OnesToWatch: The Weekly Recap
New music from Gigi Perez and INJI, meet fakemink, Isabel LaRosa joins the pod and more.
Welcome to the OnesToWatch newsletter, the best way to discover your new obsession and keep up with the best releases of the week.
💻 FROM THE BLOG
INJI Brings Dubstep to the Situationship Era with Explosive “U WON’T”
Dubstep is back and we have rising dance-pop star INJI to thank for it. Her new single “U WON’T” is playful, epic, and reminiscent of the iconic genre’s early days. After releasing her debut EP WE GOOD last year, including a feature from the legendary Nile Rodgers, INJI continues to captivate listeners around the world with her cheeky lyrics, infectious party girl energy, and pure approach to making music fun. At only 24 years old, INJI is making her mark in the dance genre and “U WON’T” ushers in a new era of provocative pop designed for dancing the pain away.
Gigi Perez Pens a Stirring Tale of Love and Loss in 'At The Beach, In Every Life'
Singer-songwriter Gigi Perez makes a poetic debut with her self-produced debut album, At The Beach, In Every Life. The powerful body of work explores themes of grief, faith, love, and loss. She processes the aftermath of losing her sister, whose voice memos are threaded throughout the project. Over twelve tracks, she reflects on the last five years of her life, from signing her first major label deal during the pandemic to getting dropped and returning home to Florida to start over.
Adam Melchor Shares The Diary of Living In Reflective Second Album
Life is full of ups and downs. It never quite goes the way you expect, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. In his second album, The Diary of Living, Adam Melchor reflects on all the things that life has thrown at him, and the journey he has taken to get to where he is now.
bLAck pARty Makes Triumphant Return With New Single “Distant Lover”
Ever since Marvin Gaye released “Distant Lover” over 50 years ago, artists have spent countless hours in the studio trying to make a song that is good enough to be released under the same name. Over that five-decade period, countless wars have been fought, but inside the studio, a different kind of warfare has taken place—a spiritual warfare where artists, producers, and engineers have all tried and failed to follow up the iconic Let’s Get It On deep-cut. Legends say Brian McKnight came close, but opted to cover the original at the last minute, leaving the song’s spiritual successor a mystery, until now.
8485 and Danny Brown Deliver New It-Girl Anthem With “G.I.R.L.”
The Girl Scouts might have you believe G.I.R.L. stands for “Go-Getter, Innovator, Risk-Taker, and Leader” (eyeroll), but 8485 and Danny Brown are rebranding the acronym to mean “Good In Real Life” with their new single collab, “G.I.R.L.” If this is the first you’re hearing of 8485, let the track’s opening line, “You want to meet me in real life,” be her bold and fitting introduction to you. In an era where social media rules our lives, 8485’s it-girl declaration has us asking, “What IS so good in real life?” The artist’s first single of the year is a self-celebritized anthem reminiscent of a time when flip phones and iPod Nanos were all the rage.
Nate Sib's "keep it up" Positions Him as Pop Music's Next Great Disruptor
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Nate Sib is fighting to hold back his feelings on his latest single, "keep it up." The track embodies Sib's disruptive take on pop music, bringing a dystopian sugar-high beat to life with his silky-smooth boyband vocals. It combines the energy of underground dance music with his predilection for alternative pop experimentation.
🎙️ CHEF’S CHOICE PODCAST with Abby Kenna
Isabel LaRosa Won't Cry For You
Dark-pop icon, Isabel LaRosa, stops by to give us the latest on her album, Raven. We talk through scrapped iterations of the album title, the impact of pop music, and the life cycle of sexy to sad.
🎤 TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS
Wet Leg announce north american moistourizer 2025 Tour - on sale next week.
🆕 ARTIST DISCOVERY
Meet fakemink, the UK Underground's Next Big Thing
Racking up millions of streams on Spotify with no clear origin story, fakemink is the industry’s biggest enigma and latest obsession. With a magnetic draw and elusive persona, one can’t help wonder, who really is fakemink?
🔁 NOW WATCHING: PLAYLIST
Press play on our #NowWatching playlist - with new releases from Mei Semones, Dove Cameron, Briston Maroney, and more.
👁️ NOW WATCHING: RISING STARS
Em Beihold: for fans of Olivia Rodrigo, Ashe, and JVKE.
