If you haven’t realised lately, the UK is just popping with hit acts right now, and we’re about to introduce you to the top eight that you should know about.
Although we’re full of Aussie pride for our homegrown acts, the UK is absolutely going off with artist after artist absolutely crushing the scene. Between the lush voice of Tom Grennan, or the more smooth sound of Biig Piig, the UK has so much to offer in terms of pure talent.
In fact, it seems as though almost everywhere you look, you’ll find yourself met with some of the most vital and immersive sounds on offer. You name a genre, and the UK will be delivering it in spades.
With some acts collaborating with huge, international names like P!NK, or turning streaming numbers on Spotify to the near billions, there’s a few artists we need to be around, so sit down, read on, and let us give you the ones you need to be listening to.
1. Tom Grennan
Rising to fame after featuring as a guest vocalist on electronic duo Chase & Status’ album All Goes Wrong, Tom Grennan has made a name for himself, and now boast a staggering nine million monthly listeners on Spotify, and growing.
Grennan has seen himself nominated for numerous ‘breakthrough’ and ‘up and coming’ awards, and shows no sign of slowing down. His most recent album, UK #1 charting Evering Road came about only a few short months ago, and with another album, plus a handful of EPs in his arsenal, Grennan can certainly be named one of the best in the UK scene right now.
Speaking to Tone Deaf about the success he’s already seen in Australia from his music, Grennan nones that it’s “absolutely crazy” to see us Aussies connect with his music, as it’s a country he’s always wanted to travel to: “Classic Grennan timing though when it’s in the middle of a global pandemic. Ha ha! I’m desperate to come down under and connect with you all, it’s a dream of mine.”
Additionally, Grennan reckons that back home in the UK, it’s been insane to see how much crazy good talent is coming about, stating, “we’ve always been lucky in this country that our natural culture helps create so much incredible talent, there is plenty to talk about for a start! The grime/rap scene is on fire right now, and the amount of talent is frightening across the board in the pop space.“
As for his favourite UK artists? He’s been bopping to Dave, Bicep, Gabriel’s, little zimz, Arlo Parks, and Ashnikko, as well as newbies Mungun, Rose Gray, and Franke Beetlestone.
Check out ‘Little Bit Of Love’ by Tom Grennan:
2. Mimi Webb
Although she’s known from social media platform TikTok, Mimi Webb is a graduate from Brighton Music College, and signed to Sony Music prior to even strutting her stuff via the video platform. Although she’s only released four songs so far, she’s famous for the emotions that flow through her music, and we’ll be keen to see what comes next.
Check out ‘Good Without’ by Mimi Webb:
3. Tom Odell
Born in West Sussex, but having spent part of his childhood in New Zealand, Tom Odell has three flawless records to his name, with one more just around the corner. He’s been compared to the likes of David Bowie by Lily Allen, who noted that his performances are filled with pure energy when he hits the stage.
Check out ‘Another Love’ by Tom Odell:
4. Rag’n’Bone Man
Popping onto the scene back in 2010, and letting us hear all might with his debut album Human back in 2017, blues, hip-hop, and indie pop fusion Rag’n’Bone Man recently unveiled his second, stunning album Life By Misadventure, which proves he’s still soaring high in the music world.
Check out ‘Anywhere Away From Hear (feat. P!NK)’ by Rag’n’Bone Man:
5. Ella Henderson
Claiming her right to fame through UK’s The X Factor in 2012, you should expect big things from Ella Henderson. With her first album Chapter One reaching number one in the UK, as well as a slew of singles, it’ll be no wonder if her work-in-progress second album impresses, too.
Check out ‘Let’s Go Home Together (feat. Tom Grennan)’ by Ella Henderson:
6. Jake Bugg
Kickstarting his career at the age of 16, Jake Bugg originally came on the scene when he was selected to perform at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival via the BBC Introducing stage. Ten years later, he’s released four albums into the world, and has another – Saturday Night, Sunday Morning – on the way later this year.
Check out ‘Two Fingers’ by Jake Bugg:
7. Biig Piig
Originally from Cork, Ireland, Jessica Smyth (known as Biig Piig) spent a fair amount of her childhood in Spain, leaving her with the ability to sing and rap in both English and Spanish. Only on the music scene since 2016, Smyth has a handful of mesmerising singles to her name, as well as her first EP No Place For Patience, Vol. 3, which came out in late 2019.
Check out ‘Perdida’ by Biig Piig:
8. Sody
Starting bright and early, Sody began her career in singing at the young age of 10 by performing for the Anthony Nolan Charity. From there, she competed in the TeenStar talent contest where she was listed as a finalist, and there’s been no slowing her down since. With her songs getting tens of millions of hits via Spotify, she’s definitely an artist that you need to keep your eye on.
Check out ‘Maybe It Was Me’ by Sody:
