The latest NOW That’s What I Call Music! edition highlights six (mostly) up-and-coming artists
NOW That’s What I Call Music, a joint venture from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, has released 59 compilations (excluding special editions) in the last 15 years. Since 2009’s NOW 32, each compilation has highlighted new artists at the end of the album. Artists such as Capital Cities, Hunter Hayes, and Walk The Moon have graduated to mainstream success after the NOW What’s Next feature. The latest NOW 59 album highlights six new artists after 16 big summer ’16 hits from pop stars such as Justin Timberlake, Sia, and Ariana Grande. You can read my take on the chart-toppers every week on the Scoreboard, but this review solely focuses on the latest squad of NOW What’s Next entertainers.
A reliable place to start identifying up-and-coming artists is Britain, the birthplace of English language. I frequently check the British charts in anticipation of what might be hot next in America. On the Scoreboard, I have done features on a number of Brit successes such as Jonas Blue and Calum Scott. NOW 59 interestingly puts the spotlight on electronic duo AlunaGeorge, who are the least up-and-coming of the bunch since they have already achieved critical success with their 2013 album Body Music and made it to #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year with a DJ Snake version of their Body Music single “You Know You Like It.” Their second album I Remember came out in September and lead single “I’m In Control” ft. Popcaan made it to NOW What’s Next.
Another British act on NOW What’s Next is DJ Sigala, who had a number of hits across the pond since last year but has not been to the Hot 100 in America. His single “Give Me Your Love” features singer John Newman and Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers and reminds me of Newman‘s “Love Me Again” with a funkier instrumental. Both of these songs made the British Top 40 and they shine among the NOW What’s Next crowd. Check out the “Give Me Your Love” video below, filmed in New York City, but charted in the U.K.
The rest of the NOW 59 What’s Next crew definitely comes off as the B Team. There is Alx Veliz from Toronto. Although he may look like hometown legend the Weeknd, he has a long climb to match @abelxo’s output. “Dancing Kizomba” went to #62 in Canada and is a nice enough dance jam, but it is hard to stand out in today’s dance-filled pop scene.
Jacksonville rapper Trap Beckham makes an appearance with “Birthday Chick,” but the entire premise is defeated from the start since NOW only features clean versions of hip-hop songs. You can find the explicit version on the interwebs though.
Finally there are two sixteen-year-olds, Daniel Skye and Kaya Stewart bringing their best bubblegum pop. @danielskye (no Hot 100 appearances but 2.2M Instagram followers!) has the teenage Justin Bieber look with a Shawn Mendes sound on “Smile.” @kayastewart punk rocks it on “Sleepover,” which is a subject that sixteen-year-olds should not generally be singing about, but she’s a rock daughter (pops is Eurythmics founder David A. Stewart), so she’s allowed. Check the Scoreboard to see if any of these artists make it big, and look for a new class of artists with NOW 60, out in November.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BK67JtjDlnu/?taken-by=danielskye&hl=en
@danielskye contemplating the fleeting nature of teen pop years
