Best New Artists of the Month (February 2015)

Demo Taped is only 17 years old and has been making music by himself in his bedroom in Atlanta, GA, but the singer/songwriter/producer has already got a mission statement that everyone can get behind. “I’ve set my sights on spreading love and good vibes through my music,” he told us. “I want to be able to put a smile on someone’s face, or to make someone dance. I want to have an audience that I can spread my love to.”

His music is slightly lo-fi, electronically driven, and genre-defying. It brings in elements of pop and R&B, but gets by off the strength of this young artist's songwriting ability. He's got an ear for gorgeous melodies, and while these songs are perfect the way they are—slightly raw and unpolished—it's easy to imagine him growing into an artist with major impact.

Listen to "I Luv U" below, and hear more music/read more about Demo Taped here.

Los Angeles-based, Minnesota native vox (pronounced "wokes") had previously been uploading covers of pop and rap songs to YouTube, but “Money” and “Better," the two original tracks on her Soundcloud, are about as far removed from a Taio Cruz cover as possible. The subject matter is dark, with lines like, “we’re all so hungry, bloodthirsty / we’re all so hungry, come eat me,” the production nods to forward thinking producers, and the vocal performance is commanding.

With a well-defined image (check her Instagram) and a good taste in collaborators (Londoner Kyan guests on “Money,” after vox discovered him on P&P), we’re already looking forward to her next moves.

Read our interview with vox here.

For a while there, it seemed like music videos were fading away. MTV turned its focus to reality shows and the biggest platform for the music video disappeared, but the Internet has once again saved the day. Music videos are now the most popular form of content on YouTube, and we've seen the effect an amazing video can have for a new artist.

For WebsterX, the "Doomsday" video is a powerful introduction. He incorporates sounds and styles far outside of current hip-hop's usual palette, and he's got an energy about him that adds weight to everything he says. The young Milwaukee artist has a rich musical background—his dad was a famous musician in Ethiopia and he grew up listening to psychedelic rock—and lofty goals to make a lasting impact on hip-hop. If he can keep things on the level of "Doomsday," those goals should be within reach soon.

Read more about WebsterX here.

"White Iverson" might be perfect. Post Malone is from Dallas and now living in Los Angeles, and based on this song alone, it'd be a pretty safe bet to say that this guy's gonna become a thing in 2015. The effortless and constantly morphing flow paired with laid back FKi production creates a vibe unlike any other, and his sedated confidence and ability to paint a picture with words rivals that of The Weeknd's early material.

The big question is: can he match this? Everyone who's heard his unreleased material vouches for him, so we're guessing this fantastic track isn't a stroke of luck. We'll have to wait and see, but for now, we're fine with "White Iverson" on repeat.

Edyth is a mysterious producer who describes his music and persona as, “a narrative-backed, sci-fi influenced and earth-inspired project.” On his new EP, BARE I, the producer demonstrates incredible versatility with the club tracks like “Herbal Blend” sitting alongside more hip-hop leaning beats like “Crystxls.” While he may not yet be quite getting the recognition his excellent work deserves, that should change if he keeps the quality this high.

Read a short interview with Edyth here.

We only got familiar with Kaya thanks to her work with producer Bine aka Blank Body, and we're so happy he put us on. With a husky, soulful voice that works over a variety of production, from the simple piano of "night time" to the hazy layers of her untitled track produced by blank body, Kaya's talent is undeniable. If she continues working with awesome producers, and continues to improve, the future will be incredibly bright for this artist.

Shitro is not really a new artist at all—he released a strong mixtape in summer last year as MPA Shitro with features from the likes of Young Thug, Young Scooter, Casey Veggies, and PeeWee Longway, and he toured with Kid Ink too. But, having moved back to Los Angeles after living in Atlanta, and changed his name to Bricc Baby Shitro, he dropped one of the best, most manic turn-up songs of the year, "6 Drugs," in February,

With production from French producer Sam Tiba on "6 Drugs" and three features on Brodinski's forthcoming album, BRAVA, Shitro is showing he's open to working with an exciting range of producers. Look out for his new mixtape, coming March 10.

Dead Right's "Rising Tide" is one of those songs that feels immediately familiar after one listen. Without sounding like another song, it feels like something you've heard before, and that's a great sign of a potential hit. It's an instant connection. "Rising Tide" the debut single from the Los Angeles duo (songstress Graham Knoxx and producer/instrumentalist Alex Goose), and it's fun and danceable without crossing too heavily into the electronic zone. Although, if more electronic is your thing, the Gianni Lee remix takes it there.

We literally know nothing about Pooltheory, other than that they are from Los Angeles and they are working on a debut album. There are no pictures, no bio, and no social presence, just the one song. It might be a little early to be calling Pooltheory the best anything, but "The Dreamer" has such potential, with its classic pop-rock songwriting and touches of more modern production, that we can't help but be excited for whatever comes next.