If you live in the past you are bound to repeat it?
Ghosts of christmas past, present, future…
Ivy Sole
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
Time hasn’t been good to rapper Ivy Sole, originally from North Carolina but now based in Philadelphia. However, it hasn’t necessarily been exactly bad either. She has seen her popularity largely remain stagnant over the past two years, her monthly listeners having decreased slightly (-98,051, – 35 %). She had a slight resurgence in the spring of 2022, most likely due to the release of her 3rd studio album, the first in four years, Candid, in February but the #gardengang hasn’t been loyal.
There is hope! As of writing, her playlist reach is the highest it has been since March of 2021 (~5 M playlist followers). The algorithms have been favorable to her feature on East London based producer Azekel’s newest single “Just Expectationz“. It has popped up on numerous Spotify curated playlists including Chilled R&B (2.31 M followers, #37 most streamed song), Fresh Finds (1.16 M followers, #7), R&B Weekly (975 K followers, #21), Fresh Finds R&B (185 K followers, #2), and Ginger Me (185 K followers, #15) as well as numerous privately curated playlists resulting in a total playlist reach of ~4.9 M followers. Time will tell if the popularity of this single will stick and further if it translates into a new wave of fans for the Philly rapper.
In case you missed it:
If you liked this, 2023 edition: Amindi
Peach Fur
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
Kowloon
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
In early 2021, Kowloon, LA based musician and filmmaker, had yet to release their debut album with only a handful of singles released at the time of posting, including, “Wake Up” and “Come Over“. Since then, in the summer of 2021, they released Come Over, their debut work, containing the aforementioned singles and have followed that up with a further 6 singles. Despite the limited output, they have seen a steady increase in popularity through the past two years, more than doubling their monthly listeners (+248,108 listeners, 174 % increase).
“Wake Up” and “Come Over” continue to be their most streamed songs on Spotify, however recent singles, such as “The Sun“, have also contributed to their continued growth. The single, also released in 2021, currently has the most extensive reach in the Kowloon catalogue, with 144k playlist followers, approximately 25 percent of the current total reach of the Kowloon. It has been a mainstay in the Spotify curated playlist, Retro Road Trip, for 475 days (Oct 2021, 97k followers).
In case you missed it:
If you liked this, 2023 edition: okaywill
TOLEDO
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
Consisting of two childhood bestfriends, TOLEDO has been sending laidback dreamy folk-pop for 6 years now. In April of 2019, they released their first EP, Hot Stuff, which garnered them moderate attention. The release of their second EP, Jockeys of Love, in late February 2021, is when they really began to take off, quadrupling their monthly listeners from before the release. Since then, their following has remained stagnate, only gaining 26,408 monthly listeners (+ 6 %) in the two years following. They briefly had a noticeable gain in popularity in the middle of 2022 with numerous singles in the run up to the release of their debut album, How It Ends. Unfortunately, this following has returned to pre-album levels.
Their following isn’t poised to disappear anytime soon however. We have another case of the algorithms being favorable, this time to TOLEDO’s soothing summertime aesthetic, with TOLEDO’s current playlist reach being a giant 7.74 M followers across 456 playlists. This currently includes an official Starbucks playlist, Coffeehouse. At their peak in November 2021, they had a playlist reach of a whopping 23 M followers which at the time was ~ 6 % of all users on Spotify (~12 % of premium users). Most of this is coming from tracks from their second EP, notably, “Sunday Funday” and “Dog Has Its Day” are combining for ~ 5.4 M followers suggesting their debut album wasn’t that well liked by the masses. If TOLEDO can channel their earlier work which found them success, they could be poised to take off.
In case you missed it (technically released pre March 2021 but I’ll let it slide):
If you liked this, 2023 edition: Cottonwood Firing Squad
SAULT
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
Ever mysterious, SAULT’s members are still yet to be confirmed. It is heavily speculated and believed that acclaimed British producer, Inflo (pictured above), whose credits include work with acts such as The Kooks, Jungle, Michael Kiwanuka, and Adele, is the mastermind behind the project. Two more unconfirmed members, Cleo Sol and Kid Sister, are also speculated to provide the vocals on the majority of tracks. As of writing, SAULT as a group has never done any press, released any music videos or promotionals for their music which makes their popularity all that more impressive. They first started to gain notoriety and critical acclaim with their 2019 and 2020 releases, “5“, “7“, “Untitled (Black is)” and “Untitled (Rise)“, the latter two garnering praise for their commentary on civil rights in America in context of the unrest during the Spring and Summer of 2020. Since March 2021, they have seen a steady rise in popularity gaining just shy of 1 M monthly listeners (960 K, 73 % increase).
