The Best New Male Artists Of 2019, Ranked
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Vote up the new male artists you think are killing it.
- 1Lewis Capaldi (born October 7, 1996) is a Scottish singer and songwriter originating from Whitburn, West Lothian. Capaldi rose to prominence following the self release of his first track 'Bruises' in the middle of 2017. The song quickly amassed close to 28 million plays on Spotify worldwide making him the fastest ever unsigned artist to reach 25 million plays on the platform. Shortly afterward, he was signed to Virgin Records and Capitol Records. Capaldi was longlisted for BBC Musics Sound of 2018. He was joined on the list by music stars such as Sigrid (singer), Khalid (singer) and Billie Eilish.
- 2Alec Benjamin (born May 28, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona. He is known for his songs "Paper Crown", "I Built A Friend", "End of the Summer", "Let Me Down Slowly" and "Water Fountain". He has also gained much attention from his demos. In addition to his solo project, Benjamin has found success in songwriting with artists such as Jon Bellion, including a feature on the track "New York Soul Pt. ii" from Jon's album The Human Condition. Alec is heavily influenced by artists such as Eminem and Paul Simon.
- Albums: Mixtape 1: America, Narrated for You
- 3Luke Albert Combs (born March 2, 1990) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Born and raised in North Carolina, Combs began performing as a child, most notably performing at Carnegie Hall. After dropping out of college to pursue a career in music, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he released his debut extended play, The Way She Rides, in 2014. In 2017, Combs released his debut album, This One's for You, which reached number four on the Billboard 200. Combs released his second album, What You See Is What You Get, on November 8, 2019. The album topped the charts in multiple territories, becoming his first to do so. A deluxe version of the album was released on October 23, 2020, including the song "Forever After All". Combs' music has earned him two Grammy Award nominations, two iHeart Radio music awards, four Academy of Country Music Awards and six Country Music Association Awards, including the 2021 Entertainer of the Year award, their highest honor.
- Albums: This One's For You
- 4Khadimou Rassoul Cheikh Fall (born September 10, 1998), known professionally as Sheck Wes, is an American rapper, songwriter and model. He is known widely for his 2017 song "Mo Bamba", which went viral in 2018. Fall is jointly signed to Travis Scott's Cactus Jack Records and Kanye West's GOOD Music record labels, under the aegis of Interscope Records.
- Albums: Mudboy
- 5Dominic Fike is an American singer and rapper from Naples, Florida. He signed to Columbia Records in 2018. Fike came to attention of record labels after releasing his debut EP Don't Forget About Me, Demos at age 21 in December 2017, which was recorded while he was on house arrest for battery of a police officer. The EP sparked a bidding war, and he signed with Columbia for a reported $4 million. He later went to jail, and came to wider attention in 2018 for the song "3 Nights", which was put on rotation on BBC Radio 1 and reached the top five in Australia.
- 6George Miller (born 18 September 1992), better known by his stage name Joji and formerly by his YouTube username Filthy Frank, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and former Internet personality and comedian. Miller's start as an entertainer began on his now defunct YouTube channels, DizastaMusic, TooDamnFilthy, and TVFilthyFrank, that consisted of rap songs, rants, extreme challenges, ukulele performances and a bizarre show titled The Filthy Frank Show, with most of the main characters played by Miller, including the titular character of Filthy Frank. In December 2017, Miller stated he had retired the channel to focus on his music career, under the name Joji, producing more nuanced and serious music. Miller's music has been described as a mix between R&B, lo-fi and trip hop.
- Albums: In Tongues EP, Ballads 1
- 7Steven Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998), better known as Steve Lacy, is an American guitarist, bassist, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He was born in Compton, California and gained recognition as a member of the Grammy-nominated R&B band, The Internet, in 2015. In February 2017, Lacy released his debut project, a song-series, titled Steve Lacy's Demo.
- Albums: Apollo XXI
- 8
Rag'n'Bone Man
New blues, soulRory Charles Graham (born 29 January 1985), better known as Rag'n'Bone Man, is an English singer-songwriter, known for his deep, baritone voice. His first hit single, "Human", was released in 2016, and his debut album of the same name was released in February 2017. At the 2017 Brit Awards, he was named British Breakthrough Act and received the Critics' Choice Award.
- Albums: Human
- 9Ari Staprans Leff (born August 8, 1994), known professionally as Lauv, is an American singer and musician, best known for his breakout hit "I Like Me Better"; included on his compilation album I Met You When I Was 18 (The Playlist), which was released in 2018. His debut album, How I'm Feeling, was released on March 6, 2020, and debuted at number 16 on the US Billboard 200. Lauv has also written songs for other artists such as "Boys" by Charli XCX and "No Promises" by Cheat Codes and Demi Lovato.
