Best New Artists of the Month (June)

These rising talents are all taking different approaches to music, and special things are happening. Get familiar with our best new artists of June, 2019.

Best New Artists June 2019
P&P Original

Image by Sho Hanafusa

Best New Artists June 2019

It's already halfway through 2019 and some of the emerging artists from the beginning of the year are already either bona fide superstars or have completely fallen off. It's crazy how things happen like that these days. By the time next month ends, who knows, some teenager we've never heard of might have the No. 1 song in the country.

For all of those wild overnight success stories, there are thousands of other artists who are still figuring it out. It can be a difficult time for a young artist, trying to navigate the insane music industry and develop their own sound at the same time—all while, you know, dealing with life. But it's also the most exciting time in many ways. We get to watch in real time as an artist experiments, evolves, and hopefully creates art that will set the tone for years to come.

This month we've got a handful of artists who are doing just that. Some of them may not be churning out radio-ready hits just yet, and some of them probably never will. But with the swarm of characters trying to blow up overnight with viral antics and music made for TikTok snippets, we also need artists who are willing to take risks, try new things, and even scrap it all and start over again if that's what's necessary.

Here are our picks for the Best New Artists of June, 2019.

Belis

Belis

A few years ago, Charlotte, NC rapper Belis wouldn't have made sense. In 2019, it feels like she's poised to be one of the next left-field breakout stars. The music may be polarizing—if you didn't grow up in the constantly evolving trenches of SoundCloud subculture, it's hard to put Belis' style in context. For Belis, it's not that complicated, but whatever you do, don't label it "pop trap."

"I don’t make pop trap," Belis told us. "I don’t make K-pop, like what the hell? You don’t go up to Lil Uzi or D Savage and be like, you make pop trap." Her unique voice sets Belis apart, but it came out of necessity, not choice. Less than a year ago, Belis was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and experienced partial paralysis in her face. She had to basically re-learn how to speak, and found that using a higher tone made her voice more clear. That carried over into the music, and the combination of her singular voice, sublime production choices, dynamic delivery, and addictive melodies creates a sound all her own.

Diving into Belis small catalog so far is like entering another dimension. "Lemonade" and "Hysterical Glamour" might be the early standouts that show the full range of skills, but her latest song—the short and direct "Check Hit"—has been in rotation since the day it dropped.

Read our interview with Belis and hear more music.

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Baby Keem

Baby Keem

Hykeem Carter aka Baby Keem's story is just getting started, and so far he's kept a low profile. There are a few signs, however, that the 18-year-old rapper is about to make some serious noise. For one, he worked with TDE on Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther soundtrack and produced on both ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock's albums. His song "Baby Keem" was produced by Cardo, and his music video for "Gang Activities" was directed by motherfucking Shia Labeouf.

Keem's 2018 project The Sound of Bad Habit was a strong starting point, his follow-ups have been even better, and Keem is building a curious network of friends and collaborators while gearing up for his next mixtape, expected to come this summer. Keem is a multi-faceted artist and a hell of a songwriter, and as he starts to tell his story and reveal his range, things could get very interesting.

Read our brief 2018 interview with Baby Keem here.

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David Wolves

David Wolves

For many young artists today, it all starts in the bedroom. This usually means simplified ideas and lo-fi output, at least at first. Colombian-born, Orlando-based artist David Wolves began writing, producing, and recording music from a makeshift studio in a backyard shed, but his first singles showcase Wolves' ambitious, expansive approach to songwriting. The rawness of a brand new artist is present, but these songs do not sound like they were made in a shed.

David Wolves' first single "Touring Test" was a high octane tour de force, but his second release "June 12" gets more personal, pairing a coming-of-age perspective with a heavy sense of all-consuming urgency. With two singles under his belt—both mixed and mastered by Anthony Kilhoffer (Kanye West, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi)—Wolves is skipping the lo-fi introduction and making a larger-than-life first impression. His debut album VIOLE(N)T is on the way.

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Faye Webster

Faye Webster

Just before Memorial Day, Atlanta native Faye Webster gifted us Atlanta Millionaires Club, a hazy 31 minutes of music that sounds like sitting on a porch and watching weather happen, be it sunshine or rain. A close friend and former signee of Awful Records (check out her cover of Father’s “Cheap Thrills”), Webster, who is currently signed to Secretly Canadian, offers an updated take on the country traditions of her parents’ music libraries. But rather than spruce up her sound with pop experimentation a la Taylor Swift or Kacey Musgraves, Webster drops flourishes of R&B and hip-hop into her songs, a result of growing up in Atlanta (Lil Yachty is a childhood friend). Of the ATL, Webster says, “You can find anything you want here, the opportunities are endless, and the creatives are unique,” a statement evidenced by her own sound and career. 

