Rock and Pop Features - Music's next big things - Tired of Lady Gaga? Meet her successor, and seven more bright young prospects for 2011.
The next Lady Gaga
Born Onika Tanya, in Jamaica, Queens, Nicki Minaj has been rapping since she was 12, experimenting with alter egos – 'Cookie’, 'Harajuku Barbie’ and 'Roman Zolanski’ among them – and building a formidable reputation as an inventive mixtape queen. Rocking a dazzling array of form-fitting outfits (imagine a hip-hop Manga character), the past couple of years has seen the 25-year-old add her sassy oomph on guest slots for Lil’ Wayne, Drake, Ludacris and Usher, and most recently Rihanna and Kanye West, to name a few. Now toting her recently released debut album Pink Friday, a thrill-a-minute blend of futuro R&B and whip-sharp, pop culture-literate hip hop, Minaj is set to strut into 2011 and own it.
Nicki Minaj: the next Lady Gaga
Jessie J: the next Rihanna
The next Goldfrapp
Mark Ronson’s ice cool summer hit Bang Bang Bang had one magic ingredient – and it wasn’t Q-Tip. Co-written with MNDR, aka Amanda Warner, her distinct vocals gave the track an indelible edge. Thankfully, it’s just a taster of what’s to come from the North Dakota-born singer and synth nerd. Her current EP E.P.E embraces both retro-futurist floor-fillers and cleverly layered slowies, while the full album, out in the spring, tackles everything from matters of the heart to Arizona’s detested immigration law and rebel heiress Patty Hearst.
The next Ellie Goulding
Currently pouting prettily from the pages of magazines as the ambassador of Nina Ricci’s latest fragrance, Florrie Arnold is more than just a beautifully symmetrical face. She already has several years under her belt as the in-house session sticks lady for pop production powerhouse Xenomania (Sugababes, Kylie), providing both live and recorded beats for Pet Shop Boys and Girls Aloud. Now the 21 year-old from Bristol is stepping up to the plate flashing her sheeny dance-pop wares on her lately released Introduction EP.
The next Carpenters
Remember the white heat rush of your first crush, the chest swelling emotion you felt when you thought it would last forever and the earth-shattering disappointment when you were left rudderless at the end of August? Well, the music created by London duo Summer Camp encapsulates all those feelings and more. Comprised of established folktronic singer-songwriter Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey, the real life couple make lo-fi, swooning, Eighties-influenced pop, swathed in harmonies and punctuated by iconic coming-of-age movie quotes.
The next Rihanna
Slick black bob and swagger to spare, Essex born singer-songwriter Jessica Cornish, now known as Jessie J, started off treading the boards in a West End, Andrew Lloyd Webber production at just 10, before surviving a heart attack at 18. She then went on to write hits for Alicia Keys, Ciara and Justin Timberlake, most notably co-conceiving Miley Cyrus’s worldwide smash Party in the USA. Now 22, Jessie is about to release her debut UK single Do it Like a Dude, a slab of expletive-laden, Auto-Tune pop that’s likely to repulse as many fans as it entices. Still, when unadorned, Jessie’s got a powerful set of pipes, as the teasers from her album Who You Are (out next year) attest, plus memorable melodies and ambition to spare.
The next the xx
One of the most positive aspects of the xx’s recent critical and commercial success is that it shows the mainstream (not to mention the people responsible for choosing the incidental music on Newsnight) is finally willing to embrace subtlety. Enter 27-year-old Jamie Woon. The Brit School graduate has been hovering around for a couple of years now, flexing and looping his vocal chords on tour with Amy Winehouse, but it’s only recently that Woon’s found his groove: a deliciously laid-back hybrid of soul and moody dub. Come April, the anticipation for his debut album will be hitting fever pitch.
The next MGMT
Looking to fill a Time to Pretend-shaped hole in your heart? Call off the search and meet Wolf Gang, aka 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist Max McElligott, who mines a similarly sweet synth furrow as MGMT. There’s even a trace of Jeff Buckley’s vocal prowess when McElligott strips his songs back.
The next Miley Cyrus
Every once in a while a reality talent show will throw up one real diamond whose vocal chops will leave you slack-jawed after just one line. This was the case when 14-year-old Alexis Jordan wowed judges with her rendition of Whitney’s I Have Nothing on America’s Got Talent. She didn’t win, but thanks to her appearance and millions of hits on YouTube, Jay-Z and production duo Stargate (Rihanna, Beyoncé) signed Jordan to their label StarRoc. All she needs now is her own television show. ( telegraph.co.uk )
The next Ellie Goulding
Currently pouting prettily from the pages of magazines as the ambassador of Nina Ricci’s latest fragrance, Florrie Arnold is more than just a beautifully symmetrical face. She already has several years under her belt as the in-house session sticks lady for pop production powerhouse Xenomania (Sugababes, Kylie), providing both live and recorded beats for Pet Shop Boys and Girls Aloud. Now the 21 year-old from Bristol is stepping up to the plate flashing her sheeny dance-pop wares on her lately released Introduction EP.
The next Carpenters
Remember the white heat rush of your first crush, the chest swelling emotion you felt when you thought it would last forever and the earth-shattering disappointment when you were left rudderless at the end of August? Well, the music created by London duo Summer Camp encapsulates all those feelings and more. Comprised of established folktronic singer-songwriter Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey, the real life couple make lo-fi, swooning, Eighties-influenced pop, swathed in harmonies and punctuated by iconic coming-of-age movie quotes.
The next Rihanna
Slick black bob and swagger to spare, Essex born singer-songwriter Jessica Cornish, now known as Jessie J, started off treading the boards in a West End, Andrew Lloyd Webber production at just 10, before surviving a heart attack at 18. She then went on to write hits for Alicia Keys, Ciara and Justin Timberlake, most notably co-conceiving Miley Cyrus’s worldwide smash Party in the USA. Now 22, Jessie is about to release her debut UK single Do it Like a Dude, a slab of expletive-laden, Auto-Tune pop that’s likely to repulse as many fans as it entices. Still, when unadorned, Jessie’s got a powerful set of pipes, as the teasers from her album Who You Are (out next year) attest, plus memorable melodies and ambition to spare.
The next the xx
One of the most positive aspects of the xx’s recent critical and commercial success is that it shows the mainstream (not to mention the people responsible for choosing the incidental music on Newsnight) is finally willing to embrace subtlety. Enter 27-year-old Jamie Woon. The Brit School graduate has been hovering around for a couple of years now, flexing and looping his vocal chords on tour with Amy Winehouse, but it’s only recently that Woon’s found his groove: a deliciously laid-back hybrid of soul and moody dub. Come April, the anticipation for his debut album will be hitting fever pitch.
The next MGMT
Looking to fill a Time to Pretend-shaped hole in your heart? Call off the search and meet Wolf Gang, aka 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist Max McElligott, who mines a similarly sweet synth furrow as MGMT. There’s even a trace of Jeff Buckley’s vocal prowess when McElligott strips his songs back.
The next Miley Cyrus
Every once in a while a reality talent show will throw up one real diamond whose vocal chops will leave you slack-jawed after just one line. This was the case when 14-year-old Alexis Jordan wowed judges with her rendition of Whitney’s I Have Nothing on America’s Got Talent. She didn’t win, but thanks to her appearance and millions of hits on YouTube, Jay-Z and production duo Stargate (Rihanna, Beyoncé) signed Jordan to their label StarRoc. All she needs now is her own television show. ( telegraph.co.uk )
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