Your guide to what's hot in London
With the decade drawing to a close, it's time to look forward to a new era of music.
Judging by the last 10 years,the 20s have a lot to live up to there's been some serious musical innovation, which sets a pretty daunting precedent for the next generation.
So, who will kickstart thisnew dawn? Here, weve picked out five young musicians set to do just that, and have particularly big years in 2020.
Check out a sample of their sound below, and be sure to keep an eye on them over the next 12 months.
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Charli featured two of the best, if not the best pop songs of the year: Gone and 1999, featuring Christine and the Queens and Troye Sivan respectively. For those tracks alone, wed have been tempted to put this album on the list, but there was plenty more throughout the 13 other songs to warrant its inclusion. Charli XCXs astute taste for bangers was undiminished, but her experimentalism shone brighter here than on any of her previous releases a prime example being Click, surely inspired by avant-pop pioneer SOPHIE but packing in plenty of fresh intrigue. Her more intimate moments, exposed when she stepped away from the dancefloor, were painfully compelling, too: Hate myself, I really love you/ Hurting you feels like Im hurting as well,'' she lamented on White Mercedes.
Getty Images for Pandora
Assume Form, James Blakes fourth and most accessible album, found the singer-songwriter in his most loved-up mood yet. The collection of knotty, wonky pop songs drew heavily on his relationship with actress and TV presenter Jameela Jamil, and songs like the title track spoke about their love as a rebirth, helping him see the world with fresh eyes (Going through the motions my whole life/ I hope this is the first day/ That I connect motion to feelings). His experiments with trap and hip hop influences on the likes of Mile High featuring Travis Scott and Tell Them were well done, with his talent as a producer and his expressive falsetto transcending genre. I Cant Believe the Way We Flow is as pure a love song as Blake will likely ever produce, and an incendiary turn from Andre 3000 on Wheres The Catch was a standout. But it was the elegant, haunting beauty of Dont Miss It which made the biggest impact, and formed arguably Blakes finest moment to date.
AFP via Getty Images
After making her name with gritty, lo-fi indie over the past decade, the Missouri singer-songwriter went big and bold on her fourth album, mixing scything guitars with crashing drums and an enormous-sounding 14-piece orchestra. Opening track Lark was stunning and in its scale, painful and hopeful in equal measure. If only we could start again, pretending that we dont know each other, she sung the track, and the record as a whole, was a new beginning in every sense, seeing her achieve something truly remarkable. Jherek Bischoffs orchestral arrangements added a grandiosity throughout and the title track dripped with poise and elegance, with Angels impassioned delivery adding a gritty edge. Its an ambitious and at times awe-inspiring work that furthers Olsens status as a searing talent.
Getty Images for Coachella
On Lizzos breakthrough release, self-confidence wasnt so much a theme as a fundamental truth. That much was obvious from the first 10 seconds a flooring barrage of ground-shaking vocals and booming instrumentation. And it continued, with one-liner after one-liner. Only exes that I care about are in my f***ing chromosomes, she rapped on Like A Girl, and on Juice: I be drippin so much sauce/ Got a b**** lookin like ragu. That second song was the perfect encapsulation of Lizzos newfound glory: a carefree, self-loving slice of retro-futurist funk, with a voice sounding both like an old soul veteran and a hyper-modern star, belting out one of the catchiest choruses you'll have heard in 2019. Cuz I Love You was certainly the feel-good album of the year, and with the torrent of awfulness that seemed to dominate the news cycle, it was a most welcome tonic
Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Shouty men in loud bands are all the rage these days, but Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten drew power from restraint. On Dogrel, not once did his delivery lash out into anything close to a growl or bark. In fact, he barely seemed to even raise his voice, instead finding potency and, crucially, distinctiveness in his deadpan drawl. His pared-back style wasnt entirely matched by his bandmates. These songs, rooted largely in post-punk, were written in the pubs of Dublin, and it showed. Boys in the Better Land was a rowdy pint-flinger, while Dublin City Sky was a booze-soaked ballad. Chatten managed to find poetry among the haze The city in its final dress/ And now a gusty shower wraps the grimy scraps/ Of withered leaves all about your feet, he sang on album standout Too Real and there were quieter, more tender moments, like on the warmly downbeat Roys Tune. All of it, though, was bracing.
