16 New Artists To Look Out For in 2019

It's a wild time for music, and 2019 is guaranteed to bring a gang of breakout stars and future game-changers. Here are some of the acts you should know.

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P&P Original

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new artists 2019

We always look back on this kind of list and think, "Damn, we jumped the gun on a few of these." In the past, it usually took a year or two for an artist to really find their groove and reach their audience. One or two early singles would lead to initial buzz, but that breakthrough moment took time. Not anymore.

In 2018, we saw how fast things move. Juice WRLD might be the perfect example; he went from a virtually unknown artist with a couple of popular songs on SoundCloud to a bona fide superstar in a matter of months. There's no right or wrong path to a successful music career—we're still seeing a lot of artists take the slow and steady route—but in 2019, it's clear that anything is possible. 

So this year, we're not worried about a definitive list. By next month, 2019's breakout star could emerge out of nowhere. This list is by no means an attempt to name all of 2019's potential breakthrough acts. There are plenty of other artists who could have been included, but these are some of our favorites. 

Dominic Fike

Dominic Fike

By the time Dominic Fike released his Don't Forget About Me, Demos, he was already one of the most buzzed about new artists in the music industry. Fike partnered with Tha Lights Global (Lil Pump) for management and then signed a multi-million dollar deal with Columbia. His breakout song "3 Nights" has tens of millions of plays across platforms, and his success seems inevitable. Shit, he even got a DJ Khaled shoutout and love from Kourtney Kardashian.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about the demos is that they are just that—demos—and Fike wrote those songs about a year ago while he was on house arrest. It's guitar-centric pop with flashes of Weezer-esque anthems ("Westcoast Collective") and chilled out jams that have yielded Jack Johnson comparisons ("She Wants My Money").

Fike is destined to be a fan favorite, even if his hyper accessible music doesn't impress critics in these early days. Pitchfork slammed "3 Nights," saying, "It’s the sort of song where the bad boy wants you to think he’s got a sensitive side. But he’s not bad. And he’s not sweet. And he’s not really a good songwriter." They compared his delivery to Bradley Nowell and mentioned his face tattoos in two of the three paragraphs dedicated to reviewing his breakout song.

But these days, being a critic's darling isn't worth much. Dominic Fike's music is already connecting with the masses, and despite what naysayers feel, we like Dom Fike's songwriting (plus, he's an impressive guitar player). Also, Bradley Nowell's delivery was cool and Jack Johnson made plenty of good songs. Don't Forget About Me, Demos is an exciting look at a new artist poised for stardom, face tattoos and all.

Summer Walker

summer walker

It's an exciting time for R&B. Now that the buzz around so-called "alternative" R&B is fading out, artists are finding ways to push the genre forward in more subtle ways. Summer Walker is a 22-year-old artist from Atlanta, and her 2018 project Last Day of Summer was the first proper introduction to a soulful-voiced singer who has something to say.

Signed to LVRN, the label and management collective behind 6LACK and DRAM, Summer Walker can now pair her DIY approach to writing, recording, and engineering all her own music with the resources and industry expertise it deserves. Her two biggest songs so far, "Girls Need Love" and "CPR," are polished singles which are racking up tens of millions of plays, but even more exciting is the fact that some of Summer's deep cuts are just as great. "Baby" feels like a lost classic that's been dug up from the archives and "Just Like Me" slows thing down for a moving ballad.

It's still early days, but Summer Walker's emergence feels like the start of something very special.

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Role Model

rolde model high res

A couple of days before the end of 2018, Role Model shared on Twitter: "Exactly a year ago I was failing school and had zero idea what I wanted to do with my life. Thank you all for helping me figure this out." Hailing from Portland, Maine, Role Model—whose real name is Tucker Pillsbury—got his start in music by rapping. "It took a long time to figure myself out," he told us during an interview in March of 2018.

