Led by two homegrown acts in the Top 3 and an unsigned group of indie-rockers from Alberta, Google Play’s list of up-and-comers gives Canadians a few more reasons to celebrate this year.
Here are Google Play Music Canada’s top 10 ‘Artists to Watch’ in 2017:
- Bebe Rexha
- James Barker Band
- Allan Rayman
- Grace VanderWaal
- Bishop Briggs
- Khalid
- Rag'n'Bone Man
- Gnash
- Fast Romantics
- Kehlani
When selecting the list, our Google Play Music editorial team considered everything from track performance on Google Play Music and social media analysis to Google search metrics and, simply, their pure, inalienable gut instinct.
Nabbing the top spot is New York-born pop diva Bebe Rexha, who’s stepping into the spotlight solo after a decade of penning chart-topping hits for everyone from Selena Gomez to Eminem.
Canadian-based acts James Barker Band and Allan Rayman came in at #2 and #3, respectively -- the former having scored the fastest-climbing Country single on Canadian radio in 2016 with “Lawn Chair Crazy,” and the latter, a smoky-voiced soul singer with an indie/alt edge and undeniably intriguing err of mystery.
The other up-and-comers span genres, nationalities and varying levels of success. There’s 12-year-old ukulele darling Grace VanderWaal (hailed by Simon Cowell as “the next Taylor Swift”), the British hip hop bluesman Rag ‘N’ Bone Man (winner of the 2017 Brits Critic’s Choice award, ranking him among the likes of Adele, Sam Smith and Florence & the Machine), and Fast Romantics, the as-of-yet (but not for long) unsigned indie rockers from Alberta.
Check out the top ten, as well as a longer list of suggested artists, in Google Play Music’s Artists to Watch 2017 playlist.
Happy listening!