AFP via Getty Images
We waited a long while for Magdalene ever since FKA Twigs became one of the most hyped names in the business after her 2014 breakthrough LP1, in fact. Were glad she took her time. The album was a triumph of heartbreak, fractured love and rebirth, so candid and piercingly intimate. The singer, real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett, drew heavily on her break-up from actor Robert Pattinson, and the sorrow was palpable on tracks like Thousand Eyes (If I walk out the door, it starts our last goodbye/ If you don't pull me back it wakes a thousand eyes). Cellophane, though, was the heart of the album, the sparse ballad marking one of the most astonishingly emotional tracks of the year. Didn't I do it for you? Why don't I do it for you? she lamented. It was incredibly moving, and the highlight of an extraordinarily powerful release.
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GREY Area felt like it had been a long time coming for Little Simz. As an artist, she had remained unrushed, releasing a string of EPs before her debut album in 2015, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons. It never felt like she was treading water, though. Instead, the Islington rapper had been patiently honing her craft, experimenting and making plans. On GREY Area, those plans were realised with startling clarity. Her flow was malleable but meticulous, with lyrics that bristled with honesty (most potently, perhaps, on the song Venom, when she offered another theory on why it had taken her this long to get the recognition she deserves: They would never wanna admit I'm the best here/ From the mere fact that I've got ovaries). The genre-melding music was refreshingly organic, too, recorded largely using live instruments, slinking from booming hip-hop to slick funk. This might have been Little Simzs third and best album, but you know shes only just getting started.
Getty Images for Coachella
In 2019, Dave the confirmed his status as one of the pre-eminent voices in UK rap at the age of just 21. Hes made his name in singles in the past, but Psychodrama was one of the most coherent and conceptual albums of the past 12 months, presented with skits between tracks, taking the form of a therapy session. The album tackled everything from mental health to abuse and prison reform, and Black which focuses fervently on struggles and stigmas facing black Britons was the kind of impassioned, chest-bursting state-of-the-nation address that leaves you speechless (Black is pain, black is joy, black is evident/ It's working twice as hard as the people you know you're better than). Streatham found him on confessional and candid form, while Burna Boy collaboration Location is one of the most club-friendly tracks of the year. It was an album that played fast and loose with genre, mixing grime, dancehall and more to encapsulate perfectly where Londons music scene was headed.
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Explicit and exquisite, Norman F***ing Rockwell saw Lana Del Rey produce her finest work which is saying something after the excellent string of Ultraviolence, Honeymoon and Lust for Life. It marked something of a departure from her previous work, which has often been about creating immersive, evocative pieces, with plush production and taught musicality. On Norman F***ing Rockwell, most of the tracks were laid bare with piano and minimal strings and guitar work. The album was co-written with producer Jack Antanoff, who also had a hand in a number of tracks on Taylor Swifts Lover, and together the pair kept things refreshingly uncluttered. It allowed her incredible voice to come to the fore more than ever before, with the singer putting more trust in her delivery and reaping the rewards. The likes of Bartender and the woozy title track evoked Joni Mitchell and stalwarts of other American folk rock. No-one has been this eloquent or expressive about American iconography for years.
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This was Richard Dawson's most accessible album. But the unprecedented catchiness of his hooks allowed them to dig deeper beneath the skin. They told stories of workers toiling in a fulfilment centre, the homeless person who gets a kicking while wrapped up in a sleeping bag, or the distraught civil servant who doesnt have the heart to explain to another poor soul why it is their Disability Living Allowance will be stopping shortly. It painted a damning portrait of this country and, were it not for the warmth of Dawson's songwriting, 2020 may well have been unbearable. But it was his extraordinary empathy that kept us going. The truth of it all was inescapable. Many of Dawsons musical edges remained sharp, and largely unpredictable, which mirrored the anxious instability of our times. There were fleeting moments of hope, like the closing minute-or-so of Jogging, which bordered on ecstatic. By and large, though, this was the perfect soundtrack to the year: brilliantly awful.
Getty Images
Charli featured two of the best, if not the best pop songs of the year: Gone and 1999, featuring Christine and the Queens and Troye Sivan respectively. For those tracks alone, wed have been tempted to put this album on the list, but there was plenty more throughout the 13 other songs to warrant its inclusion. Charli XCXs astute taste for bangers was undiminished, but her experimentalism shone brighter here than on any of her previous releases a prime example being Click, surely inspired by avant-pop pioneer SOPHIE but packing in plenty of fresh intrigue. Her more intimate moments, exposed when she stepped away from the dancefloor, were painfully compelling, too: Hate myself, I really love you/ Hurting you feels like Im hurting as well,'' she lamented on White Mercedes.
