Music
29 Jan 21

Hot Press Hot For 2021 International Acts Revealed

For obvious reasons, we’d all rather pretend 2020 never happened. So let’s press “reset” and look forward to 2021 with our ultimate countdown of the rising international stars to keep tabs on.

Twelve months ago, when the Hot Press team were putting together their Hot For 2020 List, we envisaged nothing but blue skies, fantastic gigs and and a year brimming with thrilling music. Which obviously went exactly as planned.

Fast forward to the dawn of 2021 and obviously our sunny optimism has been tempered ever so slightly. And yet, amid the gloom, there are still reasons to be positive. Live music may not yet have returned and much of life in general is mired in uncertainty. However, the roll-call of new pop stars remains as engaging as ever. And as we wait for the future to arrive, here are some of the artists worth checking out sooner rather than later:

24kGoldn:

Golden Landis Von Jones has already had a major hit with ‘Mood’, with Iann Diorr. He also had a “feature” turn alongside Mabel on Clean Bandit’s ‘Tick Tock’. He’s a stylish dresser too – as you’d expect of an artist whose parents both worked as fashion models.

Hear: ‘Mood’. That guitar line!

Watch: The Cole Bennett-directed music video for 'Coco' ft. DaBaby:

Ashnikko:

Ashton Nicole Casey blew up on TikTok in 2019 with her single ‘Stupid’ (with Yung Baby Tate). It’s truly flensing, with a gory video and provocative lyrics. “I got red hot like a demon,” she chants. “I don’t need the dick, I need magic, I need money.” Once heard it’s hard to forget – the sign of an artist who will be sticking around.

Hear: ‘Cry’ – her terrifying get-together with Grimes.

Watch: The video to ‘God In A Machine / A Clitmas Miracle’ – once seen, not forgotten!

Big Joanie:

The ghosts of grunge and riot grrrl are powerfully conjured by this “minimal punk” trio from London. There are touches of Goat Girl and Shame, too, though singer Steph Phillips is a force of nature unto herself.

Hear: ‘Fall Asleep’ will have you sitting bolt upright.

Watch: A Pixies-tinged cover of Solange’s ‘Cranes In The Sky’, performed at Reel Rebel Studio

Boy Pablo:

Fans of Rex Orange County and Jen Lekman – we’re covering all the bases today – will fall in a swoon for this Norwegian-Chilean 19 year-old. His sound is intimate yet with a real student disco zing. The bareknuckle lyrics land with a real punch.

Hear: ‘Everytime’ – indie bliss on a stick!

Watch: He lights up Norwegian TV with his live performance of ‘Hey Girl’ on YouTube.

Bülow:

“Smart, poignant, about guys,” is how Berlin-born, Canadian raised, Netherlands-resident Megan Bülow describes her debut EP, Damaged Vol 1. As she says, she makes intensely savvy pop – which has seen her sign to Universal Records and work with producer Mike Wise (Virginia to Vegas, Scott Helman, Allie X). Check her out for hot-off-the-press dispatches from the sad disco at the end of the world.

Hear: ‘Not A Love Song’ is one of her most essential singles – a break-up dirge from the perspective of the one doing the severing.

Watch: She is at her rawest performing ‘You And Jennifer’ for Canadian TV.

Iann Dior:

The Puerto Rican-born, Texas-raised rapper and songwriter has emerged as one to watch with his raw and confessional music. He has been compared to the late Juice WRLD – and indeed sees himself as inheriting the mantle of the Gen Z icon, even as his sound pings between punk, pop and hip hop. He already tasted success with his collaboration with rhymer 24KGoldn, ‘Mood’, generating millions of streams on Spotify and TikTok. Signed to influential LA label 10K Projects, the Corpus Christi native is on the fast-track to the top.

Hear: ‘Mood’

Watch: If you’ve ever wanted to see a 17 year-old drive a Lamborghini, watch the video to ‘Good Day’.

Fousheé:

The power of TikTok to mint new stars was confirmed by Brittany Fousheé’s ‘Deep End’, which blew up on the platform a few years ago. She has gone on to collaborate with James Blake, while her ethereal pop has drawn comparisons with Frank Ocean and Solange.

