All songs considered: NPR

PinkPantheress, Wet Leg and María Becerra are among NPR Music’s Best New Artists and Breakthroughs of 2021.

Photo illustration by Renée Klahr/NPR; Getty Images

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Photo illustration by Renée Klahr/NPR; Getty Images

PinkPantheress, Wet Leg and María Becerra are among NPR Music’s Best New Artists and Breakthroughs of 2021.

Photo illustration by Renée Klahr/NPR; Getty Images

We have a lot to be grateful for: vaccines, a regular return to live events, and a plethora of great tunes. We have already listed the best albums And songs of the yearso let’s talk about the best new artists and breakthroughs of 2021.

On December 9, we had a live conversation on the NPR Music YouTube channel about the artists who shaped the year. Ann Powers of NPR Music, Alt. LatinoThis is Anamaria Sayre, Coffee of the worldRaina Douris, Tarik Moody of Radio Milwaukee and Pop Culture Happy HourStephen Thompson of joined host Lars Gotrich to discuss how these musicians work “across genres, styles, borders, transnationally and bilingually,” as Powers noted. “It gives me a good sense of connections rather than disconnections.”

For the purposes of this Listening Party, we’ve decided that a new artist means they have released an album, demo, mixtape, or single in 2021. (If they were already in a group, but have makes their solo debut this year, it counts!) For groundbreaking artists, the guidelines become a little fuzzier. These are musicians who have released albums, toured and found a small but devoted audience; This year they have expanded their scope either through chart placements, bookings at major festivals or finally long overdue critical recognition.

Below you’ll find our team’s picks for the best new artists and breakthrough artists of 2021.

Best New Artist: Wet Leg

After going through the pandemic, there have been a lot of serious, serious, beautiful and important albums. But it made me want something kind of fun and silly and unrelated to all that. The first song that Wet leg released, “Chaise Longue”, hooked me immediately. It’s a fine line to walk when you want to be funny and silly in a song without actually being silly. Also stupid and they walk. They’re just the coolest. —Raina Douris, Coffee of the world

Best New Artist: María Becerra

Maria Becerra is a 21 year old Argentinian. She got her start doing a cappella covers on YouTube of Ariana Grande and people like that, so she proved her vocal sense early on. But then members of Argentina’s burgeoning trap scene discovered him. What’s really interesting about “Acaramelao” is that it actually uses a sample from “Yo No Sé Mañana”, which is a huge salsa song. She’s really trying to establish herself as more than just a member of this trap scene, but rather immediately insert herself into this larger family of Latin music that draws inspiration from many different global sounds and eras. —Anamaria Sayre, Alt. Latino

Best New Artist: PinkPantheress

I’m basically a drum and bass kid. I feel like drum and bass hasn’t disappeared, it’s just disappeared from the public eye, and Pink Panther brought it back in a fun and new way. The art of sampling and the beauty of black artists’ contributions to electronic music have been overlooked, and artists like PinkPantheress are bringing back what black artists have done for electronic music that has been ignored for too long. —Tarik Moody, Radio Milwaukee

Best New Artist: Allison Russell

Outdoor child tell Allison Russellthe story of growing up black in Montreal, the abuse she suffered from her stepfather, her escape — she actually lived on the streets for a while when she was a teenager — then redemption and healing by going to Vancouver, discovering music and joining a punk band. All the songs take us on this journey, not only through the lyrics, but also through the incredibly musical tapestry of the album. You feel the love, community, and healing in this album. —Ann Powers

Revolutionary artist: Arooj Aftab

There is a Venn diagram where Sadistic crosses with Jeff Buckleyand right in the middle of that Venn diagram is my whole heart. Vulture Prince manages to swim in this space… Arooj Aftabdraws on all these different sounds and styles to create this wonderfully transporting record where we could slip anywhere on this record and find something beautiful that’s unlike anything else. It’s rooted in real heartache and heartbreak, but at the same time it’s so beautiful and heartfelt that you’re not just sitting around wallowing in that heartbreak, but you’re also celebrating it. —Stephen Thompson, Pop Culture Happy Hour

Breakthrough artist: Yasmin Williams

Yasmine Williams treats her guitar like a playground. She taps the wood of the instrument, taps her finger on the fret – on other songs, she taps dancing shoes, plays the kora or a piano thumbs while playing the guitar. In many ways, the joy and possibilities it brings to the guitar remind me more Eddie Van Halen than any of the other fingerstyle guitarists she is compared to. This music dates back to black blues guitarists; she recovers, but she also claims her rights at the same time. —Lars Gotrich

Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis co-produced this story with Lars Gotrich.