Around June this year Flohio released her second single “WATCHOUT”: a very truly gem of grimish rap produced by  HMNSRA who bet on taking back the best of oriental Indian sounds that merges magically with the convincing rapping of this gyal to open a pandora box of verses that are not too appropriate for every soul in this planet, as you would expect in this society. A partial incarnation of Missy Elliott and Lil Kim drifts in the air.

Let’s just spoil the whole metaphor: what does a broken clock do? Well it don’t give time, it don’t go forward, it just stay thar, or then. Like those loved loves we left behind for our own mental well being, but still…

This is how SZA opens up her little heart on Broken Clocks, of which a videoclip appeared just a week ago: a fretful and confused tale, part dream, part retrospect, where all the aspects of a functioning and quiet life overlap with escapades to the strip club, running away from a sneaky feeling of asphyxiation.

The South Korean artist based in Berlin, Peggy Gou, edited her Once EP this year and released it via British label Ninja Tune. We picked out from this release, “Han Jan” is a musical gem, a veritable wormhole to the 90s with delicate Korean vocals delivered upon analogue synth and percussion sounds, a delicious sonic framework with intense party vibes to paint the town red.

Flexing some thicc Jersey Club muscle comes the self-proclaimed qween of the genre, UNIIQU3. With a streetwise sound headed straight for the dancefloor and a fast and smart-mouthed delivery on her lyrics, the DJ and producer from Newark has surfed the wave of her city’s club phenomenon to the top, in an inspiring change of direction (or leap of faith) that saw her trading lives from working at a liquor store to show up on Coachella. Even though she’s doesn’t usually take the braggart pose, acknowledging the struggle of rising in a music industry mostly dominated by males, Phase 3 doesn’t hold back on boasting and celebrating her much deserved ascent to international attention and a wild lifestyle.

We’re biased towards these two viking babes (they so rugged). But if someone’s got a glacial-smooth mixture of the thought-provoking, the sensuous and the belligerent it’s Katarina and Henriette. Packaging ideas and sensations with unprecedented sharpness. What does a runway say when it’s filled with naturally beautiful people in unpretentiously pretentious hipster combinations? Is it a message of frivolity? Or is it one about strength and heightened delicacy? Then you got 3D items bound for consumption, to self-consciously mock the mass production of individuality. A Hertzchmerz fragance: Worth it. Camera angles turn about 20 people in a multitude, as the plasticised lyrics bargain for a happiness that knows not the word “giddy”.  

A bright new voice in the latest wave of of british ultra-snazzy R&B, Ella delivers her sweet and far-reaching tones like it’s a cakewalk, which is probably an item of pride for her teachers British and Irish Modern Music Institute. Starting out into the world of pop music around 2014, when she was just 18, she got her first hints of visibility on The X-Factor. That was before DJ Mustard saw what she was capable of and nabbed her into his label. Now, at 24, she gets recognized on the streets of London after her absolutely gorgeous hit “Boo’d” melted the hearts of the saccharine-addicted crowd. Her first, self-titled album is the beginning of new chapter in her musical career, and we’d love to see it take off.

Music is repetition. “Neoclassic” is as eternal a category as classic, pulling the past with a silver string from a distant point in the future; like playing Bach on a synthesiser. Rosalia went to from unknown to neoclassic artist at the tender age of a second album, a bodacious display of creativity heavy on musical syncretism which was nurtured and developed for over ten years of musical formation and brought forth in collaboration with notorious indie producer El Guincho and C. Tangana. Flamenco, trap and electronica are the colours that the dextrous painting voice of Rosalía turns into landscapes of the most intoxicating human feelings. Loving, hurting, anger, resolution and a realisation: that which makes you, ends you; that which destroys you has released you. All of it in the uncomplicated and heartfelt words of the vernacular Spanish folk song. A true musical achievement in the key of pop.

Without aiming towards the spotlight, Ikonika’s managed to make herself felt all around the world by means of her savvy production and her constant experimentation, delving into all things danceable and some aside. Be it dubstep, house, dancehall, grime or even ambiance music (like her Where Is Your Wife? EP) her distinct brand of gummy, shiny synths with snappy percussion manages to enthrall and make us vibe.

Controversial singer Ms Nina has gone and done it again: her latest release, titled “Rico Rico” is a track thought for those who love an obscene and profane rhythm, as it extends an invitation for perreo, twerking and all those bootylicious dances from boricua and Dominican culture, making it almost impossible to resist shaking our hips like she’s been asking us to, as per usual. The video is marked by an aesthetic concept where chic and kitsch meet; with a strong presence of cold hues whilst a positively giddy, colourful and infamous Ms Nina stands in contrast with the entirety of her surroundings. 

It’s been a couple years since N.Y.’s singer and cellist Kelsey Lu caught the public eye with Church, a delicate and uncomplicated single (recorded on the spot, in a church BTW) which would make her pals with Blood Orange and take her on a touring journey towards everywhere. After a long wait, she’s come back with her debut album Shades of Blue, with the title track already cast in a beautiful video: a two-headed track in which the singer digs deep into the pockets of her newly acquired solitude and independence as she wanders through a plethora of visually engaging scenes and attires.