Pop music surely has to be the most popular genre of music in the world at the moment, yet it’s often maligned by the critics. I wanted to create an article series to showcase some of the better underground artists within the pop music scene – don’t forget to check out the catchy playlist at the bottom!
Review by Jane Howkins
Picture by Gabrielle Ornate
Gabrielle Ornate – Free Falling
First up on my list is Free Falling by bohemian queen Gabrielle Ornate. One of the things I liked the most about this track is the way that Gabrielle also infuses some rock music into the track, straddling the boundaries of both genres well. Guitar riffs mix with Gabrielle’s sultry vocals and the catchy vibes of the song, with it having both attitude and a sense of danceability!
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Zight feat. Adam Christopher – Number One
Number One sounds beautiful from the start, in part due to Adam Christopher’s soulful vocals. Layers of backing vocals soon appear, as producer Zight mixes some intense synths and a cool bassline together on the instrumental drop. The piano on the verses is really lush, and the changing dynamics between the verses and the instrumental part really work to contrast against each other on this EDM inspired pop tune.
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Miles Squiers – Black Chevy
Miles Squiers is an artist, writer and producer, with Black Chevy being his latest release. It’s got quite a mainstream pop style vibe to it, and I can certainly imagine this doing well in the charts! The vocal effects are used well and the autotune is definitely a good thing here, as it really adds some character to the vocals as a whole. The synths have a nice flowing quality to them, running underneath the vocals nicely.
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Jonathan Lobo – Magic
Magic is catchy from the start, with the chorus refrain opening the track up nicely. Jonathan Lobo’s latest features some lovely guitar lines, as well as a huge percussion sound, which makes the whole thing seem very anthemic. The chorus will get you singing along with Jonathan’s amazing voice in no time – check the song out below and see for yourselves!
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Maijah – My Time
My Time is more of an alt-pop tune, opening with an eerie cello and piano melody, which sounds almost jazzy at times. Maijah’s vocals are soon introduced, full of soul and sultry style. The pace picks up shortly afterwards, with an incredible bass melody pushing the song into the huge chorus, which sees Maijah’s voice soaring – her range is truly incredible. This is one of my favourite songs on the entire list.
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Lottie Zttarr – Revealing
Revealing is a little different to a lot of the other songs on this list, as it’s much more stripped down, having a dream-pop quality to it instead. Lottie Zttarr’s track is one of the more experimental songs here, featuring a minimalist piano melody as the main instrumentation of the piece, accompanied by Lottie’s unique vocal style. It won’t be for everyone, but those with a broader range of musical taste may enjoy this.
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Kaeley Jade – Ego
Kaeley Jade is an Edmonton based singer-songwriter who crafts lush pop songs with amazing melodies and poetic lyrics, as can be seen in latest release, Ego. The track is more of a dream-pop song than a mainstream chart topper, but it sounds absolutely stunning, with Kaeley’s lush vocals shining over the folky verses. The chorus sees her vocals soaring in dramatic fashion, which gives it an anthemic quality.
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Frankie Bird – Younger Dreams
Frankie Bird is a young singer-songwriter creating poppy songs in a more folky style, with Younger Dreams featuring a lovely strummed acoustic guitar melody and some luscious strings as its main instrumentation. I found myself reminded a little of Avril Lavigne’s earlier music, showing good promise for Frankie’s future! It also helps that her vocals sound lush, full of energy and emotion throughout.
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Katie Belle – Now That I Know
Now That I Know is a happy break-up song, if such a thing can be imagined! The track has more of an old school pop feel to it, with a bouncy rhythm and lots of strings pushing the creeping melody along, making it sound quite beautiful at times! Katie Belle certainly has a penchant for writing good songs, and her vocals perfectly pronounce the lyrics, sucking the listener in straight away.
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Ozz Gold – Unknown
Unknown starts off quite slowly, but soon brings the tempo back up again on Ozz Gold’s new EDM infused pop track. The song reminded me of a lot of the dance music that became popular in the 90s/2000s, featuring a slower verse that segues into a huge chorus, which is mostly instrumental. The main chord sequence sounds heavenly, especially when the synths kick in on the drop!
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Bohardt – This Is What You Wanted
This Is What You Wanted has a slightly different flavour than some of the other songs on this list, with the opening synths harking back to the 80s. The tune still has its modern moments, especially in terms of the beats and the way Bohardt’s vocals are used, combining a lot of fantastic elements together. The bass is also very groovy – just try and listen to it without wanting to dance along!
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Tori Boltwood – Stay On The Moon
Tori Boltwood’s new song Stay On The Moon is quite jazzy, especially as the song opens, with a quiet piano melody mixing well with her vocals. Some synth effects are slowly added over time, adding to the atmosphere of the piece. The tension slowly builds up in this mid-tempo pop number, providing a different sort of pop music to the usually stuff you might expect. It’s great to hear something a little different!
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Vallac – Fake Love
Fake Love is upbeat from the start, kicking off with a fast house beat consisting of hi-hats and a cool bass melody. More elements are added to the track as it continues on, with a gorgeous piano motif building the song up. The vocals eventually kick in, following the main melody well on Vallac’s latest. This is the perfect song for nightclub dancing, so hopefully you might hear it in a club near you soon!
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Bekim! – Next To Me
Next To Me is more of an r&b infused pop song, also having a lot of retro elements to it mixed in with the more modern ones, which is a testament to Bekim!’s songwriting skills. The vocals are very soulful, sounding smooth throughout, working extremely well with the upbeat percussive beat and the cool bassline. The chorus is also very catchy, with layers of backing vocals overlaying the lead vocals.
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Lil Zib – ON MY OWN
ON MY OWN is another song that includes moments of r&b, although it’s still an out and out pop song. The main instrumentation comes from a slow montage of piano chords, alongside what sounds like an organ, making for something that sounds quite different. Lil Zib’s vocals are smooth and soulful, oozing an essence of cool from the very start. It’s short, but oh so very sweet.
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Spotify – That’s Where You’ll Find Me