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The best underrated artists you need to know rn (based on your popular faves)
If you're like us, you're always on the chase to explore new artists and new music. The sheer amount of content can be overwhelming sometimes, but we've got you covered. Based on your popular faves, here are some incredibly talented yet underrated artists that you'll *def* be blasting in your room 24/7. Bonus: most of these artists are under age 20, and *all* of them are female.
If you love Taylor Swift, you will love Maude Latour
Fave Lyric: "Then I fell harder for your fifties movies references/And the world is smaller with you, maybe I'm not so alone" – One More Weekend
Besides contemplating life, love and death, Maude Latour's music bears all her thoughts, personal and philosophical, to the world in glitchy-pop. Currently, she spends her time between online classes at Columbia University and creating songs and sharing them on her social media.
Latour's ability to weave her own experiences into relatable and thoughtful pieces is responsible for her recent blow-up. Plus, she takes her audience through her music process on Instagram Live, sometimes sharing new pieces as soon as she writes them.
In one of her TikToks, she says, "My music’s entire purpose is to teach you to be introspective, self-actualize, and find transcendence on this earth."
Must-Listens: "One More Weekend", "Superfruit", "Furniture"
If you love Clairo, you will love ella jane
Fave lyric: "Sometimes I forget to breathe / Not sure if it's subconsciously" –AUGUST IS A FEVER
Don't get us wrong, we *love* books. But to write an entire indie-pop song off one? That's what Ella Roth, known professionally as "ella jane," did.
In a TikTok from October, Roth explains that her AP Literature class's creative final assignment was about any book they had read that year, and so she spun her interpretation of the character, Jay Gatsby, from the classic novel "The Great Gatsby" into a catchy indie song called "nothing else i could do." Since then, the song has amassed over 3.5 million listens and Roth has gained over 370k monthly listeners on Spotify with only three total songs, launching her on the path to stardom in the alternative pop scene.
Must-Listens: "nothing else i could do", "The City", "AUGUST IS A FEVER"
If you love Lady Gaga, you will love Zolita
Fave Lyric: "Are we sisters or are we lovers?" –Explosion
Since launching her 2015 viral music video "Explosion," Zoë Montana Hoetzel, known professionally as "Zolita," is on a journey to conquer the world of pop with her witchy aesthetic. As an LGBTQ+ artist, Zolita tells The Gay Times in an interview: “We need more queer, female perspectives in the media. I’m a feminist, lesbian woman and as an artist, I want to explore my experiences and write stories about them.”
Citing Lady Gaga as her biggest influence, Zolita's songs are dark, clubby trap songs that are both danceable and magical.
Must-Listens: "Shut Up and Cry", "Holy", "Explosion"
If you love Halsey, you will love Silver Sphere
Fave Lyric: "The second you walk in with tattoos and problems / I can't help but think I'm the one who could solve 'em" –boys in bands
Chicago-based singer Sophie Cates, known professionally as "Silver Sphere" is perfectly fearless and bold, and her songs are too. On her website (which is super cool and aesthetic BTW), she declares: "I am Silver Sphere, a pop star from another planet ... Silver Sphere continues to be a euphoric escape for me and everyone from Earth who listens to my music."
Her most recent EP, all my boyfriends, is a stunning project laced with romantic candor, atmospheric synths and wistful lyrics. Silver sphere describes it best—"the sound is both earthly and raw, and out of this world."
Must-Listens: "boys in bands", "crowd", "ghosts!"
If you love Lorde, you will love Chloe Lilac
Fave Lyric: "Instead of loving me, you just wanted a song about you" –HERE'S YOUR SONG
Brooklyn-bred artist Chloe Lilac has been writing and singing since a young age, sneaking out to perform on the streets of NYC at a mere age 13. Now, six years later, Lilac has grown exponentially in acclaim and popularity, releasing her latest EP, DOUCHEBAG, which is unapologetically introspective and brassy.
DOUCHEBAG aims to empower women while taking down those douchebags we're all so familiar with. In an interview with LADYGUNN, Lilac reveals, "The overarching lesson I’ve learned thus far has been the reality that most of my life as a woman will be spent unlearning my own internalized misogyny. Every day I realize a new, painful reality about my existence as a woman."
Lush with texture, smooth vocals and uplifting melancholy, Lilac's music is the perfect bedroom pop for sneaking out of your house or just chilling on your bed.
Must-Listens: "High School", "OBVIOUS", "HERE'S YOUR SONG"
Who are your fave artists? Tell us on Instagram @girlslifemag!
All GIFs via GIPHY I Cover image from instagram.com/maudelstatus
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