Adi Ulmansky
Isreal’s answer to South Africa’s Yolandi Visser, this punchy, Pokemon obsessed electro-pop rapper, who released her explosive ‘Hurricane Girl’ EP last year, is going to hit 2014 hard. With her fusion of 90’s techno rave and Middle Eastern beats, Adi Ulmansky creates music that sounds like a hologram bursting open after getting shot by an AK-47, punctuated by hypnotic, technicolor cuts like “Falling.”
Lola Blanc
It’s a little iffy whether or not the Spice Girls will reunite once again. But if they do, they might want to consider adding Lola Blanc to the lineup. With her penchant for over-the-top retro-future glamour, as well as her knack for crafting mega-hooky pop concoctions, this contagious LA-based Britney Spears’ co-writer (“Ooh La La”) and one-time ventriloquist who released her debut music video “Bad Tattoo” via Ryan Seacrest last year is primed for a Top 40 takeover soon.
Manou
She’s 16, just like Lorde was when she released “Royals.” And sure, it’s probably not very fair to pigeonhole Manou as another teenage prodigy – but, yeah, she’s basically another teenage prodigy. With a sweet, soulful voice that recalls the ethereal siren calls of Dido, this mysterious Anglo-German high-school student singer-songwriter crafts chic, hypno-electronic r&b. With expert production from P*NUT (Amy Winehouse, Foxes) on her debut track “Sadie,” expect to hear Manou on both fashion runways and college radio stations soon.
Broods
This brother-sister duo from New Zealand is about to blow up in a big way. Touted by everyone from Billboard to Guardian as the Next Big Thing, it’s hard to ignore the shared talent between these two kiwis. The synth-pop siblings Caleb and Georgina released their icy electro-ballad debut “Bridges” in 2013, and were almost immediately signed to Capitol Records based on the intoxicating alt-pop merits of the track. File these two alongside Chvrches and prep for lift-off.
LIZ
Mad Decent’s resident blonde bombshell LIZ’s post-millennial pop is the perfect combination of modern swag and blinged-out throwback grooves. Combining the sensual urban pop sheen of Ariana Grande and the stylish, cyber cool of AlunaGeorge, this Los Angeles artist embraces the Old School sound of smooth 90’s r&b and fuses it with her sunny, beachy California-girl-meets-Tumblr vibes on sugary, rhythmic tracks like “All Them Boys” and “Hush.” With the revival of urban-pop upon us, get ready to see a lot of her this year.
