Get Used to These Names: The Best Artists of 2020
- Lost Bay
- Dec 20, 2020
- 6 min read
Duckwrth
Duckwrth may not be the most talented artist around, but he is certainly the most fun. In a year defined by distrust, desolation, and nervousness, Ducky has been the light at the end of the tunnel and has brightened even the darkest of days. There are not many artists that are able to successfully embody the groove and swagger that defines the 32-year old genre-bender, making him one of the most intriguing singer-songwriters.
In August, Duckwrth dropped his second studio album, SuperGood, illustrating a major step towards the artist that he could and should be. This 16-track LP was able to effectively blend genre and create an aesthetic that will leave you in awe. Although there are clear bright spots in “Quick”, “Coming Closer”, and “Super Bounce”, Ducky grasps your attention on the first track and never loses it. Not only was SuperGood one of the best albums of 2020, but it propelled Duckwrth’s career into a completely new direction.
Why is Duckwrth one of the best artists of 2020? He was able to make us dance, sing, and smile all fall.
--Tucker Cargile
Glass Animals
If someone were to ask me for a silver lining of 2020, my answer would definitely be the British band Glass Animals. This August, Glass Animals released their newest album entitled Dreamland. The idea of entering a seductive and visceral dreamland seemed more than enticing during a global pandemic, so I put my earbuds in and listened to the entire album from start to finish. The first song, “Dreamland,” transported me into a completely new environment. I felt like I finally escaped the dreariness of reality and was tiptoeing on clouds, with wisps of colors and sounds surrounding me. The soft piano and steady beat are perfect background music for tiptoeing up to the Glass Animals dreamland. The album then transitions to more upbeat songs such as “Tangerine,” “Tokyo Drifting,” and “Heat Waves.” Although faster paced, these songs still create a sense of an alternate reality with their cosmic beats and lucid lyrics.
The album is also split up by different home video audios. The videos are from the Glass Animals singer, Dave Bayley’s, childhood. The last song on the album, “Helium,” incorporates sounds and lyrics from the first song, “Dreamland.” The pace and vulnerability of “Helium” brings the album full circle and carries the listeners back down to Earth where their journey first started. This year, Glass Animals has proven that pandemic-induced spare time can create a gateway for beautiful music and new realities—a dreamland perhaps.
--Lily Monsour
Grimes
Miss Anthropocene is the first full length album Grimes has dropped in over four years and it is different from any project she has released. Later this year, she also released a special DJ mix to celebrate Cyberpunk 2077. Considering how her musical themes and social critiques extend far beyond any time, place, genre, or even music itself, it would be an understatement to say that she has been anything less than one of the most important artists of 2020.
The first of the two releases, Miss Anthropocene, is an ethereal new metal sound that captures Grimes’ existentialism and is a purely nihilistic take on current issues. The title itself is a play on the word “misanthropy” which means the dislike for humankind. In her thinking about existential risks to humans, Grimes wanted to anthropomorphize issues like climate change in way that makes them more digestible to people. With her love of anime and pop culture shining through, it is very clear that these issues become reoccurring villains in the comic book version of everything that brutalizes us. Although, heavy and tragic the album is beautiful and no doubt unique with the sound of Nine Inch Nails layered over Enya.
Later in 2020, Grimes released This story is dedicated to all those cyberpunks who fight against injustice and corruption every day of their lives! This release is different in that she did it as her video game character Lizzy Wizzy. The album is eclectic, drawing from genres such as hip-hop, electropop, punk, shoegaze, and others. This project features her own music alongside mashups of Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, and Ariana Grande. Packed with energy and excitement this album is definitely worth the stream!
--Claire Evanishyn
Terrace Martin
Terrace Martin has had quite the year, with his album Dinner Party leading the charge. The 41-year old musician/producer is not new to the scene, as he has produced for Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder, and others throughout the years, but 2020 felt different. Martin not only dropped his own music, but he produced some of the most underrated tracks and projects of 2020 including Ric Wilson’s EP They Call Me Disco and the single "Sweeter" with Leon Bridges.
