It’s hard to keep your playlists fresh. If I could have my way, I would listen to Avril Lavigne for the first half of the day, and Shampoo for the second, but that wouldn’t be very good for expanding my cultural palate. No, we need to listen to new shit. New shit gives us new experiences, and 2019 is all about that new experience energy. Discover new music, and we discover ourselves.But where is a good place to start? I know some of you let the algorithms decide, which is fine if you want to remain the same person with the same taste and music library for the rest of your life until you die. Or maybe you read Noisey dot com regularly, in which case, blessings to you and yours, you nerd (but also, much respect, I'm sure your playlists bang.) Or maybe you let music come to you. I don't know.
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Either way, surely musicians have the best music taste because they immerse themselves in the stuff and have the ear for it. It's easy for a musician to keep up with new music because they spend their whole time touring or in the studio with other artists, or else holed up on their computer with time to discover. As such, we spoke to some of our favourite musicians about the one artist we should listen to in 2019. We're done being tastemakers. Listen to these people instead:
RINA SAWAYAMA SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… HANA
“HANA just released her first track (“We Appreciate Power” with Grimes) since her incredible self-titled EP back in 2016. I love her voice and she writes and produces everything herself, so am really excited to see what she comes out with for 2019.”
MØ SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… ABRA
“I have been a huge fan of ABRA ever since I discovered her in 2016. I love her gloomy fresh universe and her youthful unique vocals. Also I find her lyrics and visual output super exciting. I've heard rumours of a new album coming out this year, but regardless, I think this is the year she will blow up huge. She's going to be touring with me for the first half of my upcoming American tour this winter, so as you can probably imagine I'm psyched to check her out live and to maybe get a sneak peek of her new music!”
BROOKE CANDY SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… LIZZO
"My favourite artist at the moment to listen to would be Lizzo because she’s a really special person first and foremost with like insane musical abilities (she plays the flute on stage) and her live performance is unparalleled… the first time I saw it I seriously considered quitting lol.”
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DREAM WIFE SAY WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… QUEEN ZEE
“A super exciting gang of freaks to watch in 2019 is Queen Zee. Their queer punk is like Placebo '96 meets The Brain Jonestown Massacre, it's so fresh. Dream Wife got to take them on tour at the end of last year and ended up in the pit, dancing hard to their show every night. Zee is a badass bitch and she knows how to rock.”
REJJIE SNOW SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… GLENN DENIM
“I grew up with this guy, so it makes me the happiest seeing friends utilise their talents and represent the motherland. “Sussed” is the hottest track out the city and if you think otherwise, you're a shite bag.”
NIMMO SAY WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… WAX WINGS
“Wax Wings is a good friend of ours - we share the same group of mates/musicians (often brought together by club night 'He. She. They' which Wax Wings has played loads of sick shows with last year). We've heard little snippets of his new record coming out this year and it's unreal. We're proud to call him a collaborator and friend!”
GIRLI SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… BERRY
“She makes super fun pop music full of personality. her lyrics are quirky and melodies infectious! Her music makes me feel fizzy.”
JERKCURB SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… SORORITY
“Sorority are the only band I know in south London that seem to have their own eco system. They record, produce and press their own records and comics. The music is cartoon pop, lots of slide guitar and syncopated rhythms. Humorous yet existential lyrics. Rock guitar solos, bongos and capes. If there was a Super Nintendo game set on a Hawaiian cruise ship, Sorority would have been the band on board, playing when the ship descends over seas made of jelly. The brothers in the band (Max and Elliott) have produced my band Horseys upcoming single. The other guy in the band (Joe) runs a really good comics publishing company called Breakdown Press. I like them a lot. Listen to “Calamari” and stay tuned for their second LP out this year.”
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SORRY SAY WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… FONTAINES DC
“All of the Fontaines DC the singles have been really good… we can't wait for the album. The lyrics are really good and the tunes carried really well live on tour.”
MATT MALTESE SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… POWPIG
“These four 16-year-olds from Limerick are gonna rule the world. They have a lot of rockier, playful stuff, but they have this one gentle number called 'Rosalee' which is a triumph.”
JOCKSTRAP SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… TAYLOR SKYE
“Our very own Taylor Skye is the artist to look out for this year. He has been quietly working on his solo project for the past year, completing an amazing EP and perfecting the live band the features synths, drums and TWO saxophones. Expect a release in early February, and prepare to be totally amazed by this talented producer and songwriter – my best friend!!!”
IDER SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… GRAND PAX
“Grand Pax is a really good mate of ours and released her debut EP last year. She blends beautiful lyrics and melodies with dark electric guitar soundscapes and trip-hop beats.”
ZUZU (ALSO) SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… QUEEN ZEE
“Queen Zee are one of the best new bands around and I can’t wait to see them kick 2019’s ass. Last week my guitarist Munkey Junkey (you’ll hear more from him in 2019) opened for them at their headline show in Liverpool and the whole thing was incredible from start to finish. Zee is a frontwoman sent from planet Zorb; she’s on a whole other level and I learn and grow from her all the time. They are fully independent and creating something so important socially and culturally. LONG LIVE QUEEN ZEE!”
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FAUNESS SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… CLARA LA SAN
“She's my favourite UK producer and singer right now; her sound is so heartfelt and has a rawness that throws into relief the ethereal quality of her voice. She has a lot of courage as an artist and that is very inspiring to me. You'll definitely be hearing more from her in 2019.”
ROLE MODEL SAYS WE SHOULD LISTEN TO… GRACIE ABRAMS
“I’ve literally only heard like three demos from her that aren’t released yet, but I swear to god they were some best songs I have ever heard. She’s extremely visual and her lyrics are clear as day. I’m also obsessed with tone and she has the most genuine/one of a kind vocal tones ever.“You can follow Daisy on Twitter.