These black singers are true hidden gems. You’re not gonna want to miss out on these up-and-coming stars!
New music is so hard to find but nothing is more satisfying than discovering new artists to listen to! From country, R&B, soul and pop we have it all for you! With a wide-range of bands and individual artists, each one on our list brings something unique to the music industry. Here are 12 black artists on the rise you’ll want to keep your eye on!
Chiiild
Chiiild is the perfect combination of pop, R&B, soul and jazz. The Canadian artist studied classical music growing up and now makes music for himself and himself only. He says his only expectation is that each song he makes is better than his last. He constantly says, “the best is yet to come”, and with a mentality like that we can’t wait to see what he does in the future!
Jelani Aryeh
Jelani Aryeh is an indie artist from San Diego who gained recognition in 2019 with his EP Helvetica then again in 2020 with his breakout single “Stella Brown”. He draws a lot of music inspiration from artists like Childish Gambino and Velvet Underground and he is an artist that is definitely on the come up.
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Topaz Jones
Topaz Jones is a 29 year old R&B and Hip Hop artist from Montclair, New Jersey. With hit songs like “Toothache” and “Tropicana”, last year it was said that he has “Made the Next Great Visual Album” according to Rolling Stone for his short film, Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma. The short film won the Non-Fiction Jury Award last year at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, check it out!
Gallant
Gallant or Christopher Joseph Gallant III, is a contemporary R&B artist from Washington D.C. who began gaining recognition early on from his 2014 EP, Zebra. You may be familiar with some of his top hits like, “Weight in Gold”, “Mad at You” with Noah Cyrus and “Cave Me In”, he even surpassed one million monthly Spotify listeners recently, congrats Gallant!
Orion Sun
Orion Sun or Tiffany Majette is the definition of well-rounded! They not only sing and write their own songs but they are also a multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Orion Sun released “Dirty Dancer” in February and recently wrapped up their first tour ever in North America. However, that’s not all the singer has in store for their fans, they will soon be touring again later in the year as a show opener for Remi Wolf!
Kamaiyah
Kamaiyah is an Oakland, California native and a Bay Area favorite! She has collaborated with top artists like YG, Tyga, and Quavo and her latest album, “Divine Timing” recently came out on May 27 of this year. She has come a long way from singing and rapping on SoundCloud as she is now signed with Interscope and Geffen records, you’re definitely gonna want to check her out!
Cautious Clay
Cautious Clay is iconic! With nearly two million monthly Spotify listeners, he is certainly on-the-rise! He picked his stage name because he says it’s hard for him to not be cautious in life, he doesn’t always know who he can trust and he isn’t one to just rush into things. The artist is known for his dreamlike R&B love songs such as, “Cold War”, “Joshua Tree” and “Wildfire”. He is constantly working on new releases and latest projects and we can’t wait to see what he does next, we know it’ll be amazing!
Xavier Omar
Xaviar Omar is an R&B pop singer who is a true hidden gem! He began his career in 2012 and writes about his faith, feminism and relationships as he tries to navigate his way through life just like the rest of us. His main goal with his music is to bring hope and strength through adversity as he wants to do his part to help as many people as he can through the tough times and celebrate the good times to influence a positive mindset for his fans.
The Internet
The internet is a band that contains a unique blend of R&B, hip hop, jazz, funk, and electronic dance music. It contains seven members, vocalist Syd, keyboardists Jameel Bruner, Tay Walker and Matt Martians, bassist Patrick Paige II, drummer Christopher Smith, and guitarist Steve Lacy. Syd and Steve Lacy create solo music as well but as a band, their main goal is to create music for pure joy as a form of self-expression. Their music is good for any occasion like in the car, at the beach or in the shower and they are a breath of fresh air to listen to! When they sing together they just look like a few friends jamming out together and having fun; they have such good vibes.
Kevin Michael
Kevin Michael is a pop artist from Pennsylvania who is constantly being inspired by the classic sounds of the late 1990s and early 2000s. He began releasing music in 2007 and signed with Downtown Records. His love of creating new music stems from artists like Missy Elliott who is known for having her own writing style and vocal arrangement. Add him to a playlist of yours right now!
Yola
Yola is such an icon! She is an English musician, singer and songwriter who can be seen at music festivals such as Coachella and Stagecoach. Her music is different from anything else that’s out right now with her songs being a mix of R&B and country. In 2020, Yola was nominated for four Grammys, one being the all-genre Best New Artist category award and won Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. At this rate, Yola will be selling out stadiums in no time!
Blood Orange
Also known as Dev Hynes, Blood Orange is an alternative artist from the UK who currently resides in New York. He is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer who is touring with Harry Styles as an opener at his Madison Square Garden Shows for his “Love on Tour”. His music and fashion sense show off his individuality making everything he does look so incredibly cool. Check him out!
How many of these new artists have you jammed out to? Let us know on Twitter @AfterbuzzTV!
