Instead of collating a shortlist of new artists that we are looking forward to hearing more of in 2014, we decided to try and list everyone that we thought deserved a mention. This means that over the next couple of pages you are about to experience the music of no less than 60 fresh artists who are brimming with musical talent from 11 different countries across the globe.
We’ve split things up into the following four categories to make things easier for you:
The Men (Part 1) / The Men (Part 2)
The Women (Part 1) / The Women (Part 2)
We hope you enjoy, and please feel free to voice your opinions or suggest anyone that we have missed in the comments section below. Happy new year!
// The Men
MNEK
He has been writing and producing for some of the biggest pop stars in 2013, as well as hitting the #1 spot himself. His debut album is all but wrapped up which means 2014 will be his time to shine.
Sophie
Sophie is a mysterious UK producer who has been tearing up clubs across the country with her insane slice of electronic music. You can tell there’s an expert behind the boards because his music should really verge on annoying, but we can’t take it off repeat.
Chance The Rapper
With his 2013 mixtape “Acid Rap” the toast of music blogs and media alike in 2013, we are all excited to hear what Chance The Rapper will deliver this year.
Javeon
Signed to PMR Records (which is the home of the likes of Disclosure and Jessie Ware), Javeon has a smooth and silky vocal which flows effortlessly over kind of productions which are doing big things in the UK charts right now.
Jaymes Young
The genre blending Jaymes Young used to live in Seattle but uprooted and started a new life in LA, which coincided with the release of his impressive 2013 mixtape “Dark Star“. For those that are fans of Active Child, or James Blake you should definitely keep watch.
Gallant
Hailing from LA, Gallant is yet another US R&B export who is making some of the hottest records around at the moment alongside his partner in crime Felix Snow. If you’re a fan of the The Weeknd then you will appreciate what he has to offer.
Raleigh Ritchie
Handpicked by Kendrick Lamar to appear as part of his 2013 UK tour, Raleigh Ritchie had us hooked with the impressive “Bloodsport“, which is an impressive demonstration of hit potential chart power.
Leon Else
Leon Else may have come through the ranks via regular rotation on his regional radio, but his emotive releases thus far have enabled the talented UK singer/songwriter to make a national breakthrough already. 2014 should be big for him if he can maintain the calibre of his future releases.
Tensnake
Yes you may be thinking to yourselves that Tensnake is already a huge name in dance music, and you’d be correct. However, the release of his 2014 debut studio album “Glow” which features the likes of: Fiora, Stuart Price, Jamie Liddell, MNEK, and the legendary Nile Rodgers, will definitely put him on the map as one of the biggest dance producers in the world.
Ben Khan
With the shadow of Jai Paul still looming over each of Ben Khan‘s releases so far, we are hoping that he will manage to break free of the media’s stanglehold to deliver an album of epic proportions in 2014.
Sampha
A lot of the artists on this list may not be ‘unknown’ as it were, but are certainly making the push to establish themselves as artists in their own right in 2014. Sampha is not exception, as over the past couple of years he has been tirelessly working with the likes of SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, and Drake, to put himself on the map as having one of the most soulful voices around.
His songwriting seems effortless at times, which is always a good indicator for future success.
JMSN
JMSN already has one studio album and an EP under his belt, but with the release of the “Blue” album in 2014, his loyal and dedicated fanbase should expand exponentially as we are expecting to hear some of his best work to date.
Astronomyy
It didn’t take long for a major record label to snap up Astronomyy, thanks to his haunting vocals and resonating guitar riffs which made him a major hit in 2013. If he can follow up with a debut album in the same vein as his previous efforts then we can predict a very bright future for him.
SOHN
When SOHN isn’t busy remixing, or producing music for the likes of BANKS, he is expertly crafting a set a polished releases for himself, which has cultivated quite a fan following this far. He lives and breathes music, and we just can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us.
Cyril Hahn
Cyril Hahn is our undisputed remix king for 2012/2013, but now he is turning his hand to original productions. We got a taste of it in 2013 with the impeccable “Perfect Form“, which has left us salivating for more this year.
Saint Raymond
From the moment we heard 18-year-old Saint Raymond we were captivated by his catchy guitar driven pop hooks. It looks like a lot of other people in the UK felt the same too as debut EP and seen it shot up the iTunes chart when it was released last May.
