By Dominique Tassell
Abigail Barlow
Abigail Barlow is the kind of musician who can basically do it all. From bubblegum pop to heartfelt ballads to the musical phenomenon that is the Bridgerton Musical, you’ve most likely come across something Abigail has touched. The unique thing about Abigail is her openness when it comes to her process. She gained traction on Tik Tok for posting snippets of her songs as she wrote them, with songs like ‘Trust Issues’ quickly going viral. She struck gold when she posted a snippet of a song she’d written inspired by the hit TV show Bridgerton, which launched her and her writing partner, Emily Bear, into the public eye. Barlow and Bear have now been nominated for a Grammy and secured a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30. Just in time for this article, Abigail dropped her highly-anticipated single ‘Stayed Strangers’, a song she posted a snippet of in 2020 that instantly became a fan-favourite. The new single beautifully shows off both Abigail’s songwriting and vocal abilities and is the kind of breakup song that will stay in people’s playlists for years to come.
Top track: Stayed Strangers
Elle Murphy
Elle Murphy only has a handful of songs on her Spotify page, but those songs show a promising Aussie artist on the rise. Her new single ‘Beautiful Sensitive Boy’ has gone viral on Tik Tok with over a million views since it was posted at the end of January. The song, directed at an ex’s mother, highlights how people see relationships differently when they’re not inside them.
Top track: Beautiful Sensitive Boy
Sody
Sody, real name Sophie Dyson, has been pumping out hits since she was in her mid-teens. At 15, she was described as “mature far beyond her years” when her debut single ‘Sorry’ was released. That theme has continued on in Sophie’s writing. While she hits breakup songs out of the park, now 20-year-old Sophie also has a talent for writing about experiences outside of the romantic in a heartbreakingly honest way. While her raw honesty about her sadness was a trademark for years, as she’s grown as an artist Sophie’s now ready to own all her other emotions too. One of her newer songs, ‘B**** (I Said It), does exactly this by showcasing the explosive rage you can find yourself feeling at the end of a friendship after trying to make it work for way too long. She said in an interview that the song gave her “new confidence and has enabled me to channel my emotions into a sort of cheeky rage rather than crying into my pillow energy”.
Top track: B**** (I Said It)
Maisie Peters
While Maisie Peters has been on the scene for a while now, she’s skyrocketed to new levels with the rise of Tik Tok. While songs like ‘This Is On You’ and “John Hughes Movie’ made quiet waves online, Maisie blew up with the song ‘I’m Trying (Not Friends)’. With one of possibly the catchiest bridges ever, that portion of the song started a huge trend online and racked up ridiculous amounts of views. Her lyrics are often a bit tongue-in-cheek, and she has a knack for somehow distilling the complicated experiences and emotions of your late teens and early twenties into a three-minute hit.
Top track: I’m Trying (Not Friends)
Cassie Dasilva
Canadian artist Cassie Dasilva went viral on Tik Tok for the scream queens inspired music video for her song ‘Unsolicited Contact’. The video, 100 per cent female made and 100 per cent pastel, was a promising dose of what was to come. Her debut album ‘Enough’ showcases the different sides of love, from finding it in the sweet and syrupy title track ‘Enough’ to losing it and losing your faith in it in ‘I Don’t Trust Anyone Anymore’. Her unique songwriting style is infectious, with raw honesty about her experiences. ‘Unsolicited Contact’ in particular showcases a kind of stream-of-consciousness style that makes it particularly cathartic to scream in your car.
Top track: Unsolicited Contact
