My favorite part of being a music blogger is all the incredible songs I discover on a daily basis. I find artists that I probably would've never found without my platform. Many artists I hear end up going onto my personal playlists and they become my favorite people to listen to. However, although I listen to their songs everyday, they aren't getting the amount of love and attention that I think they deserve. These hidden gems have been killing the music career game this year. They have some of the best songs of 2023 and I bet you haven't heard them yet! Consider this as a type of "Pop Passion Award Show" for the best and most underrated artists of the year 2023 (in no particular order).
CHECK OUT OUR 2023 UNDERATTED POP PLAYLIST!
This playlist features 60 songs that include the artists on this list and a ton more. If you're looking for your next new favorite artist, make sure to save this playlist!
1. Felicia Lu
Felicia Lu is a well-rounded artist from Germany who is now based in Vienna, Austria. She's a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, as well as a dancer and graphic artist. After releasing her own music 2015, Felicia had finally released her debut album "Something Regrettable" this year which included 5 singles from this year as well. She's managed to gain millions of streams independantly, 14 million just on Spotify alone. Felicia's unique alt. pop style has a way of capturing your ears both lyrically and sonically. She's got talent radiating through her bones, and she doesn't hide it one bit. Her album is better than a lot of mainstream projects to come from this year; so if you're a pop music fan, I highly recommend listening to "Something Regrettable".
2. Estella Dawn
Estella Dawn has one of my favorite voices on this entire planet. Her vocals are rich, full, soulful and unlike anyone else's I've ever heard before. From New Zealand but now a California girl, Estella is a force to be reckoned with. She's a singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose style cannot be defined. Throughout this year, Estella has managed to release 10 singles and 3 remixes. She worked her butt off to built her career by releasing as much as she could during this incredible year of music. That's not all though; she's been consistently releasing several singles per year since 2020 and has not stopped! Now with over 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, there's no doubt that Estella Dawn will take over the mainstream music scene.
3. Lexie Carroll
Lexie Carroll is a young emerging artist from London, UK who has been winning over the hearts of singer/songwriter and folk/pop lovers everywhere. Her delicate and relatable songwriting style tugs at your heartstrings from the minute you hear her. This year alone, Lexie has managed to release 5 singles and 2 EP's titled "growing pains" and "it's difficult to talk". She's gained support from BBC Radio 1 and Spotify, and has been touring as an opener with other artists touring the UK - her most recent being yesterday at Hammersmith Apollo on Lindsey Stirling's Snow Waltz Tour! Lexie also played her first ever sold-out healine shows this year and has been performing non-stop. Her authenticity and emotionally raw songwriting makes her a stand-out artist in our time.
4. FLØRE
FLØRE is a dark-pop queen from Germany who sings, writes songs, and plays guitar. She debuted her music career in 2018, writing about heartbreak, dreams and mental health. In this particular year, she focuses on a theme for all the spooky season lovers out there. Starting with her first single of 2023, "Zombie", she started a unique sequence of releases which are all titled after the supernatural and occult - "Alien", "Skeleton", "Werewolf", "Witch", and most recently, "Frankenstein". All of this has lead to the announcement of her debut album, "Scarytale" which is to be released February 23rd of 2024! FLØRE has put her blood, sweat, and tears into everything she's done and is one of the hardest working artists out there.
5. Elle Coves
Elle Coves is a brand new artist who just debuted her career this year, but has already taken the pop world by storm. Her first single, "Before I Fall Apart" has gained over 1 million streams and went viral on TikTok already, and she has over 90,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. She also released three other singles this year, "Summer", "Headcase" and "Lost Cowboy", and was featured on a track by Corey Harper titled "Pink Razor". Born in Germany but based in Ireland, Elle Coves has had one incredible, magical year as a new artist. She toured with Lewis Capaldi, Moncrieff and Wild Youth as well as had her first ever headline show at Notting Hill Arts Club. Her sound is comparable to Taylor Swift, HAIM and Maggie Rogers.
