With social media today and the endless exposure each musician gets online, there are so many new up and coming artists. From Ava Max to Jack Gray, we have a list of new artists that we think you should be listening to!
Rence:
pic by: Daniel Prakopcyk
Rence has been having a successful year so far. Back in 2018 he released his single “Baby Blue,” which attracted fans, taste makers and fellow musicians. His music and sound is new and refreshing, with crisp drums meeting indulgently effected vocals over synths. Rence then released a duet with Noah Cyrus called “Expensive” which also became successful and opened even more doors, as Rence said.
“Expensive was amazing for me in that it opened a small door to new listeners - which I hope means that they can take something away from the song (and my other music) too. After we dropped the song I started to get a peek at so many new pieces of the music industry - and of how more fans take songs and turn them into pieces of their lives. Next after the song was the video shoot - such an eye-opening experience for me because I got to see what a more full-scale production was like. In the past we scrounged to make videos without the proper resources or people. Now, Epic has given me just that: all the tools and power necessary to amplify my artistic vision.” Rence signed with Epic Records this summer, where he flew to LA during finals at NYU to meet with Epic, studying at his hotel before ultimately signing the deal with Epic. “The music made its way to their team and they came to us really wanting to get in on the action and build this out together. Joey and Sylvia - from the get go - showed just how serious they were, and how well they understood what my plan for the future. It felt so meant to be because I immediately knew this was where I belonged.” Rence has an EP coming as well as new song that you should look out for as well. “This EP is me, open: opening up about some of my darker moments. Sharing some of the times I didn’t feel ok. Or thought I didn’t. Within the project I face some of my darker moments of the past few months with the hope that I can better understand them (and myself) and grow. It’s my hope that the project can do that same for others too :) I think my favorite line is “soon to forget me, yeah I know.” The lines conclusion - “I know” - from which the song takes its title, is a dig at myself for thinking I always know what’s right/best/going to happen next in a relationship. I’ve really been working on listening lately and taking things as they come.”
Jack Gray:
You might, somehow, getting tired of Shawn Mendes and are looking for that next musicians to listen to. Jack Gray is your guy. At 21 years, Gray is a multi-talented dude. He can play guitar and piano at the same time and writes songs about more than just heartbreak, which the millennials and Generation Z’ers could use less of, seems to dampen the mood. Gray’s popular songs are “My Hands,” “Fools” and “Red Rental Car,” which has over a million streams on Spotify. Gray says “I’m so grateful that I have the people around me that I do to get me here (in Los Angeles). I’m literally living my dream, I could die happy, very very grateful.” Gray started music “very early” in his life. “I grew up in a musical family, so my dad played the piano and he was in a band with his brothers, so I grew up around that. My sisters all learned instruments, so growing up I just kind of got obsessed with it all and so I pretty much, instead of doing homework, I was playing instruments and then when I left school I found one of the coolest instruments which is my laptop, so now I’m producing. Now I’m doing it all in my bedroom and making as much music when I can.” Gray is opening for Maisie Peters on tour starting this fall, he describes his MOOD as “fun, I want to have so much fun on stage and let go and escape, and realizations. I feel like a lot of my songs now are realizations that I’ve had since leaving school. I’ve been thinking what I want to talk about and who I want to be as a person, what kind of person I want to be. You have all these realizations and you have all these conversations with people and you learn things, a lot of the music I’m writing about now is talking about those realizations, so that will be a part of the tour.” You can get your tickets to see Jack Gray on tour here. https://jackgraymusic.com
Ava Max:
Credit: Lauren Dunn
You probably know her song “Sweet But Psycho” and for her signature hair style. Ava Max is on track to become the next pop queen that we’ve been waiting for. Ever since Lady Gaga released “Poker Face” and Katy Perry released “Hot and Cold,” that bubble gum pop phase has passed, even though that pop has always been amazing. Ava Max is bringing that pop style back with her songs like “So Am I,” “Sweet But Psycho” and her recent hit “Torn.” If you’re not already listening to her music, make sure you do.
Mabel:
Hayley Louisa Brown
Every British musician for some reason always makes it big and Mabel is no different. Back in 2017, reggaetón trop-pop was huge with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” and then came Dua Lipa’s “New Rules,” and now Mabel’s “Don’t Call Me Up” and she is international, she’s Spanish, British and Swedish. This 2019 heartbreak recovery anthem will sure be on track to become a major hit and get her to become the next big thing.