Meet the Future Faces of Music

Everyone wants to be the first fan. The discoverer. The person who liked Billie Eillish before she was cool. But not a lot of people know where to look to find the next Taylor Swift. While it is a great idea to hang around local open mic nights and go down YouTube rabbit holes, once a year you can also check out the young, emerging artists that the Grammy Foundation endorses. (Yes, like the Grammy Awards). Every year, the foundation puts on an exclusive educational summer camp for aspiring performers and music industry professionals. Naturally, the pool of selectees is filled to the brim with talent, and these are just a few of the rising stars from this year’s camp.

Nightloops

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The first emerging artist you should check out is Seattle-based indie band Nightloops. Their artful and emotional lyrics are supported by relaxed, uplifting guitar and smooth vocals. Each of the five singles that the band has released are connected by a distinct uplifting tone and catchiness.  From the candid lyrics of “New Year’s Eve” to the unique vocals that hover in the background of their latest single “Undertow”, Nightloops is certainly on the way to becoming widely regarded and beloved.

“We’ve been told our songs are perfect for a summer drive or a lazy day at the beach. We are often inspired by The Strokes, Car Seat Headrest, The Microphones, Daniel Caesar, and Frank Ocean… we originally had three members: lead guitarist Theo Festivus Wyman, lead singer and guitarist Lucas Oktay, and producer/bassist James McGough. Our drummer, Alex Glibert, joined in high school. We have released five songs on Spotify and our debut album, Boo-yah!, is on the way.” -Lucas Oktay

Simone

Moving onto an artist who is bursting with both songwriting and vocal talent, Simone is an artist that I personally believe is destined for greatness. Be careful when listening to “Monsters”, the viciously catchy tune will have you singing for days with just one play. Similarly, “Serenade Me” has an addicting uniqueness. Simone also has a remarkable talent for writing simple but powerfully emotional acoustic songs, such as “Julia” and “Trust Fall”.

“My name’s Simone, I’m a 15 year old singer/songwriter from New York City. I’ve been singing and writing for as long as I can remember, and I started performing solo gigs when I was around eleven. Music has gotten me through every up and down in my life, I don’t know how I would survive without songwriting. My music is alternative/pop with influences from artists like Taylor Swift, Clairo, Lorde, and Phoebe Bridgers. My journey in music is just beginning, and I’m so excited to keep it going.” -Simone

Trinity Rose

The next artist is only 17 but already has a more extraordinary resume than many industry professionals. Trinity Rose is an emerging pop powerhouse with a soulful voice and a knack for writing songs with meaning. Her strong, graceful sound is showcased in “Coughing Up Flowers” and “Miss You”, a song on which she collaborated with Netflix star Aidan Gallagher. Her latest release, “I Can’t Breathe”, was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Hi, my name is Trinity Rose and I’m a 17 year old singer/songwriter from LA. I work as hard as I can and do about 50 shows a year and love making music. I have 5 songs and 1 EP of 4 remixes available online everywhere. I started out singing classically and then moved to a more indie pop soul vibe. I first got started singing my songs at my parents parties and school fundraisers. A neighbor scouted me and got me to record my first EP when I was 12 and right after that I won my first unsigned international music contest. I started singing at larger events like Palisades Rocks the 4th for 7000 people and was scouted by NBC The Voice from my national anthem performance. I was the youngest girl ever to be on the show and although I didn’t make it too far I made a lot of friends & collaborations along the way! Since then I’ve done Grammy Camp twice and a lot of incredible songwriting workshops. I also host a teen music jam at my home every few months and a bunch of those kids sang on a global unity song I wrote & recorded with one of my mentors, Ian Sloane, called “Love Is The Only River”. The song won the #1 songwriting contest in the world for the teen category out of 19,000 entries in 2019 and I won 5 weeks at Berklee college of music summer program which I attended last year.” -Trinity Rose

Hayley Eve

It is unclear currently what direction Hayley Eve will take with her music, but any possible outcome will undoubtedly end in success. She is a natural songwriter with a clean, simple, yet attention-grabbing acoustic sound. Her more recent songs “Hate This Town” and “Dear First Love” have a distinct country flair- this, however, shouldn’t make country haters miss out on Hayley’s promising songwriting. It merely adds another level to her overall charm and compelling storytelling.

