Best New Artists of the Month (August 2015)

These are the rising artists you need to be paying attention to.

Finding new artists is easier than ever, but this creates a problem: it's harder than ever to filter through it all and keep tabs on what's really good. With so many artists popping up every day, it's impossible not to miss out on some fresh faces and new sounds. With that in mind, we'll be highlighting our favorite new acts each month. Here are the best new artists of August.

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2. Connie Constance

The voice of Connie Constance will haunt you in the best of ways. The young Englishwoman sounds like she's really singing from the heart, and when that heart is feeling low—as on "Stars" or "Alone"—there are few artists who can emote on her level.

She's capable of turning the frown upside down, too. Annie Mac premiered the perfectly mellow "Euphoric" last week on BBC Radio 1, a sure sign that the world is catching on—fast—to her distinctive voice and buttery-smooth production.

Get to know Connie Constance better here.

3. KAMAU

Brooklyn singer/rapper KAMAU can create an entire song using only his vocals, and it's hard to avoid pointing out how cool this is, but it also reduces him to one trick, and he's much more than that. As a rapper, KAMAU is raw but sharp and supremely engaging. When he sings, he balances soulful talent with a playful charisma. The magic of KAMAU, though, is how he brings all these things together for fun, colorful, and infectious music. How an artist can sound so fresh by relying so heavily on the oldest instrument known to humans—the voice—is amazing. And this guy is just getting started.

4. Trapo

Wisconsin rapper Trapo is only 17, but his snarling, gruff voice on "Cards & Conversation," a track about a serious car accident that he escaped unscathed, proves that this young man has a lot to say and a lot on his mind. As well as poignant lyrics, Trapo brings a soulful singing voice to the table, and an obvious talent for weaving melodies into his delivery. We can't wait to hear more.

Related: 20 Under 20: Teenage Rappers You Should Know

5. Mallrat

This 16-year-old Australian artist may just be getting her music career off the ground, but she's off to a great start. "Suicide Blonde" shows off two skill sets: an angelic voice and charming, left-field delivery. It's the only song on Mallrat's SoundCloud at the moment, but this self-described "Hannah Montana of the rap game" is going to be interesting to watch develop.

6. Bonkaz

London rapper Bonkaz is versatile. He really blew up with "We Run The Block," a pumped up anthem with a refrain of "free up the mandem, beat up the feds," but then came back with a romance-filled video for straight up love song "Pretty Brown Eyes." Like his peer Stormzy, Bonkaz chooses to sing sometimes, but that doesn't mean he can't go in when he's rapping too—check "King Mike Skinner" for proof of that.

Bonkaz plays at our No Ceilings London show with Sevdaliza and Leks Rivers on October 19. Buy tickets here.

7. Chinah

CHINAH are Fine, Simon, and Simon, another band from Scandinavia making excellent pop music. This trio are from Denmark, specifically, and they're trading in the sort of hushed, pared back, and emotional pop that Wet are doing so well at the moment. With lots more music in the tank and EP on the way, keep an eye on CHINAH in 2015.

8. Corbin Butler

Corbin Butler's ROLLING RIDGE album is like a glimpse into the future. But it's not in the way you might think: rather than moody, electronic production and effected vocals, Butler's main instrument that appears all over ROLLING RIDGE is an electric guitar. An interesting choice for a rap album, to be sure, but it fits perfectly alongside these imaginative, wild raps.

One listen and you can tell Butler is more of a musician than a rapper—though he's incredibly talented in both areas.

9. Emily Jones

Emily Jones has been making music for a minute, but it's only with the realization of her Translate EP that the wheels have really started turning. Jones is a builder, layering ĂĽber-delicate guitar work over heavily reverbed vocals to create underwater atmospheres that are hard to leave and harder to let go.

10. Kodak Black

Kodak Black is 18 years old from Pompano Beach, FL and his favorite rapper is Lil Boosie. That fact alone tells you a lot about this young rapper. His throwback style stands out in a soundscape littered with modern trap sound-alikes, and while the similarities to Boosie and early Cash Money are plenty, Kodak Black's versatility keeps things interesting.

"Skrilla" is ominous and troublesome, but "Ran Up A Check" is proof that he can make a fun, summery hit. Kodak hes been in and out of juvenile detention centers for committing robberies, but he's got the potential to be a star and if he stays out of trouble, he could be the next to break out of Florida.

11. Elohim

Sometimes it feels like we're overloaded by young female vocalists with slurry deliveries and futuristic production. While there are plenty of beautiful voices out there, the singers that take chances with their pipes are more often the ones that get our attention.

Enter Elohim, an L.A. artist willing to embrace the skips, gurgles, and imperfections scattered all over her first two singles, "Xanax" and "She Talks Too Much." This is the difference between songwriting and artistry.

12. Solo Woods

Is one song enough to get really excited about a new artist? When it's a song like "Powers," absolutely. There are so many ideas packed into this one track that it can be a little overwhelming at times—but Solo Woods keeps his cool throughout the whole affair, bringing a singular voice and some virtuosic guitar work into the mix.

The only other offering Solo Woods has up on his SoundCloud is "Long Ways," which we posted back in April despite its 2012 release—it, too, is that good. I don't want to make crazy claims here, but if this dude doesn't have strains of Jeff Buckley running through is veins, no one does. Here's hoping we don't have to wait another three years for more from Solo Woods.

13. Mabel

Feeling low? A little listless? Throw on "Know Me Better," the debut track from newcomer Mabel. It's empowerment in a can, a fiery cut that starts strong and doesn't let up. The Mos Def samples don't hurt, and neither does that drumline percussion.

It's an upper-level introduction to the artist, and the subject matter follows suit: "'Know Me Better' is about losing layers of pretension and control," Mabel said, "and letting your guard down. It felt like the right track to come with first for so many different reasons, but I think the title kind of says it all."

14. Vector_Xing

Though their roots lie in London and Los Angeles, Vector_Xing's listed influences range far, from Nina Simone and Bob Dylan to Nico Jaar and Radiohead. You can hear it in their first two singles—there's a musicality to both "Wild-Child" and "Dipped-In-Blue" that separates the duo from many of their more basic contemporaries.

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