Best New Artists of the Month

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 February.

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2. EMI

EMI is burning a hole through the internet with "Phantom," a confident, anthemic cut and an impressive debut from the Seattle-born artist. The song features powerhouse producers Rex Kudo and Sevn Thomas, who have crafted beats for Post Malone and Kanye West, among others. But it's EMI's moment, and she grabs it with a focused, full-voiced delivery.

"With the reality that a large percentage of our lives are broadcasted over social media," EMI told us, “'Phantom' is a tribute to the emotions that come with having a romantic relationship cast into plain view for others to scrutinize."

She followed it up with another strong single this week—"Hit Me" is also produced by Rex Kudo, and it has only increased her momentum in 2016.


4. Desiigner

If you haven't memorized at least half of Desiigner's "Panda," the world has been passing you by. The song was made in December, went viral in January, and landed on Kanye West's The Life of Pablo in February. Desiigner has signed to G.O.O.D. Music in the meantime, and is experiencing a career boost unlike any other. The best part? We still haven't gotten tired of "Panda."

5. Marcellus Juvann

Marcellus Juvann released one of the strongest free mixtapes in recent memory with The Fall, but we didn't catch on until his follow-up EP, After The Fall.

Juvann is a technically gifted rapper, able to surprise his listeners with off-kilter emphasis and a wide range of topics—Fall standout "Make My Way" touches on everything from Sudoku to hookah to armed robbery. And with the release of his "Holy Grail" video, the Florida-based rapper is proving he has an eye for visuals, too.


7. Jesse Rutherford

For the last few years, Jesse Rutherford has been has been killing it as the lead singer of The Neighbourhood. But recently, he's introduced & (pronounced Andy), a solo project with a decidedly different tone.

The tech-centric songs are simultaneously fun and bittersweet, melancholy and outrageous (see: "U R Wut U Eat"). It's also immediately clear that Jesse's having fun on songs like "Cell Phone Trap," and his excitement is contagious.


9. Vintage Lee

Boston rap continues to carve out its lane. Vintage Lee is the latest rapper to pop up—her snarling drawl is truly mesmerizing, and that laid back delivery sounds so smooth over Tee-WaTT's booming drums on "Hennythings Possible."

"I’ve been working on defining my sound and just figuring out what works for me," Lee told us. "I’ve been rapping for a while now, like in middle school I would freestyle on the bus rides with all the homies, or freestyle in the kitchen while someone made a beat on the table."

It shows—Vintage Lee is supremely comfortable in her raps. Count her amongst Boston's next wave.


11. Lower Spectrum

Australia is quickly becoming a hotbed for electronic music. With Ta-ku and Flume now firmly planted in the mainstream, the next wave of producers are stepping up, Lower Spectrum among them. It's the project of Ned Beckley, and if you like the subtle, expansive groove of "MASQUERADE," make sure to give "PROXIMA" a spin. They're both featured on his upcoming EP.


13. Gloss Gang

Brooklyn duo Gloss Gang recently appeared on Allan Kingdom's Northern Lights project, and he returned the favor this month on "Aroma." Adrian Lau—another frequent Gloss Gang collaborator—provides the stuttering beat. Check out their previous collab, "Money Hoes & Fashion," below.


15. Coast Modern

Without skewing towards hip-hop, electronic, radio pop, or retro sounds, it can be hard to sound relevant in 2016. Coast Modern proves that it's not impossible.

With their first two singles, "Hollow Life" and "Animals," the Los Angeles duo finds a sweet spot with pop melodies, unforgettable hooks, and elements of rock. So far, the music has been catchy and lighthearted, and the reception has been fantastic. "Hollow Life" is approaching a million streams on Spotify, and these guys are just getting started.


17. Kaiydo

There's something supremely relaxing about Kaiydo's voice—maybe it's his nostalgic subject matter on "Arcade," or the way he draws the hook out with an unhurried drawl, but the Florida rapper is doing something right on this flip of Sampha's "Without."

But then Kaiydo hits you with "Red Freestyle," a high-energy verbal assault that showcases his ability to come at you from another angle completely. These two songs will be part of Kaiydo's Colors & Sounds EP—and there's a lot more on the way.


19. RYAN Playground

RYAN Playground is the latest alluring graduate of Ryan Hemsworth's Secret Songs series to catch our ears. She gives a breathy, confident performance on "Folders," and it's a perfect match for Hemsworth's plinking, propulsive production.

It follows on the heels of last month's "Are You Mad," a more experimental look at RYAN Playground's experimental production tendencies. Both songs are part of the Montreal artist's elle, which you can hear in full below.


21. Jelani Blackman

Jelani Blackman has been enjoying an incredible 2016 thus far. He started in January with the utterly addictive "Submarine," and followed it up this month with a stunning vocal feature on Jarreau Vandal's "Rabbit Hole."

Jelani has been making music for a minute, but the pieces are finanlly starting to fit into place—his 1-4 EP started streaming on Spotify last week, and "Submarine" is one of BBC Radio 1's most popular tracks.


23. Koder

To understand the lengths of Koder's determination, you have to do more than just listen to "Zone Again." You need to know the story behind its release.

Koder was sitting on the song for a while after it was finished—he samples Skepta on the hook, and refused to release it until the man himself heard it. That didn't happen until Koder was invited to Novelist's birthday party, which Skepta also attended.

"It was the first time we had met," Koder said, "But he said to me he remembered me from Lord of the Mics so we got speaking and I said, “Skep listen to this.” I loaded up ‘Zone Again’ on my phone and played it to him and his reaction was crazy. He was like, ‘This is sick! What are you doing with it?’ I told him I’d been waiting to meet him to put it out, and he replied, ‘You have my full blessings.’ That’s the story in a nut shell.”

24. Miles from Kinshasa

Miles from Kinshasa makes music that twists your face up in the best of ways. Just wait for that beat drop on "IVRY," or the soaring harmonies on "KAYA." This is music that's unmistakably the work of an artist with a vision.

This London-based artist has an ear for the magnificent, and he's been impressive with each new release. "KAYA" is a more melodic, emotional offering, but the unique instrumentation remains. Here's what he had to say about it:

"The protagonist in the song is on an internal search too, but it just brings up chaos that he can’t fight alone... The name Kaya itself means little and wise, amongst other things, but generally has to do with some kind of wisdom.”


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