Photo: Xavi Torrent (Getty Images)
Clear out those 2018 music playlists of Drake, Robyn, and The 1975 because there’s a bunch of music coming out in the new year that you need to stream/download, like, yesterday.
Wish list: Mandatory’s Dream Lineup For Woodstock 2019
Mandatory’s 9 Breakout Music Acts of 2019 features artists that you might not know yet but will become your playlist favorites before the year is over.
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Breakout Music Acts 2019
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Arlo Parks
This London-based ingenue draws from a colorful musical palette (Kendrick Lamar and Portishead are some favorites) that’s reflected in her layered sound. YA self-discovery rarely sounds as real and raw as her first single "Cola". With a rumored debut album on the way, we can’t wait to hear more.
Photo: Alice Dech
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Haelos
Things have come “Full Circle” for the London quartet. After internet buzz landed them onto major music festival lineups in 2016, they’ve been quiet but are set to break big again in 2019 with new mood music and an upcoming world tour.
Photo: Jeff Han
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Juice WRLD
Last year must have seemed like a “Lucid Dream” for Jarad Higgins (aka Juice WRLD). After being fired from a factory job, he made a meteoric rise from posting indie tracks on Soundcloud to the top of the Billboard charts. The Auto-Tune-emo rapper is currently on his first world tour, the appropriately titled "WRLD Domination.”
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Cherry Glazerr
Frontwoman Clementine Creevy makes music like she means it. With her lone wolf howls, shredding guitar jams, and rock star swagger, her ode to female solidarity is not only a reminder of what real rock ‘n’ roll was, but can still be. The Los Angeles band's new album Stuffed & Ready will be released on Feb. 1, 2019.
Photo: Scott Dudelson (Getty Images)
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Rosalía
The Spanish singer gives a modern reboot-y to Flamenco music with Pharrell-approved beats that make you want to snap your fingers like you want it now.
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Masego
The latest YouTube star to go mainstream has a unique style that he dubs “TrapHouseJazz.” Mentored by the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff and guided by the spirit of big band icon Cab Calloway, the singer/rapper/DJ crafts songs that feel familiar, yet sound of the here and now.
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DJ Idris Elba
People's "The Sexiest Man Alive" of 2018 has a new breakout gig. Unfortunately, it's not the one fans have been clamoring for. Instead of being the new James Bond, Elba is starting to book festival gigs as a DJ. Mind blown? Actually, the British actor has moonlighted as an underground club DJ for many years.
Photo: Ollie Millington (Getty Images)
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Ford.
Luc Bradford (aka Ford.) is a bit of an international mystery man. Based in Utah, but hailing from France, the young DJ/producer makes atmospheric music that you can feel. With a stream of ethereal pleasures coming out out of ODESZA’s Foreign Family Collective, we are already on board for wherever Ford wants to take us.
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Rico Nasty
Let's face it. We like our female rappers to be foul-mouthed and sh*t-talking. Rico Nasty brings both, along with a ballsy nu-metal sound that will make you bow down to this trap queen.
