This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Augustana chapter.
- Rina Sawayama: Born in 1990 in Japan, and moving to London at the age of five years old, Rina Sawayama is taking the number one mention here. Her genre-bending and combining have had me shook the past few weeks—seriously, I am obsessed. Her ability to mix pop, R&B and club beats really make car rides fun! Not only does she deliver a new mixture of genres in each song, but she is also wonderfully a queer icon for the LGBTQ+ community! In her April 2020 LP “Sawayama”, she delivered sounds of the early 2000s, taking Britney Spears-Esque sounds with touches of inspiration from groups like Evanescence. Personal recommendations off of the album for me are “Akasaka Sad,” “Comme des Garçons,” and “Tokyo Love Hotel.” Enjoy!
- Jorja Smith: Next on my list is the angelic Jorja Smith. There isn’t another woman like Jorja! Hailing from England, Smith’s style of music encaptures the sounds of some of our most influential artists from before. Her jazzy R&B reminds people of household names like Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, etc. She has even cited these women before as inspirations for her. Only 23 years old, she has over 9 million listeners on Spotify alone! Jorja is perfect for a nighttime drive, as so many of her songs slowly weave along, the ballads and her raspy soulful voice are bound to make you feel something. While this is the case, I cannot ignore her club-type beats in some of her songs that make me wanna go clubbing all night long. Personal recommendations from Jorja are “On My Mind,” “Blue Lights,” and “Something In The Way.”
- Lizzo: Hear me out, we all know Lizzo by now, but I can’t seem to shake the feeling that people are not listening to her as much as they should be! Lizzo combines rap with gospel and speaks out about important issues we face today. Originally from Detroit, Lizzo moved to Houston and began rapping at the age of 14. She also studied classical flute! Hitting the music scene in Minneapolis in 2011, she started to work her way around the music industry. She’s worked with some BIG household names, including Prince! She was always encouraged to use her training in music in her recording sessions and has ended up with some truly amazingly put together tracks. There is so much I could say about Lizzo, but she really is an icon and deserves all the recognition and love in the world. Personal Recommendations are “Good as Hell,” “Paris,” and “Lizzie Borden.”
- Tinashe: Another beloved of mine, Tinashe. She is one of the most well-rounded people I have ever heard of. She sings, writes, dances, produces, mixes, engineers her music, AND MORE! A fearless creator in the music industry, Tinashe is self-taught in her production and engineering. Her R&B tracks are bound to make you feel confident and like you can take on anything. It makes sense, seeing as how she takes on any challenge and can overcome it, her music is bound to take on that energy as well. She breaks barriers with her talents and really shines in her realm of expertise. My absolute favorite song from her right now is “Rascal,” but I also recommend “No Contest,” and “Perfect Crime.”
- WILLOW: Last but not least is WILLOW. We all know Willow Smith for “Whip My Hair” back in 2010. That song was a part of our childhood, and she was the youngest artist in HISTORY to earn a double-platinum single. Now, WILLOW is making many different sounds that can be a part of our adulthood. There is quite literally no category of music you can put WILLOW in, she moves, molds and bends throughout the genres to make something completely her own. Not only is she extremely talented, but she fights to end Human Trafficking with her mother Jada Pinkett Smith. Her essence as a human being defies all lines and boundaries set on us from adolescence, and I think she is underrated and could be a go-to for people if they gave her more of a chance. Personal recommendations are “Not So Different,” “Waves of Nature,” and “Overthinking IT.”