Sound Signal is a bi-weekly newsletter produced by Third Bridge Creative for people in the music industry that identifies emerging artists, tracks, as well as new scenes and genres. This week, we’re exploring the R&B singer who is rap's secret ingredient, a viral hater's anthem, and the soundtrack honoring queer love. If you enjoy this newsletter, pass it on to a friend. They can sign up here.

TRENDING ARTISTS

anaiis

Genre: R&B/Soul

TBC Score: 70

French-Senegalese singer-songwriter anaiis' ethereal, deeply transportive falsetto straddles the line between grief and healing. She’s had an active few years: supporting Daniel Caesar on tour in 2019, performing on COLORS STUDIO in 2020 and 2021, and releasing her debut album this is no longer a dream. This summer, she’s thrived by producing remixes. On July 18, she released a new version of “vanishing .” (which was originally performed on COLORS) produced by herself and North London producer and singer Tev’n. The remix has been added to major playlists like Spotify Vanguard and Spotify R&B Weekly. One month later, she released a remix of “transcending” produced by Karen Nyame KG. Refreshing these songs have been fruitful: Her Chartmetric Fan Base Rank has increased by 19.3K since July, and Spotify monthly listeners have increased 79.4%. 

Brutalismus 3000

Genre: Electronic

TBC Score: 65

Berlin-based duo Brutalismus 3000 has become #technotok’s new favorite act thanks to their early-2000s gabber and techno influences and the current irreverence of today’s young punks. As their 2021 single “Satan Was a Baby Boomer” continues to slowly climb on TikTok at 11.4K views, videos of the couple performing at festival slots and raves have led them to gain over 20.2M views on the platform, cultivating a fanbase of young girls who seem drawn to the ruthless vocals of the act’s singer Victoria Vassiliki Daldas. The viral attention has converted to listeners on Spotify, as the singles to their latest album ULTRAKUNST has seen rapid growth since the project’s release in April: "DIE LIEBE KOMMT NICHT AUS BERLIN" has racked up 8.1M streams, while "JE N'EXISTE PAS" (which interpolates Lil Uzi Vert's "XO Tour Lyf3") has collected 4M streams.

Eryn Allen Kane

Genre: R&B/Soul

TBC Score: 74

Since debuting in 2015, Eryn Allen Kane’s solo EPs have put her on the radar of Prince, Chance the Rapper, and Beyoncé. Even without a follow-up to her third solo EP, 2019’s a tree planted by water, Kane’s ethereal vocal harmonies remain a sonic anchor for other artists. In June, Killer Mike enlisted her soulful voice for “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS,” “NRICH,” and “MOTHERLESS,” three tracks from Michael (released June 16). Since then, Kane has gained 511K Spotify monthly listeners. Earlier this month, Noname featured Kane’s jazzy accents on her thought-provoking single, “balloons” for her highly-anticipated album, Sundial, which is currently enjoying acclaim and has seen placements on editorial playlists, including Spotify’s The Sound of Alternative R&B and Apple Music’s New Music Daily.

Lancey Foux

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

TBC Score: 71

Lancey Foux has already rooted himself in the United Kingdom’s rap scene with futuristic cloud rap and British grime. A slew of collaborations with seasoned veteran Skepta didn’t hurt either. But last year, Lancey was also able to find crossover success by collaborating with U.S.-based artists like Yeat for “Luv Monëy” and Tana for “Swaggin Like This.” Both records combined have for about 13M Spotify streams and nearly 70K TikTok creations from users across the map, evidencing Lancey’s newfound presence in the American market. In late July, he collaborated with rapidly blooming rapper Sexyy Red for “Mmm Hmm.” Since that release, his Spotify monthly listeners have increased by 16%, raising his total number up to 1.8M. 

TRENDING TRACKS

Abraham, Angel, Israel, and Momo are the self-described “soft-rock sibling band” who make up Infinity Song. The group has been a fixture of the public music scene in New York City for almost a decade, most notably performing in subways and frequently at Central Park. In 2016, Jay Z signed them to Roc Nation. After releasing a snippet of their track “Hater’s Anthem” two months ago, the sunny soundbite "I love the way it feels to be a hater" went viral. On July 20, a clip of the song racked up 3.3M views, and another on August 2nd earned 4.8M views. "Hater's Anthem" (out August 25) has heightened the group's reach, landing them in Chartmetric's top 4K Alternative artists without an official release.