Hear: ‘Deep End’ is a pop song containing multitudes. With a great DIY video to boot.

Watch: The video to ‘Oxygen’ will have you hooked from the moment Fousheé starts singing from the back of a moving delivery van.

Girl In Red:

“Bedroom pop” superstar Marie Ulven has already sold out Dublin’s Academy – yes, a million years ago when touring was a thing. “It’s very natural and accessible,” the 22 year-old Norwegian told me in 2019 of her habit of writing songs in her bedroom. “I have an idea right now and I’m going to sit down here and fiddle with the guitar and see what happens”.

Hear: ‘Girls’ is a lo-fi queer anthem on rocket-powered boots.

Watch: ‘I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend’, performed live on Norwegian TV.

Greentea Peng:

Twenty-five year old South London native Aria Wells has worked with Mike Skinner and Goldie, while her free-floating music has drawn comparisons with Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill. She’s political too. On UK election day 2019, she posted a spoken-word diatribe titled ‘Bun Boris’. And so say all of us.

Hear: The dulcet ‘Spells’ is the place to start. It’s about “the process of travelling through that and coming out of the other end rather comfortable in yourself”. Sounds like falling asleep on the 11pm bus to Edenderry. Back when that was a thing, obviously.

Watch: Watch her sing ‘Downers’ against an evocative green background.

Holly Humberstone:

She’s toured with Lewis Capaldi and been compared to both Lorde and Phoebe Bridgers. The Lincolnshire, UK singer certainly packs a mighty vocal punch, the high notes delivered with a rawness that makes you sit up and pay attention.

Hear: ‘Falling Asleep At The Wheel’ is a slow-burner for the ages – think Florence meets Billie Eilish.

Watch: Her stunning rendition of ‘Vanilla’ – she rhymes “Apathy” and “WebMD”! – from BBC Music Introducing Live.

The Kid LAROI:

Just 17, Australia rapper Charlton Howard is one of a generation of artists whose willingness to blend genres reflects the playlist culture in which they were raised. As with many of his peers on this list, he’s already had a hit too – his Juice WRLD collaboration ‘Go’ breaching the Billboard Hot 100.

Hear: ‘Without You’ is the biggie you need to wrap your eardrums around.

Watch: Witness him hanging with ‘Juice WRLD’ on the video to ‘Go’.

The Lathums:

The indie rock wheel is not exactly reinvented by this Wigan quartet. But if jangly alt.pop is your thing they more than deliver. Tim Burgess is a fan and their debut EP was produced by The Coral’s James Skelly. They’ve also notched up an acclaimed first turn on Later…With Jools Holland. It’s almost enough to restore your belief in the transformative power of four pasty young men bashing guitars as if their futures depended
on it.

Hear: ‘Foolish Parley’ has some of the wistful menace that made The Coral so adored.

Watch: Their cover of ‘Blue Christmas’ for MTV Rocks is certainly memorable.

Made Kuti:

Grandson of afrobeat legend Fela and son of Femi, this Lagos native follows in a proud family tradition. Just last month he announced a collaborative double album project with his father, titled Legacy +.

Hear: The tempestuous ‘Free Your Mind’ is a good place in which to begin your journey into phase three of the Kuti expanded universe.

Watch: A rollicking live turn from the Afrika Shrine YouTube channel.

Tate McRae:

At 13, McRae was a finalist on America’s So You Think You Can Dance? Now 17, the Calgary native has been hailed “Canada’s Billie Eilish” – notching up half a billion streams along the way. She also knows her way around a ukulele, as demonstrated by single ‘R U OK’.

Hear: ‘R U OK’ is the best possible introduction to McRae’s angst-fuelled pop.

Watch: Her wrenching version of ‘You Broke Me First’ on Jimmy Kimmel.

Miss Grit:

Margaret Sohn is a 21-year-old Korean-American artist who began writing songs in her college dorm. There are touches of St Vincent in her pummelling guitar.
Hear: ‘Talk Talk'.

