Five Rising Stars in 2020

2020 hasn’t exactly been the best year for music - with artists pushing back projects due to COVID-19, festivals and concerts being cancelled because of the lack of social distancing, and independent music shops struggling to get by in these uncertain times. However, various musicians have tried to brighten this bleak year by releasing albums, with Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica” and Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” taking the world by storm, to name a few. Plenty of new talents have found their way into the music industry this year, often taking off on social media platforms such as TikTok. Let’s take a look at 2020’s newcomers.

girl in red

Marie Ulven Ringheim, who goes by stage name “girl in red”, is a twenty one year old Norwegian singer/songwriter who creates music known as bedroom pop. Her song “we fell in love in october” has accumulated 33 million views on Youtube and 132 million streams on Spotify to this date.

Her 2020 success can be attributed to TikTok, with thousands of users making videos to her music, creating trends and ultimately helping her become a household name in indie music this year. Her debut album, titled “World in Red”, is awaiting release sometime this year, showing how not even a pandemic can stop this rising star.

Roddy Ricch

Rap artist Roddy Ricch’s debut album, “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial” was released in late 2019, but his fame peaked in 2020 after single “The Box” spent eleven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Apple Music named it Song of The Year and it was also nominated for a Grammy.

At just 22, Roddy Ricch, full name Rodrick Wayne Moore, Jr, has gained huge commercial success this year with collaborations with huge names such as DaBaby. Ricch was due to perform at Wireless Festival this year in London, which was cancelled due to COVID-19, but I hope to see him there in 2021.

Megan Thee Stallion

2020 has been an amazing year for the twenty five year old rapper, earning two number ones on the Billboard Hot 100. She released her debut studio album, Good News, in November, which received acclaim from music critics.

Good News featured collaborations with Beyonce and Cardi B, which helped to solidify her place in the music industry this year. And it doesn’t stop there - Time Magazine listed her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world this year!

Conan Gray

American singer-songwriter Conan Gray, coined as "the pop prince of sad internet teens" by Teen Vogue, saw huge success this year. released “Kid Krow” this year, his debut studio album, which received praise from household name Taylor Swift.

His 2020 achievements can also come from Tik-Tok, a video-sharing app which saw his catchy songs “Heather” and “Maniac'' blow up on. Gray appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden this year and released a collaboration with singer Lauv.

Doja Cat

I’m a huge fan of Doja Cat, an American hip-hop artist, and she featured in my Top Five Artists of 2020 on Spotify Wrapped. Although she has been releasing music since 2012, her song “Say So” completely blew up this year, earning her a remix with rapper Nicki Minaj.

Doja Cat also bagged three nominations for the 2021 Grammys - Best New Artist, Record of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. We can expect a new album soon, too, with it reportedly being “all ready”, according to nme.com.

2020 has seen so many amazing artists come up with creative ideas to lift spirits, through virtual concerts; live streams; new albums. I can’t wait to see what 2021 will bring music wise, with a potential return to concerts and festivals, and anticipated albums from artists such as Adele, Rihanna and Lana Del Rey - some of my favourites!

Which artists defined your year? Let me know!

(Images from Creative Commons)