While the production on Atlanta Millionaires Club sounds like the aforementioned sunshine, punctuated by pedal steel guitar (Webster’s favorite instrument) and surf-y drums, her lyrics are more on the drizzly side, an intentional pivot from the 21-year-old. Webster has been making music since she was a teenager, but after having a bit more life experience—including moving to Nashville to study songwriting, hating it, dropping out, and returning to Atlanta to do things her way—the musician says she was “purposefully being extremely honest in this record, even though [that] is a very hard thing. I didn’t want to be generic or cover up any feelings but rather have it be raw and paint a detailed picture of myself.”

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Tony Velour

Tony Velour

Tony Velour's "PULL UP" was one of 2018's most explosive introductions to a new artist. The Dylan Brady-produced track is a weird and wonderful assault of stabbing synths and casually catchy songwriting. Velour's next song "Moment" showed a softer side, and "Wild" he reconnects with Dylan Brady again and doesn't disappoint.

Atlanta-based Velour has already established himself as a genre-defying artist, but the common thread throughout his music so far is a sharp, alternative approach. Combined with a natural knack for strong songwriting and ability to make music that's at once fun, vulnerable, and unique, he's equipped to keep things unpredictable in a time when fans move on quickly if they hear too much of the same thing. There are thousands of artists making emo-infused, rock-inspired, rap-flavored songs right now, but none doing it quite like Velour. His debut album Vices Hurt is coming in September.

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Riz La Vie

riz la vie

Riz La Vie is a New York artist who wears his heart on his sleeve in his crisply written, often rap-inspired pop songs. "Napkins," a buoyant song with underlying melancholy, has racked up over 10 million streams on Spotify since it was released last year, and a new EP is on the way. Riz observes and reflects on relationships and personal growth (or the lack thereof) with an effortless, raspy delivery that sits somewhere between singing and rapping, and can flit between smiles and seriousness.

"To anybody listening to my music, I hope it gives you the confidence to go within yourself and find the light that you have been hiding from you," Riz says. "Breathe yourself down to your core and find it, create it, or cough it up. We are millions of years of evolution, superheroes—those powers get unlocked with a few little keys." Of his new song "Saturn," out today, he adds, "It's a reflection on our relationships with self, each other, and Mother Earth, from the perspective of the harmed and harming. Love as attention or the lack of it."

Riz La Vie's new EP, Breathe, is out this Friday, June 28.

Lil Keed

lil keed

Coming up under Young Thug is a gift and a curse. Lil Keed grew up in the same Atlanta apartments where Thug was raised, and after a chance meeting in a parking lot, ended up signed to his label, YSL Records. Keed's sound and approach—even down to how he records—is directly inspired by Thug, who calls him his "oldest son." So how does an artist step out of a shadow as big as the one cast by Young Thug?

On his new project, Long Live Mexico, Lil Keed puts down a marker as his own artist with a well-rounded, sonically diverse project that builds on Thug's melodic style and innovative delivery, but comes with new ideas and approaches. Keed is already a star in Atlanta, and with the release of his most consistent project yet he's set to cement his place as one of 2019's essential rising stars.

Jon Waltz

Jon Waltz

We've been covering Jon Waltz on Pigeons & Planes since 2013, when the Memphis artist was just 17 years old. It's hard to even justify calling him a "new" artist, but it feels like a turning point is on the horizon. For years, Waltz has been coming and going, dropping impressive songs and then completely disappearing for months at a time.

"There's was a lot of anxiety and self-doubt that I had to fight through," Waltz tells us. "I stopped talking to a lot of my friends, I stopped going out and being social, and shut out everything because of being in my head too much. I missed flights for important shows, I lost friends, I stopped giving a fuck about almost everything."

In the past couple of months, Jon Waltz released a string of new songs, and he's finally committing to his music, spending more time in Los Angeles, and (hopefully) not disappearing again. "I'm tapping into myself a lot better than I have in the past," he explains, "and it's resulted in me hitting my stride and exploring a new sound that I've fallen in love with... I don't want to live a life full of regret. I want to be the best at being me as as I can possibly be. I don't care about industry politics, I feel like I burnt myself out on trying to fit in but now I just wanna tell my story. I know there's a lot of black kids who grew up in cities as divisive as Memphis and coexist in spaces where nobody looked like them and their story is my story."

So Jon Waltz might not be a new artist, but fuck it, we're all allowed a fresh start. For more background on Waltz and his music, check the archives. And look out for the Monochrome mixtape coming June 26.

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Raveena

raveena

"I personally think signing a huge deal can sometimes be rooted in an archaic idea of success," Raveena told us earlier this month. "It has its benefits for certain artists and I can appreciate that, but for people like me who are trying to push boundaries and have a really specific vision in mind, sometimes having a business partner with a lot of control over your creative can have detrimental effects. I don't want to create anything watered down or something that isn't completely true to myself. With a ton of hard work and good people to help you navigate, it's very possible to be a successful independent artist with a good living, without the constraints of a traditional label."