On a four-song EP called Arizona In The Summer, Role Model re-introduced himself with a laid-back, melody-driven delivery and tones of the DIY pop style that yielded a handful of potential superstars over the last couple of years. But unlike a lot of his peers, even Role Model's early work hinted at a more ambitious, polished sound. The mellow "i don't rly like u" boasts a standout chorus, and songs like "not a fan" and "six speed" make it easy to imagine Role Model evolving into a new kind of pop star. His feature on Busu's "100k coffin" remix was the perfect way to cap off the year.

Figuring out who you are as a young artist is no easy task, but Role Model made impressive progress in 2018, and as 2019 gets going, it feels like he's on the verge of a breakthrough year.

Read our interview with Role Model here to get more familiar.

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Roddy Ricch

Roddy Ricch

There is no shortage of rising West Coast rappers, but Compton's Roddy Ricch doesn't sound like his California peers. His biggest song to date, the London on da Track-produced "Die Young" is still steadily swelling and getting the attention it deserves, but it really should be a top 10 Billboard hit by now. Based off what he's put out so far, that's exactly where Roddy Ricch will end up in 2019. He's a natural songwriter, and when you match that with the right production, you're positioned to be one of 2019's breakout acts. Vince Staples knows.

Speaking to Passion of the Weiss, Roddy broke down why his music is connecting with so many people: "I could make a song in probably like 25-30 minutes. And it be a real song. So I can do like 5-6 in a night... And that be the amazing part, but then what I’m saying, I really lived that shit. Seriously. So it’s a whole different feel. You really feel the emotion and the shit behind what I be saying."

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Girl In Red

girl in red

"There’s something really special about making music in my room," 19-year-old Norwegian artist Girl In Red (Marie Ulven) told us in April, 2018. "I like that no one is there to tell me how my music should sound." Bedroom pop became a buzzword in 2018, but Girl In Red was always going to be writing dreamy, relatable music in her small bedroom studio. The young artist's music is already taking her to new places, not just out of her room, but out of her country—she opened for Clairo in Paris and Dublin and has a 2019 US tour supporting Conan Gray starting in March. 

Girl In Red's songs are honest and relatable whether she's singing about summer depression or nascent relationships, and range from the gentle haze of "We Fell In Love In October" or "Say Anything" to spikier moments like the excellent "I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend." Girl In Red sings about her sexuality in a refreshingly straightforward way, and her presence on Twitter is great too:

With a rapidly growing fanbase, a rapidly expanding catalog of music, and a plan to keep evolving her sound, 2019 is going to be special for Girl In Red.

Blueface

blueface

In October 2018, L.A. rapper Blueface became a viral sensation as the video accompanying his song “Respect My Crypn” was shared hundreds of thousands of times across social media. Despite having been active for about a year, he became an instantly polarizing figure: as often as he’s hailed as an avant-garde visionary in the lane of veterans such as Soulja Boy, Lil B, and Danny Brown, he’s equally criticized as making a mockery of hip-hop.

In the time since, he’s signed to Cash Money Records offshoot Cash Money West and received co-signs from peers such as Drake, Quavo, and YG. Blueface embodies the rap underdog persona perfectly; unlike many of his contemporaries whose careers were bolstered by PR spectacles, label interference, and legal battles, the Blueface controversy consists largely of the question of whether he can rap or not, to which there is no right answer in the court of personal preference.

Love him or hate him, in 2019 Blueface will remain one to watch, and his message to those who criticize him is made clear on "DeadLocs": “Chase a bag / Don’t worry ‘bout what I’m doin’.

Dijon

Dijon

Dijon has been on our radar for years as the vocalist in the duo Abhi//Dijon. In 2016, Dijon moved to Los Angeles and started working on solo music, and in 2017 and 2018 he released a string of five singles that have started to indicate where things are going from here. The music is more organic and personal—mostly guitar and vocal-centric songs that feel polished but intimate.