We predict big things for this guy if he chooses to release a debut album in 2014.
Martin Garrix
Martin Garrix has already hit the #1 spot in the UK with his irresistibly catchy single “Animals“, and we can’t help but feel that the Dutch 17-year old hasn’t even come close to the peak of his music making abilities. Expect at least another couple of solid dance anthems to come from his corner in 2014.
Sam Smith
What don’t we already know about Sam Smith? Very little probably, considering he has already hit the #1 spot in the UK with the untouchable “La La La” with Naughty Boy. What we are excited about is his debut album which is set to be released early in 2014, with the lead single “Money On My Mind“, which you can sample below:
Vance Joy
The rest of the world normally has a time-delay on picking up hitmakers from New Zealand and Australia, and Vance Joy is no exception. Already rather big in his native country, his biggest hit thus far, “Riptide“, is starting to permeate the daytime airwaves of Radio 1. Expect further domination to follow in 2014.
Joel Compass
Another UK R&B star signed to a major label, Joel Compass already has a solid back catalogue which indicates he should be a mainstay for time to come. His collaboration with Pusha T on “Run“, also proves that he could have crossover appeal in the US too.
SaneBeats
Trap music is still riding the wave of popularity that Dubstep started to experience a decade ago, and SaneBeats has positioned himself at the forefront of the UK attack. His productions so far easily disguise his young age as they sound tremendously polished.
Hozier
As we were writing this it was very pleasing to see the inclusion of an act representing Ireland as it has been threadbare thus far. Hozier does a great job of making up for it though as his single “Take Me To Church” was one of our favourite releases in 2013.
He’s already created big hype in his home country, and 2014 will see his popularity spread overseas.
Dream Koala
Parisian Dream Koala is following in the footsteps of artists like XXYYXX and Shlomo with his dream like releases. We welcome more releases with open arms.
AYER
Making his impact on the scene a relatively short time ago, NY-based AYER has already attracted several admirers with the two original tracks that he has posted online. Soft falsetto vocals backed by intricate electronic productions have got us hooked, booking himself a spot on our list in the process.
Scrufizzer
Delivering an impressive set of singles, as well as appearing on Danny Brown‘s “Old“, Scrufizzer is the latest UK MC to graduate through the underground ranks. Signed to Black Butter records, we are hoping for a couple of left-field releases in 2014.
Evian Christ
Evian Christ was training to be a teacher in the UK, before his YouTube music postings caught the attention of Kanye West who drafted him in to help out with production duties for “Yeezus“. Quite the platform to set himself up for 2014.
Fryars
Fryars already has huge popularity in the UK thanks to catchy singles such as “Cool Like Me” and “The Power“. Grinding away in the public eye since 2007 is set to pay off in 2014 with the release of his long-awaited debut album.
Paul Woolford
With an impressive template set for him in terms of chart viability, Paul Woolford’s piano-led single “Untitled“, which became an underground hit in the latter half of 2013, has been rumoured for a re-release on Sony which should see an appropriate amount of backing to make it a soundtrack for 2014 and beyond. Expect a plethora of similarly danceable tracks from the multi-talented producer in the coming year.
Cashmere Cat
A string of aliases culminated in Norwegian producer Magnus August Høiberg finding fortune as Cashmere Cat, a heavily in-demand producer with a notorious genre-bending reputation. With an impressive catalogue of collaborations and remixes under his belt already, his intuitive balance of left-field productions and pop sensibilities came to a head in his recent single “With Me“, which sees a release on Lucky Me as a part of his upcoming EP this January.
Josef Salvat
Australian singer/songwriter Josef Salvat has been trickling out some amazing singles over the past 12 months or so, with the intentions to release his debut album at some point in 2014. Although he surprisingly seems to have quite a small following on social networks, we can’t help but think this is a temporary glitch.
Expect him to receive even more solid support from national radio in the coming months.
// The Women
BANKS
In 2013 BANKS worked with some of the creme de la creme of producers from LA and the UK. The result was two critically acclaimed EPs which garnered her international recognition. 2014 sees the release of her debut album which hopefully will be packed to the brim with more of the same.
Chela
Aligning yourself with chic Parisian boutique Kitsune Maison is always a great way for new artists to get their music to the masses, and luckily for us everything that Australian Chela is putting out at the moment is agreeing with our ears.