R&B and pop singer-songwriter Victoria Monét is stepping out of the shadow of her previous writing credits for acts like Ariana Grande, BLACKPINK, and Chloe x Halle. The Sacramento-raised artist first teased her latest single, "On My Mama," during the finale of Spotify’s inaugural R&B First Nights in Los Angeles earlier this year. Officially released on June 16, the track has become her highest-charting hit yet, debuting at No. 16 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart. "On My Mama" is a recipe for success: Sampling Chalie Boy’s 2009 breakout hit “I Look Good,” Monét offers feel-good affirmations over marching band-esque production, with a music video referencing Y2K style, Southern culture, and intricate choreography.  The single is a clear summertime anthem earning 103.9M TikTok views and 2.2M views on YouTube in one week. 

When Californian teenager juju<3 posted a TikTok preview of his song “Wasted Summers,” on July 12, it immediately reminded listeners of the 2017 film The Florida Project—mainly because the track featured vocals from his kid sister, who seemed to be around the age of the film’s lead character Moonee. Welcoming comparisons to Alex G and Current Joys, the wonky electronic indie rock track started to blow up on the platform as “the Florida Project song,” with the first preview video alone gaining 5.6M views. Proving the power of association with a film that evokes childhood nostalgia, the song has gained 154.7K TikTok videos—almost doubling in the last week—and 7.6M Spotify streams, shooting it to the top of Viral 50 - Global Spotify charts. 

Since its release in 1996, the dramatic yearning of The Cardigans’ “Lovefool” has enchanted everyone from film director Baz Luhrmann, who featured the song in his version of Romeo + Juliet, to Justin Bieber, who interpolated it in his song “Love Me.” The song masks singer Nina Elisabet Persson’s latent anxiety and heartache in a buoyant mix of bossa nova, and disco, making it a perfect TikTok sound. Users on the platform keep returning to it, whether showing off their outfits or making fan edits. Since July 26, the song has gone from being used in 15k posts to 23k posts due to a new trend where people joke about playing gory video games while listening to upbeat music. "Step on Me," another popular track on TikTok, is boosting The Cardigans' profile too: Their Chartmetric rank has increased 4.5 % in the last month.

TREND OF THE WEEK

By Rachel Saywitz

There’s something about young, queer love that screams jangle-pop guitars, shiny synths, and earnest romanticism. Or, at the very least, watching the Netflix LGBTQ teen drama Heartstopper might have you believe that. Based on an equally popular comic in the UK, the hit show released its second season on August 3rd and has been in the top ten of Netflix’s most popular English-language shows in the weeks since. After its first season last April, critics and fans have praised Heartstopper as a dreamy, wholesome depiction of queer romance.  

It’s also gained a reputation among fans for having a stellar soundtrack, replete with music by young emerging artists—many of whom are queer themselves—synced to critical moments in the series. This newest season is no different, and its music syncs seem almost designed to spark conversation among fans: Baby Queen’s slow-burning “Colours Of You” highlights a scene where a main character comes out as bisexual on Instagram; Conan Gray’s pessimistic dream-pop anthem “Crush Culture” plays as someone discovers his asexuality; in a humorous bit, Miya Folick’s chaotic “Freak Out” plays right as a character is shocked to notice a hickey on his neck. Even established artists play important roles this season, notably Taylor Swift, whose sapphic-coded “seven” bubbles under a loving moment between two lesbian characters. 

Heartstopper’s music supervision strategy isn’t just elevating fan discussions. Data from Chartmetric reveals a number of songs from the soundtrack have experienced major upswings in Spotify streams, YouTube views, and Shazam counts two weeks after the new season dropped. Notably, the biggest increases are happening with smaller and indie artists, a unique trend compared to the rise of viral catalog songs from other Netflix series. Carmody, an indie singer/songwriter with a small social following, has seen her sweet ballad from 2021, “Paradise,” gain over 700K Spotify streams in the three weeks since August 3rd, an over 150% increase; views on YouTube also increased by over 450% in the same period, and Heartstopper are inundating the comments. It’s a sign that music discovery of newer, developing artists is still well and alive—a well-timed sync alongside an already human-touching show can make all the difference for both fans and musicians.