Trendsetting Artists to Watch In 2016
Some have already come, seen, and conquered. Others are clearly up for the challenge. This year welcomes a healthy mix of fresh up-and-comers worth looking out for and already-established pop stars dropping new albums any minute now. What they have in common: Equally unmistakable personal style and musical personas. If this list is any indication, 2016 is primed to be the year of severely badass females.
1. Rihanna
It doesn’t feel like Rihanna ever really went away, what with her hit “Bitch Better Have My Money” and the glamorously violent video to go with it, the acoustic “FourFiveSeconds” collaboration with Kanye West and Paul McCartney, and her multiple hints at Anti. The cover art for her new album was revealed in November, but she’s apparently still working on the finishing touches. What’s next in the way of Rihanna’s style game is igniting as much suspense as her soon-to-be released tracks. Lately, she’s been rocking demure white pumps with matching socks, Vetements’ oversized peacoat, a Madonna “Blonde Ambition Tour” T-shirt, Snap Skull’s beanie, and gingham-checked and pinstriped pieces from Céline’s Resort ’16 collection. Which means she’s going to continue to keep us guessing.
2. Kittens
According to Laura Abedini’s Instagram account, she is “feminist AF, gay AF, and sarcastic AF.” She’s also a Los Angeles native with rare DJ credibility (she used to work her magic for Kid Cudi) who’s fast becoming known for her killer collaborations and underground mixes. While she juxtaposes her fitted hats against Kardashian-grade smoky eyes, don’t let the cuddly name fool you – or the title of one of her songs, a collaboration with Gladiator. She’s not just “Cute.” Kittens has an affinity for sporty streetwear in monochrome black (think track shorts, tube socks, and all things Athletixx) and for showcasing her showcase-worthy abs. And yes, she’s a cat lover. Because according to her, they’re “super-mellow and independent with strong personalities.”
3. Lady Gaga
After a lengthy tour with Tony Bennett, Gaga went for a vamped-up Marilyn Monroe vibe in a curve-hugging velvet Atelier Versace gown when she picked up her Golden Globe for her run as the Countess in American Horror Story: Motel. Clearly, she’s evolved far past shock-pop star. Earlier this year she told Vogue, “When I found a sense of inner peace, I began embracing the more glamorous side of myself. I wouldn’t say my fashion has changed as much as I’d say I’ve changed on the inside.” She returned to the studio with producer RedOne, of “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” fame, and is describing her as of yet unreleased new album as her “old self as cadaver.”
4. Shamir
This Las Vegas native was voted “Most Likely to Appear on the Cover of Vogue” in high school. Instead, he became a singer/songwriter. But no surprise Shamir offers colorful music and a wardrobe to match, with his uncommon countertenor voice and an equally unique way of dressing. His twangy dance-pop is influenced by disco, gospel, Billie Holiday, and Janis Joplin, to name a few, and his septum piercing offsets campy printed shirts and sometimes-shimmery nails. By the way, his sky-blue Nelson Mandela T-shirt is of his own design. Shamir is also wise beyond his twenty-one years: “I can be myself and that’s just enough to stand out.” His video “On the Regular," released in 2014, is anything but ordinary. Then again, he also loves Taylor Swift. The first time he saw her on TV, he says he wondered, “Who is this goddess?”
5. Gwen Stefani
This past year, Gwen Stefani took a swivel-chair spot on The Voice, closed a 13-year marriage with Gavin Rossdale, started a new romance with Blake Shelton, launched a mega-collaboration with Urban Decay cosmetics, and released a very personal breakup song entitled “I Used to Love You.” Gwen’s candor in the video is striking, and so is the blast-from-her-“Just a Girl”-era style. Wifebeater, bright bra straps, gold chains: The style chameleon has gone back to her roots. She started working on the follow-up to 2006’s The Sweet Escape in 2014, ditched most of the material, had a bout with writer’s block, followed by a burst of prolificacy, and now she’s primed to drop a brand-new album.
6. CL
A Jeremy Scott muse who got her start in the girl group 2NE1: Chaelin Lee, better known concisely as CL, is a Seoul native who started off as a nondescript K-Pop star and has morphed into badass hip-hop powerhouse. One who dresses the part, no less. The fearless dresser is an appreciator of Alex Wang’s cyber-goth boots, underwear as outerwear, pumped-up bomber jackets, Vetements sweatshirts, Anti Social Social Club baseball caps, and naturally, all things Moschino. There’s already a Twitter account called CL’s Wardrobe devoted solely to her style https://twitter.com/clswardrobe, and there should also be one for her boot-stomping squad of equally in-your-face bitches, who you can see in the video for the aptly named track “Hello, Bitches.”
7. Bruno Mars
Here’s another one who hasn’t gone away, despite having not released an album in several years (the hit-packed Unorthodox Jukebox came out in 2012). Bruno Mars, née Peter Gene Hernandez, played last year’s Super Bowl Half Time show, and you might have heard a Mark Ronson-produced song “Uptown Funk.” In the meantime, he and Adele co-wrote “All I Ask,” currently gaining acclaim off 25, and he’s been working on his third album. Bruno isn’t so much a trendsetter as he is a relisher of trends, past and present. When he started off, he stuck to consistent staples: plaid shirts, leather jackets, Converse sneakers, and an omnipresent trilby hat. Now he vacillates between channeling Michael Jackson and retro high schoolers, referencing suave R&B stars of yesterday, and rocking dapper suits like a pro. And yes, he probably has had “Chuck on with Saint Laurent” on more than one occasion.
8. Niykee Heaton
Perhaps better known for her bodacious Instagram selfies (and rare waist-to-hip ratio) than her heated-up hip hop covers and sultry-slow pop beatshttps://soundcloud.com/niykeeheaton, twenty-one-year-old Niykee is the rare sexed-up bad girl who doesn’t seem to have an affinity for black leather. She originally garnered plenty of Internet attention after filming an acoustic version of Chief Keef’s “Love Sosa” in her childhood bedroom, but it’s her distinctive anti-style, consisting of nude leggings, very visible thongs, sports bras, and generally sheer gym gear in strictly neutral shades that make it clear she’s aiming to stand out. Well, that and lyrics like, “I’ve got some damn bad intentions.”
9. Go Freek
The duo of dudes known as Go Freek have already worked with Motez, RÜFÜS, and OWSLA, and now they’re getting some attention of their own. What do you call their gritty brand of trans-inducing, bass-loaded club music? Gutter tech. https://soundcloud.com/gofreek They credit their manager with the name: “As soon as we heard it, we loved it. So technically, he coined the term, but it was quickly stolen and personalized by us!” Go Freek claim to be “as fond of generic club music as they are of correct spelling.” The self-described surfers have nonchalant style to match, a mix between beachy, just-rolled-out-of-bed slouch and playful irreverence – as in, overtly clashing printed shirts.
10. Conrad Sewell
You might recognize the Aussie crooner’s vocal stylings from Kygo’s tropical house hit “Firestone,” though it’s his own ballad “Start Again” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-OqF9qagNk (which Jay-Z’s business partner tried to steal for Kylie Minogue) that scored the 27-year-old Aussie a U.S. record deal. Now he’s putting the finishing touches on his highly anticipated debut album. While his piano-driven music errs on the side of tender, he goes for a slightly harder vibe when it comes to his clearly stylized look. Think watered-down (yet natural) rocker guy style: Slept-in, sun-streaked locks? Check. Leather motorcycle jacket? Double check. Chunky silver man jewelry? You bet.