If you are an Aussie yourself, try and catch one of her shows in February and let us know what it is like!
Chloe Howl
Ever since I heard Chloe Howl, I have liked her to the amalgamation of Lily Allen and Kate Nash, which is one hell of a pop combination. We’ve already had several catchy singles from her, and we expect the album to be laced with a hell of a lot more.
Tinashe
At age of 11 Tinashe appeared on the television contest show “America’s Most Talented Kids”. In 2007, she began her career as one member of the five piece girl band The Stunners before they disbanded in 2011. Since then she has been grinding away at a solo career, which really picked up steam in 2013 when she linked up with the likes of Travi$ Scott, Boi-1da, Dev Hynes, and Ryan Hemsworth, for her amazing “Black Water” mixtape.
Tinashe’s currently untitled debut album is slated to drop in 2014, and we can’t wait to hear what she has in store for us.
Ella Eyre
Ella Eyre already teamed up with Rudimental and Naughty Boy to great effect in 2013, notching up a #1 single in the process. In 2014 she plans to release a debut album off the back of her catchy new single “Deeper“. We can’t wait.
FKA Twigs
FKA Twigs is yet another artist who has built up a lot of momentum off the back off two critically acclaimed EP releases in 2013. Her style is very trip-hop which is a sound that has been sadly overlooked in recent years.
Kelela
Now based in L.A., Kelela was raised in Rockville, Maryland, the only daughter of Ethiopian parents who emigrated to the States in the 1970s. She creates ethereal R&B, and reminds us slightly of Aaliyah, which is a great thing in anyone’s books.
Mononoke
Not too much is known about Mononoke, apart from the fact that she appeared on a load of ‘tastemaker’ blogs (including ours, teehee) last month with the song that you can stream below. Although it’s risky to include this Liverpudlian on the basis of hearing a single song, we think there’s enough about this pop princess to do some chart damage in 2014.
Moko
Moko is a 21 year old soul singer from New Cross in London who is a mix of the soul, gospel and house records she heard as a child in the 90s. Already featuring heavily on Chase & Status’s smash 2013 single “Count On Me“, her powerful vocals should easily take her far in 2014.
Betty Who
Betty Who is an Australian singer/songwriter who has been teaming up with another detailsofmylife.net favourite, Peter Thomas, to create some lush electropop anthems. Listen below to see what we mean:
Foxes
It feels a bit like cheating to be including Foxes on this list as she had quite the year in 2013, with the release of a couple of choice singles as well as cameos on massive charting albums from the likes of Rudimental, Sub Focus, Fall Out Boy, and Zedd.
However, we are still due a debut album from the Southampton stunner in 2014, so there’s that to back up her inclusion.
SZA
Snapped up earlier in the year by the unstoppable TDE (home to Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Ab Soul, et al.), SZA is a talented 18 year-old who is responsible for leading the indie/alt R&B charge. Yet another artist who is teaming up with the irrepressible Felix Snow, her work so far has been nothing short of incredible.
Eva Stone
Eva Stone is probably up there as one of the best pure vocalists on this whole list, which is an achievement in itself. A single listen to any of her material will leave you weak at the knees.
I’ll let her talents speak for themselves below:
Meg Myers
Meg Myers is an American vocalist and songwriter, who is produced almost exclusively by the incredible Doctor Rosen Rosen. She has produced some of the most raw, emotive, material that we have heard in ages, and you can’t help but to be drawn in.
Florrie
We seem to have been tracking Florrie for the longest time, but as of yet the pop starlet has not graced us with a debut album. This may have something to do with the fact that she’s also a professional model, but that’s honestly no excuse.
We’ve loved some of her previous material, and I think fans of hers alike will agree that a debut album is long overdue.
Mapei
Swedish rapper/vocalist Mapei created quite a stir in 2013 with the release of her debut single “Don’t Wait“. She initially caught our attention back in 2009, but with the release of her “Cocoa Butter Diaries” EP, she’s returning to the spotlight with the release of her debut album which is scheduled for 2014.
Laura Welsh
Laura Welsh is an English singer-songwriter who was cooking up absolute fire with Dev Hynes during 2013. She has already performed under several other monikers, but this one seems here to stay, as she goes from strength to strength with every release.
