Each year, TIDAL takes a look into the near future and selects a cohort of Artists to Watch — a group of impactful musicians sure to leave their mark on the year ahead. These great musical minds hail from different genres, bringing the striking details of their styles into the spotlight with them. But these 20 artists have something in common, too — they’re all about to spend a considerable amount of time in your headphones and headspace.
Read about the artists — take a step inside their thought processes — then explore our Artists to Watch 2024 playlist. Each story has a sound all its own.
Initially inspired by Nirvana, pop singer Ari Abdul later found the music of Lana Del Rey. When writing songs, Abdul — 2023’s CCTV is her latest release — thinks like a character actor. “I’ve absolutely found techniques that work best for me, like really feeling the emotion of the song and getting into that mindset to really portray the song properly,” she explains. “Another must for me is doing ad-libs to create ambience, whether it’s belting or singing like a choir. I also feel it’s important to feel inspired by the environment of wherever I’m recording — I prefer being in darker rooms.”
BabyDrill is one of the more recent rappers to come out of Atlanta. That explains his collaborations; since 2022, he’s worked with Latto, Quavo and 21 Savage. “Working with people that I can lock in with in and outside of the industry is cool,” reflects the rapper. “I just been keeping my head down and grinding. I’m glad that the music I’m making is connecting with people, and I want to continue making music I love that represents me and music the fans love.”
In just a few years, New Zealand rock band the Beths went from releasing music on SoundCloud to opening for the Breeders. For singer-guitarist Liz Stokes, coming up with a new song is all about intuition. “It’s just a feeling!,” she remarks. “For me, finding a melody is just following my nose until I feel like something memorable pops out. There is something magic about words and music together. Language has its own rhythm to it, and the way you can use melody to bend phrases and make certain words or ideas stick is so satisfying.”
Emerging with the song “Different” in 2020, Aidan Bissett initially found his way on TikTok. As far as singing influences, he cites one artist in particular. “I would say I gravitate most towards the Chris Martin vocal style,” says Bissett. “Sitting in my low register but being able to flip into a falsetto really quickly, while also being able to hold out a belt for a big chorus. I think it’s fun when artists can sit in multiple areas of their range and play around.”
Blondshell reached a major indie-rock milestone last year — touring with Liz Phair. But Sabrina Teitelbaum has also taken cues from outside the genre for her singing. “I took lessons and studied singing growing up, so there was formal instruction,” she recalls. “I also tried to really listen to what my favorite singers were doing, and tried to imitate them as a kid. I was obsessed with Amy Winehouse and with Adele’s first album.”
In less than ten years, the Georgia-based artist Dalton Dover has progressed from teaching himself guitar to a career in music. But he can still pinpoint the moment he fell for country music. “I remember like it was yesterday,” he recalls, “hearing ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’ by Keith Whitley for the first time and just thinking to myself, ‘Damn, that’s what I wanna do.’”
After appearing on The Voice in 2015, R&B artist DIXSON wrote with Beyoncé and Chance the Rapper. His next EP, MISSIONARY, will reflect his vast influences, from New Orleans hip-hop to Bay Area soul. “I am diving deeper into my personal references on MISSIONARY,” says DIXSON. “People rarely see me in my process, but every song I’ve done has so much musical DNA. On any given day, I go from Sly and the Family Stone to the 504 Boyz.”
The English rapper ENNY made a big impression with 2020’s “Peng Black Girls,” which later received a remix from Jorja Smith. Her 2023 EP, We Go Again, expanded her American fanbase. “Feels great and like achievement that the sound is able to translate past borders,” she says.
Trumpeter Keyon Harrold has appeared onstage with everyone from D’Angelo to JAY-Z, and his playing was featured in Miles Ahead, the Don Cheadle-directed film about Miles Davis. Harrold’s forthcoming LP is star-studded, too — it features Common and Laura Mvula. “My many experiences as a sideman and collaborator have given me unique opportunities to learn on the highest levels in the music industry in various genres,” explains Harrold. “I have had a visceral perspective on how to be a creative, how to go about cultivating the next generation of creatives and how to inspire an audience.”
Jazz vocalist Lauren Henderson has featured Terri Lyne Carrington and Joel Ross on her recordings, and she runs her own label, Brontosaurus Records. Her most recent album was crafted around the concept of magic. “Panamanian, Montserratian, Bajan and vast Central American and Caribbean roots interplay with my upbringing in New England, close to the historic Salem, where the Salem Witch Trials took place,” explains Henderson. “I was surrounded by historical stories of women and Black Americans being persecuted for their beauty and strength throughout history on that same land.”
Rapper J NOA’s 2023 included signing with Sony and an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. And with songs like “Betty” and “Qué Fue?,” she’s bringing attention to the social issues of the Dominican Republic. “My main goal is to bring awareness, because we’re living in a messed-up society,” says the MC. “I want kids to learn the value of earning things, and for young people not to do shady stuff just to fit in with a crowd that doesn’t really benefit them in any way.”
