With the summer already underway, there have been quite a few contemporary rhythm and blues artists, particularly emerging ones, that have been blowing up the charts. While there are some who have crossed over from 2015, there are still many who we might not all know, but whom we definitely should. Without further ado, here are a number of contemporary R&B artists who should be on your radar.
1. JAHKOY
Canadian Jahkoy Palmer, also known mononymously as Jahkoy, is an R&B singer and a rapper. He is able to combine different genres, such as rap, electronic and rhythm and blues, which has contributed to his music being referred to as a “bipolar sound.” His artistry is reflective of his influences of poetry because one of his approaches is to write poems to then turn into rap verses.
2. Gallant
Christopher Gallant demonstrated an interest in music early on, and when he graduated from New York University, he immediately moved to California to pursue his interest in music. Although he is relatively a newcomer to the music scene, he is making his mark known across the board. Gallant has a recognizable falsetto style that is a signature technique of singing within rhythm and blues.
3. Kehlani
Kehlani saw many highlights in 2015, which included signing with Atlantic Records, her second mixtape, “You Should Be Here,” climbed the Billboard charts, and her first solo concert got sold-out. Although she did experience up and downs, including an apparent suicide attempt, but fortunately, she has gotten better and has since continued to release music.
4. Bryson Tiller
Before his music hit the mainstream, Bryson Tiller, like many other prospective artists, took advantage of SoundCloud as a platform as a way to share his music on a larger scale. In May 2015, he released his masterful single, “Don’t” and got notice from users of the site, producers, and performers, such as Drake. What sets Tiller apart from his colleagues is that he is able to combine the genres of hip-hop and R&B with such ease, obviously a technique that comes naturally for him. This past October, he released his first debut studio album “T R A P S O U L.”
5. Zayn Malik
Zayn Malik is clearly a known commodity on the music scene because once upon a time he was member of One Direction. While he broke all of our hearts after revealing his plans to leave the band last year, we were even more excited to find out he would be beginning his own solo music career. Now his fans are looking forward to him trying to forge his own path. As far as we can see, he’s definitely off to a swell start especially with the release of his first solo album, “Mind of Mine.”