Watch: Live at Zone One at Elsewhere in Brooklyn.

Chloe Moriondo:

Having broken through on YouTube, Michigan teenager Moriondo looks set to step up to the next level with her emotive bedroom pop. Think Clairo meets Beabadobee. Sounds great!

Hear: ‘I Want To Be With You’ will leave you an emotional wreck – and that’s before the huge riff sweeps in.

Watch: Her perform ‘Girl On TV’ live – and surrounded by flowers.

Pa Salieu:

He’s just won the prestigious BBC Sound Of gong (past winners include Adele, Sam Smith and Amy Winehouse). And the Coventry rapper’s music is certainly unforgettable, chronicling as it does a troubled youth that has seen him acquire a criminal record. It’s hard hitting stuff – a voice straight from the street and the council estate.

Hear: Mahalia duet, ‘Energy’.

Watch: Watch his Tiffany Calver Freestyle on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Puma Blue:

Described by one (possibly over-excited) UK publication as the outpourings of a “South London Sinatra”, Jacob Allen’s music is a blend of rat pack crooning and shoegaze tumult. It’s beguiling and sees a revival of the traditional begun by How To Dress Well of the blue-eyed indie moocher.

Hear: ‘Moon Undah Water’ is a chugging, untethered journey to the dark side of the croon. Such are Allen’s vocal powers, he makes “Innocent Bullshit” sound like the most beautiful phrasing you’ve ever heard.

Watch: The video to ‘Soft Porn’ captures both the kick in Allen’s voice and the minimalist aesthetic central to his music.

Royal & the Serpent:

Not to be confused with the Royal Showband, this lush and evocative electro outfit is a vehicle for LA songwriter Ryan Santiago. Citing Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks as influences, her music has popped up in unexpected places, such as the soundtrack to Stieg Larsson thriller The Girl In The Spider’s Web. The film was rubbish – Santiago’s tunes, though, are anything but.

Hear: Latest single ‘Bad Kids’ is an epic hook-up with Yoshi Flower.

Watch: The video to ‘Overwhelmed’ features synchronised dancing and other fun.

Bree Runway:

The 28-year-old Londoner has just lit up the internet with her Missy Elliot collaboration ‘ATM’. It’s a stunning calling card from the Hackney artist, whose “genre fluid” pop draws on The Neptunes, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Madonna.

Hear: ‘Little Nokia’ brims with vim and venom – and is powered by a killer riff.

Watch: She struts with a vengeance with a Vevo Live performance of ‘Rolls Royce’.

Spiritbox:

Are you ready to raawwwwwwk! Spiritbox hope so. This Vancouver “post metal core” trio are poised to conquer 2021 with their rollicking and spooky assault. The band’s name, incidentally comes from a device used to contact ghosts. “It’s weird but I’ve always been interested in dark stuff,” singer Courtney LaPlante told Metal Hammer. “I think it’s an anxiety thing; it’s a way for me to explore things that make me anxious, but in a ‘safe’ way.”

Hear: ‘Constance’ sounds like Enya collaborating with Pantera – what could be better?

Watch: It’s fair to say the video to ‘Holy Roller’ is slightly-influenced by Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’.

Yard Act:

The British regions have made a proud contribution to alternative rock and that tradition is upheld by these Leeds newcomers. James Smith’s laconic snarl owes a little to Mark E Smith, while they have some of the Happy Mondays’ mischievous irreverence.

Hear: ‘Fixer Upper’ is both hilarious and profound.

Watch: Watch them deliver a rollicking set from their bedrooms.

Zoe Wees:

Hamburg native Wees had a big break out with her debut single ‘Control’. Articulating her struggle with childhood epilepsy, the song – which lives somewhere between Adele and Freya Ridings – is hugely moving. Which is presumably why it notched up one million streams in just a day. “The sickness was stronger than me, and left scars that have become part of my life,” she told Wonderland. “Accepting them has taken so much time, but they make me what I am today: a fighter.”

Hear: ‘Control’ – put it on heavy rotation right now!