Most of that gain came in late 2022 when they ambitiously released five full length albums on the same day, Nov 1st (11, AIIR, Earth, Today and Tomorrow, Untitled (God)). Their anonymity and strange nature ever present, the albums were released as free to download digital media available for only 5 days via a password, “godislove”, on the SAULT website. The website describes the reasoning for the mysterious release as “an offering to God”. Fear not if you missed this mega release, as all albums, totaling 56 songs, are currently available on streaming services. Their popularity is destined to increase, as they are featured heavily on numerous Spotify editorial playlists, such as “Are & B” (6.13 M followers), “Ultimate Indie” (2.31 M followers), and “Pollen” (1.32 M followers). They currently are rocking an incredible 28.4 M playlist reach ( ~15 % of all paid Spotify users) across 2077 playlists, the most popular track being “Fight for Love” (14 M playlist reach).
In case you missed it:
If you liked this, 2023 edition: Madison McFerrin
Q
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
I was admittedly late to the rise of Q, a young 20 something R&B singer. In March of 2021, Q was already shooting up the imaginary ladder of streaming popularity due to the much acclaimed and publicized 2020 EP, The Shave Experiment. It caught the attention of high profile media outlets such as Sony and Vice, with the latter describing the release as ” A Safe Space for Black Men to Own Their Feelings”. As a result, Q had a hefty 1 M monthly listeners in March of 2021. In the two years since, the South Florida native has followed up with a full length album release of The Shave Experiment in June of 2021 as well as 3 successful singles in 2022 and 2023 (see below). His popularity ever increasing, Q now boasts an even heftier 3.1 M monthly listeners, an almost tripling of his count in 2021 (190 % increase). Looking to break out of midtable mediocracy, his future work should shoot him into superstardom.
The well titled popular Spotify playlist Pollen (1.3 M followers) is a favorite of Q’s. Three tracks from The Shave Experiment and all three of the new singles have all placed within the top four most streamed songs in the playlist. They also have staying power as only one track has been on the playlist for less than 100 days, with “LUV” being released early last month. He currently has a massive ~ 20 M playlist reach with over 1463 playlists.
In case you missed it (a mix of Frank Ocean and Prince):
If you liked this, 2023 edition: Yaya Bey
letherette
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
This Wolverhampton based English duo have been spinning records since 2003 (excuse my faux paus from 2020) and are showing no signs of slowing down. They came to mainstream attention with their production on Bibio’s famous track “Lovers Carvings” and have since released numerous EPs and albums. Depending on the release, their music can be filled with downtempo & hip-hop style beats or high energy house as is the case in “Too Much“. Their popularity seems destined to stay where it is after a long 20 years of beat making. The recent uptick in popularity is due to a recent collaboration with British MC King Kashmere, released in late 2022.
They appear to be your favorite DJ’s favorite DJs as their tracks, including “Too Much” are featured on custom playlists curated by some of the biggest names in electronic music including Troye Sivan, RÜFÜS (Headphone Selections by RÜFÜS DU SOL, 60 K followers, # 4 most streamed song) and Disclosure (Disclosure’s Record Bag, 58 K followers, #4 most streamed song). Their large collection of beats and bops currently have a very respectable 2.51 M playlist reach. The latest addition to their Brown Lounge series, BL6, released in 2022, is a 19 track trip filled with short duration head nodders. Heavy on the samples, check it out if you’re a fan of hip-hop style beats.
In case you missed it:
If you liked this, 2023 edition: ANOTR
Monster Rally
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
Another beatmaker, Monster Rally, real name Ted Feighan, finds joy in mixing tropically infused beats for your holidays. And if you don’t understand what that means, after listening to a handful of tracks from his collection you will surely understand. Monster Rally has been putting out music since early 2011 but has yet to find a large following. There are promising signs, as since March 2021, he has seen a gain of 284,098 followers (139 % increase).
His tracks are mainstays in listener playlists for such carefully crafted situations like “Afternoon Drinks” with 10.6 K followers which houses the streamer favorite “Lovely You” (1318 days). Two more tracks “In The Valley” and “Adventure” find themselves on the aptly titled Spotify playlist “Bon Voyage” (91 K followers, #71 and #13 most streamed song). He currently boasts a respectable 494 K playlist reach across 220 playlists. He is also not just a musician but an independent artist who makes prints that supplement his tropical beats. Check it out below:
If you liked this, 2023 edition: Nu Genea
49th & Main
In case you forgot, 2020 inclusion:
Small Forward
Scribz Riley
Ryan and Garrett 