waltz: "Dreamy, ethereal, melodic, explosive" is how the rising Scottish upstarts described their sound to Gigwise, damn right. They may only have a handful of tracks online, but the momentum has gathered with an incredible pace around these lads - get swept up in their glorious wave of sound before everyone else does.
Miya Folick: LA delivers plenty on the electro-pop]fronts but very little in the wheelhouse of folk. Miya Folick finds a mid-point between the former and latter channeling Cat Power through the lens of a writer raised in a Buddhist household.
Alessia Cara: Starting up doing acoustic covers on Yotube, Cara has far outgrown those humble beginnings with her confident and striking RnB. With a knack for sampling and wordplay, Cara is a jack-of-all-trades destined for a meteoric rise.
April Towers: "Party in the hot sun, no care, all fun," declare April Towers in the rousing call to arms of their huge single, 'A Little Bit Of Fear' - emphasised even further on the massive follow-up 'Modern Psyche'. A million miles from what you'd expect of Nottingham, but the the ultimate escapist summer. Notts duo Alex Noble and Charlie Burley conjure up the true decadent and free spirit of the season with a number that takes the tropical electro of the likes of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem with the brooding anthemics of Interpol and send them racing ever skywards. There's no two ways about it, if April Towers aren't massive in 2016, then there is no justice in the world.
Dua Lipa: A guaranteed hit machine, this 19 year old London singer has just signed to Lana Del Rey's management team. Blissed out and sunburst tinted, Lipa's intoxicating songwriting has all the ingredients for future smash hits, just give it some time.
Rat Boy: Much has been made of Rat Boy's knack for comical realism, waxing lyrical about the pitfalls of searching for a job and scuffling with the law, but he's so much more than Jamie T's little, louder brother. Newly backed by a snotty nosed live band, Jordan Cardy is already broadening his sound through subtle ambition - without losing any of the wacky grit that made him so charming in the first place.
Black Honey: They might have initially kept their identities shrouded in mystery, but Black Honey were evidently confident in allowing their singles to speak for themselves. And they did, their unique strain of woozy dream pop proving utterly seductive, particularly on the remarkable 'Teenager'. Expect to swoon.
Youth Man: Youth Man may want to rattle brains and shatter bones but there's much fun to be had among the ferocity. Boasting the accolade of one of Rolling Stone's '10 New Artists You Need To Know' and the awful lot of hype that follows it, the three piece don't appear fazed. Like they said themselves, they want to be the loudest band in Britain and, with the likes of 'Heavy Rain' and 'SKIN', they're getting very close.
VANT: There's not much to dislike about VANT. Often clocking in at around two minutes, their clutch of songs are arresting despite being so slight and Mattie Vant's lyrics are surely destined to be screamed back at him by bulging festival crowds. Not ones to outstay their welcome, expect a breezy set with buckets of attitude.
Mura Masa: 19 year old Alex Crossan is on track to be the hugest producer of next year. With an incredible Sometime Somewhere EP his subterranean soundscapes make use of distinct timbre and samples amalgamating a sound that will sound become a synonymous to the Masa name.
Aurora: Part of the incredible Viking invasion conquering our airwaves from Norway, the teenage Aurora has an angelic sweetness to her synth-pop sound - but it's a Trojan horse for the matured wisdom and pummelling melodrama within. She's making pop feel like it matters, and we can't wait for her to dominate 2016. There's a lot more to her than just doing that John Lewis ad.
Clean Cut Kid: Having just smashed CMJ, Liverpool's Clean Cut Kit is on track to break into the big leagues of indie-stardom. The band combine the preppy harmonies of Vampire Weekend and the melodic mastery of Paul Simon. With their limited discography it still feels like they haven't even begun to delve into the vast depths of potential this band are capable of.
Du Blonde: Beth Jeans Houghton knows the importance of balance. As well as operating under the Du Blonde moniker, Houghton also works an office job in West London to tide her over. We can't comment on the quality of her admin but her psychedelic cum hardcore sound is the result of the empowering nature of balance and the creativity that stems from it.
Kacy Hill: A model turned back-up dancer turned G.O.O.D Music star, Kacy Hill was picked up by Kanye's label after Ye himself heard her material while she danced for his Yeezus tour. Despite nestling in with Kanye and Travis Scott, Kacy Hill's idiosyncratic glitch-pop speaks for itself without endorsement.
Kiko Bun: Reggae is an underrated and underexposed branch of London music. Having already supported The Wailers, this London singer songwriter encapsulates good vibes, lazy rhythms and urban flair into one fresh and universally adored sound.