- Albums: I met you when I was 18 (the playlist), ~how i'm feeling~
- 10Dominique Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his songs "Freestyle", "Yes Indeed" and "My Dawg", the latter two peaking at number six and 71 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In May 2018, Lil Baby released his debut studio album, Harder Than Ever, which debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was supported by the singles, "Southside" and "Yes Indeed" featuring Drake, the latter peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100.
- 11Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X, is an American rapper and singer. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single "Old Town Road", which first achieved viral popularity in early 2019 before climbing music charts internationally and becoming diamond certified by November of that same year. "Old Town Road" spent 19 weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the longest-running number-one song since the chart debuted in 1958. Several remixes of the song were released, the most popular of which featured country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. Lil Nas X came out as gay while "Old Town Road" was atop the Hot 100, becoming the only artist to do so while having a number-one record. Following the success of "Old Town Road", Lil Nas X released his debut extended play, titled 7, which spawned two further singles, and he released his debut studio album MONTERO in 2021. He was the most-nominated male artist at the 62nd Annual Grammys.
- Albums: 7, Nasarati
- 12
Jon Bellion
Hip hop, pop, R&BJonathan David Bellion (born December 26, 1990), known professionally as Jon Bellion, is a American singer-songwriter. He is best known for his song "All Time Low," along with his writing and producing credits. In June 2017, Bellion was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month and was featured on NBC's Today show hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb and broadcast nationally where he performed "All Time Low" live. Bellion was the opening act for the US leg of rock duo Twenty One Pilots' 2017 Emotional Roadshow World Tour. Bellion co-wrote multiple songs on Justin Bieber's Justice album, including the hit song "Ghost". The song reached #1 on the US Pop Radio.- Albums: The Human Condition, Glory Sound Prep
- 13Lil Skies (born August 4, 1998) is a rapper from Pennsylvania who is best known for singles "Signs of Jealousy" and "Change Ya Life." In 2017, he signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records. He has earned multiple cosigns from the CUFBOYS.
- 14Rodrick Moore (born October 22, 1998), known professionally as Roddy Ricch is an American rapper and producer from Compton, California. He is signed to Bird Vision Entertainment at the moment. In November 2018, he released the mixtape, Feed Tha Streets II, which has peaked at number 68 on the Billboard 200 chart.
- Albums: Feed Tha Streets, Feed Tha Streets II
- 15Sergio Giavanni Kitchens (born June 14, 1993), better known by his stage name Gunna, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with rappers Lil Baby and Young Thug, and he is signed to 300 Entertainment and Young Thug's record label, YSL Records. Kitchens was born in College Park, Georgia. He was raised by his mother, has four older brothers, and started making music at age fifteen. He grew up listening to Cam'ron and Outkast, among others. In 2013, Gunna released the mixtape Hard Body under the name Yung Gunna. Gunna was introduced to Young Thug through King Troup, a mutual friend and community figure who died in December 2015. Rapper Lil Baby is also one of Gunna’s close friends, and the duo have shown their chemistry through various singles, such as "Sold Out Dates" which received millions of streams on platforms like YouTube and Soundcloud. Gunna later recorded "Floyd Mayweather" with Young Thug in 2016.
- 16Pink Sweats (stylized Pink Sweat$), is an American singer and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is managed by Thrice Cooked Media. He released his first EP Volume 1 on November 2, 2018, after the single "Honesty" started to gain buzz, reaching #23 on Spotify's Global Viral Chart and #10 on Spotify's US Viral Chart, and tallied over 2 million streams in under 8 weeks.
- Albums: Volume 1, Volume 2
- 17Tom Walker (born 17 December 1991) is a singer-songwriter who was born in Scotland and grew up near Manchester. He is signed with Sony Music's Relentless Records and released his debut single "Sun Goes Down" in March 2016. On 19 May 2017 he released an EP, Blessings, through Relentless Records. His most successful hit commercially is "Leave a Light On" in 2017.
- Albums: Another Ode, The Mission / Testament, You Can't Stop Me, Storm's Coming, Hillside View
- 18Ricardo Valdez Valentine (born June 24, 1992), better known by his stage name 6lack (stylized as 6LACK and pronounced "black), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his single "Prblms", which was released in June 2016. He is currently signed to LoveRenaissance and Interscope Records. 6lack's music focuses on personal and business relationships frequently, especially the topic of heartbreak. 6lack has said that his songwriting is influenced mainly by his personal experiences and failed relationships. Billboard has described 6lack's music as "moody hip hop" that "spotlights vulnerability and honesty in a way the emoji generation can understand."
- 19Christopher Saint Victor (born November 16, 1995), better known by his stage name Flipp Dinero, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his song "Leave Me Alone", which peaked at 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dinero gained recognition when football wide-receiver Odell Beckham Jr. danced to "Leave Me Alone" which made the song viral.
- 20
Micah Davis (born June 8, 1993), known by his stage name Masego, is an American musician who was born in Jamaica. Masego is an international, contemporary genre-bending entertainer who refers to his own music style as "TrapHouseJazz" or Emotion.