R&B singer LAYA has collaborated with Baby Tate and Fivio Foreign. From Staten Island, the singer thrives on exploring the different sides of her musical personality. “I’m not a one-note person,” she explains. “No flatline here. I have hills and valleys and even loop-de-loops. I like writing about various emotions and experiences, and in the way all those things feel different, the music should reflect that difference. I don’t ever experience one constant mood. It’s ever-changing and I enjoy creating vibes for all of it.”
On two previous albums, Bruce Liu had devoted his repertoire to Bach and Chopin, respectively. But 2023’s WAVES: Music by Rameau, Ravel, Alkan found the classical pianist interpreting three different composers, and recording both Baroque and Impressionist pieces. “So basically, for me, a very huge contrast jump makes us rethink about the history of music and how classical music developed so far,” he says. “It’s always great to turn to the tradition that is Baroque music but also to see the innovation at the time of Impressionist music, which of course has been attacked by salon culture people. Innovation always took courage.”
Singer-songwriter Mystic Marley — granddaughter of Bob — has toured with her father, Stephen, and released several singles, including a recent collaboration with Nailah Blackman and Walshy Fire (“JUMP”). Her music is informed by both her lineage and her current surroundings. “I was born in the states but grew up in a Jamaican household, so I was influenced by all kinds of music,” says Mystic. “There’s a nice blend between pop and reggae-dancehall crossing more and more. I follow my intuition when it comes to music and making sure we have elements of where we come from.”
In 2022, gospel singer Me’Kayla appeared on Aristocrat of Bands’ The Urban Hymnal — that album took home the Best Roots Gospel Grammy in 2023. Her first EP, with production from Sir the Baptist, is on the way. “I would describe it as weaving together timeless messages of hope, love and restoration while adding a dash of modern rhythms and few pinches of contemporary melodies,” says Me’Kayla of the release. “It’s not just spiritually uplifting; at 20 years old, I wanted my EP to speak directly to the realities of my generation. I wanted to create music that not only touches the soul but also captures the essence of our real-time shared experiences.”
On their 2023 single “Fall in Love Again,” K-pop group P1Harmony worked with Tricky Stewart, who had previously produced for everyone from Rihanna to Mariah Carey. But the band doesn’t rely solely on outside contributions; they have an active role in the lyrics and production. “As a music producer, I believe constant musical attempts are very important!,” says Keeho, who fronts the group. “Through those attempts, I can challenge new styles of music and develop them into styles that I am good at! I think I am trying to raise my personal level of music by doing these things!”
From a musical family — her father Pino and brother Rocco are both bassists — the singer and electronic musician Fabiana Palladino has made fans of Robyn and Jai Paul, the latter of whom signed her to his Paul Institute label. Her debut album is set to be released this year. “It’s a really personal album and a lot of the songs are written about very specific things I had gone through in the years leading up to the writing of it, but I just wanted to write songs that people can relate to, and not shy away from big feelings or difficult emotions,” she says. “I’m trying to live in the most authentic way I possibly can, and my music has to be a representation of that, so I tried not to overthink the songwriting or the production — to just make the music as honest and emotionally open as I can, whether that’s through words or production.”
A model and vocalist from Detroit, Ebony Riley grew up listening to gospel and neo soul. She sang about self-healing on her 2023 EP ebony. “I think the more we speak about our healing process, the bigger the chance of possibly helping and, or, potentially saving somebody else,” says Riley. “Everybody speaks on healing journeys, but very few share the tools they actually use. I know it’s not one size fits all, but I don’t think it hurts sharing your journey to encourage somebody else to do the work.”
Since getting together in 2019, NorCal hardcore band Scowl have dropped a debut album, 2022’s How Flowers Grow, and spent a lot of time on the road. And the gigs haven’t stopped — they’ll head to France and Germany in March and play Download Festival in June. “We grew into better, more seasoned musicians,” reflects the group. “While we haven’t had much time on the road to be creative, I think that the constant touring has fueled a sense of creativity in us that is much larger than ever before. We are inspired by our positive experiences on the road, our collective exhaustion and our ever-changing lives.”
With opening spots for Willie Nelson and backup work for Carrie Underwood, vocalist Brittney Spencer is on a straight line to country success. But the making of her upcoming debut, My Stupid Life, wasn’t so straightforward. “I’m breaking away from my need to feel or present myself as close to perfect as possible,” she says in a recent interview with TIDAL. “I’m really leaning into my feelings and spontaneity, and leaning into the things that drive me as a person. I like to be pretty spontaneous. I like to have a routine, but so much of my life is someone being like, ‘Hey, come over and let’s do this thing,’ or ‘Have you ever done this before? No? Cool. Let’s do this.’ That’s a lot of my life, and I’ve also brought a lot of that into my artistic process.”
