The mainstream music scene is filled with artists that are undoubtedly generational talents, churning out music every so often that the general public will obsess over for a month before the next big release. Names such as Taylor Swift, Drake, Rihanna, and Ariana Grande are ones that are synonymous with success in the music industry. However, the oversaturation of the mainstream music market often casts a shadow over smaller indie artists, and even some mainstream artists’ own songs as well.
If you’re looking for artists to listen to far away from the spotlights of the general population or songs by your favorite artists that you might’ve never listened to, you’ve come to the right place!
Two artists far from the public light who specialize in genres such as R&B, soul, and bedroom pop are Asumuh and MarQ.
Asumuh, who is a high school senior, has just recently surpassed 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and the number is still rapidly increasing. He has been releasing music since 2022; a variety of singles before finally releasing an album in 2024. The style of his music can be categorized as R&B and bedroom pop, similar to other artists such as Rocco or even Keshi. His most popular song “dance partner” garnered over 3 million streams, while my personal favorite by him, “with you,” has more that 200 thousand.
MarQ, another indie artist specializing in indie R&B music has recently found his footing as two of his songs both reached 1 million streams on Spotify. His music can be compared to the music of Steve Lacy and Malcolm Todd, both who have just blown up in recent years. Not much is known about marQ, so be sure to keep an eye on him as an up and coming artist.
On the flip side, many mainstream artists also have songs that have not seen the light of day, especially compared to other hit songs under the artists’ belts. One example of this is “Julia” by SZA. Although 35 million streams on a song seems like an enormous amount, this number is smaller than all her songs on her “Ctrl” album. Part of her 3rd EP “Z” released in 2014, the song “Julia” features many synth-pop beats that almost makes the song glitter.
Another example is the song “To Last” by Tyla. Tyla blew up with her song “Water” and stayed in the spotlight with other songs such as “Jump” and “Truth or Dare.” Her song “To Last” was part of her debut studio album, and was one of her first songs to ever be released. The tone of the song is on the sadder side, as Tyla recounts a first heartbreak. In contrast with the sorrowful tone are the afrobeats in the background, further emphasized by the lack of lyrics in the last leg of the song.
When you dive deeper beyond the shallow layer of music presented to you by the mainstream media, it is inevitable that you will discover treasure troves of music and artists waiting to be found. Be sure to always be on the lookout for up and coming artists, lend them your support, and keep discovering.