- Albums: Lady Lady
- 21Mitchell Tenpenny (born August 17, 1989) is an American country music singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released one studio album and two extended plays through Riser House Records and charted in 2018 with the single "Drunk Me", released on Columbia Records Nashville.
- Albums: Black Crow, Telling All My Secrets
- 22Young Nudy (born December 17, 1992) is an Atlanta rapper with hits including "Tell Em Again, "Sex Appeal" and "Who Dat Is." He is known for his mixtapes Slimeball and Slimeball 2.
- 23
Jax Jones
House, deep house, tropical houseTimucin Lam (born July 25, 1987), known professionally as Jax Jones, is an English DJ, songwriter, record producer and remixer. He rose to fame with his 2016 single "You Don't Know Me" featuring Raye, which peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, "Instruction" featuring Demi Lovato and Stefflon Don and by featuring on Duke Dumont's 2014 single "I Got U", peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart.- Albums: Snacks
- 24
Smino
Hip hop, neo soul, R&BChristopher Smith Jr (born October 2, 1991), better known by his stage name, Smino, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from St. Louis, Missouri. Smino is the founder of the musical collective Zero Fatigue with Bari, Monte Booker, Jay2, and Ravyn Lenae. He is signed to independent label Downtown Records. Smino initially gained local recognition in 2012 where he released a mixtape called Smeezy Dot Com, and a collaboration mixtape with Bari called Retail. In 2015, he released two EPs: S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck and blkjuptr. His debut studio album, blkswn was released to critical acclaim on March 14, 2017. His second studio album, NØIR, was released on November 8, 2018.- Albums: blkswn, NØIR
- 25Lathan Moses Echols (born January 25, 2002), known professionally as Lil Mosey, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. His most commercially successful song, "Noticed", peaked at 80 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut studio album titled Northsbest was released on October 19, 2018.
- Albums: Northsbest
- 26Jonathan Porter (born January 20, 1997), known professionally as Blueface Bleedem or simply Blueface, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. After releasing his song "Respect My Crypn" in October 2018, Blueface became a viral internet meme due to his off-beat style of rapping and high-pitched voice. He signed to the West Coast branch of Birdman's Cash Money Records label in November 2018.
- 27James Baker (born May 19, 1996), known professionally as BlocBoy JB, is an American rapper and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. He is best known for his song "Look Alive" featuring Drake which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2018. BlocBoy JB started putting out music on his SoundCloud page in 2012. He released his first mixtape, Who Am I, in 2016. It featured the track "No Chorus Pt. 6," which reached nearly two million views on YouTube. BlocBoy JB generated controversy in October 2017 after visiting a series of high schools and posting a video of himself shooting dice at Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee. After releasing the single, "Produced by BlocBoy", he announced the mixtape Simi, while also revealing the tracklist which featured Lil Pump, YG, Drake and 21 Savage. The song with Lil Pump, "Nun of Dat", was announced as the following single.
- 28
Yella Beezy
Hip hop, RapYella Beezy is an American rapper from the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. His earliest work includes a numerous mixtapes including Lil Yella Mane (2012), Country Rap Tunes (2015), Lite Work (2015), and Broke Nights Rich Days (2017).- Albums: Ain't No Goin Bacc, Broke Nights Rich Days, Lite Work, Vol. 2, Lite Work
- 29Lacy McGrady, better known as Elujay, is a R&B singer, producer, and songwriter from Oakland, California.
- Albums: Adojio, Jentrify
- 30
Yxng Bane
R&B, afroswing, hip hopLarry Kiala (born 12 April 1996), better known by his stage name Yxng Bane (pronounced "young bane"), is a British singer and rapper, from East London. Yxng Bane started his musical career in 2015, by uploading songs onto his SoundCloud account. In January 2016, he released his debut EP, Full Moon. In January 2017, Bane was featured on a remix of Ed Sheeran's hit single "Shape of You". In June 2017, he was featured on the single "Bestie" by rapper Yungen, which peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.- Albums: HBK, Any Minute Now
- 31David Debrandon Brown, better known by his stage name Lucky Daye, is an American singer and songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is signed to the RCA joint venture label Keep Cool and released his first EP on the label titled I on November 9, 2018, and his second EP, II, on February 6, 2019. The EP's are part of a series leading up to his debut album Painted, which is set for release in 2019.
- Albums: Painted
- 32
J.S. Ondara
Pop, rockJ.S. Ondara is a Kenyan singer-songwriter living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, born in August 1992. He takes inspiration from Bob Dylan, and his first album was Tales Of America.
- Albums: Tales Of America
- 33Joshua Karpeh (born January 30, 1993), known professionally as Cautious Clay, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Since 2017, he has released three EPs
- Albums: Table of Context, Resonance
- 34
morgxn
Indie pop, alternative R&B, electronicMorgan Karr, better known by his stage name morgxn, is an American indie pop singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles.- Albums: Vital
