It may be asked how, from so many artists. It is possible to isolate a handful of bands and/or artistes and identify them as The Next Big Thing. The author, while conceding to a certain amount of arbitrariness, can in good conscience set forth the criteria that substantiate the following artists as on the threshold of being The Next Big Thing.
First, they are typified by a distinctive sound. Second, they are creative prodigies. Third, there’s a mysterious, bewitching quality to their music. Fourth, in each case, their music instantly captured the attention of listeners and critics, resulting in beaucoup streams and video views on YouTube.
With that being said, here they are.
Anorak Patch
UK indie/alternative outfit Anorak Patch started making waves last year, releasing “Irate,” “Blue Jeans,” and “Delilah.”
Made up of Effie (vocals, keyboards), Luca (drums), Oscar (guitar), and Eleanor (bass), all talented teenagers, ranging in age from 15 to 18, Anorak Patch has been espoused by Radio X, BBC Radio 1, and BBC6 Music. The band is now signed to Nice Swan Records.
Their sound blends hints of punk, new wave, shoegaze, and grunge. Replete with edgy guitars and soft, dreamy vocals, Anorak Patch has it going on.
ET Boys
Florida-based nu-pop/melodic rap duo the ET Boys debuted their first single/lyric video, “Sober,” last year, followed by “Nowhere,” “Something Love,” and “Long Night,” amassing one million streams collectively on Spotify.
The ET Boys, aka Tacboy and Sharkeyes, are siblings who grew up in a musical home. Their mother is house vocalist Pepper Gomez, who is the founder and CEO of Wake Up! Music Group. While still preschoolers, they started music lessons – piano, guitar, drums.
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Now a model with IMG, Tacboy also has a degree in engineering, while Sharkeyes is a medical doctor. The two began collaborating on music when Sharkeyes shared his compositions with Tacboy, who provided melodies and lyrics.
With their cool sound, a blend of pop and dazzling hip-hop, the ET Boys possess superb musical gifts that seem to predestine them to make it BIG.
King Hannah
Guitarist Craig Whittle and Hannah Merrick initially bump into each other at a band showcase in college. Later, both worked at the same bar. One thing led to another, and now they are King Hannah. And their sound clicks.
Hannah says, “It’s just about finding the right people. When I go to Craig with some chords and lyrics, he just gets it.”
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While Craig shares, “If we hadn’t found each other, I don’t know where we would be.”
The duo will drop their debut album, I’m Sorry, I Was Just Being Me, on February 25. Their latest single, “Big Big Baby,” provides a luscious appetizer from the album.
Hannah’s low, femme fatale voice and Craig’s pressurized guitar, like a cat on hot bricks, sets the duo apart, delivering a sound at once visceral and elusively wicked.
Tora-i
East London’s Tora-I, aka Tora Lambie, signed a recording deal with AWAL not too long ago.
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Since releasing her 2020 debut EP, Cavalier, Tora-I has been featured in elite outlets such as i-D, Dummy Mag, Complex, The Fader, and Colors, as well as comprising part of No Signal’s Class of 2020. If that’s not enough, Complex UK named her one of their ‘RnB Artists To Watch in 2021.’
Three tracks from Cavalier – “Call Your Name,” “Pisonia Prologue,” and “Escape Room – amassed millions of streams on Spotify. Her latest single, “PBFF,” witnesses her velvety timbres, redolent with sublime tonal modulation.
Citing an eclectic array of influences, ranging from Mariah Carey to Outkast, Tora-I generates sumptuous layers of R&B accented by cashmere horns. Yet it’s her voice that persuades listeners.
Janean Christine Mariani
Americana singer-songwriter Janean Christian Mariani recently released the lyric video, “Red Number 5,” a collaboration with John Reilly of UK pop-rock band Boy On A Dolphin.
Brimming with tasty alt-country flavors, “Red Number 5” blends Americana, hints of pop-country, and luscious old-fashioned country vibes into a sparkling, upbeat tune. As good as the music is, the highlight of the song is Janean’s grand twangy voice, infusing the lyrics with rich timbres, under scrumptious lilting control.
“By the time she hit the border, it was really sinkin’ in / No more lyin’ no more cheatin’ she was finally free of him / Called her folks outside of Jackson said mom I’m comin’ home / Tell daddy not to worry and to leave the porchlight on / With two hundred miles behind her and two hundred more to go / She dropped the top filled the tank and kept her compass headin’ north.”
Sadurday
Pittsburgh-based indie/alternative collective Sadurday will drop their brand-new single, “Out Of Touch,” this Friday, January 28. “Out Of Touch” follows Sadurday’s 2021 self-titled debut EP.
Sadurday is an ongoing collective project led by guitarist/songwriter Nick Comanici.
Made up of Mae Seaton, frontwoman of the UK band WREX, Tucker Rule (drums), and Jon Markson, Sadurday’s sound merges elements of indie, shoegaze, and alternative into ‘90s-flavored music.
“Out of Touch” manifests the final thoughts of a friend prior to suicide, pointing to an actual event transpiring in the midst of writing and recording the song.
The track opens on oscillating tones and then ramps up to luminous layers of shoegaze guitars topped by Mae’s punk-laced vocals, seething with allusions of post-punk aromas.
Nilufer Yanya
Imagine the musical offspring of Billie Eilish and Sade and you’ll have an inkling of what Nilufer Yanya sounds like. And even that analogy falls short because she possesses an uncanny talent for shifting between stylistic constructs.
Her sound amalgamates savors of indie rock, soul, jazz, and trip-hop. The daughter of visual artists, Yanya grew up in Chelsea, London listening to Turkish and classical music. Attracted to the guitar, she began playing the guitar when she was 12-years-old.
She dropped her debut album, Miss Universe, in 2019 to vast approval. Her new album, Painless, is slated to drop on March 4.
Gayle
Nashville-based pop prodigy Gayle, aka Taylor Gayle Rutherford, recently released her new music video, “ur just horny,” following on the heels of her massive pop-punk hit – 2021’s “abcdefu,” which was released via Atlantic Records.
“abcdefu” went viral on Spotify and TikTok, hitting the eighth spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Switzerland, Australia, Austria, and New Zealand.
Born in Dallas, Texas, she began singing when she was seven years old. Later, she relocated to Nashville, where she dropped a number of singles. Catching the ear and attention of Kara DioGuardi, Gayle was signed by Atlantic Records.
Gayle’s unique voice, simultaneously addictive and oozing with traces of both slacker and riot grrrl tones, is patently evocative.
Wet Leg
The Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg, made up of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, pump out mesmerizing post-punk sonic potions, such as “Chaise Lounge,” “Wet Dream,” and “Too Late Now.”
Wet Leg’s lyrics are often droll and whimsical. For example, “Wet Dream,” which is vaguely reminiscent of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, demonstrates their imaginative use of language.
“What makes you think you’re good enough / To think about me when you touch yourself?”
Wet Leg will release their debut album on April 8.
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