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By Anya Li
March 2022
Are you looking for some new music? Or are you looking to support small artists? Or maybe it’s something else. Whatever it is, it’s time to discover some hidden gems of the music industry that have yet to be discovered!
Genre: Pop/Rock
Lesley Roy is an Irish artist from Balbriggan, Dublin, where she lives part-time. She splits her time there with the time she spends in New York City, where her wife lives. She has worked with artists like Adam Lambert and Miss Montreal and even competed in Eurovision 2021, which is an annual contest where countries in Europe compete to win the iconic glass microphone trophy. There, she placed 16th in the 1st semi-finals with her newest single “Maps”. She has a distinctly raspy voice, which she pairs with music featuring a unique mix of classic rock and modern pop. So for those of you who can’t seem to choose between rock and pop, Lesley may be the one for you!
Genre: Punk/Rock/Pop
Are you a fan of the 70s? Perhaps enjoy raw yet relatable songs? If so, Foxes might be an artist to try out. Though her real name is Louisa Rose Allen, she goes by her stage name Foxes, which she chose to eliminate confusion with singer Lily Allen. She rose to popularity through her song “Clarity”, a collab with Zedd. It even won her a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2014! Her sound is similar to that of the punk rock era in the 70s, and she has even cited Patti Smith, an influential singer of the era, as one of her major influences. However, she took what reporters call a “three-year hiatus” from 2017-2020, which she says in an interview with AtwoodMagazine “helped her realign her life”. Now though, she is glad to be back and quite excited for people to hear her music her new album, Friends in the Corner, was released in April of 2021! When asked to describe the album, she describes it as “raw” and even “[exposing] in a way”.
Genre: K-Pop/Indie/R&B
Cho Seung-Youn, otherwise known as WOODZ is a Korean singer and songwriter. Some may know him as a rapper and vocalist of Chinese-Korean group UNIQ, although they split in 2015 due to the heightening tensions between South Korea and China. In UNIQ, he and other group members made what was considered “classic K-Pop”, but as WOODZ, he has now shifted his music in a different direction. After experimenting with many genres, such as HipHop, Pop, EDM, and ballads, he decided to go with an indie and R&B vibe. His songs also have more power, yet are still soothing to the soul. A storyteller with his music, he is very personal with his lyrics, putting his entire heart and emotion into them. Released in October of 2021, his EP (extended play or mini-album) “Only Lovers Left” highlights this ability and the way he can showcase a concept to fit the message of any song. Make sure to go check it out and give him some love!
Genre: J-Pop/Indie
Eito’s debut single, “Kōsui” went viral on TikTok in early 2020, which charted the song on the Billboard Global 200 and scored his first #1 on the Japan Hot 100. Following his #1, he won an award for the song in the category of Best Breakthrough Song at Japan’s MTV music awards. “Kōsui” is part of his first album “Sukkarakan”, which he released in January of 2021. Like many of his songs, a large portion of the songs on the LP (long track) feature his acoustic guitar, bringing out his “unique and strong vocals”. His comforting voice paired with the acoustics of his guitar are truly an irresistible pair. Throughout the year, he has released multiple singles, all of which have the same indie vibe as many songs on Sukkarakan.
Genre: J-pop/Anisong/R&B
Eill, whose name was inspired by the Norse healing goddess Eir, has been writing and composing music since the age of 15. Not only that, but also is quite a gifted songwriter, having written songs for NEWS, Taeyeon, and collaborated with Pink Sweat$. Eill is known to be very expressive with her voice, consisting of a perfect mixture of sweetness, bittersweetness, luster, and strength. Despite having released 3 mini-albums, she has not yet released a full album, which is coming in February of this year! The album name has been revealed to be titled Palette and some of the tracks to be featured on it, though the order is still unknown, are “Breathe here”, “Hikari”, “Like a flower”, “Plastic love”, “23”, the acoustic version of “Katappo”, and the extended version of “Breath here”.
