Her Campus readership forced to see my music taste
Music. It has fun wavelengths of sound in repeating patterns, and there’s nothing the human brain enjoys more than patterns! However, people can end up with an issue: they keep on listening to the same kinds of patterns over and over, and that’s too repetitive. Do not fret, however, because yours truly is here to share some objectively good choices in music. As I’m a person on the internet saying something with even a shred of confidence, I’m obviously a reputable source. Do not tell your grandparents the last sentence, by the way.
Only the first artist’s placement in the list matters in any way. I adore her.
5. Alex G
Alex G is notable for the chill yet contemplative music he makes, most of his stuff being made in his own bedroom. The sounds are somber but aesthetically pleasing in a manner similar to when you find yourself alone on a beach. If you’re on TikTok, you might’ve already heard some of his music, as some of his older music has managed to become viral again.
Recommended Listens: Mary (2012) and Treehouse (2011)
4. Bladee
Ok, this entry might be a bit of a loss for some of you, but I do recommend Bladee. He’s an unconventional hip-hop artist from Sweden, who’s had notoriety in underground and alternative spheres, along with his group, Drain Gang. Nothing but bangers as far as I’m concerned, but admittedly his music does require a certain kind of brain chemistry in order to completely enjoy on first listen. However, the weirdness is in a good way.
Recommended Listens: Be Nice 2 Me (2018) and Sugar (2016)
3. Diamond White
Finishing in 5th place in the 2012 season of the X-Factor, Diamond White is a singer and actress. While she’s relatively more known for her acting and voice acting talent, she also makes unique-sounding RnB. Her voice, choices of subject and choices in song composition create extremely dreamy listens, and the best way I can describe the sound of her music is that it is of the kind that you wish you could’ve heard for the first time again. I can’t wait to see what music she puts out as her career progresses!
Recommended Listens: Digitally Yours (2021)
2. Bali Baby
I’m not sure if many other people can relate, but as a teenager, I was exceptionally clued into the female rappers on Worldstar Hip Hop in the late 2010s and the beef a lot of them had with each other. When I say I was in deep, I mean I was in deep. Some of those women still continue to make music, and others have fizzled out, but there’s a secret third kind: women who have shifted to making music that’s more idiosyncratic and growing tremendously as artists. One of these women is Bali Baby, who went from a dime-a-dozen rapper to someone with a unique, alternative aesthetic and a sound that even someone like me, who has been listening to rap ever since I started listening to music, can clue in as uniquely hers.
Recommended Listens: Electrical (2018) and Professor Finessor (2019)
1. Tinashe
Being the only person on this list whose ranking means anything, Tinashe is by far one of the most underrated people in music currently alive. She can dance, sing, produce and has excellent stage presence and breath control, yet she still struggles to have the mainstream appeal she deserves. While she had a hit back in 2014 with 2 On, there is so much more to her music than just that, with a lot of her best music being murky and evocative RnB. She also has a lot of pop songs (having actually gotten her start in the music industry as part of a girl group in the 2000s), several hip-hop songs, and has even forayed into rock from time to time – and that’s just her released music. Her unreleased stuff is also high quality, and almost every unreleased song of hers left me wondering why none of it ever made it onto an album. After a split from RCA, Tinashe is also independent and works for herself, meaning that her current music is also some of the most artistically authentic I’ve heard in a while. Overall, she’s a massively underappreciated artist who should’ve been put on your playlist yesterday.
Recommended listens: Too many to count, but here is a short list of my favorite songs by her:
- Lucid Dreaming (2016)
- Rascal (2020)
- Heaven (as a feature) (2023)
- Ride of Your Life (2016)
- Party Favors (2016)
- Energy (2016)
- My High (2012)
- Angels (2021)
- Throw a Fit (2018)
- Boss (2012)
Thanks for reading. Add all of these songs to your playlists now, as I am a random internet person who is therefore an authority on these matters.