HEAVYROC MUSIC'S 10 ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2010

by B-Roc on December 24, 2009

Tis' the season when all the blogs & magazines etc try to predict who is gonna be the new "big thing" in the new year.  I have never contributed to these lists but I changed my mind this year.  There are a lot of great artists/bands out there that I am excited to watch come out and I want to share them. My favorites are always the under-dogs and the un-expected's.  Being a "buzz act" these days can be a blessing or a curse, the fact is that the music industry is completely unpredictable.  As much as the old men up in the big buildings think there are formulas to success, or recipes for hits, it is still usually always a shot in the dark.  So here go my 10 artists to watch in 2010.  A couple of these picks may be obvious, and a couple may be completely random to you but I picked them all for a reason.  These are in no special order. Click the name or image to go to the artist's Myspace page.

SAMUEL

Obviously  we are going to start with our golden-boy hometown hero Samuel.  We have been working with Samuel for almost 3 years now.  What started in mine and Jpatt's apartment and moved to a recording studio in Chinatown, which spawned a major label record deal, which led to Los Angeles to work with Greg Wells, has turned to a full length album ready to release in spring 2010.  Words cant express how proud and excited we are for the world to hear what we have been working on for so long.  Watch out for his debut single "I Heart NY" coming very very soon.  Not many people know who Samuel is right now but in 2010 he will easily be one of the most talked about new pop artists on the scene.

ELLIE GOULDING

If you follow us or our blog at all you are probably sick of hearing us talk about how much we love Ellie.  Its true though. We really really love her.  When Derek from Neon Gold first sent me her music I became an instant groupie.  I think I even sent her 3 Myspace messages...Since then we have had the pleasure of having her camp out at our studio and work with us for 4 days.  Going from a fan to a collaborator is an awesome feeling and the experience was beyond enjoyable.  Ever since she left NY and her first single "Under The Sheets" was released she is already borderline celebrity in the UK.  Her album is due to come out in March followed by a massive UK tour. I could go on for days about Ellie, but her music and glowing energy speaks for itself.  She is a true true talent and I will forever be a fan.

SKY FERREIRA

I cant say that much about sky without feeling like i might get arrested.  This 17 year old lolita has a set of pipes on her and an attitude that will make you think shes well older than she really is.  After signing a pretty hefty record deal with EMI, she has been working with every big pop producer in the game from Bloodshy & Avant to Greg Kurstin.  We are lucky enough to be working with her in January and were excited about it.  Judging by the songs that she has played me off of her album, there is no question she is going to be high on the charts in 2010.

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS

Marina is like that girl that you will never be able to date.  Shes beautiful, sassy, talented and already successful.  The image she has portrayed of herself is that of this "untouchable diamond", and with only 2 or 3 songs released and a couple of breathtaking music videos she is already buzzing like crazy.  With an incredibly original voice and lyrics that really make statements, whether its a sarcastic song about being "in love with the mess that's America" or claiming she is not a robot, her music is refreshing. Fresh off the NME tour in the UK and definitely one of the big artists to see at SXSW, Marina's album is finished and due to release spring 2010.  Yes, we know, EVERYONES album seems to be coming out in spring 2010.  It's going to be a great year for new pop music.  With heavy hitters like Perez Hilton and Pop Justice to the most indie blogs on the internet in her corner, its going to be hard for her not to be huge.

DAN BLACK

I dont really have that much to say about Dan Black because to be honest I was just put on to him by his manager about a week ago.  He gave me his album which will be out in the states soon and I CANT STOP LISTENING TO IT.  Hailing from Paris by way of London, this guy produces and writes all his own music, and has his girlfriend do all his visuals and artistic direction.  With songs like "Cigarette Pack" and "Pump my Pumps", Dan Black is like a mix of Radiohead, Jamie-T and Coldplay.  I am eager to see where his career goes.

THE POSTELLES

The Postelles are 4 of the nicest dudes you will probably ever meet.  At first you may think they are too nice to be rockers, but when you see them live you will change your mind.  While all 4 of them were raised in New York City, they already have been doing shows all over the country as well as Iceland and a couple other foreign countries with bands such as Yaesayer and Hockey.  They were even asked to perform at Carnegie Hall for the tribute to The Who concert.  Ever since the Strokes broke up people have been waiting for a good New York garage rock band.  The Postelles are it.  These dudes write some of the catchiest rock songs you will ever hear and with Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes producing a couple cuts on the record you know its real.  With heavy influence from the beatles as well as the motown greats these dudes are the last of a dying breed.

THE KNOCKS

I'm not going to go on too long about The Knocks because that would make me sound very egotistical.  Just want to say we are starting our debut solo EP and I think people are really going to like it.  That is all.

ALEX WINSTON

I guess its about time we reveal our newest artist out of HeavyRoc.  Alex Winston comes from Detroit and is not a rocker.  Granted she kind of USED to be a rocker...she did go on tour with TED NUGENT. NO BIG DEAL.  She then took a small hiatus from music and decided to try something new, and the results are great.  She came to us with demos that she had made on garage band that were borderline ready-for-release, which led to a couple days in the studio, which led to us deciding that we want to produce her whole record.  She is an incredible musician as well as a songwriter and will be a resident of New York City in the New Year slash a resident of our studio because we are locking her up and throwing away the key.

NIIA

You may or may not remember when Wyclef had his come back a couple years ago and had the smash "Sweetest Girl" with Akon, Lil Wayne and some girl named Niia.  After touring the world with Wyclef and performing on every late night show possible as well as getting blogged by Perez Hilton for her Nancy Sinatra cover, Niia is now doing something different.  She has recently split ways with the ex-Fugee and is in the process of finishing her debut album which firstly, sounds nothing like Wyclef or Sweetest Girl, and secondly sounds like nothing you have ever heard before.  Her mix of heavy classical/jazz influence with a great dark pop sensibility is sure to give you the chills.   Niia is hands down one of the most talented musicians I've ever had the pleasure of meeting/working with and with a decent and loyal international following patiently waiting on her solo project, she will not disappoint.

CHIEF

Since the craze of music blogs and internet buzz bands, I have been overwhelmed with finding new good rock bands.  A lot off these new artists/bands are sounding the same to me whether its electro or indie-pop, but especially rock.  Chief is one of the few new bands that I think have a very long and great future ahead of them.  Hailing from LA, these guys dont only put on an INCREDIBLE live show but their recorded songs sound like something that came out of the same era as all the greats.  With very catchy pop-sensible tunes dressed up with beautiful 4 part harmonies and an americana/classic rock vibe these guys have a very original yet classic sound.  With a newly inked deal with Domino Records and a debut album set to release in the middle of the year these guys are headed in the right direction.

Thats probably the most writing ive done since i dropped out of college 2 years ago... phew.  Please dont mind my gramatical errors etc, hence DROPPED OUT.

Tags: samuel marina and the diamonds sky ferreira ellie goulding chief the knocks alex winston the postelles niia dan black mp3s