We all relish that age-old feeling of being able to say you discovered something first, whether that’s bands, businesses, or books, but by the time it comes across our laps, artists seem to have already been discovered. However, with the rise of Tiktok stardom and small artist appreciation, here are 9 artists that you’re going to want to keep an eye on this fall so that you can truly be the one friend who “discovered them first”.
- MAisie Peters
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Maisie is likely the most popular artist on this list, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention this British Pop-Rock star. Currently coming down from a tour where she opened for Ed Sheeran of all people, Maisie is known mostly for her song “Cate’s Brother,” which she even performed on The Late Late Show and which currently has a little over eight million streams on Spotify.
However, now is the perfect time to become a Maisie fan. She just released her newest single, “Blonde”, describing the age-old urge to bleach your whole head after a heartbreak (something I personally have done too many times), and is currently teasing her next song on TikTok:
With a US Tour coming up in November, Maisie is definitely worth becoming obsessed with just in time.
- Cate Canning
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Ok, I will be honest, this is where my music taste becomes obvious. Cate Canning is slightly lesser known, but has a very similar sound to Maisie Peters, if slightly less punk rock. This similarity can be easily explained…by the fact they’re roommates. The self-described “singer, songwriter, Canadian” is even the aforementioned Cate in Maisie’s song “Cate’s Brother.”
While both singers have definitely influenced each other, Cate tends to lean a little sadder, and a tad bit more Phoebe-Bridgers-inspired, while Maisie fully leans into her Reputation Era. Cate’s 2020 single “I Can’t Wait To Be Pretty” blew up with over six million streams on Spotify and is my current obsession. The everlasting yearning in her voice as she describes what it’s like waiting for her Disney princess glow-up is heartbreaking yet relatable for every girl out there.
Now, with her newest people-pleaser anthem “The Ruler” out this past September 24th, Cate is on the rise and you should tag along with her.
- Jack Barksdale
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Jack Barksdale is crazy unique as an artist and Tiktok phenomenon — mostly in that he’s 15 years old. With self-described influences from Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, Jack released his first full album this year and is already making waves in the Tiktok music scene. As a commenter described, his songs “give young Chris Stapleton vibes and I am HERE for it” (user @vivmill on Tiktok).
His newest single, “Gone,” seems to be the one blowing everyone away, as his voice is almost timeless yet evokes old folk music guitar. The song itself has peaked at over 520k views on Tiktok and 330k streams on Spotify, giving this young singer the verified status on the music app. While it is hard to say whether his talent is based on his age and young sound, I personally believe he will only get better as he grows, and encourage you all to watch as it happens.
- Ella Jane
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Ella Jane already actually did most of my work for me, as she created herself a commercial to tell you all why you should be obsessed with her (and she is completely right). Because all the research has been done for me in this case, I will instead just tell you that “nothing else i could do” by her has been in my liked songs for MONTHS and this amazing alt-pop artist is touring with her newest single “I Wanna”, having made it onto the cover of Spotify’s Fresh Dance Pop playlist. “I Wanna” is described by Ella as her “little queer song” with a bridge to make Taylor Swift fans cry.
- Katie Gregson MacLeod
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Keeping on the topic of cute blondes with amazing songwriting skills, we have the sensation that is Katie Gregson MacLeod. Kate is known for the video (shown above) of her playing piano and singing the ICONIC line, “I’m wearing his boxers / I’m being a good wife…” that has reached over 7.6 million views on Tiktok. The aforementioned song, “complex,” has been released in a demo form, but will now be fully produced on October 7th. The song will be produced by the one and only Greg Kurstin, who has won producer of the year multiple times and has collaborated with big names like Lily Allen, Kesha, and Adele.
Katie is from the Scottish Highlands and sings about the horrifying ideal of loving someone a bit too much while channeling her inner peace and coming at us with a haunting melody. It is, for this reason, that her song has become my most listened to for the month of September and will definitely be showing up in my Spotify Wrapped, as it should in yours as well.
- Drumming Bird
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This one is for the existentialist ex-religious crowd out there. Drumming Bird is the catchy-ass name for singer-songwriter Austin Sawyer, who describes his own sound as “somewhere between the youthful noise of indie rock and poignant working-class introspection of Americana.” With his newest song released on September 8th, “All God’s Children” has reached over 400k views on Tiktok, Austin Sawyer just finished a stint on tour opening for Daniel Nunnenlee and performing his truly Tiktok famous song, “American Spirits”. Both songs perfectly describe the feeling of being raised religious and now having the face the real world with a bit too much trust and naivete in your back pocket.
With very limited songs out, now is the perfect time to ride along with Drumming Bird and be able to really say you knew them first.
- Kelsy Karter
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For the slightly edgier crowd out there, Kelsy Karter checks all the boxes. This rocker has a hard shell that is quickly broken through her music detailing heartbreak, self-doubt, and the troubles of being gorgeous. Her song “Liquor Store on Mars” reached Tiktok success in July of 2022, quickly reaching yearning rocker girls as she sings, “Cause that’s how far I’ll have to go / To see you and not say hello” in her deeply haunting voice reminiscent of a modern-day Amy Winehouse. With a new single out very very soon, Kelsy is the perfect rocker-Angelina-Jolie to follow along with this revenge-girl-fall.
- Emei
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Another rocker for this fall, Emei is often described as the next Olivia Rodrigo, although I feel that does her a disservice. I love Olivia as much as the next girl, but Emei has such a unique sound and pours her heart out in every performance I’ve seen of her. In her song “Late to the Party“, Emei goes all-out relatable and dives into the world of being in your twenties and working our silly little passions while people get married and promoted. As the fall brings this semester of classes and seeing WAY too many posts of high school acquaintances, I know Emei has the perfect anthem for those of us still figuring it out.
Maybe by 23, right?
- Quinnie B
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Last but not least, Quinnie B — @q.uinnieb on Tiktok — just released her single “man,” that I’ve been obsessed with since her first teaser. With the ICONIC line, “No amount of nail polish could paint you a good man,” Quinnie describes her song as: “A song about men who will use the façade of softness to convince you they are more harmless than the rest.” Her timeless and explosive new song laments the feeling of trust when you have truly been tricked. With more than one song already released, Quinnie is at the perfect point to jump in with her unique style and rising Tiktok fame.
Next time you want to be ahead of the trend, prove your knowledge of one of these amazing artists! And keep a look out for more up-and-coming stars on all our favorite app.