Getty Images for Pandora
Assume Form, James Blakes fourth and most accessible album, found the singer-songwriter in his most loved-up mood yet. The collection of knotty, wonky pop songs drew heavily on his relationship with actress and TV presenter Jameela Jamil, and songs like the title track spoke about their love as a rebirth, helping him see the world with fresh eyes (Going through the motions my whole life/ I hope this is the first day/ That I connect motion to feelings). His experiments with trap and hip hop influences on the likes of Mile High featuring Travis Scott and Tell Them were well done, with his talent as a producer and his expressive falsetto transcending genre. I Cant Believe the Way We Flow is as pure a love song as Blake will likely ever produce, and an incendiary turn from Andre 3000 on Wheres The Catch was a standout. But it was the elegant, haunting beauty of Dont Miss It which made the biggest impact, and formed arguably Blakes finest moment to date.
AFP via Getty Images
After making her name with gritty, lo-fi indie over the past decade, the Missouri singer-songwriter went big and bold on her fourth album, mixing scything guitars with crashing drums and an enormous-sounding 14-piece orchestra. Opening track Lark was stunning and in its scale, painful and hopeful in equal measure. If only we could start again, pretending that we dont know each other, she sung the track, and the record as a whole, was a new beginning in every sense, seeing her achieve something truly remarkable. Jherek Bischoffs orchestral arrangements added a grandiosity throughout and the title track dripped with poise and elegance, with Angels impassioned delivery adding a gritty edge. Its an ambitious and at times awe-inspiring work that furthers Olsens status as a searing talent.
Getty Images for Coachella
On Lizzos breakthrough release, self-confidence wasnt so much a theme as a fundamental truth. That much was obvious from the first 10 seconds a flooring barrage of ground-shaking vocals and booming instrumentation. And it continued, with one-liner after one-liner. Only exes that I care about are in my f***ing chromosomes, she rapped on Like A Girl, and on Juice: I be drippin so much sauce/ Got a b**** lookin like ragu. That second song was the perfect encapsulation of Lizzos newfound glory: a carefree, self-loving slice of retro-futurist funk, with a voice sounding both like an old soul veteran and a hyper-modern star, belting out one of the catchiest choruses you'll have heard in 2019. Cuz I Love You was certainly the feel-good album of the year, and with the torrent of awfulness that seemed to dominate the news cycle, it was a most welcome tonic
Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Shouty men in loud bands are all the rage these days, but Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten drew power from restraint. On Dogrel, not once did his delivery lash out into anything close to a growl or bark. In fact, he barely seemed to even raise his voice, instead finding potency and, crucially, distinctiveness in his deadpan drawl. His pared-back style wasnt entirely matched by his bandmates. These songs, rooted largely in post-punk, were written in the pubs of Dublin, and it showed. Boys in the Better Land was a rowdy pint-flinger, while Dublin City Sky was a booze-soaked ballad. Chatten managed to find poetry among the haze The city in its final dress/ And now a gusty shower wraps the grimy scraps/ Of withered leaves all about your feet, he sang on album standout Too Real and there were quieter, more tender moments, like on the warmly downbeat Roys Tune. All of it, though, was bracing.
AFP via Getty Images
We waited a long while for Magdalene ever since FKA Twigs became one of the most hyped names in the business after her 2014 breakthrough LP1, in fact. Were glad she took her time. The album was a triumph of heartbreak, fractured love and rebirth, so candid and piercingly intimate. The singer, real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett, drew heavily on her break-up from actor Robert Pattinson, and the sorrow was palpable on tracks like Thousand Eyes (If I walk out the door, it starts our last goodbye/ If you don't pull me back it wakes a thousand eyes). Cellophane, though, was the heart of the album, the sparse ballad marking one of the most astonishingly emotional tracks of the year. Didn't I do it for you? Why don't I do it for you? she lamented. It was incredibly moving, and the highlight of an extraordinarily powerful release.
Getty Images
GREY Area felt like it had been a long time coming for Little Simz. As an artist, she had remained unrushed, releasing a string of EPs before her debut album in 2015, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons. It never felt like she was treading water, though. Instead, the Islington rapper had been patiently honing her craft, experimenting and making plans. On GREY Area, those plans were realised with startling clarity. Her flow was malleable but meticulous, with lyrics that bristled with honesty (most potently, perhaps, on the song Venom, when she offered another theory on why it had taken her this long to get the recognition she deserves: They would never wanna admit I'm the best here/ From the mere fact that I've got ovaries). The genre-melding music was refreshingly organic, too, recorded largely using live instruments, slinking from booming hip-hop to slick funk. This might have been Little Simzs third and best album, but you know shes only just getting started.