“My name is Hayley Eve and I’m a 16 year old singer/songwriter based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Since a young age, I always felt a strong passion for singing and poetry; it always seemed like music was the best way to channel that. I’ve been writing songs and playing guitar since the sixth grade. I love to tell my story with a melody while still being able to connect to other people. I think the most beautiful thing in this world is sharing a common emotion through music.” -Hayley Eve

Subscribe to Hayley on YouTube

Grace Sorensen

I personally would bet lots of money on the success of the next artist; Grace Sorensen excels in every aspect of her music. Eye-catching and beautiful single covers, elegant musicality and genre fusion all come together to make her music something truly special. Both her singles are anchored, however, by her calming yet dynamic voice. Her latest release, “Velvet Noise”, is aptly named and overflowing with replayability and luxurious piano. “Tell Me” has the same lavish tone but adds an innovative element with the hip-hop reminiscent drum machine that pulses in the forefront, adding another layer to Grace’s elite songwriting.

“Growing up a competitive dancer, my life was heavily influenced and driven by music without me even realizing. When I reached 14, I felt uneasy about pursuing professional dance as a career and started to feel for alternatives. After trying the medical, film, music, and educational fields in and out of school- only one made me feel on top of the world: music. When I began to write it forced me to analyze my feelings and ideas into distinct words, acting as a therapeutic processing system. Nothing in the world made my soul shine brighter than being in a room surrounded by sound and music. At 15 I told my mom about my desire to chase my dream of becoming a professional music enthusiast- being the artist, songwriter, director, manager, or wherever life carries me in that industry. For the last two years since then I have done everything I can to show her and myself that this is what i’m meant to do. From finding and attending camps like the Grammy camp, to creating community everywhere I can, and sending countless emails, I have begun my official musical journey with the support of my mom. So far I have released 2 singles on streaming platforms and cannot wait to make more. I take extreme inspiration from artists such as Miguel, Ari Lennox, Rihanna, and Charlotte Day Wilson, and couldn’t thank anyone that’s been a part of this journey enough” -Grace Sorensen

PaperFace

For someone looking for a less conventional rising artist than the quintessential singer-songwriter, PaperFace is off to a great beginning in his career. Whether you’re looking to blast powerful and lively dance music (check out “Savior”) or a smooth electronic track to study to (“Awake”), PaperFace has something for you. He collaborates frequently with other artists and recently released a track with E.Berrios and SAMY called “Unite”.

“I am a masked DJ and producer who began making music in late 2017. Since then, I have amassed hundreds of thousands of streams, had radio play in multiple countries, charted top 10 in Chicago, and even put out two full length albums. From atmospheric EDM, Pop, and even Rap, I release a variety of different genres making there a song for everyone. Although, mostly my sound is described as Electro Pop with a mix of orchestral elements. I am currently signed to "SoundMojo", the record label of popular YouTube channel "WatchMojo", and I’ve even been featured in a few of their videos. All this is great, but why the mask? In another interview with the well known music blog “Indie Band Guru” I said “I choose to stay behind the mask because I want the listener to be more focused on the music they are hearing rather than who they are looking at. The reason PaperFace doesn’t have a mouth is because I want the music to speak, not PaperFace himself”. I believe that telling a story is one of the most important parts of a great song and I strive to create an impactful musical journey in every release.” -PaperFace

*Meghan Wray, the author of this article, also attended Grammy Camp and all quotes are from personal interviews.*

Future Faces of Music Playlist by Meghan Wray