Lesser Known Pop Artists You Should Listen To

I actually enjoy a fair amount of pop music and quite a few pop artists, even though it’s not usually my go-to genre. Despite that, there are a lot of modern pop artists whose music I really like. For example, I’m a fan of some of Taylor Swift’s work, and I also really enjoy artists like Billie Ellish, Charli xcx, The Weeknd, Olivia Rodrigo, Troye Sivan, and others.

That said, the one artist I just can’t seem to get into is Harry Styles. For some reason, his music just doesn’t click with me. I personally find a lot of it pretty bland and uninteresting, and his voice doesn’t stand out to me in a way that keeps me engaged. To me, it often feels like the aesthetic and image surrounding him are stronger than the music itself lol.

Ironically, I actually really liked his first album. I thought the overall vibe and direction he was going in had a lot of potential, and it made me curious to see how he would evolve as an artist. But his more recent music just hasn’t done much for me. It feels painfully mediocre overall, with only a few tracks here and there that I think are decent.

Another thing that kind of turns me off is how often he’s pushed as this groundbreaking or legendary pop artist. I’ve even seen people compare him to David Bowie, which honestly really surprised me. That comparison just doesn’t make sense to me at all lmao.

That being said, he seems like a genuinely nice guy, and I have nothing against him as a person. I also completely respect that a lot of people love his music, it’s just not for me.

What about you guys? Are there any popular pop artists that you just can’t seem to get into, even though everyone else seems to love them?

I'll start by saying Rebecca Ferguson, a British soul/pop singer who nowadays almost nobody know despite finishing second on X-Factor (in 2010) and making a wonderful debut album with great critical acclaim and decent sales in Europe and North America

I would have loved it if she had a similar level of success as Adele, Amy Winehouse or Alicia Keys, but unfortunately for some reason she never took off

And what are yours?

popheads answer with actually unknown artists challenge

edit: y'all passed. congrats!

I can say for certain that I've heard way more about Billie Eilish than nearly any other pop artist in the past 5 years and I've heard way more about Hozier than nearly any other artist who was, in America, before this year, a one hit wonder.

Like the latter might just be because of my exact online spaces, but Billie Eilish? Where is Billie Eilish under-discussed? Is this a thing?

Who remembers Little Boots? She had a UK hit in 2009 with a RedOne-produced song called Remedy. She also worked with Greg Kurstin.

anytime the actress Rebecca Ferguson gets mentioned I always think it's the X-Factor one instead lol

If you've gone on many of those "Greatest artists/albums/songs of all time" lists, (your Rolling Stones, Pitchforks, NME, Spin, RYM, Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame inductees, various books like Colin Larkin's, whatever you can think of), you start to see a lot of familiar names. Almost a "canon" of sorts starts forming that many people are familiar with.

Not all lists are the same; some lean more alternative with others lean more classic rock. Nevertheless, some artists have reached a certain level of critical acclaim that is shared amongst the lists. Some examples include The Beatles, David Bowie, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, A Tribe Called Quest, Stevie Wonder, Velvet Underground, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, probably more.

Even within genres, you often see the same names. If you look up "Trip Hop", Portishead, Massive Attack, and Tricky pop up. If you look up "post-rock", artists like Slint, Sigur Ros or Godspeed! You Black Emperor pop up.

Now to be clear: I personally think there's a lot of great artists on these lists so no hate to them.

But leading into my overall topic:

Who is an artist that you feel has been consistently neglected and overlooked despite their importance and influence? That despite all these lists and sources, you still haven't seen them acknowledged? Specifically, that you generally don't see them on the above lists and categories.

EDIT: Let me make this simpler since we're getting off topic:

You see a lot of familiar names on your typical "Greatest of All Time" lists (Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NME, Spin, RYM, etc.). Who is someone who never appears but deserves to?

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I absolutely adore Purity Ring. It‘s a Canadian electronic pop duo. Literally every album slaps, but WOMB especially. They used to gain some traction in the indie pop/electronic scene around 2012, but they’re not talked about a lot these days although they regularly release music.

Another duo I love is Say Lou Lou from Sweden. Their first album Lucid Dreaming should be regarded one of the best pop records of all time imo.

Rina Sawayama.

Amazing vocal ability not just recorded, but live as well. Great music to back it up, she writes about a wide variety of topics (family, immigration, friendship, childhood, nostalgia, religion), which is so refreshing. The majority of pop (or music in general) is mostly about love and heartbreak, which is fine! But Rina is such a breath of fresh air.

