Emerging and Upcoming Artists of 2021
It has been a hard two years. With a turbulent political climate, a pandemic, and everyone’s social and daily life in an upheaval, it’s been hard to enjoy the things we once did.
The one minor silver lining to the pandemic is all the different forms of art and creativity that people have created during the various quarantines. That’s why I compiled this list of various artists from all sorts of different mediums that can help us get back to the things we once enjoyed, whether it’s checking them out on their social media, or now safely being able to see them in person per COVID guidelines.
To start, here are some upcoming and emerging musicians available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Arlo Parks: According to her official website, “Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, known professionally as Arlo Parks, is a British singer-songwriter and poet.” Her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, was released in February of 2021 and received critical acclaim and rose to number three on the UK Albums Chart. Parks was nominated for four AIM Awards. If you are looking for a new indie pop artist whose inspirations stem from Radiohead, Portishead, Sufjan Stevens, and Solange, then I highly recommend checking her out!
Mk.gee: Michael Gordon, whose artist name is Mk.gee (pronounced mc-gee), makes drowsy and atmospheric indie pop with subtle hints of R&B and jazz. To date, Mk.gee has released three albums, with his most recent, A Museum of Contradiction, released in 2020. If you are looking for an indie chillout for just hanging out or looking for a blissful indie tune, Mk.gee could certainly be up your alley.
Lawrence: This brother-sister duo have been writing songs for the better part of eight years, but have only been getting attention recently. Clyde and Gracie Lawrence draw their inspiration from Aretha Franklin, Randy Newman, and Stevie Wonder, which reflects their soul-pop music. Their album, Living Room, which came out in 2018 has recently started to gain some traction as it details the trials and tribulations of growing up, break-ups, make-ups, and family losses. If you’re looking for music to dance around in the kitchen to, or listen to today’s funk, then you’ve come to the right place.
Dancers as well have struggled to showcase their work due to the pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped them from sharing it via social media or filming it themselves. Thankfully, now that theaters are opening up again, this provides new opportunities for up and coming dancers to show what they've been practicing during isolation.
Gabrielle Hamilton: It’s unusual for new dancers to make it big after college, but that’s exactly what happened to Hamilton. Shortly after her graduation, Hamilton was hired to dance in Daniel Fish’s production of Oklahoma! in Brooklyn of 2018. What stood Hamilton apart, and what led her to winning the Chita Rivera Award and Bessie Award was her 13-minute long solo that showcases her explosive intensity and fluidity compared to the original dreamlike ballet. Hamilton is not only a breakout star, but is also a game-changer and is able to go in any direction of dance she pleases due to her passionate and vibrant tenile movements.
LED: This project-based model focuses on combining the seamlessness between music and dance. These completely fluid choreographed dances tell visual and kinetic stories set to music that is often played by the troupe’s in-house band. These dances are borderline cinematic, and co-founders Lauren Edson and her husband, Andrew Stensas, are determined to make fun dances imbed with theatricality, whimsicality make for a charming and textured song and dance combo.
Especially now with the loosening of COVID restrictions in certain areas due to high vaccination rates and low cases, photographers have finally started to venture out with new forms of inspiration. Below is a short list of young visionary photographers who are making a mark on the photography world.
Kyle Weeks: Originally from Namibia, Weeks spends most of his time photographing portrayals of youth in Africa. His recent compositions are six images from Cape Town, Accra, and Kinasha that are dedicated to showing the creatives of African youth such as models, musicians, stylists, and costume designers. According to Weeks, he says that when they are shown together, they tell a story of “vibrant energy, dynamism, and creativity among African youth,” which is important in creating new narratives of Africa to combat harmful western ones. His instagram, @_kyleweeks_ showcases his recent collections.
Renate Ariadne van der Togt: Her most recent work focuses heavily on creating dreams within reality. She considers herself to be most inspired by constructing images and things in a way that hasn’t been shown before. Van der Togt’s most recent sample shows her work on mirroring an idealized world and her two nudes are reflections of what she considers to be a “strong woman,” which is an ideal she had learned when she moved to London. If you are looking for magical realist photography which contradicts the way we normally view people and objects, then consider checking out her instagram account renate.ariadne.
Perhaps the medium that has had the most success during the pandemic would be artists themselves. Isolation and quarantine has allowed painters, sculptors, and other such compositional artists to hone in their skills. Below are some artists, each with their own different mediums, who are to watch out for.
Sanja Milenkovic: Thirty-eight year old Milenkovic’s paintings are dedicated to natural but imaginary atmospheres. Her inspiration stems from different scenes and situations from real life. Her paintings are informed by her memory and how her own snapshots can change and create something new. Her recent paintings heavily incorporate people, and because of how she sets small and ambiguous figures against a larger and abstract landscape, she creates a new and textured kind of background.
Lene Bladbjerg: Her background in graphic design allows for her to be able to set her work apart from others. She uses natural beauty to create thought-provoking messages which transform into clean and simple lines. She is continually inspired by new countries and cultures which has influenced her work. Most of her art pays attention to the smaller details of life and the hidden beauty, even in the most mundane of things. A lot of her paintings are composed of unusual materials, most of which are recycled.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but this could be a good starting point if you are looking for more art to be inspired by, no matter what medium it is. It’s also important to remember that although the past two years have taken so much from each of us, it hasn’t taken away our ability to create new art, or our individuality and creativity.
