Editors' Picks

Maisie Peters is a young woman with a plan. She started releasing her own material at the tender age of 17, having already been seen on our TV screens at 15 performing some of her own songs. She has been given some good live performing opportunities too, opening for Niall Horan on a recent tour, as well as Ed Sheeran, so we can assume that the future is looking very very bright for Maisie Peters. 

Macklemore is a well established artist, with a portfolio now stretching across decades! At 39, he has continued to have a thirst for creativity and this song is testament to someone who has gathered a wisdom of writing and ability to showcase true rap talent in a unique way. 

It has been 10 years since Conor Maynard was catapulted into the public eye, with his critically acclaimed single release of ‘I can’t say no’. Since then he has released a strong catalogue of tracks and has even tried his hand at musical theater. Before the pandemic hit, he could be seen in the Broadway production of Kinky Books! His latest track, ‘If I Ever’ is sure to please his fanbase and I would imagine it to attract new listeners to some of Maynard’s back catalogue. 

Lola Young is a young new performer, who is already attracting a healthy fanbase with over 41K followers on her Instagram page. Originating from South London, she is carving out a strong reputation as one of the UKs most exciting new up and coming artists. 

There are a handful of global artists that could adopt the mantel of being a music superstar, but Pink is sure one that should definitely be considered. She is now in her 23rd year as an established artist and has gained a huge fanbase in every corner of the world after releasing an extensive catalogue of critically acclaimed hits. 

Adam Lambert is flamboyant, extravagant and truly unique as an artist. Cutting his teeth with Queen in recent years has made him one of the most exceptional performers in the world. He had big shoes to fill, in Freddie Mercury, but instead of trying to copy him, he has forged a fantastic fresh feel and has developed his own confidence as a singer and performer. 

For a young musician, Arlo Parks has already crammed lots into her career, and her latest song stands her in good stead to make progress on the UK charts, with success already seen in other parts of the world, this track will help her expand her fanbase in her home country. 

The Hertford born singer songwriter has been at the forefront of the British music scene for 8 years, after his hit single Budapest catapulted him into stardom. His distinctive voice and excellent song writing skills have meant we have heard many more hits from his creative mind and the Sweetest Human Being Alive is his latest offering. 

Metallica have pulled off what is seemingly impossible. Keeping a secret from their legions of fans. They have unleashed a surprise single that nobody saw coming. “Screaming Suicide” has landed and is truly mind-blowing. The track is the second from their upcoming “72 Seasons” LP which is due to hit on 14 April. 

Billy Locket has a longer career in music than you might think. He began releasing material as far back as 2011, but the UK based singer songwriter is maturing into a name that many people will be becoming familiar with. A quick search of recent live shows tell us that not only can Billy Lockett write a good tune, he is a pretty talented live performer and pianist too! 

Andy Grammar was discovered busking in Santa Monica, and the rest has been a growing catalog of successful live and studio work. His debut album was released in 2011 and there have been regular releases ever since. 

Mimi Webb signed to Epic Records at the tender age of 18, and now 4 years into her journey is growing from strength to strength. The British born singer-songwriter is developing an impressive list of releases and Red Flags, her latest offering is set to add to her collection of critically acclaimed work. 

Blake Rose is a 25 year old singer songwriter from Perth, Australia. He first came to our attention as a 21 year old singer songwriter, receiving rave reviews for his debut work. His latest release, Use Me, is another example of a rare songwriting talent who will no doubt be producing other creative pieces for years to come. 

JW Francis has had an interesting life before his music career. He was born in Oklahoma, lived in Paris, New York and is now a recent signing to Sunday Best Recordings. He delightfully refers to himself as ‘bedroom pop’, and there is a complete innocence to his music and production that really appealed to me. 

Each Christmas, the UK draws a huge media feature on the John Lewis advert, so much so that for many families, this feeds into their traditions. In 2012 it was this advert that launched Gabrielle Aplin into stardom with her cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s, The Power of Love. Prior to this, she was growing a fanbase as an acoustic singer songwriter from Wiltshire. 

Who would have thought Iggy Pop is 75? The aging rocker is still releasing new music and sounding great in the process, with his trademark look and stage presence. 

M Huncho is a 29 year old rapper and trap music star from London. If you have ever seen a picture of him, you will notice he always wears a mask! Apparently this is to keep his life outside of music as normal as possible. Whatever the reason, it gives a real sense of mystery about the man. 

