International Artist You Should Know

Sigrid (Norway)

She broke onto the scene with her amazing single, Don’t Kill My Vibe in 2017. Which rocked the charts upon its release – her vocals are something different. She can only be described as “a fire-throated singer-songwriter who as sweet as she is salty”. The single is a upbeat, kickass track. The track shows how much bite she has in her booming voice by the time the chorus hits. The stripped back acoustic version on the other hand really puts her vocals on a plate for you to enjoy – it is a beautiful powerful piercing track. Her vocals are on point.

She has since released two more singles, Plot Twist another upbeat electro banger and a heartfelt emotionally rich acoustic Dynamite. The artist really has something special and we are only in the early stages on her career. I adore her music, and I am sure that you guys were like her versatility in her tracks from the softer acoustic songs to her upbeat booming tracks. She really has her own unique sound, and you need to check her out as soon as you can.

Bishat (Sweden)

Bishat is a new Swedish artist with roots in Ethiopia and Eritrea. She writes and performs dark soulful pop with influences from contemporary R&B. She was brought up in a musical family and is the little sister of Junip's member Elias Araya.

Told Me is any indication, she made the right move by leaving Universal Music to focus on her music. The song starts off strong, and has an irresistible drop at the 53-second mark takes this one to the next level. Her vocals are flawless, but you can tell that we have yet to seen the best from the Swedish singer.

She wrote the song on her own and co-produced it with Sebastian Atas, and it's a promising follow-up to her last track Mine, which has already racked up tens of thousands of plays on all streaming platforms.

Anna of the North (Norway)

Anna of the North, but really known by Anna Lotterud born in Norway moved to Australia where she met her band mate New Zealand producer Brady Daniell-Smith at one of his shows. From then on, they’ve gone on to create catchy electronic music. There really is something big going on in Australia, I need to really investigate that music scene more – maybe a year long trip out there might be necessary…

For me her music has this beautiful balance of being bold and breathtaking. The production of each song is stunning, the addition of her soulful soothing vocals makes their music endlessly-playable. She is definitely one like Sigrid that you should be on the look out for.

Us, is an amazing track. The acoustic version is on another level – the stripped back version allows you to truly hear and appreciate the richness in Anna’s vocals. She really is a hot prospect and I do think that we should expect something big from her down the line in her career.

Hare Squead (Ireland)

This trio are changing things in Ireland. Yes, you read that right Ireland they are this electrically energising hip-hop group. Hare Squead blend hip-hop, soul and pop in a way that carries Chance the Rapper and De La Soul vibes​ with a Dublin twist.

Comprised of rappers Tony Konstone and E-Knock and singer Jessy Rose, they met while skateboarding in a park and started writing together shortly after. Blending hip-hop, soul and pop in a way that feels both soothing and full of energy. To me their hit Herside Story, is just crazy good. It is something that you would expect from someone over in the states – it is cleverly written, and production is playful and polished. This track was so damn good that GoldLink a rapper who is in the same bracket as Chance the Rapper, Mick Jenkins and others had to have it on his latest album release.

These guys are changing the music scene big time. I really like their music another track of theirs that is more of a party banger is If I Ask – one listen to this and you’ll be banging your head to it within seconds. I can’t wait for these guys to release an album or another EP; I am expecting big things from them.

WizKid (Nigera)

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun better known by his stage name Wizkid is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. In 2016, Wizkid achieved international recognition following his collaboration with Drake on the global hit, One Dance, which reached number one in 15 countries. But before this, man came together to release a track with Skepta and Drake on his SoundCloud titled Ojuelegba (Remix). It is a great track of different vibes coming together over a great afro-beat.

WizKid, has now released chart standing singles with Major Lazer titled My Love, Chris Brown x Trey Songz with Shabba and most recently another collaborated single with Drake titled Come Closer. His rise to international success is like a fairy tale story, and I am sure that this is only the beginning.

Spoek Mathambo (S.A.)