Loyle Carner: UK hip-hop needs a leader and Loyle Carner might just be it. Stepping away from the Grime explosion, Carner focuses on the lyrical and appreciates the significance of barchitecture above all things. His music traces the thematics of adolescent development more articulately than thought possible.
Marlon Williams: Rebelling against his punk upbringing, Williams involved himself into the world of country music and songwriting. Taking the sharp tongue of Bob Dylan and peppering it with the clandestine brood of Johnny Cash - the legacy of Marlon Williams is already traced, it just hasn't become realised yet.
Petite Meller: The future of pop you would have never seen coming, Petite Meller's china-doll aesthetic is disarming to be sure but her music has the inclusivity of a group hug. Curating the best of 80s anthems for the dancefloor audiences of 2015, Petite Meller traces the boundary between the overblown and the authentic but, either way you look at it, is a welcome and undeniable fun addition to the pop sphere.
Pixx: The 19-year-old Londoner was given a supportive nudge by Grimes a few months ago, when she posted the brilliant 'A Way To Say Goodbye' on her Tumblr: "u should listen 2 this on decent speakers or headphones cuz the way the vocal interacts w the bass isnt't super obvious on laptop speakers and its rly changes the vibe when u can hear the bass - interesting production, kinda time stretchy piano and shit." We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
PWR BTTM: No-one makes better jagged, queer guitar pop than this New York duo, whose playfully subversive lyrics blend with catchy melodies to often joyous, sometimes poignant, effect.
Tiggs Da Author: Embracing the deep roots of soul, Tiggs takes from the likes of Nina Simone, the dedication to the craft and James Brown, an exuberance and energy that pours out of Tiggs entire being. Check out 'Georgia' for the uplifting crossroads where Mississippi soul meets East London positivism.
WSTRN: A RnB trio that channel the talents of The Weeknd into a vibrant, less morose fusion of pop and hip-hop. Their melodies are reminiscent of The Fugees and their bars tap into the sentimental realism that has rocketed Drake to the peak of the musical Olympus.
Sundara Karma: A name that rolls off the tongue, their indie-pop bangers are as fluid as their nomenclature. Their stylistic route is a combination of spritely and infectious but often casts a shadow of something more telling, a feeling that exudes from frontman Oscar Lulu's dynamic baritone.
Vitamin: Definitely one for fans of The 1975, this Leeds quartet take as much from Superfood and Peace as much as they do Justin Timberlake. Tightly tuned choruses and delightful guitar lines, Vitamin is the sound of the optimistic youth.
Zibra: Percussion is what keeps the heart ticking, between the galvanizing synth drops and jarring use of sampling, Zibra's use of rhythm and percussion is what sets them apart from every other synth-pop duo coming out of London right now. If you've ever wondered what a HEALTH and Years & Years mash-up album would sound like, check out Zibra
HAELOS: There's an air of mystery surrounding the members of this electronic trio from London, they've opted for ambiguity to allow their music to speak on their behalf. A seducing descent into dimly lit city streets soundtracked by melodic trip-hop and visceral synthesisers.
Diet Cig: The loud to soft plunge is not a revolutionary technique in garage rock, but every now and then a band will come along who explore the limits of the structure, Diet Cig might just be that band. Compensating for the lack of instrumentation with expert pop songwriting and an electric live show, their music has a caustic defiance to it that too many 'garage-punk' band's today don't have the conviction to effectively pass as genuine.
Nimmo: Incorporating the neon-lit, synth stylings of La Roux with the global scope of Jungle, Nimmo's sound belies the fact that there was never a training period for this five piece. It's doubtful that there are any cracked demo tapes that sound anything less than fleshed out and polished - it's well rounded and frequently sought after dance music.
Astrid S: She may have come fifth in the Norwegian version of Pop Idol, but the truth is that her FKA Twigs-esque brand of artful pop-noir set her leagues apart from anything you'd expect to see churned out by any kind of cynical hit machine. A true individual, who carves a world of her very own.
Emma Blackery: This young Essex sensation found fame by becoming a Youtube star - dabbling in comedy, reading and vlogging as well as amazing music. She's pretty awesome, having risen to a star on her own terms. Now, expect her to take 2016 with more new music too - totally by surprise.
Bright Young People: Having supported The Offspring at Brixton Academy, Bright Young People have already proved they can hack it at the top stages. They released their first proper singles this year through Gary Powell of The Libertines label 25 Hour Convenience Store. If you like your rock to be pure, hard and heavy, then get yourself some Bright Young People.
Black Foxxes: For fans of Biffy Clyro and Arcane Roots, Black Foxxes are a band who play like they feel every single chord. A cliche-free journey of cliche-free hard-rock driven ever-skyward by melodramatic and dynamic vocals, expect their next releases to find them a fame that matches their much-deserved critical acclaim.
