Music

Rising Artists You Should Watch in Fall 2019 and Beyond

In the words of SNL icon Stefon Myers, this list has everything.

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Two weeks ago, we posted The Only Guide to Fall 2019 Music Releases You'll Ever Need. First of all, you're welcome. Second of all, L'Officiel USA has decided to once again put in the work so you don't have to. May I present to you a professionally curated list of 10 artists we believe that people should be paying attention to. Some you may have heard of (like Summer Walker, whose breakout album Over It has been getting major attention over the past two weeks), while others you may not know, but should (love you, Plastic Picnic). With sounds that encompass genres like R&B, reggae, and bilingual Brooklyn house, there's something for everyone in this group of up-and-comers, and we can't wait to see where they end up.

Summer Walker

Summer Walker is a force to be reckoned with. The 23-year-old’s first studio album, Over It, dropped on October 4 and proceeded to have the biggest streaming week of all time for an R&B album by a woman (the only R&B album with more streams in a week is Starboy by The Weeknd). Even Drake slid into her DM’s to compliment her music. Do with that information what you will. I suggest you see for yourself what all the hype is about. 

Photo via Instagram / @summerwalker

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Laundry Day

I’ve been yelling about Laundry Day for the last two years—seriously, ask anybody who knows me. The band, comprised of five high schoolers from New York City, is (officially) on the rise: Matty Healy slid into their DM’s, and now Laundry Day is opening for The 1975 at four of their east coast shows. The guys played at Austin City Limits last weekend and will be playing at Camp Flog Gnaw later this year. You heard it here first, people: Laundry Day will be something. 

Photo via Instagram / @daundrylay

Quinn XCII

Quinn XCII is known within my circle of friends for his incredible ability to consistently produce jams. Seriously, every single one of his songs is great. I raved about the Michigan-born artist in our list of music to listen to this fall, and I genuinely believe he’s someone to keep an eye on because he’s inches away from blowing up. His second album came out earlier this year, and, lucky for us, he’s got a third one in the works. Do yourself a favor and check him out. 

Photo via Instagram / @quinnxcii

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Chelsea Cutler

A silky-smooth voice, a contagious sound, and relatable lyrics? Chelsea Cutler has all the right stuff. The singer/songwriter/producer has been dropping bops left and right for the past couple of years, with her latest, “you are losing me,” coming out late last month. The Connecticut-raised 22-year-old (203 represent!!!) played at Lollapalooza, Governor’s Ball, and Bonnaroo this year. Keep your eye on this one.

Photo via Instagram / @chelseacutler 

Zsela

24-year-old Zsela Thompson is worth paying attention to. She currently only has two songs released on Spotify, but has an EP is in the works. Zsela performed at a couple of New York Fashion Week events, including Collina Strada’s Spring 2020 show, as well as H&M’s soirée celebrating the Studio A/W19 Collection. (Fun fact: Zsela’s half-sister is actress Tessa Thompson.) Her music is making waves in the fashion world, so she’s definitely someone to keep tabs on.

Photo via Instagram / @zsela_

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Koffee

Koffee, aka Mikayla Simpson, is a 19-year-old Jamaican reggae artist. Originally gaining popularity after her Usain Bolt tribute song, “Legend,” went viral (with the help of him reposting it on his own Instagram), Koffee has managed to stick around. She performed her single “Toast” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” this summer—the same song made it onto Obama’s 2019 Summer Playlist. She’s the youngest artist to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Reggae Albums chart. She’s allegedly got an album in the works, set to come out in 2020. Also, she deleted all of her Instagrams, so as we've learned from the likes of Blake Lively and Dove Cameron when they made similar moves, something is for sure about to go down. 

Photo via Instagram / @originalkoffee

Plastic Picnic

Brooklyn-based Plastic Picnic is an ideal mix of old and new. The indie-rock quartet, comprised of Pacific Northwest transplants, creates synth-heavy pop jams that will make you want to dance around your bedroom on a rainy afternoon (no? just me? whatever). Their sophomore EP, Vistalite, dropped this summer, and they are currently working on their debut album that will hopefully bless our ears in 2020. 

Photo by Jake Hanson 

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Yaeji

Let’s talk about Yaeji. The 26-year-old artist mixes hip-hop and electronic, Korean and English, for her own unique sound. She recently featured alongside Clairo on “February 2017” from Charli XCX’s latest album, and released a remix of Robyn’s “Beach 2k20” last month. Last year, Yaeji dropped “One More,” which was her first independent release (!). Yaeji, please, more new music soon? 

Photo via Instagram / @kraejiyaeji

Tei Shi

Tei Shi has evolved since the release of her first EP in 2013, and we’re here for it. The Colombian-Canadian artist now has over half a million monthly listeners on Spotify. Her latest track, “Even if it Hurts,” dropped last month, and features English singer-songwriter Blood Orange. Like Zsela, Tei Shi performed at Collina Strada’s Spring 2020 NYFW show. Her new album, La Linda, is slated for release on November 15. 

Photo via Instagram / @teishi

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Gavin Turek 

Gavin Turek isn’t new to the music scene, having released her first single back in 2015, but she appears to be on the brink of making it big. This summer, the Los Angeles-based artist released her music video, “2AM,” produced by the one and only Lena Waithe. Turek has also worked heavily with Tokimonsta. She is currently working on her debut album that’s set to come out in early 2020, so get excited.

Photo via Instagram / @gavinturek

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