6 underground UK female artists to storm through 2020 with

Hours on hours of endless scrolling, up down left right, Instagram (the gift that keeps on giving) lead me to @radamcnally, who had graced her followers with a playlist: 3 hours of female uk artists who have yet to blow on the UK music scene.

Once, twice and six times more after that. I rinsed that playlist and I still do. It was refreshing. A multitude of sounds and voices, all with a unique edge, ranging from the indie-soul tones in ‘Real Love’ by Jayahadadream to the airy, R&B vibes in Zilo’s ‘Don’t Waste My Time’.

All of the songs and artists are amazing (props to RADA for an excellent selection) but I took the hard route of whittling it down to the 6 “must-hears” to make the most of 2020 with. You can thank me later.

13% Wine - MaZz

MaZz’s raw, emotive voice laid out on the R&B beats in the track ‘13% Wine’ from her last album reigns for me. Her mixtape, ‘3.99 13% Wine’, which was released in November, is packed with potential and deserves a lot more recognition. The Kent based singer-songwriter hosted a listening party for the mixtape alongside ESC and other special guests. MaZz kicked off 2020 by releasing the single ‘Sour’, which debuted earlier this week.

Mama’s Boy - Rachel Chinouriri

Rachel Chinouri, who started singing in her bedroom on a £20 microphone, quickly became One to Watch with the help of BBC Introducing. Her track ‘Mama’s Boy’ was premiered on DJ Target’s show on BBC1 Xtra ahead of her headline show at London’s Moth Club. At only 20, her voice in Mama’s Boy is bold and confident, reminiscing the honeymoon stages of a relationship, “the cheekiness and vibrance of the first sparks of love”.

Old Flame - RADA

RADA’s unique musical style can be described as dreamy and melancholic, as in her track ‘Old Flame’, which helped her end 2019 with over 160,000 streams on Spotify. RADA uses her platform not only to support her own musical growth but also that of other underground artists, especially through creating this spotify playlist. RADA is also part of the 237 Mob, a music collective formed of other upcoming underground artists such as Donalee, Virgil Hawkins and KISH!, who she featured on ‘Be Mine’ with, alongside L!MA.

Better - Ama Lou

Ama Lou made her musical debut with her song ‘TBC’ in 2016 which caught the attention of Canadian superstar Drake, he even bought some of her merch and used her lyrics as an insta caption. Aside from her star-studded fan base, Ama Lou was acknowledged as One To Watch in 2018 by the Guardian. Her recent EP, titled, ‘Ama, who?’ includes the hit single ‘Northside’, and my favourite, ‘Better’, where Ama moves on from disloyal and untrustworthy people in her life who may have doubted her success.

Only Make Moves When Your Heart Is In It - Monèt

South East London born singer and blogger, Monèt, is a social butterfly and a beautiful songstress, drawing inspiration from the likes of Erykah Badu, Tupac and Amy Winehouse. Her EP, ‘Off The Record’, is a combination of poetry, soul and alternative r&b, accompanied by her soft, mellow vocals, as shown in her song ‘Only Make Moves When Your Heart Is In It’, where her poetically-charged flow really takes a stand. Monèt has featured twice on Reprezent radio and in articles written for GUAP and Modèle magazine.

Who Saw Who - Tara Lily

From the start of her musical career, Tara Lily has been building her brand of urban and traditional jazz, unable to fit in with the ever-growing grime and rap culture of her hometown in South London. Her jazzy vocals combined with modern, garage style beats take the listener on a journey through the percussion and saxophone filled, ‘Who Saw Who’, which was produced by Jammer BBK and got her a feature on Virgil Abloh’s ‘Televised Radio’ on Apple Music.

Find the whole playlist on Spotify here.