6. Gigi Rich
Gigi Rich is a fiery artist who is all about being herself. Inspired by eccentric artists like Freddy Mercury and Lady Gaga, Gigi has put herself out there and is not afraid to be different. Creating to-die-for pop bop tracks with unique vocals and ear-catching lyrics, Gigi is an artist to keep your eye on. She debuted her career in 2017 with her first single, "Same Kind of Crazy" and is no stranger to the music industry. She released four singles this year, including a collaboration with HALLIE titled "If I Saw Your Ex". Each song from 2023 had me blown away; you can tell Gigi is finding the sound that is right for her but also strong enough to get a crowds attention. She has another new single coming out before the year ends titled "Chaotic Good" which you can pre-save here!
7. Meg Smith
Meg Smith is a pop artist who debuted her career in 2020. When she released her single, "Cross My Heart I Hope You Die" in 2021, her career skyrocketed. Fast forward to now, the song is pushing to 14 million streams and has been featured in Apple TV's EZRA and Netflix's Ginny and Georgia. This year, Meg Smith recorded a spooky verison of the song in collaboration with Chandler Leighton. Aside from that, Meg has released six singles this year, some with alternative versions, and an EP titled "Rom Com Pop". Meg is a firecracker that you can't stop from shining. The amount of work that she has put in just this year alone is impressive to say the least.
8. LULLANAS
LULLANAS is a twin sister duo project created by Pennsylvania natives, Atisha and Nishita Lulla. The girls grew up surrounded by a family who loved music, naturally they took on that trait and have been singing for fun since they were kids. Their true music journey began in college, when Atisha and Nishita discovered their magical and musical chemistry together one day when Nishita was playing a guitar her father had gifted her. Atisha started singing and making up words to go along, and then LULLANAS was born. They've been releasing songs since 2016 and have gained millions of streams, their most streamed song being "Bloom" with over 15 million. After a little break in 2022, they came back stronger than ever this year. Starting with their first single of 2023 in collaboration with Luke Sital-Singh, "Cheap Silver Lining", LULLANAS' sound is more developed than ever. The songwriting is poetic and relatable, and is mixed with tones of pop, indie-folk, and soft country. They impressively released a total of 5 singles this year.
9. Michal Leah
Chicago native soul-pop singer/songwriter Michal Leah went viral on TikTok for her incredible voice and unique little songs that she'd share. Now with over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Michal has consistently released song after song since 2021. There's not a voice or style out there that is like hers, and everything she writes and sings is literally music to your ears. This year alone, she released 5 singles AND 2 EP's, "part one" and "part two". This included a tear-jerking love ballad in collaboration with her fiance, Caleb Hearn titled "Think I'm Gonna Love You" and a unique take of the classic Frank Sinatra song "Something Stupid". If you're looking for an authentic pop artist with a priceless unique sound, you'll love Michal Leah.
10. SAPPHIRE
British singer/songwriter SAPPHIRE has been putting herself in the public eye since she was 7 years old when she started posting covers on YouTube, now holding over 600k subscribers. Now 20 years old, she's taking over the world with her original music. She had already gained a loyal fanbase from her YouTube series, but in 2020 she took things to the next step when she was the featured voice on global superstar DJ/Producer Alan Walker's song, "Unity" which now has over 20 million streams on Spotify. Since then, she's been releasing her own original music non-stop. This year alone, she released 3 singles, 3 official cover songs in a project called "saph's sessions vol. 1", and a pink aesthetic themed EP titled "test drive". SAPPHIRE has a writing style that'll have you both dancing and singing alone to. She's raw and honest within her work, which is something we don't see often anymore!
Did you discover your new favorite artist on this list? Are there any artists you love that you feel are highly underrated? Follow us on our socials below and chat with us!
Written By Kaitlyn Nicole
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.
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