Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know about the supalonely New Zealand artist that is BENEE. The musician also known as Stella Rose Bennett knows exactly how to create a “sad banger”, proved by her phenomenal streaming numbers. Though, she had her doubts about pursuing music full time in the early stages of her career, especially when she dropped out of university after two weeks. However, with her mother’s support, she made it work.
“Taking risks is the best thing ever, and that’s what gets you anywhere”
Releasing her breakout track ‘Soaked’ in late 2018, the young musician has since scooped up four New Zealand Music Awards, released two EPs, and had multiple songs trend on the Gen-Z dominated social media platform known as TikTok. Of her TikTok popular songs, the most recent is ‘Supalonely’ featuring Gus Dapperton, which has racked up more than 10.8 MILLION videos (as of 24/04/20). This comes to no surprise as the world undergoes an agonisingly lonely period of self-isolation.
While BENEE continues to win people over with her laid-back pop-funk, we found five emerging acts you’ll love if you’re a fan of the Kiwi musician.
DVNA
Now introducing DVNA (pronounced Da-na), a raw, emotional force to be reckoned with. Her first offering of 2020 ‘Half Past Sober’ explores a true story of heartache and betrayal. The track fuses her soulful vocals with a stripped back production style which brings the dysfunctional, heated, electric love affair to life. The Gold Coast musician has had a huge 18 months, captivating the market with her first three singles ‘Sushi In Tokyo’, 'Looking Like a Snack' and 'Girl On The Move'. As well as opening the main stage at Brisbane's Laneway Festival, DVNA has also supported the likes of LEISURE, Alice Ivy, Kira Puru, Arno Faraji and performed at various tastemaker festivals including BIGSOUND, Bleach Festival, Arcadia and The Mountain Goat Valley Crawl. 'Half Past Sober' is the first sip of the next phase for this extremely talented producer, performer and songwriter.
Good Starting Tracks: ‘Half Past Sober’, ‘Sushi In Tokyo’, ‘Looking Like a Snack’
Archer
Growing up in Melbourne, Archer is no stranger to the music scene. The pop artist has been performing since she can remember and has only just started releasing music. Archer writes relatable and emotional tracks with lyrics drawn from her experiences growing up. She works hard to convey messages in her music while simultaneously ensuring you can’t get her songs out of your head. In her short two years as a musician, she has played shows alongside and supporting Feelds, Nathan Wong and Velvet Bloom. Her new track ‘Empty Space’ is a crowd favourite for its catchy lyrics and will be available across all major streaming platforms tonight at 6pm. For Archer, it’s only up from here.
Good Starting Tracks: ‘Malibu’, ‘Words Out’, ‘Work It Out’
Rya Park
This Melbourne singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is eloquently charismatic beyond belief. Rya Park’s music, to no surprise, is acclaimed for its accurate representation of toxic relationships, heartbreak, mental health, and melancholia. Her second single of 2020 ‘Sad’ comes at a time where there is so much uncertainty in the world and being completely unsure of your future has never been more relatable. Poised with honesty, Rya’s conviction and natural storytelling ability makes this track her biggest yet. In the last year, Rya has played across the country with Tyne-James Organ, Alex Lahey and Kingswood, performing her first official collection of songs the debut EP “Lexapro” which is set for a release in August 2020. Bring it on!
Good Starting Tracks: ‘Bad Name’, ‘Act Your Age’, ‘Billy’
Halle Dot
Halle Dot, the independent, self-managed artist, has been making waves in the Sydney music scene. By sharing her life experiences through poetic writing, the bold and sassy musician aims to make listeners feel empowered when they hear her music. The track ‘Tongue Tied’ was written for Halle’s 21-year-old self, and what she needed to hear back then.
“It’s taken me a lot of growth & reflection to realise my worth… If you're in a situation where you need to be reminded of yours, I wrote this for you too,” she said.
Halle started singing at age three, writing songs at age eight and then moved to London in her early 20’s to hone down on her craft where she believes the heart of sound was developed. After studying Audio engineering, she’s currently working on her debut EP set to release mid 2020.
Good Starting Tracks: ‘Tongue Tied’, ‘Love Sync’
Lily Harnath
If you’re in love with BENEE’s smooth vocals, look no further than Lily Harnath. This 20-year-old bass playing singer/songwriter impressively blends indie rock with pop to create dreamy landscapes infused with attitude. Inspired by the esteemed musicians around her in Melbourne, the artist has embraced the talents of her friends, inviting many of them to play on her record and bringing her songs to life in good company. Lily immerses the listener in her world by exploring themes of friendship, heartbreak and self-empowerment. Whilst she doesn’t have too many solo tracks yet, her exceptional range and raw talent is still prevalent.
Good Starting Track: ‘Somersaults’