Jhené Aiko
Jhené Aiko is a 25-year old singer who has already been hailed as the female saviour of R&B. Her sweet and breathy voice has already infused songs by the likes of Drake, J. Cole, and Big Sean, but this year sees the release of her long awaited full length studio album. Excited.
Jetta
In December 2011 we first featured Jetta on the blog, where she was a guest vocalist for the ever impressive UK producer Jakwob on a track called “Electrify“. We were amazed by her voice back then, and nothing has really changed since then in that respect.
Unfortunately we haven’t had much in the way of music from her since, just three tracks. They are all quite amazing though, and her latest release “Feels Like Coming Home” was featured as the headline song on Google’s 2013 Zeitgeist video, which has since been viewed 26 million times.
Big songs. Big voice. Big potential.
MØ
Danish pop singer and Diplo collaborator MØ already lit up the music world last year with previous singles “Pilgrim” and “XXX 88“, and even contributed to Avicii‘s new album with the monster hit “Dear Boy“. Her debut LP, “No Mythologies to Follow“, out February 24.
Charlotte OC
Charlotte OC was originally signed and dropped by record label Columbia in her late teens. Now shes back in the spotlight aged 23, with her successful “Colour Of My Heart” EP catching many people’s eye last year. We’re big fans of getting at least a second chance in an industry that can often chew up great artists and spit them out at will.
Hopefully 2014 will be a great year for this talented singer/songwriter.
Lulu James
Lulu James has been successfully combining current influences like James Blake and Jamie XX with her enormous vocal talent and love of soul music, to create what she calls “21st century soul.”. Whatever it is, we love it and can’t wait to hear more.
Tove Lo
Tove Lo signed to Universal last year, and since then we have been treated to Stockholm’s latest pop star in the making releasing big sound with big budget videos to boot.
We are slightly in love (No pun intended).
Pawws
Pawws is the alias of Londoner Lucy Taylor, who has been delivering some choice disco/electro cuts in 2013. She has also been hanging around a lot with Kele Okereke by the looks of her Twitter account, and that can only be a good thing in our eyes.
The Duos
Jungle
Not a great deal is known about the enigmatic duo Jungle, but early indications suggest that we should all be a little bit excited, as they drape fantasically lo-fi production underneath beautifully melancholic vocals.
After selling out their debut London show in record time last year, we are excited about what they have to offer in 2014.
Made In Heights
Made In Heights are a promising duo from New York who have impressed us with a number of Soundcloud releases that they put out in 2013. Filing themselves under the “Mythical Filth” genre, we think they are a little more upbeat than they give themselves credit for.
Say Lou Lou
Say Lou Lou are twin sisters Miranda and Elektra Kilbey who are a gorgeous Swedish-Australian act. They first went by the name Saint Lou Lou, but they’ve since switched, and haven’t looked back since.
Gorgeous pop music.
IYES
With the success that Ellie Goulding has had in the last year you could bet that there would be more sweet, yet slightly edgy melodic pop to follow. In step IYES, a duo from Brighton who have been making all the right moves with their releases thus far.
Holy Child
Louie Diller and Liz Nistico (aka Holy Child) are all set to release their debut album in 2014, and it should be filled to the brim with playful pop music. All of their releases seem to be getting better with age, so we can only assume that this album is going to be a smash.
Wayward
Wayward are a duo who hail from London via Leeds, and surprisingly only started making music together at the close of 2012. A number of their releases were supported by Radio 1’s Rob da Bank and Annie Mac during 2013, and they are set to unleash more hits in 2014.
Broods
Thanks to the seemingly ‘overnight’ success of New Zealander Lorde in 2013, every new act coming from that part of the world has a lot to live up to now. Luckily brother/sister duo Georgia and Caleb Nott (Broods) have been working closely with Joel Little, who produced all of Lorde’s debut album “Pure Heroine“, so I guess they already have a leg up in that respect.
This is very well put together pop.
ASTR
NY duo ASTR caught our eyes many times in 2013 with their well produced electro-pop, including an amazing cover of our song of the year “Hold On We’re Going Home” by Drake. At this point we are considering that these guys can do no wrong.
Showtek
Hardstyle connoisseurs will already recognise Showtek as well and truly established, but it was only in the latter half of 2013 in which the Dutch duo managed to break through to the mainstream consciousness with their infectious single “Booyah” bagging an unprecedented top 5 spot in the UK charts. With their single “We Like To Party” imminent, it looks that the duo look intent on capitalising on a new love for big room house that seems to have swept the nation in recent months.
