It can be hard to find new artists to listen to. After a while, we get sick of hearing the same music and the same artists. It took me a while to figure out a good routine with regards to finding new music, but I’m here to offer my advice. If you end up enjoying even one of the five artists I’m recommending, I’ll be happy! I decided to write about six artists who have a monthly listenership that is on the “lower end”. These definitely aren’t names you hear frequently (at least for now) but they are definitely worth some of your time and hearing. These will be written in alphabetical order but none is better than the other.
First, there’s Arin Ray who has 843, 519 monthly listeners on Spotify. I found them through a playlist after hearing “Change” which also features popular R&B artist Kehlani. I enjoyed the song due to the chemistry between the two artists’ voices, the slow beat, and the lyrics. After taking a listen to some of his other music, I can say that a lot of it is similar in musicality, delivery, and overall tone. If you’ve already heard or decide to listen to “Change” and enjoy it — I think you’d like a lot of Arin Ray’s other music!
Next we have CLAY who has 190, 340 monthly listeners on Spotify. Their song “Orange” was one of my favourite songs for a while — their voice has a unique timbre and is overall really nice to listen to. I also really admired the brilliance of the lyrics. “Orange” is a more upbeat song with ironically sad lyrics, but most of CLAY’s music has a similar tone. I mostly enjoy listening to their raspy voice — it’s very nice. A lot of their beats have an element of funky synths which I personally really enjoy. “Orange” is their most popular song so I’d recommend listening to that song and seeing if it’s up your alley before delving into any of their other music. However, I have a strong feeling that if you like “Orange” you’ll like most of their other music.
Another underground artist is Cleo Sol who has 739, 201 monthly listeners on Spotify. I discovered them through a friend who had shown me their song called “One”. This is another artist whose voice is so unique and amazing to listen to. I really enjoy their use of harmonies in “One”, they add a really beautiful element to the music and show off their vocal ability. Their album “Rose in the Dark” is the most popular — the most popular song from the album being “Why Don’t You”. Their music is very laid back and is good to listen to no matter what mood you’re in.
Next, we have Ria Boss who has 11, 890 monthly listeners on Spotify. They have one of the most dynamic and deep voices I’ve heard and I love its uniqueness. I was introduced to their music after finding their song “Intro” in a playlist I had been listening to. Their music is mostly very laid back and nice to play when you’re doing work or not doing much. I recommend listening to their EP Underwater — it’s only 4 songs (11 minutes) long, so you have no excuse to not give it a try!
Lastly, there’s Sam Soto who has 24, 551 monthly listeners on Spotify. I also found their song “Cherry Coke Soda” through a playlist I had been listening to. This was my favourite song for about two months. It’s very upbeat and fun with a 2000s — 2010s vibe to it. The metaphor used in the lyrics is also cool to be a part of. Sam Soto doesn’t have too many released songs, but the ones they have released are pretty high energy, fun to listen to, and overall enjoyable.
Of course, everybody has their own personal musical taste, but I thought I’d share some of the lesser known artists that I really enjoy listening to in the case that you’d enjoy them too! For those of you who are looking to find new music/artists to listen to, I would recommend listening to random playlists and going to the “fans also like” panel on Spotify under some of the artists that you really like.
