Hey guys! 2016 gave us a LOT of great music! I've discovered new acts and my love for their music grew exponentially. I am looking forward for more music from these acts in 2017 and will surely have my eye on them. It was tough to make a list of the Ones To Watch in 2017 (initially I had over 30 acts), but I managed to put up a list of the 10 acts that are definitely ones to watch in 2017 and beyond!

BORN STRANGER

Born Stranger (my favourite dark pop/electronic duo) are Maddox-Jones and Raife Hacking, a pair of minds that together craft electronic pop that dare to push boundaries with their intrinsic futuristic edge. The first year into their career has seen them release of their debut single ‘Fire & The Flame’, which garnered support from The Independent and Pop Justice. To then play their debut show at the legendary venue London KOKO, while their more recent single ‘Be Someone’ has recently been chosen to soundtrack to Farah’s SS17 campaign adverts.

2017 is already looking the year the electro-pop duo Born Stranger will impact heavily. While sitting on an album’s worth of material, in January their new single will be dropping and a following single with an exciting collaboration. With a handful of music videos and live shows to announce in the near future, next year will be career defining for the duo.

RHYS LEWIS

After 12 months of writing music for his debut record, Rhys Lewis reveals his new single 'Waking Up Without You,' a soulful track with a driving chorus that speaks of lost love and regrets. Premiered on online tastemakers, Crack in the Road, 'Waking Up Without You' quickly garnered a whirlwind of online excitement, shooting it to the #1 spot on Spotify's Viral Chart and racking up over 170,000 streams in two weeks. Rhys also performed at a headline show that sold-out within 48 hours at Servant Jazz Quarters in London on November 22nd.

This 23 year- old from Oxford has won me over with his emotional vocals and songwriting skills! Binding together a rich soul with a lyrical immediacy straight from the heart of Bill Withers, James Taylor and Carole King, Rhys has an uncanny ability to capture the moment of love’s ending: the loaded silences, the tensions, the irony of still wanting someone when you no longer have the right. His full length album is expected to arrive summer 2017.


ADAL

Enigmatic 'future pop' artist formerly known as Phantom Runners deals in modern doses of pop that hint his love of 80s classics and 90s RNB.  ADAL is currently writing a debut album, with an array of  featuring vocalists which include FREJA, Indiana, Delaire and XY&O. 2017 is set to be an exciting year for the 'king collaborator', while he launches his new project by the name of ADAL.

​DELAIRE

Delaire is acknowledged to perfect emotive and soulful synth pop, where every song rings personality unravels in her storytelling. This is all evident in her latest single ‘Healing in Love’, which received huge support from trendsetters Clash and 1883 Magazine. This year Delaire was invited to play BBC Maida Vale Studios and has seen strong radio support from BBC Introducing. On top of the busy summer festival season with playing Blissfields, Lee Fest and to then playing sold out shows at The Finsbury and The Servant Jazz Quarters.

With a handful of elated synth-filled singles in the works to release in 2017, Delaire is more than set to influence listeners everywhere and take her music to stages ahead of the festival season.

AUGUST 

London synth-pop noir duo August are Steve Hughes (vocals, guitars, production) and Ed Carlisle (drums, production) who met 8 years ago and became a duo after a year of Steve badgering Ed on weekly basis to form a band with him. At that time neither of them had any idea what sort of music they were going to create. Their music won me over immediately! Their single Cruel, mixed by Charlie Hugall (Florence & The Machine, Halsey), is a burning dark pop anthem featuring their trademark noisy 80’s synths and distorted drums sounds.

The guys are readying their debut EP to come out in early 2017 which they have already gave fans a teaser of one of the tracks titled Chemical. Super excited for this one!

CATTLE & CANE

Led by siblings Helen and Joe Hammill, CATTLE & CANE's recent single 7 Hours provided a taste of what's to come from their brand new album 'Mirrors' (expected Spring 2017) and picked up support from the likes of Clash, Dermot O'Leary and BBC Introducing in the process. 'Mirrors' marks a huge step up for the band and brings to mind the anthemic autumnal vibe of Bastille while nodding heads to more classic artists like Fleetwood Mac.

In between studio sessions, CATTLE & CANE spent 2016 performing at acclaimed tastemaker events such as Reeperbahn Festival, Live At Leeds and Evolution Emerging, as well as shows in Germany, Belgium and Malta. With a 1,100 capacity headline show in their hometown of Middlesbrough on course to sell-out this Christmas, C&C look primed and ready for a breakthrough 2017.

ROSS JACK

South African born, Ross Jack established himself as a highly rated and gifted producer before he stepped out from the background, in front of the mic and released his own unique brand of hip hop. Ross Jack took the music scene by storm with his new single Fall, is his first ever UK release and is the perfect introduction to his sound – a dark love song that’s brooding and atmospheric, showcasing the kind of melodic hip-hop that’s already helped him top the charts in his native South Africa.

His debut album, Self Medicated, is now impacting Europe and I can't wait for what he is coming up with next!

BROOKER

Newcomer Brooker, half-English half-Venezuelan singer from London, unveiled her debut single Secret. With this release she showcased her divine soulful honeyed vocals and songwriting skills. The track was co-produced by Anthony Vasquez & Paul E. Phamous, who has previously worked with the likes of Zendaya. She definitely gives me the vibes of the ones such as Jessie Ware and I cannot wait what she is going to deliver in the new year.

PUBLIC

Cincinnati pop/rock trio PUBLIC made quite big impact with their releases in 2016, especially through the singles Perfect and 4Her. These songs carry a message that someone's identity can be found outside the lines of what's expected or acceptable. The music and lyrics are there to communicate honest experiences and express the vulnerable truth that PUBLIC is made up of three humans that desire to use music as a means to connect.

The guys are currently in the studio working on a few more singles and there's a big possibly for them to release their first full-length album in early 2017.

​FOND OF RUDY

Prosperous indie pop group Fond of Rudy have a burgeoning talent for fusing diluted guitar filled rock with contemporary pop so finely. 2016 saw no challenge to them after scoring praises with their singles ‘Are You Ready’, and ‘The Line’ from Wonderland Magazine and Clash. The Brighton based quartet also performed to thousands this summer from playing respected festivals The Great Escape and Blissfields.

Having been prepared for 2017 for months now, the next few months will hark the release of their next single, the release of their anticipated EP ‘Two’ and some exciting festival appearances in the summer.