Drawing from traditional American folk music, Dijon told The Fader that he's interested in “unironically and genuinely appropriating these symbols, ideas, and mythologies that aren’t necessarily associated with minority music.” So far, he's done that gracefully, and he has also managed to bring a youthful and modern edge to the conventional singer-songwriter approach. His background in R&B doesn't hurt—songs like "Skin" and "Nico's Red Truck" come to life with dynamic vocal runs that lend some unpredictability, and he's never tied to the rigid verse-chorus-verse format.

Dijon's reintroduction is off to a strong start, and he's planning on releasing an EP in the coming months. He'll also be touring more, sharing singles throughout the year, and building momentum toward a full-length album to come when the timing is right.

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Snow LaFlurr

Snowprah

Connecticut artist Snow LaFlurr's (formerly Snowprah) "Yank Riddim" feels like one of those hits that, even after six months, still hasn't really clicked the way it could. The song is raw and a little discombobulated, but that's part of the charm, and while it doesn't feel like a polished radio-ready smash, the addictive nature of it is undeniable, and the video is pure, contagious energy.

"Yank Riddim" is the breakout hit that hasn't quite broken (yet), but 2019 has more in store for the charismatic Snow LaFlurr. First of all, French Montana is a big fan and may be involved in her upcoming mixtape. On top of that, she's working with Lykke Li—an unlikely but incredible collaboration choice.

Right now, Snow LaFlurr is a wild card, but between "Yank Riddim," French Montana, and Lykke li, it's hard to imagine 2019 not being a good one for this up-and-comer.

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Amilli

Amilli

Amilli is an 18-year-old singer/songwriter from Bochum, Germany. So far she's only got a handful of songs out, but her effortlessly catchy debut single "Rarri" already passed a million plays on Spotify, and her follow-up "Maybe" proves that it wasn't it a fluke. Amilli's style is open and spacious, with minimalist production giving room for her subtly soulful voice to remain front-and-center at all times. Her approach to songwriting is timeless, but the final product is clean and modern.

In 2019, Amilli plans to get involved with the festival season, play shows in neighboring European countries as well as the U.S., and drop a few more singles before summer. After that, she'll take some time off to put together a project. It's very early days, but we can't wait to find out what's in store for this young artist. 

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Omar Apollo

omar apollo brakelights

One of the most exciting figures in the midwest’s bubbling DIY scene, Omar Apollo is a singer-guitarist-producer wunderkind with the charisma to pull off infectious rap verses (“Hijo de Su Madre”) and bittersweet, end-of-summer ballads (“Erase”). His 2018 EP Stereo showcases Apollo’s versatile skill set, which he has continued to flex on collaborations with Billy Lemos, Burns Twins, and Teo Halm.

In a conversation with P&P, Apollo said he’s eager to shed the bedroom pop label, and there’s no doubt that this year those who still have him in a box will change their tune. The songwriting is there, and Apollo is already evolving into a universally appealing artist not be to grouped in with a niche new wave.

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Bernard Jabs

Bernard Jabs

When we premiered Bernard Jabs' "Together Forever" at the beginning of 2018 it was clear the teenage rapper from Tifton, a small city in Georgia, had a lot of potential, but we couldn't have anticipated what happened next. Bernard Jabs' 2018 was a whirlwind, as he signed with Def Jam, went on tour with Pusha T, moved to L.A., and released his first music videos.

Concise tracks with sharp rapping over hard-hitting beats have always been Bernard Jabs' calling card, and he hasn't deviated too much from the formula since signing. It will be interesting to see how his sound evolves, but most importantly he's a highly talented rapper with an ear for melody and a natural charisma. The young artist's success so far is well-deserved, but his potential going into 2019 is even more exciting.

