Maggie Rogers
Since we told you how Pharrell said after hearing Maggie Rogers' song Alaska for the first time that her sound was "singular" and that he had "zero zero zero notes for her", she's gone off to collect celebrity endorsements. This includes Taylor Swift saying her cover of Tim McGraw was "heavenly" and Niall Horan of One Direction fame called her a "superstar".
Well, we're just writing as we're listening to her debut album, Heard It In A Past Life – and we're definitely looking at the dawn of a true artist with a big career ahead of her.
Alice Merton
Much like Rogers, when Alice Merton appeared – she appeared everywhere. The Promogogo team has written about her more than once, first when her song No Roots just took over the world wondering if she'd ever be able to follow such an epic debut. The next time, when we observed that the international tour she embarked on was booked too small, at least in London.
And much like Rogers, her debut album MINT just came out today. Her relationship with the industry however seems... more complex than her fellow songwriter Rogers – since after struggling with finding her place in the industry, she ended up saying "f-this" and releasing her international platinum single on her own label Paper Planes International she started, which MINT is released on as well.
Ariana Grande
It's not possible to mention new music and not mention the freakin' different-level standards being set by Ariana Grande at this moment in time. Obviously after the Manchester attacks, people weren't even sure if she'd still be making music after such a traumatic experience.
Well, not only did she – but she's been on another plane since. Her first release, no tears left to cry blew everyone out of the water, and the album sweetner did really well – and of course, the expected tour has been announced for this year.
But then, her high profile engagement breaks off, her ex of many years dies of an accidental overdose – and again, the world's hearts break for Grande. But having her personal life being literally set on fire, seems to have sparked some creative explosion within AG and her team though, because she released her first number one single (and it wasn't even off the Sweetner album!) with a record-breaking video to go with it.
Then she completely threw the rulebook out of the window, by sparking rumours that there's a second album before the Sweetner tour even starts! Like who does that. Well, Ariana Grande does – and we are all simply awed. NME called her the 'hero' of last year, and Billboard announced her Woman of the Year for 2018.
I guess... thanks for sharing this ride you're on with the rest of us, Ariana.
What a Wonderful Start of the Music Year 2019
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