Dead!: After a year of heavy touring and destroying any festival they step foot in, Dead!'s blend of emo poetry, heartfelt sincerity and arena-ready choruses mean that they can't really fail. They've a sound of their own, but here's hoping they can fill that My Chemical Romance-shaped hole.
Broken Hands: There's no one quite like these guys at the moment. Their single 'Meteor is catchy and 'real' enough to make Noel Gallagher approve the songwriting, but feral enough to capture the imagination of even the hardest rock fans.
Cold Ocean Lies: Its very early days for this Birmingham four-piece and they havent publicly revealed too much about the industry support theyve got so based on the sound alone, which has brilliant balance of catchy choruses and heavy guitar - its easy to tell that Cold Ocean Lies will be a much more prominent name next year.
Tigercub: After breaking through into the music industry's consciousness in 2014 thanks to a support tour with Royal Blood, Tigercub have had a brilliant 2015. The release of their EP Repressed Semantics has buoyed them out of the confines of being predominantly a support band and a Brighton band. Last month they set out on a full UK tour and sold out the Barfly in Camden. Hopefully 2016 will also see the release of their debut album thatll be the start of even bigger things - we certain think so.
Jack Garratt: With the BRITs critic choice award under his belt, this Buckinghamshire producer-songwriting is destined to be massive; with or without The 'Sound Of' title. His songs are what Ed Sheeran's would sound like produced by Bombay Bicycle Club's Jack Steadman, if you haven't already heard Garratt on record.
Billie Marten: To say that Marten has been making waves wouldn't fit the case, it's a far too forceful cliche to assign her. Barely 17 but her voice has been transfused with a history of mature and affecting vocals. Citing Nick Drake has one of her main influences, we could believe it - the simplicity and conviction of Marten's songwriting is timeless.
Frances: The flowing red hair of Frances will soon be considered the trademark aesthetic for her beautiful piano ballads. Finding a fireside home on Communion records, 21 year old Frances' honest and soulful songwriting deserves all the love it can be afforded.
Izzy Bizu: Possibly the most photogenic human on the planet, Bizu is also one of the leading young voices in the UK. A self-proclaimed fan of "jazz-fusion mixes and a lover of squat parties and warehouse raves", the 21 year old has already supported the likes of Foxes, Rudimental and previous Sound Of winner, Sam Smith.
J Hus: A genuine hustler, when J Hus is spitting rhymes about acquiring wealth he's digging into the disappointing realism of navigating the self-involved nature of 2015 relationships. Cooking up some controversy after throwing gang signs following his stabbing. For all his talent, it'd be fair to say it's going to be a few years until we see J Hus jump on a Frances track.
Section Boyz: The most notorious artists on the longlist, for sure, this South London group are the real deal, full-body essence of UK hip-hop. Section Boyz are on a six man crusade to convince the world that 'Trappin' Ain't Dead' - whatever 'trappin' actually is.
Mabel: Having Neneh Cherry has a mum can't hurt your chances of getting into music, but what Mabel possesses surpasses commercial connections - her voice is an unique instrument. Blowing away the cobwebs of a neo-soul framework that has lurked the charts for far too long, Mabel is bringing hard-hitting production and a Lauryn Hill essence back to pop.
Barns Courtney: Aching, genuine, and human - piano-led soul for fans of Hozier, George Ezra and Benjamin Clementine.
Bonkaz: Rhythm and poetry in equal measure - a shining light in a new generation of grime.
Trampolene: Earthy rock n' roll met with Pete Doherty approved John Cooper Clarke-esque poetry about the pitfalls of rock n' roll and finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Indie has a new poster boy.
Pretty Vicious: A fitting name for a rising act with the choral anthemics and adrenaline rush of early Oasis, albeit with a much more razor sharp edge and acid tongue.
SG Lewis: You may have heard 'Warm' on HBO's Ballers, but expect his sound to reach the wider world next year. It's like the pure pop pleasure of Years & Years but with the sensual subtlety of James Blake. Lovely stuff.
The summer is winding down, this year's festival circuit has been rife in budding new talent so we thought we'd place some bets on what artists we think are going to blow up next year.
There's so many great new artists out there working their socks off to get noticed. We owe it to them to give them listen because, for the most part, a lot of these artists have some incredible tunes to offer. Ranging from the raucous grunge propulsion of Diet Cig, the fuzzy sentimentality of Oscar and smooth RnB stylings of WSTRN, 2016 is going to a new frontier of diverse sounds.
Here are 50 artists we think are going to be huge next year.
Bully Tickets
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Jan 2016
18
Fine Line Music Cafe , Minneapolis
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22
The Basement East , Nashville
