Leland Music: 2020 Ones to Watch

Now that the dust has settled on the new year and we're firmly in the swing of 2020, the Leland Music team have put their heads together to forecast the artists to keep an ear to the ground for over the coming months. 

Ed Bailie says: Makaya McCraven

On February 7th, I was first in line for Makaya McCraven’s reimagining of Gil Scott-Heron’s final album 'I’m New Here', titled 'We’re New Again' (XL). 10 years after the original release, the Chicago jazz drummer/producer has recomposed the confessional record with Scott-Heron’s original vocal. It marks an interesting commercial crossing point for McCraven.

Toby Williams says: ayrtn

There's never been a more promising year for UK hip hop; ayrtn is a tip from its fringes. His productions are hookless ambient meanderings pinned down by icy percussion but he's as dextrous an MC as any of his peers, skipping playfully between bravado and humour. He gets bonus points for releasing a song about Edgar Davids.

Abi Leland says: Kojey Radical

I was hooked on Kojey Radical as soon as I heard him. He has an innate ability to write socially and politically charged lyrics with an infectious hook, and I love his delivery and unique tone of voice. At the start of music supervising the Netflix series ‘Top Boy’ I earmarked one of my favourite tracks of his, 'If Only,' as one that I wanted to include, so I was so chuffed when we entered into the edit and found a good spot for it. His album release last year was more than impressive so I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does next.

Codie Childs says: Smino

I ran my Spotify EOY numbers and was (kind of) surprised to find my top artist of 2019 was Missouri rapper, Smino. I just love his production style and flow so have been playing him on repeat. He’s collaborated with artists like Doja Cat, Chance The Rapper, Noname and J. Cole so it’s only a matter of time before he blows up in a big way. Check out 'L.M.F.'.

Leti Pacchioni says: M.T. Hadley

Firstly appearing on Frank Ocean’s Blonded radio in 2016, M.T. Hadley returned in 2020 with an amazing debut album completely self-produced. Most of his songs skip the intro to bring you directly into his bleak nihilistic world but with a pinch of irony and somehow an uplifting catchy sound that results in a cathartic effect. I’m super excited about what’s coming next from him.

Heather says: Adrianne Lenker

I certainly will be keeping an eye out for Adrianne Lenker this year. Gaining traction with Big Thief, Adrianne went on to release her first solo album in 2019 and has been relatively quiet since; I’m hoping this means she's busy writing away. She draws on her childhood traumas, unusual upbringing and empathetic point of view, combining raw, natural vocals with soft yet rocky guitars to create songs of pure beauty and emotion. I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot more from her this year.