Look out for the indie-folk duo Firewoodisland. The UK act just released the catchy Sprinter and have rallied up support from tastemakers like Ear Milk and BBC Radio. Citing Bon Iver and Of Monsters and Men as influences, they have racked up over 5 million Spotify plays with support from playlists. The indie band market is oversaturated with too many bands trying to do the same thing but something is different with this duo. I don’t know, maybe it’s the songs or visuals, but it’s something.
Definitely check out the Sydney based Nick de la Hoyde. He just dropped the album A Beautiful Mess. One of my favorites is High. I don’t know why, maybe it reminds me of P. Malone. Mashing up genres like Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, the singer-songwriter was added to the TikTok playlist on Spotify as well as Spotify’s New Music Friday and Indie Invaders.
Kings favorite and artist-to- watch Golda has released another really good track Under. The new single follows one of my favorite top of the year releases Wish I Was Someone Else. Influenced by the likes of Lorde, YEBBA and Phoebe Bridgers, the Los Angeles based artist has a really unique backstory as she grew up in both Chicago and San Diego to Ukrainian parents and honed on her songwriting skills while taking a trip to India. Give it a stream.
The artist-to-watch Olivia Somerlyn aka LIVVIA just dropped the catchy single Say It which is about speaking your mind. Even though the pop market is a bit overcrowded, the 25 year old is cut from a different cloth. The track has been added to Spotify’s Brand New Chill, Chilled Pop Hits and Apple’s Music Teen Pop Hits. Moreover, she grabbed the opening support slot for Jonas Brothers during the UK & Ireland run. Give it a stream.
Fly By Midnight released the track “The Ad Above Your Head”. This is the first track release from the NYC based pop duo since they ventured out into Los Angeles. Although the duo has met with a variety of labels, they are still independent. They wrapped up 2019 with 5M Spotify streams, 100k listeners, and a the single Lovely (feat. Betty Who)” which premiered on Spotify’s Chill Hits and Love Pop. Give it a stream.