Dubbed the Prince of Township Tech, Spoek Mathambo is at the forefront of South African electronic dance music. Amalgamating various electro genres including UK grime, dubstep, and punk, and introducing a local variation of house music into the delicate mix, the end result is an exciting new genre in South Africa’s music scene – mixed on none other than your typical home computer. Mathambo achieved global recognition and notoriety for a cover of Joy Division’s She’s Lost Control.

His latest album, Manzsi Beat Code is this throbbing funky album. He has been on the scene since 2010 but I am certain that most of you have not even heard of him before. This album for those looking for something unique and upbeat, the album is highly-recommendable and I think that this is Spoek taking his music to another level. Notable song choices, Black Roses, The Mountain, No Congo No Cellphones (this one is proper electro-S.A. house-dub).

Steve Lacy (USA)

Steven Thomas Lacy-Moya, better known by his stage name Steve Lacy, is an American guitarist, bassist, producer, singer-songwriter, and audio engineer. He was born in Compton, California and gained recognition as a member of the Grammy-nominated R&B group, The Internet, in 2015. In February 2017, Lacy released his debut project, a "song-series" titled Steve Lacy's Demo. The demo was mostly made on his iPhone which is insane, this kid has some real talent. The EP/song series has this soulful Californian funk to it it is a great debut solo project.

The opening song, Looks, kicks off with drums, adventurous bass, a wobbling synth, and gorgeous falsetto harmonies that lead in to the solitary verse. His voice is just so harmonically rich.

Lacy was also credited for his contribution to the track PRIDE on Kendrick Lamar’s newest album.

Jain (France)

Jeanne Galice, known professionally as Jain, is a French singer-songwriter. Her debut album, Zanaka, was released in November 2015.

I love her style, it is unique and inventive. Her track, Makeba really caught my attention when I saw the music video on the telly. She is a clever musician, and her album is a mixture of ranging from rock, funk, reggae and trip-hop and African styled sounds. She was born in France, and has roots in Madagascar, she moved to Dubai at the age of nine and then to the Congo during high school. She finally returned to France to finish her education and begin her music career.

Her vocals are warm and playful and you really feel a connection with her sound. She is one of a kind, and it is only the beginning of her bright career.

Cashmere Cat (Norway)

Magnus Høiberg known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian alternative R&B DJ, record producer. He is best known for producing songs for various artists, as well as remixing and editing songs from those respective artists as well. His debut EP, Mirror Maru, released in October 2012, gained global recognition.

For me Cashmere Cat has been creeping on that sphere of highly recognisable DJs in the world at the moment. With an ever growing number of DJs it’s always difficult to dilute the fakes from the greats. I highly rate him, but sometimes I have found him to be hit and miss. I much prefer his earlier tracks such as, With Me. Which has this synthetic layered buzz in the background, and beautiful piano melody accompanied by perfectly timed chimes. When the drop comes you get this bad ass bass with crazy snares which fall perfectly with the chimes again. The song then again builds up to the drop. The song is a definite head banger.

Similarly, with the track Wedding Bells which for me was one of my favourite tracks. It’s an absolute banger! There is this moment about a minute and a half in where you have this doubled beat throbs in your eardrums at that moment you like day-yum.

His new album is quality, and I actually take back my earlier comment. I think that he he has finally cemented his name as one of the best right now. It is a 10 tracked album, the tracks are superb and the production is trademark Cashmere. It is notable to mention, his style is more consistent now that he’s finally gotten the reputation and label clout necessary to use the R&B vocals he’s obviously always been dreaming of using – there’s no more R&B-esque sections in tracks, only actual R&B sections. With features from Ty Dolla $ign, Selena Gomez, Kehlani, Kacy Hill, Ariana Grande, and a few A-listed artists. The features help elevate the tracks to another level, This is some of the best stuff that I have heard from him, and I was worried that he would be overshadowed by the features but that isn't the case at all. He is one that you really check out, listen to his earlier work and obviously his new stuff.

I have just only noticed that most of the artists that have featured on this article are from Norway. That happened by accident, I chose these guys because one, I have either been listening to them and secondly I really rate them. It was a happy accident, but it just shows the class that is coming out of Norway. That said I will write another article soon one that is more internationally spread out. Until then soak this one up, and enjoy listening to these guys and gals.