All that hard work and independent grind has paid off, and Raveena released a beautiful debut album with Lucid in May. With honest, vulnerable lyrics and taking inspiration from groundbreaking artists like D'Angelo, Björk, Outkast, Erykah Badu, and legendary Indian singer Asha Puthli, the Queens-based singer created something powerful.

Polo G

Polo G

There's a new class of Chicago rappers combining palatable hooks and melodies with the authentic, street-oriented storytelling that made drill so compelling. “The melody makes it way easier to connect and show emotion," Polo G told Pitchfork. It's a new strain of street rap with a universal appeal, and nobody's doing it better than Polo G. Instead of an outpouring of broad strokes and raw emotion, Polo G's writing is sharp and personal, using details and experiences to bring his stories to life.

Polo G's "Pop Out" is No. 11 and climbing on the Hot 100, critical praise is piling up, and the 20-year-old's accelerated evolution so far suggests that he's only scratching the surface. In the past decade, Chicago has had no shortage of local legends and regional hits—Polo G is already aiming for more. When asked what makes him different from other Chicago rappers right now, he answered plainly: "I plan on being the biggest thing in hip-hop one day." 

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LAUNDRY DAY

Laundry Day band

LAUNDRY DAY is one of the buzziest New York bands in action right now, and the teenage quintet approaches songwriting with an earnest and egalitarian bent partially inspired by their idols in boundary-pushing collectives like Brockhampton and Odd Future. Though they perform with set roles on stage, when they get in the studio to put together projects like 2018's Trumpet Boy, they don’t get bogged down in who’s playing bass and who’s on lead guitar, instead approaching sessions as five friends who happen to make music.

“We never were looking for a bass player or a drummer. We came together because we were best friends, and we learned how to produce together,” says Sawyer Nunes, who sings and plays guitar. “Picking up instruments was kind of an afterthought.”

That camaraderie and open creative process leads to joyful, kaleidoscopic songs that blend washed out guitars with lyrics both youthfully candid and wise, frequently supported by distinctly hip-hop inspired drum patterns (“Close Your Eyes,” “10 Speed”). Their latest, HOMESICK, is the band’s most ambitious LP to date, recorded largely at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio and featuring production assistance from BROCKHAMPTON’s Romil. Still, it brims with the homespun charm that is intrinsic to LAUNDRY DAY’s DNA. “Making music—still today, but even back then—is how we spend time together,” says Nunes.

LAUNDRY DAY has already been performing sold-out shows in NY, and they just announced a tour. More info/tickets here.

Leo Bhanji

Leo Bhanji

Leo Bhanji is a London-based, L.A.-born artist making modern, genre-mixing pop music—and the 19-year-old just getting started. On "Heart Of Gold," his official debut single, he teamed up with Donalee Ralston for a sweet song that floats by like the memories of past summer romances.

"My biggest idols are artists that started out as writers, and now have this efficient, calculated energy," Leo tells us. "I don't have the patience to be a fully-formed artist right out the gate, but I think my talent is in beautifully half-assing things, maybe with that same efficiency. I know people already hold my music close to their heart so I'm happy to just keep living and keep writing."

Leo is a member of London collective 237 and, born in the age of the internet, he name-checks diverse influences, from Lou Reed and Frank Ocean to video game culture. His music, however, stays firmly rooted in reality with organic sounds like children cheering on new song "Nope" and dogs barking on "Heart Of Gold." Of "Nope," out today, he says, "I made this song with a lot of cute textures that unfold, like I was visualizing a flower blooming or something, but it never really gets there. It gives me a kind of nostalgia for that in-between space in things."  

Aries

aries

Southern California producer and singer Aries is the antidote to overly protected, image-conscious pop stars whose every move feels like the result of media training and focus group research. He reaches his fans directly and builds his audience with more than music, sharing behind the scenes production details, personal vlogs, and creative edits and mash-ups like "This is america but it's lofi hip hop" and "if Migos was a Mariachi band" on his highly active YouTube page. Some of his most popular content is part of a series where he remakes popular rap beats in under two minutes, but don't discount Aries' music because of the other content he creates.

Aries released his debut album WELCOME HOME in April, and he fuses rock, pop, emo, and rap across nine tracks which have zero missteps. What's most impressive (aside from the streams, which number in the many millions), is Aries' clarity of vision and the project's cohesion. Although he's built an incredibly dedicated fan base and seen major support from Spotify already, it still feels as if Aries is an underground secret. Don't expect that to last much longer.

Instupendo

Instupendo

Philadelphia producer Instupendo delivered a gorgeous debut all the way back in 2017 with Friend of a Friend, but with his latest release he's gone through a subtle transformation. With the release of the stunning Boys by Girls, Instupendo has made it clear he's just as talented a songwriter too. His subdued voice compliments gentle production as though it was always there to begin with. A warm blanket of an EP, Boys by Girls is what he's been building towards. Tracks like "Cinderella" and "Earring" paint a captivating, thought-provoking picture, while "Pinch" and "Sugar" prove he can still let his instrumentals do all the talking, too.

 

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