International Music Artists for Your Rotation

This Belgian songstress is goals, and her music helps me learn les nouveaux mots and enjoy feminist beats at the same time. She is feisty, and she is extremely hawt and she is also a badass.

Be Steadwell is a Washington D.C. based singer songwriter. With roots in jazz, a capella and folk. So much groove, and so much queer and POC representation – ugh it’s dynamite. They self-describe their genre as Queer Pop.

Be often uses loop pedals to layer up their tracks, often using their vocals to make up chord progressions and harmonies that compliment the melodic line. Be’s original music features earnest lyricism, and proud LGBTQ+ content.​

Probably best known for her 2006 hit Put Your Records On, Rae is an incredibly talented lyricist and vocalist. My personal fave album would have to be The Heart Speaks in Whispers (2016), though I also adore her self-titled debut album (2006).

Feist is a dream and an ethereal human in general. She sings in both French and English, and her voice is so easy to listen to.

She featured on Sesame Street with a reworked version of 1234, which is the cutest thing ever. Disclaimer: lol, I only know this because there’s a kid at the school I work at who is transfixed by and enamoured with this song. It is the one thing that will get them to actually participate in circle time. ❤

Also, I Feel It All perfectly summarises how I experience hypersensitivity on a day to day basis.

I was introduced to Lily Allen at 8 years old. I learned her whole debut album Alright, Still off by heart, singing along about a weed-smoking brother (Alfie), turning drunk boys down at the bar (Knock ‘Em Out), sabotaging an ex (Smile), critiquing the housing market, celebrity culture and general dissatisfaction with life (Everything’s Just Wonderful). I had no idea what I was singing about, but I sure enjoyed the rhythm, the rhyme, and the new words I was learning about, as well as the new concepts.

I am actually such a big fan of her discography in general, and I have faves on every album, but No Shame and Alright, Still are probably my top two.

M.I.A. is a badass rapper from London. My current obsession is Galang. Just 11 years late Abby, no biggie. I remember when I was around 9 or so, her songs Sunshowers and Paper Planes were quite popular, but she seems to have flown under the radar a bit recently, idk.

OOHYO is a fairly recent addition to my music rotation – probs within the last year or so? She’s definitely easy listening, and I suppose she’s K-Pop, but her sound seems a bit more melancholic than the mainstream bubble? I don’t know, this is all new territory to me. I love how she often creates two versions of her songs, like Vineyard for example. I can sing along in English, then admire and try to match up the sounds in Korean until I can sing both.

Could I BE any more melodramatic? (Couldn’t help a Chandlerism xoxo)

I am still working through the order here, and this playlist has a mammoth 400+ songs – which is at least a hundred more than the second biggest playlist – but the beginning sets the scene for what first year at uni was like and what I was listening to ❤