She doesn’t pigeonhole herself, she is a very versatile artist from pop to rock to country sounds, to nu-metal, to metal, to ballads, to house!

Her stage presence is amazing too! She can easily nail a vocally strong performance for 1hr and a half

She also got her following later on, around 28/29, which isn’t super common in the industry. She also majored in Psych so she has a very deep understanding of her feelings and how to process them through music. While she’s not a HUGE pop star, she absolutely has her following and dedicated fan base.

Also SAWAYAMA is just one of the top albums of the decade easily, so there’s that.

She’s so criminally underrated in the mainstream and it breaks my heart :(

I’m sure she’s well known here but in terms of mainstream Shura should be way more popular

Even though she hasn't released an album since 2018, I'm gonna say Robyn, at least in the US. Body Talk is widely considered one of the greatest pop albums of all time, yet whenever I bring her up as one of my favorite artists, most people here (in the US) only know her hits from the 90s. Even one of her most iconic songs, Dancing On My Own, has less Spotify streams than the Calum Scott cover. I was ecstatic that Charli included her on the 360 remix, and I hope she puts out new music soon.

Who are your favourite artists with fewer than, say, 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify?

Let's show some love to the underrated maestros out there!

Firstly please explain why not just listing names!

I mean who is a big pop star, who may have plenty of awards, high streaming numbers, critics appraisal, etc. but is underrated or under appreciated in terms of cultural relevance. Like stars that are technically big but don’t get talked about on popheads as you would think for often as a star of their size, or on other sites like twitter or TikTok, and don’t seem to be talked about a lot in person. I’ll go first.

My first is Hozier. Hozier has big hits, and really is killing the game recently but he never seems to get mainstream appreciation, even after too sweet became a hit on the charts. He has impeccable songwriting, and a beautiful voice that isn’t appreciated enough.

Another would be Conan Gray. Before Sabrina carpenter blew up to be the mega star she is today, she had the same amount of monthly listeners as Conan gray, yet was mentioned on here 10x as much. People on her complain semi frequently about the lack of flashy male popstars but fail to support anyone who isn’t Harry styles. I understand people don’t like his new album as much, but he was underrated even during the superache era.

Lastly I’d go with Billie Eilish before her most recent album. Billie had long since cemented herself as a main pop girl and an icon, yet was never really treated as a mainstream pop star. Despite being decorated with awards she seemed to not be talked about unless under something directly related to her. It was truly confusing how someone could be so big but somehow still be treated like a niche artist.

Please explain why and don’t just list artist names.

The treasure trove of underappreciated or perhaps forgotten artists from the past who never quite received the recognition they deserved has always piqued my interest.

Pop music's foundations trace back to the mid-1950s, particularly in the US and UK. It's fascinating how it intermingled with the dynamic rock and roll energy of the era, influencing many styles tailored to youth. Yet, beyond the mainstream stars, there were unsung talents who encapsulated this spirit but faded into obscurity. Their stories are vital to understanding pop music's rich history.

This isn't about the mainstream stars we all know but rather the unsung heroes of the pop world, those who may have slipped through the cracks. I believe that they have so much to offer, especially to younger pop enthusiasts like me who might have missed out on them.

For the seasoned Popheads, this is a chance to take a trip down memory lane. And for the newer members, an opportunity to discover some hidden gems. When suggesting, please give a brief description of the artist and why you think they deserve more attention. Let's dive into the rich history of pop and shed some light on those who might've been overshadowed.

Remember, detailed explanations make for richer discussions. Let’s celebrate these artists and introduce them to a new generation

RINA SAWAYAMA go Stan her immediately

Hi guys, do you like a pop artist that is not as known as the ones in the Music Industry in America? I love INNA, she is a Romanian singer and I wish that she was more popular worldwide, she has so much good music and so much potential! She sings in English, in Spanish and in Romanian, but still people don't give her the credit she deserves. I still don't know how the hell I found her, I only know is that it was YEARS ago when I was little and I was on YouTube and I still love her previous and recent albums (she is going to release one soon). I also love Anitta, and I'm happy that she is getting the recognizementent (???) that she deserves! Anyways, do you have any artist that you would like people to give the credit that they deserve??? I would like to discover some new pop influencers...

PS: please check out some of INNA's work, you will not be disappointed! :)) PS2: Mikolas Josef, who participated in ESC 2018 is another good pop artist who is not that popular. "Me gusta" from him is such a bop!

