Cape Town’s Yannick Iluga, better known by his stage name Petite Noir, is the perfect candidate to subvert your myopic view of what sort of music could come out from South Africa.
UK-based Singaporean songstress Sharliza Jelita is quirkier than Zooey Deschanel tripping on peyote. Yet we can’t help but be enthralled by her; there’s electricity in not just her genre of choice, but also her eccentricity.
Singer-songwriter Bihzu is one of those artists that has clear, crisp vocals, which sings about the beauty life brings without being too overly nauseous or smug about it.
We Were Evergreen is a band made up from a trio of Parisians. Their quirky musical lyrics and use of playful instruments sets them apart from many other bands who are both in the Indie and Mainstream.
There’s something about the younger generation of hip hop today that just churns out unexpected quality stuff left and right, Barbadian Haleek Maul combines witch house with the dark (but not horrorcore) content of Odd Future.
Adam Kasturi is a true bedroom producer and outsider musician — he’s never seen at gigs, clubs, art events, or anywhere really — but we think he’s the one producer to look out for in the local beat scene.
Raksasa, whose stage name is another nickname, Maharajalela, released his LP Jualbeli Tanggapan recently. A little known album that deserves wider recognition.