As the music industry wakes up from its holiday slumber and begins the new year, attention shifts to developing new artists whose careers are beginning to build. Below are forty hand-picked artists of varying genres and current levels of success. Some are completely independent, while others have already topped charts. Regardless, all of them show potential to be even bigger names, particularly in America, in the coming year. Listen to the artists through this SoundCloud playlist, and check back later in the year to see how these predictions turned out. Continue reading “Class Of 2015: 40 promising artists to watch this year”

The first chart of 2015 kicks off with two debuts, both from artists who charted in 2014. Brandi Carlile returns with “Wherever Is Your Heart,” the first official single from The Firewatcher’s Daughter and her second from the album to chart following “The Eye.” EZA returns with “Headlights,” from the Nashville Indie Spotlight 2015 compilation. She peaked at #61 in August with “Dreamer,” from her own Means Of Escape EP. Sheppard also returns for the third time with “Geronimo,” which peaked at #45 in November.

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Jamie Scott leads debuts for the second time in three weeks with new preview single “Carry You Home” bowing at #22, just above Elle King’s “Ex’s & Oh’s” at #27. Big Data re-enters the chart with “Dangerous,” which debuted at #80 earlier this year before my chart went on hiatus; Echosmith, Sheppard, Vance Joy, and MKTO also return after a few weeks off. New entries from Ella Henderson, Alex & Sierra, Jamestown Revival, and others dot the bottom reaches of the chart.

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These are one hundred songs that stayed in my heavy rotation throughout 2013. In a year that saw personal advancements including eight weeks studying abroad in France and graduation from college, these songs soundtracked my year, each song appealing to me through instrumentation, lyrics, or just its overall mood. Read on for descriptions of each track, access the whole playlist on SoundCloud to listen, and judge away.
Continue reading “Kurt’s 100 Favorite Songs of 2013”