Shauna Watson
Music Editor
A regular feature in the music section of a magazine at the start of any year, but it felt appropriate to compile our own list of ones to watch in 2012. They may not be the next music prodigies but it is a list nonetheless of great acts you’ll be hearing a lot more of throughout the year.
Rae Morris
Birdy, Kate Bush and Curly Sue’s love child, 18 year old Rae Morris hales from Blackpool and only realized her talent as a singer not so long ago. She has been trying to make it through the mediums of YouTube for a while as well as playing small gigs in her hometown alongside studying in college. Entering 2012 will a publishing deal with Universal, a degree and a mass of online fans, for Rae Morris 2012 is going to be a successful year.
Michael Kiwanuka
Adele deserves a lot of credit for her taste in music as she regularly recommends gems of artists. Michael Kiwanuka is one of them. The Rolling in the Deep singer believed in Kiwanuka’s talent so much that she asked him to support her on her Adele Live 2011 tour.
Kiwanuka has been compared to artists such as Otis Redding, Van Morrisson and Bill Withers and has also been shortlisted as one of the BBC’s Sound of 2012.
Charli XCX
“With a plethora of emotive, dark pop songs…Charli is not your run-of-the-mill musician” – describing yourself in such a way in the biography of your music page is obviously going to boost the play count. However you’ll find yourself listening to her music again for her quirky, catchy sound and the fact that she has talent. Her sound resembles that of Marina and the Diamonds and LadyHawke so by comparison I wouldn’t particularly endorse the statement of a musician contrary to those run-of-the-mill acts.
Alabama Shake
Alabama Shake brings the return of the sounds of Southern soul/rock and it’s certainly not a bad thing. Lead vocalist Brittany Howard gives the band that unique edge that has made them the ones to watch in 2012. They’ve only released a 4 song EP but no doubt there will be more to expect from the Athens four piece throughout the year.
Dry the River
Admittedly, it was the name that attracted me to Dry the River. An indie/folk style name that perhaps follows the same format as Band of Horses or Cage the Elephant.
The five piece, originally from London, released their debut album Weights and Measures at the end of 2011 but is no doubt a record sure to storm the folk scene in 2012.
Electric Guest
Electric Guest are currently one of the most promising unsigned acts this year and the fact that they’re managed by the same company as Jack White, Vampire Weekend and Cold War Kids (who EG have also supported) indicates that they won’t remain unsigned for long in 2012. The Los Angeles duo have only released an EP on the iTunes consisting of two singles but nonetheless, songs furnished with impressive melodies and catchy guitar riffs.
Lianne La Havas
Judging by her online biography La Havas has quite a quirky eccentric personality – contrary to the acoustic, soulful accent of her music: “Nothing like Corinne Bailey Rae…but we have similar hair.” Ironic considering the first artist she reminded me of was Ms. Rae. However understandable it is that she would want to distinguish herself in the overwhelmed soft pop/soul genre, her sound is a lot like Ms. Bailey Rae.
The Minutes
The Minutes have done extremely well as a band from Dublin thus far. Aside from being signed to Model Citizen Records, they’ve just released their debut album Marcata. They boast a genre of rock and roll with the added guarantee of “proper rock and roll, born in the 50′s, dragged kicking and screaming through the late 20th century.”
The Rest
Other acts sure to make an impact on the music scene in 2012 are Clock Opera fronted by Londoner Guy Connelly, Daughter aka Elena Tonra and Hudson Taylor comprised of busking duo Harry and Alfie collaborating full time with singers as gaeilge, Mo Hat Mo Geansaí.
