Rock - Joco
Johnathan Coulton aka “JoCo” is a singer-songwriter, and one of my favorite indie artists. He wrote the songs “Still Alive” (2007) and “Want you Gone” (2011) for the Portal games, and "Re: Your Brains" (2006) for Left 4 Dead. He plays a wide variety of instruments including: the accordion, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, zendrumand, and the glockenspiel. His other top singles include: “Code Monkey” (2006), “The Future Soon” (2004), “I Feel Fantastic” (2009), and “Ikea” (2003). And yes, “Ikea” is a song about the furniture store. Coulton is currently the NPR house musician for the weekly puzzle quiz show Ask Me Another.
Folk - Frank Turner
Frank Turner is a folk singer-songwriter from England. His music career began in 2000 when he was the lead singer of the band Million Dead. Million Dead released 2 studio albums, A Song to Ruin (2003) and Harmony No Harmony (2005), and about 10 singles. When they broke up in 2005, Turner began his solo career and released his debut album Sleep is for the Week in 2007. Since then, he has released 6 other studio albums. His most recent album Be More Kind (2018), topped charts in 9 countries, including the UK, Germany, and Scotland. Turner has been nominated for 10 awards and won 3 of them: the Kerrang Awards 2010, and 2 AIM Awards in 2011 for Best Live Act and Hardest Working Artist.
Pop - Mirah
Mirah began experimenting with music while she was in college. She released her first EP, Storageland, in 1997. 2 years later she released another EP, Parts of Human Desire in 1999. Mirah released her debut album, You Think It's Like This but Really It's Like This, in 2000. The album was referred to as a “masterpiece of lo-fi beauty” by Allmusic. She has made quite a name for herself since her first album. She has released 6 studio albums, 6 EPs, and a handful of collaborations. 8 of her singles have been featured in TV shows, including “Special Death” (featured in American Horror Story), “La Familia” (featured in Greys Anatomy), and “Hallelujah” (used in Teen Wolf).
R&B - Kelela
Kelela began her music career by singing jazz standards in cafés. She released her first mixtape, Cut 4 Me, in October 2013. In October 2015, she released her first EP, Hallucinogen. The EP featured her first singles: “A Message” and “Rewind”. 2 months later, she released Hallucinogen Remixes. Her debut studio album, Take Me Apart was released in October 2017. The album included 4 new singles: “LMK”, “Frontline”, “Waitin” and “Blue Light”. In October 2018, Kelela released Take Me a_Part, the Remixes. The re-released album featured collaborations with artists: Princess Nokia, Junglepussy, Cupkakke, and Ms. Boogie.
Electronic - Coleman Hell
Coleman Hell recently entered the music industry with his debut single “2 Heads” in February 2015. The single topped charts in Canada and the US. Just 8 months later, Hell released his self-titled EP, which included “2 Heads”. In October 2016, He released his debut album, Summerland. Summerland featured 2 new singles: “Fireproof” and “Devotion”. He is currently working on a new album, Topanga, but there is no official release date at this time.