Slow Pulp

Slow Pulp

It's not easy being a rock band in 2019. Genre agnostic solo acts are dominating right now, but Wisconsin-born, Chicago-based quartet Slow Pulp are one of our new favorites thanks to their understated unpredictability. Without relying on random forays into other genres, every Slow Pulp song surprises with jabs of crunchy guitar, sweeping psychedelia, or melodies that you don't see coming. So far, their output stretches from anthemic alt rock to sleepy bedroom pop, sometimes all in the same song. Their latest, "Steel Birds," might be the best yet, and in 2019 they're planning to spread the music further with extensive touring and a new EP that's coming soon.

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Yves Tumor

Yves Tumor

With his latest release as Yves TumorSafe in the Hands of Love, Sean Bowie's found a way to present chaotic turmoil as gorgeous pop songs. Raised in Tennessee, Bowie's earlier music was noisy and self-destructive. Experimenting with everything from ambient melodies to walls of noise that'd make Kevin Shields blush, his 2018 Warp debut balanced the beauty with distorted ugliness better than he ever had done before.

The subject matter in his music isn't always easy to digest, but it's consistently fascinating. An important voice, even when it's covered in distortion, Bowie proves on Safe in the Hands of Love that Warp Records remains one of the most inventive labels in the world. Whatever comes next from him in 2019 will be just as fresh and unpredictable as his already impressive discography.

 

Lil West

Lil West

Delaware artist Lil West has been making waves for a couple of years now, showing off impressive versatility along the way. In 2016 he was just 17 years old and already collaborating with TM88, Dylan Brady, and Night Lovell, and he's been evolving ever since, showcasing a range that includes bass-heavy hip-hop and emotion-packed melodies.

On his latest song "Baller," he links with producers Take A Daytrip (the New York duo blowing up right now thanks to "Mo Bamba") and Russ Chell. It's a pop-leaning track, anchored by a bouncy, guitar-driven beat and one of his catchiest hooks yet. Lil West is already starting to show signs of hit-making potential, and with an ambitious 2019 planned—including two EPs with Take A Daytrip—the shape-shifting young artist should level up this year.

Full disclosure: Lil West visited our offices late last year to play some of his new songs, and he's got some great stuff in the works. It's the kind of music that should help him transition from underground favorite to a crossover success, and he manages to pull it off without losing the edge that made him such a unique artist in the first place.

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Inner Wave

Inner Wave

L.A.’s Inner Wave has been building momentum since 2016, but broke out in earnest with their sprawling debut Underwater Pipe Dream and last year’s dreamy follow-up Underwater+. The quintet incorporates a myriad of musical styles from shimmery dream pop to chicano rock to fuzzy psychedelia, but their projects are lush and immersive—never simply feeling like a survey course of what’s trending on Bandcamp.

That’s in part due to Pablo Sotelo’s engrossing vocals, which on tracks like “People Free” and “I’m Aware” range all the way from baritone post-punk to gossamer falsetto, as well as the warm bass lines of Jean-Pierre Narvaez, which anchor Inner Wave’s music whether it sounds like an Is This It-era Strokes jam (“2031”) or kaleidoscopic, pitch-shifted bedroom pop (“Fine”). In the age of niche taste, Inner Wave manages to succeed at putting their spin on so many relevant subgenres that they’re a true big tent band.

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Sneaks

sneaks

Sneaks is the project of Eva Moolchan, a Washington D.C. based vocalist and producer who makes music that bounces between genres and sounds, smashing any and all expectations in the process. Sneaks isn't exactly new—she released her debut album in 2015 and signed to Merge Records in 2016, with whom she released her second LP It's A Myth—but she's levelling up. 

Sneaks' previously released music has merged hypnotic vocals with spare drum machine beats, but Highway Hypnosis, out January 25, reaches new levels. The album is a patchwork of hip-hop, post-punk, rave, and more, and it comes with a similarly raw, utterly unique energy to M.I.A.'s groundbreaking early releases. Sneaks' music might not be for everyone, but hers is a voice that should be heard. Tune in.

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