Getty Images for Coachella
In 2019, Dave the confirmed his status as one of the pre-eminent voices in UK rap at the age of just 21. Hes made his name in singles in the past, but Psychodrama was one of the most coherent and conceptual albums of the past 12 months, presented with skits between tracks, taking the form of a therapy session. The album tackled everything from mental health to abuse and prison reform, and Black which focuses fervently on struggles and stigmas facing black Britons was the kind of impassioned, chest-bursting state-of-the-nation address that leaves you speechless (Black is pain, black is joy, black is evident/ It's working twice as hard as the people you know you're better than). Streatham found him on confessional and candid form, while Burna Boy collaboration Location is one of the most club-friendly tracks of the year. It was an album that played fast and loose with genre, mixing grime, dancehall and more to encapsulate perfectly where Londons music scene was headed.
Getty Images
Explicit and exquisite, Norman F***ing Rockwell saw Lana Del Rey produce her finest work which is saying something after the excellent string of Ultraviolence, Honeymoon and Lust for Life. It marked something of a departure from her previous work, which has often been about creating immersive, evocative pieces, with plush production and taught musicality. On Norman F***ing Rockwell, most of the tracks were laid bare with piano and minimal strings and guitar work. The album was co-written with producer Jack Antanoff, who also had a hand in a number of tracks on Taylor Swifts Lover, and together the pair kept things refreshingly uncluttered. It allowed her incredible voice to come to the fore more than ever before, with the singer putting more trust in her delivery and reaping the rewards. The likes of Bartender and the woozy title track evoked Joni Mitchell and stalwarts of other American folk rock. No-one has been this eloquent or expressive about American iconography for years.
Getty Images
This was Richard Dawson's most accessible album. But the unprecedented catchiness of his hooks allowed them to dig deeper beneath the skin. They told stories of workers toiling in a fulfilment centre, the homeless person who gets a kicking while wrapped up in a sleeping bag, or the distraught civil servant who doesnt have the heart to explain to another poor soul why it is their Disability Living Allowance will be stopping shortly. It painted a damning portrait of this country and, were it not for the warmth of Dawson's songwriting, 2020 may well have been unbearable. But it was his extraordinary empathy that kept us going. The truth of it all was inescapable. Many of Dawsons musical edges remained sharp, and largely unpredictable, which mirrored the anxious instability of our times. There were fleeting moments of hope, like the closing minute-or-so of Jogging, which bordered on ecstatic. By and large, though, this was the perfect soundtrack to the year: brilliantly awful.
Speedy Wunderground, the astute label helmed by Dan Carey, is proving that groups of musicians with guitars can be genuinely innovative again. Black Midi are the most famous signees especially after that unhinged performance on national telly at the Mercury Prize ceremony but 2020 looks like it might be a huge year for one of their labelmates: Black Country, New Round. The lead vocalist, Isaac Wood, delivers enigmatic sprawls and sounds either like a deadpan narrator or a teetering madman. The rest of the band serve considered cacophonies, inspired by klezmer, post-punk and more. Only two songs have been formally released so far the next cant come soon enough.
Emerging as part of GAIKAs The Spectacular Empire collective, London-based artist Gloria has been turning heads with her futurist take on R&B. Her five-track EP, Testify, released earlier in 2019, is superb an icy blend of legacy and innovation, with deeply delivered vocals and avant-garde tendencies. Theres a hint of FKA Twigs to her style, both in sound and ambition, so 2020 looks like it could be a special year for Gloria.
Arlo Parks, the 19-year-old from Hammersmith, first came to attention back in 2018 with the release of Cola. Since then, shes been drip-feeding us with a stream of singles and EPs, gradually adding layers to her sound, which weaves in lo-fi bedroom pop, emo, spoken word, R&B and more. She was named on the BBC Sounds of 2020 shortlist, which can either be a blessing (ask Ellie Goulding, winner in 2010) or a curse (ask The Bravery, winners in 2005). Judging by her output so far, shes erring towards the former.
Yet another band signed to Speedy Wunderground, PVA have been generating hype on the live scene throughout 2019. They only have a couple of songs online, which has been a conscious decision from the three-piece go to see them live if you want the real experience. Their sound is still evolving, with 80s synth pop influences mingling alongside art-school cool, but its all designed to get people sweaty and moving, and sounds thrillingly fresh.
As is often the way with cult heroes who emerge into the mainstream from the online realm, Norways Girl In Red already has a formidable fanbase the 20-year-old has more than 130 million combined streams on her four most popular tracks on Spotify. Its not hard to see why shes struck such a chord, with dreamily melancholic indie pop that instantly speaks to all the fervent, melancholy emotions of adolescence. With songs like I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend, shes already been heralded as an LGBTQ+ icon for the next generation.
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Five artists to watch in 2020: From Girl in Red to PVA - Evening Standard