Else
I really fucking love French electro, and if 2013 was anything to go by then it’s definitely not dead. Else are an up and coming French duo from Toulouse who are pushing all the right buttons for me at the moment (pun definitely intended).
Cannot wait to see what these guys have up their sleeves for 2014.
Royal Blood
Royal Blood were already featured as part of the #blogsound2014 list, thanks to their penchant for gritty lo-fi rock with attitude. They have been hailed as this year’s act who will become the saviours of rock, whatever that means anymore…
The Bands
Drowners
Drowners are a New York punk-pop band named after a Suede single and fronted by a male model. Did that manage to pique your interest at all? If so make sure you check out their music below:
NoNoNo
Pop comes in many shapes and forms, and although Swedish imports NoNoNo look like an unlikely trio, they launched an assault on the UK charts with their intoxicating pop anthem “Pumpin’ Blood” back in 2013. Their songs come off as effortlessly catchy, which is a one-way ticket to chart success.
Circa Waves
Circa Waves are a four-piece garage-rock band from Liverpool who are reviving the sound of the early-Noughties indie scene. Despite only being eight months old, the band have already had Zane Lowe picking them as part of his Hottest Record in the World feature.
HAERTS
HAERTS are a five piece indie-pop group from Brooklyn, NY, who released their first EP last year. Nina Fabi‘s vocals are simply delicious, and their sound is already top notch, which is exactly what you would expect when their work is produced by Jean-Philip Grobler (of St. Lucia fame)
Embers
Embers bring to us cinematic and vast indie-rock from Manchester. The four piece have apparently been dazzling audiences with amazing live shows, but unfortunately we haven’t been able to catch them ourselves yet. We hope to hear more of their work as soon as possible.
Trampolene
Trampolene are probably one of the most mysterious bands on this list, as they are quite adverse to promoting themselves on the Internet. Thanks to signing themselves up with a management agency, there are bits and pieces starting to leak out gradually, but for the most part they are still quite a mystery. Imagine Kasabian with reignited passion…
CTZNSHP
CTZNSHP are a trio that hail from Montreal, Canada, who make frenetic, loud, and hazy, songs with catchy melodies. They’ve recently supported The National and Yuck, and are set to have a bright 2014.
Swiss Lips
We have been following Manchester five-piece Swiss Lips for quite a while now, but unfortunately they haven’t offered much in terms of music over the past year. We interviewed them back in 2013 where they revealed that a debut album was coming to accompany the plethora of exciting electropop demos that current reside on their soundcloud, so here’s hoping that materialises in the next 6 months.
Wolf Alice
In December, Wolf Alice were chosen as the most blogged about artist in the UK during 2013. Definitely not a bad omen for their future prospects. The four-piece alternative rock band from North London are set to release their debut album in 2014, and you can get a taste of the expected material below:
La Plage
We don’t know too much about La // Plage, a female-fronted four-piece hailing from Liège, Belgium. They first came to our attention via a fantastic reinterpretation of Phoenix’s “Trying To Be Cool“, but hooked us once and for all with their own release “Rendez Vous“.
The Preatures
Whilst The Preatures have probably been around longer than HAIM, they haven’t exactly achieved commercial success at the same rate. Hopefully this will change this year as they are set to make a bigger impact outside of their native Australia. Why did we mention HAIM? Take a listen below and you might see why…
Migos
US trio Migos hit the jackpot in 2013 when Drake hopped on the remix for their breakout trap hit “Versace”. “Y.R.N.” was probably one of the hottest mixtapes last summer, and they are set to follow it up with “Y.R.N. 2” which is expected to drop early 2014.
Vaults
Vaults have taken the softly, softly approach to releasing their music to the general public, even though their debut single “Cry No More” has notched up a massive half a million plays in just four months. Taking a leaf out of London Grammar‘s book, the band have already got Radio 1 onside, which we all know is a key policy these days.
If they can follow the LG model of building up a devoted fanbase through well paced, quality releases, they could easily be making high chart entries in 2014.
Lemaitre
The hottest Norwegian band out there at the moment is Lemaitre, who have already released 4 EPs and have over a million followers on Soundcloud. They have been teasing us with the idea of a fully fledged album for a while now, so we are praying they deliver us with one this year.