The Journalism Team
It’s 2019, and that means a whole new year of fresh music. We’ve compiled a list of 5 different lesser-known artists we think you should check out to start your year off right.
George Ezra
Genre: Folk pop, folk rock
Known for his lighthearted travel songs, George Ezra is one of the up-and-coming stars of 2019, with over 18 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His most recent tour wraps up in July, which means he’ll have plenty of time afterwards to release more music in the year. Plus, he’s from England, so you’ll even get to hear that lovely British accent pop out every once in a while in his songs. If you like pop but aren’t into the popular cookie-cutter songs on the radio, this artist is perfect for you.
Our song recommendations: “Shotgun” and “Budapest”
His website: http://www.georgeezra.com/
Disturbed
Genre: Rock/Heavy Metal/Nu-Metal/Industrial Metal
Disturbed is a metal band that started in Chicago, Illinois in 2000. They have come out with 7 albums as of now that have a mix of slow momentum building rock and base-filled heavy knockouts. Their 7 albums are Down With the Sickness (2000), Believe (2002), Ten Thousand Fists (2005), Indestructible (2008), Immortalized (2015), and Evolution (2018) so you know they have a lot of content and they have no thoughts of slowing down. Just the names of these albums are a hint at the power in Disturbed's music. The band’s current members are the lead singer David Draiman, rhythm guitar Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, and bassist John Moyer. Some popular Disturbed hits are “Down with the Sickness,” “Sound of Silence,” “Are You Ready” and “Land of Confusion.” Every album has a different feel while keeping their signature sound of electronic elements backed up with a heavy base. The music has and a motivating tone which is great for forgetting about the day and pushing forward. Disturbed will get you in that mood and headbanging in no time. Give them a listen on Sirius XM radio.
Our song recommendations: “Reason to Fight” and “Vengeful One”
Their website: http://www.disturbed1.com/
Rex Orange County
Genre: Indie/pop, neo soul, alternative/ hip hop
Alex O’Connor, also known as Rex Orange County, is a young singer/songwriter from Haslemere, United Kingdom. If you like trendy new music, this up-and-coming, new artist is the one for you. He has collaborated on an album with amazing artists like Tyler, The Creator in the past. With hints of indie-pop and alternative-hip hop, O’Connor often sings about his love life. His unfiltered and forthright lyrics draws in listeners and separates him from recent artists on the radio. Give it a listen!
Our song recommendations: “Sunflower” and “Loving is Easy”
Blackbear
Genre: hip hop and R&B
Matthew Musto is an American rapper and songwriter born here in Pennsylvania. He wrote his first album Deadroses in 2015 and moved on to release his most recent album, “Digital Druglord.” He first started his career by co-writing the song “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber and moved on to write his own music about heartaches and living the life of a rapper.
Song recommendations: “Do Re Mi” and “Idfc”
His website: https://beartrap.la/
Jaden Smith
Genre: Hip Hop; Alternative Hip Hop; Trap
Jaden Smith is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the son of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith. After working with the film industry and being apart of several movies, Smith decided to distance himself from the film industry and focus on music. Smith’s first song “Never Say Never” peaked at #8 on the Billboard Top 100,
where he rapped alongside Justin Bieber. Smith started work on his debut album in 2014, and it was released in December 2016. Since then Smith’s music career has taken off releasing four albums and several singles and features with other big artists.
Song Recommendations:
1. “SOHO”
2. “A Calabasas Freestyle”
3. “Better things”
4. “Plastic”
5. “Icon”
His website: http://www.jadensmith.com/