Dinner Party was one of the most enjoyable projects of 2020, as the chemistry between Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, and Kamasi Washington was unmatched. On this album, vocals from Phoelix also added to its subtle funk sounds and took the project to another level. If dinner wasn’t already enough, the group also dropped Dinner Party: Dessert with coveted features from Cordae, Buddy, Herbie Hancock, Rapsody, and more. These features transformed each of the seven tracks into something fresh and exhilarating, allowing for a listen that felt like an entirely new album.
Terrace Martin has consistently been one of the most talented musicians out there and he does not get anywhere near the recognition that he deserves. His big year puts him at the top of my artist of the year list and places Dinner Party in my top-ten albums of 2020.
--Tucker Cargile
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion just completed one the strongest breakout years the hip-hop genre has ever seen. She will finish 2020 with a hat trick of three #1 steaming singles, “Savage”, “WAP”, and “Body”, marking the first time the feat has been accomplished by a woman in hip-hop. Meg also garnered four Grammy nominations and released her first studio album titled “Good News,” which debuted at #2 Billboard. From jumpstarting Tik-Tok crazes, giving breathtaking live performances, putting out internet breaking music videos, and gracing GQ’s Rapper of the Year cover, Thee Stallion has unquestionably become one of the most influential figures in all of American pop culture. This all backdropped by a year in which the club scene, an area her music dominates, has been in shambles.
However, if you think Meg is simply part of the new “pop” artist wave, exemplifying how hip-hop culture has evolved parts of itself into the genre of “Popular Music,” you haven’t been paying attention. Because at the core of her other-worldly choreography, dazzling wardrobe and many viral moments, is the fact that she is one the game’s finest lyricists. A flow wizard, Meg can hop on any beat, body it, and then watch it inevitably blow up. Her music is made to get people moving and dancing, but she never compromises her rapping. Holding her own in songs with features from industry giants like Beyonce and Cardi B (and quite frankly outperforming the latter), there doesn’t appear to be a ceiling on what musical feats she can’t do. “Girlz n the Hood,” sampled and playing on Easy E’s immortal “Boyz n the Hood,” showcases some classic hip-hop flair mixed with her signature flows and flavor. If some unknown rapper releases this same song on an underground mixtape then we are talking “next up” and “underrated” based on skill and sound alone. Mention how she destroyed Tory Lanez to a Biggie beat on the decade’s first diss track “Shots Fired,” allowing for the clear image of Meg embodying everything you can ask for in a hip-hop breakout year.
Megan Thee Stallion just became a superstar. With undeniable talent, success in multiple avenues/platforms, and at a young age of 25, this feels like the start of a decade long-run of success. Get used to listening and talking about Hot Girl Meg.
--David Puma
BENEE
“BENEE is 2020’s breakout indie pop phenomenon, a fervent audience growing around her groove-drenched sound and quirky lyrical take on the world". Last summer, BENEE released her first EP, FIRE ON MARZZ, and since then she has been on a steady rise to stardom. BENEE quickly became a viral sensation on Tiktok with her song "SUPALONELY" feat. Gus Dapperton and became a household name. Since then, she has worked with numerous artists including Joji, Flo Milli, Lily Allen, Grimes and ROLE MODEL.
Since her rise, BENEE has sold out shows across the globe and has become platinum certified in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and other nations. This year she released her first album Hey u x, boasting 13 fun tracks. Additionally, the young star has a total of 10 million + monthly listeners on Spotify and is the 413th most streamed artist in the world. Since her album release, she has also released a cover of British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse's “Back To Black”, flaunting her versatility.
It’s no doubt that BENEE deserves a spot as one of the Top Artists of 2020. What will this quirky indie pop artist bring in 2021?
--Kevin Reyes
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