The partnership of Cheats Codes, an LA based DJ trio and Dolly Parton is quite a surprise and I would love to know more about how the collaboration came about. The country legend, who has been an international treasure for over 50 years, is still being creative and adding her unique voice to diverse projects. 

Ava Max is a 28 year old American singer songwriter, who has been in the public domain for a lot longer than you might imagine. She broke onto the scene in 2016 and has been growing her fanbase ever since. 

RuPaul needs little introduction. The 62 year old has been a household name for a long time. For this track he has teamed up with mixer, rapper and producer Skeltal Ki, a lesser known artist, but one that certainly provides a lot of interest to the music! 

The 1975 have returned with a new album titled Being Funny in a Foreign Language, and it’s quite the unique package. There’s plenty to love for those who want that sound that made them fall in love with The 1975 in the first place, but others stand above the pack in every way imaginable. The third track of the record, ‘Looking for Somebody to Love’, is especially special because of how perfectly it captures exactly what it tries to portray.

In a complete surprise announcement, Metallica not only announced a brand-new single, out that same day, called Lux Aeterna, but they simultaneously announced a new album, out February, and a world tour. That’s a lot of good news for Metallica fans, but how did the song hold up?

Their latest release “The Cleansing Ultimate Edition” will hit you in all the right ways.

This week brought two of Nashville’s popular rising stars Matt Stell & Elvie Shane to Manchester as part of Country Music Week, which is organised by Country To Country (C2C). The Deaf Institute in Manchester was one of the select venues across London, Manchester and Glasgow throughout the week.

Australian singer / songwriter Amy Shark may have just finished a massive tour and still be reeling from the success of her Aria wins and her stunning debut album “Love Monster,” (2018) and incredible follow up “Cry Forever” (2021) but the 36-year-old clearly isn’t slowing down any time soon.

Stop what you are doing and check out this amazing release if you haven’t already. James Parkinson, also known as One Cure for Man, has not only lived up to the hype created by his stunning single releases toward this one. He has far exceeded it.

Born in Ireland, Brooke Scullion has begun to build a strong reputation as a talented performer. In 2020, as a contestant on the Voice, she managed the rare feet of turning all four of the judges chairs around, demonstrating her raw talent and power as a singer. Many people may have seen her perform in the 2022 Eurovision semi-finals, representing Ireland and eventually finishing 10th overall, but didn’t quite make it to the final! 

The Young British artist has been busy since her initial rise to fame. First performing on the Glastonbury Introducing stage in 2019, her first release came in early 2020 and she can now boast a growing catalogue of songs. Scarlett (Garden Version) is from her second album - ‘The walls are way too thin’ and establishes her place as one of the country's most exciting acts to watch out for. 

Low Island are a UK based band from Oxford who are starting to gather a good reputation as an exciting live and recording band. They are currently working their way around Europe on tour promoting their material, but will be back in the UK to continue to build a following by the middle of October. 

I'm In Love With You is the third single to be released from The 1975’s latest album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language. The band have been going now for 20 years, being formed in 2002, but have only really been a feature of the mainstream music scene for the last 10. 

Neither artist here needs much of an introduction, although, I am interested to know how, why and when they decided that this duet should happen! It does always surprise me when we see artists' ages appear and I often forget how much time has passed since they were first brought into the public eye. Elton John, now 75 and Britney Spears is now 40! Both artists are undoubtedly icons and have legions of fans across the globe that will buy Hold Me Closer.

Gayle may be a new name to many people, as her entry to popular culture is very much in its infancy, but her passion and dedication to her craft stand her in good stead for the future. Born in Plano, Texas, her desire to make a name for herself was fostered very early on and her first release came in 2021, with her debut single ABCDEFU reaching the number 1 spot in many countries. Her latest track comes from her recent album called A Study of the Human Experience Volume Two and is a wonderful example of her raw talent. 

Fans are still recovering from the emotional roller coaster of the previous single, “On the Edge,” from James Parkinson, the genius that is One Cure for Man. But he is not even close to being done with us yet. The first track may have been a delightful teaser, leading us toward his forthcoming EP, “We All Pretend,” which is due September 23 of this year. But the second, will blow your mind.

The original version of US pop starlet Meghan Trainor’s “Bad for Me” may still be bobbing around in our heads and encouraging us to stay strong in the face of toxicity since it landed in June, but now she’s gifted us with a special treat. An acoustic version of this heart-wrenching, wonderful song.

Just a few weeks after the announcement of their upcoming seventh album, and a new single, Slipknot are back already with ‘Yen’, another teaser of what’s to come in ‘The End, So Far’.