In your opinion, who is the most underrated female artist? The one who's been in the industry for a while but never really made it? I'll give you few examples and feel free to add to this list.

• Carly Rae Jepsen: everyone knows Call Me Maybe, was her big hit, funny and catchy, but I always thought she had much better songs like Run Away with Me and Warm Blood.

• Marina: I never understood how she never broke into the charts. Blue, Purge the Poison, Oh No!, Froot, Primadonna, Ancient Dreams in Modern Land—all of these are not only good songs but also have great lyrics. If you've never heard Marina, she released a sensational album this year.

• Jessie Ware: everyone praises Taylor Swift's ability to shift genres, but have you ever seen Jessie Ware? She can go from R&B to pop to disco to electronic—the girl really has talent. Listen to "What's Your Pleasure?" and "Spotlight" now.

• Robyn: despite the success of "Dancing on My Own" and "What It Takes," I get the impression that Robyn is never really recognized as the pop diva that she is.

• Zara Larson: a complete pop artist, she has hits like "Lush Life", "Can't Tame Her" and "Symphony", she has stage presence and a solid fanbase, she just needs to reach the top.

Tove Styrke! Everything she does is great, but "Kiddo" might be my favorite album of all time.

Recently I discovered Annie. As I just got into her I know little about her but she makes excellent pop music. Apple Music recommed her EP The A&R EP which to me sounds Kylie Minogue watered down to this decade pop sounds.

Léon! She has amazing bops! I really hope she blows up eventually

I'm looking to discover some great music artists—ideally ones who are lesser-known or more obscure. I'm especially interested in those whose records I might stumble upon at a flea market or among old vinyl collections

Anna Pest (400) (Atmospheric Black Metal)

Evilgloom (1.0k) (Nu-Metal/Metalcore)

Lowcityrain (1.0k) (Shoegaze)

Endon (1.0k) (Melodic Grindcore/Noise Rock)

The Honesty (1.3k) (Pop-Punk)

Despite Exile (3.6k) (Atmospheric Deathcore)

Senza (4.5k) (Melodic Grindcore)

Palm Reader (7.6k) (Atmospheric Post-Hardcore)

Tracy Ate A Bug (7.7k) (Melodic Metalcore/Electronicore)

Kyros (8.3k) (Progressive Rock/Avant-garde)

Shoot The Girl First (10.7k) (Metalcore)

Volatile Ways (10.8k) (Beatdown Deathcore)

Cloud Rat (13.0k) (Melodic Hardcore/Noise Rock)

Wristmeetrazor (14.4k) (Melodic Post-Hardcore)

Intig (18.2k) (Depressive Black Metal)

An Autumn For Crippled Children (19.3k) (Blackgaze)

Escuela Grind (29.1k) (Powerviolence)

To Be Gentle (30.7k) (Skramz)

Neon Graves (31.1k) (Progressive Metal)

SOM (31.8k) (Post-Rock)

Fuming Mouth (35.4k) (Death Metal/Crust Punk)

White Ward (37.2k) (Blackgaze/Avant-garde)

Lantlôs (37.7k) (Blackgaze)

Andreas Rönnberg (41.8k) (Atmospheric Acoustic Rock)

Fallujah (44.2k) (Progressive Death Metal)

I Declare War (44.8k) (Deathcore)

Nocturnal Depression (48.2k) (Depressive Black Metal)

Gas (High Skies)

Emeralds

Celer

GAS

Telefon Tel Aviv

The Dead Texan

Vessels

Three Trapped Tigers

Colossal Squid

• Emma Place (country teen pop, similar to early Taylor Swift)
• Ashes From Stone / Distance And Divide / A Road To Damascus (1k) (somewhere around the styles of early 30 Seconds To Mars and The Used, alt. rock, post-hardcore, some light metal)
• Kimberly Caldwell (1.2k) / Alana Grace (13.2k) / Marion Raven (47k) (pop-rock, in the general area of Anouk/Kelly Clarkson/Avril Lavgine/Paramore. "Candy pop" genre based on chosic.com)
• Fort Hope (9.5k) (combining calm and upbeat pop-rock, alternative, post-hardcore, some punk)
• Diana Vickers (28k) (pop with electronic touches)
• Useless ID (31k) (punk-pop/rock, Green Day-adjacent)
• Tigress (40k) (Paramore/Flyleaf-adjacent. "Pixie" genre based on chosic.com)
• Course Of Nature (41k) (around grunge/post-grunge)