Genre: Lo-Fi/Bedroom Pop
Lily Ki, also known as LilyPichu, is an artist whose music radiates comfy vibes. Already busy with the responsibilities of being a full-time streamer on Twitch, she was afraid to start a music channel, though she had always wanted to. One day, she decided, I’m just going to do it. And with that, her music channel, named comfi beats was born. Once, when chatting with her stream she said, “I take a lot of pride in the music I compose and create.” And she should. Lily composes and writes all of her songs, a huge feat considering she is a full-time streamer. However, she does have a producer to help with the production. “It’s really cool that I can give a producer all my ideas and they can make it come to life,” she says. Most of her songs are accompanied by the piano, and even sometimes purely piano, like her songs “Walking With You” and “Comfy Vibes”, the latter holding a special place in her heart as her first song. Her voice, even when talking, is very high pitched, almost like an anime character, and very soft, adding to the relaxed vibe of her songs. Outside of music, as mentioned above, Lily is a streamer Twitch, where she has garnered over 2 million followers and is part of the organization Offline TV with creators like Pokimane, Toast, and her fiance Micheal Reeves.
Genre: Pop
Lisa Cimorelli was catapulted into the spotlight when she and her five sisters released a cover of “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus in 2009, which has garnered almost 9 million views! Together, the six of them formed the band Cimorelli, which she is still a part of after over 10 years! In 2018, Lisa announced on Instagram that she was going to be releasing her music as a “side project”. She has released multiple singles since then and has collaborated with other artists in the industry as well, like Tyler Ward and RiffRaff. Her songs reflect both her low points and her times of gratitude and self-awareness, even sometimes becoming “horrifyingly personal”. She has a passion for arranging songs, which she does for her band too. Her powerful, energetic voice, belts, and huge vocal range (B2-A6) never fail to awe those listening. Additionally, she has many live and acoustic versions of her songs without the production and effects on her vocals on her YouTube channel. She never has any autotune in these versions, stating that she prefers to “let [us] hear [her] properly just as [she is], mistakes and all.”
Bibliography:
Bibliography:
“About.” Cimorelli Music, www.cimorellimusic.com/about.
Albert, Michael. “The Artist Named Woodz.” Kpopmap, Kpopmap, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.kpopmap.com/the-artist-named-woodz/.
Betker, Ally. “Meet Foxes, the 27-Year-Old Singer-Songwriter Who Won a Grammy before Releasing Her First Album.” W Magazine, W Magazine, 28 July 2016, https://www.wmagazine.com/story/foxes-coldplay-on-the-verge.
“Biography.” Eill OFFICIAL WEB SITE, https://eill.info/biography/.
Donaldson, Becky. “Foxes on Her Career Reset and Comeback Confidence.” HELLO!, HELLO!, 1 June 2021, https://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/hfm/20210601114168/foxes-hello-fashion-cover-interview/.
“Eill (JPN).” Genius, 2019, https://genius.com/artists/Eill-jpn.
Eill. “Palette.” Spotify, 2 Feb. 2022, open.spotify.com/album/1sOmwSreycIb0KTHyxAQUQ.
Japan, Billboard. “J-Pop Newcomer Eito Scores First No. 1, Yoasobi Rises to No. 2 on Japan Hot 100.” Billboard, 20 May 2020, https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/eito-kousui-yoasobi-japan-hot-100-chart-9387656/.
“Lesley Roy - Ireland - Rotterdam 2021.” Eurovision.tv, https://eurovision.tv/participant/lesley-roy-2021.
“Lesley Roy's Irish Rock.” YouTube, 27 Sept. 2008, https://youtu.be/Q7sb5bPaMTU. Accessed 6 Jan. 2022.
“Lilypichu Talks about behind the Scene of Every Song She Made Part 1.” Performance by Lily Ki, YouTube, 18 Mar. 2021, https://youtu.be/CgyEEtyDUPg. Accessed 6 Jan. 2022.
“Lisa Cimorelli.” Genius, https://genius.com/artists/Lisa-cimorelli.
Mosk, Mitch. “‘Emotional Car Crashes’: Singer/Songwriter Foxes Makes a Stunning Return with Her 'Friends in the Corner' EP.” Atwood Magazine, 7 May 2021, https://atwoodmagazine.com/foxes-music-interview-2021-friends-in-the-corner-ep-feature/.
Oricon.co.jp, Eito "Kosui" MV Was Selected as the Most Talked-about Song of the Breakthrough Prize , 19 Nov. 2020, https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2177072/full/.
Ramenbeats, DJ. “Who Is Eito?” QAZ JAPAN, https://qazjapan.com/dive/who-is-eito/.
Wilson, Roxanne. “Woodz: Closer than You Think.” The Kraze, The Kraze, 25 Oct. 2019, http://thekrazemag.com/latest-updates/2019/10/24/woodz-closer-than-you-think.
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