FREE THE PANDORA 10: Artists To Watch in 2022
Pandora has shared its 2022 Artists To Watch picks. Dubbed The Pandora Ten, these artists are seen as most likely to breakthrough in the next year.
The list is a combination of human insights and data analytics based on listener behavior,
In the past, Pandora’s Artist To Watch has picked such diverse and now successful artists as Post Malone and Alessia Cara for 2016; Lizzo and Dua Lipa for 2017; H.E.R. and Ashley McBryde for 2018; Summer Walker for 2019; Doja Cat, Roddy Ricch and Tones & I for 2020; and The Kid LAROI and Giveon for 2021.
Pandora Ten artists to watch in 2022
- Amaarae (Afropop)
- BIA (Hip Hop)
- Bino Rideaux (Hip Hop)
- Conner Smith (Country)
- LISA (Pop/K Pop)
- Mora (Reggaeton)
- Nessa Barrett (Alt/Pop)
- Otis Kane (R&B)
- PinkPantheress (Alt/Pop)
- Remi Wolf (Alt/Indie)
In addition to The Pandora Ten, Pandora identifies artists to watch in genres including Latin, Afropop, Caribbean, Alternative, and Country.
“The Pandora Ten for 2022 was developed through a combination of expert human curation and predictive analytics driven by Pandora’s pioneering music recommendation engine,” said Steve Blatter, Senior Vice President, Music Programming. “We believe each of these next-generation artists will attract enduring fan bases and achieve long-term success.”
A deeper dive into The Pandora Ten 2022
Amaarae – This multi-talented producer/singer-songwriter has gained attention for her raspy falsetto that is both haunting and enticing and lends a breath of fresh air to the current African sonic landscape. Even with her recent collaborations with Kali Uchi and Tiwa Savage, Amaarae has never faltered from her unique sound and non-confirmative style.
BIABIA is known for music that possesses both biting wit and boldly authentic swag that stems from years traveling through the Boston rap scene, later moving over to Miami and Los Angeles. Her single “Whole Lotta Money” attracted star support from Cardi B, Lizzo, Lil Nas X and even Nicki Minaj, who said she wanted to jump on the official remix after being impressed with BIA’s lyricism.
Bino Rideaux – Los Angeles-based rapper Bino Rideaux delivers confident rhymes about the daily struggles of street life. He received attention through numerous collaborations with his close associate Nipsey Hussle, including their joint mixtape No Pressure. Recently he has worked with rappers like Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla $ign, Mustard, Young Thug & Blxst.
Conner Smith – This 21-year-old Nashville native’s dreams of becoming a songwriter have manifested into sweeping country songs that show the maturity and insight of an old soul discovered early. Smith recently opened tours for Kane Brown, Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett.
LISA – Beyond amassing billions of streams and views in BLACKPINK, LISA has asserted herself as a global superstar in her own right. She notably spawned the “Did it work?” meme challenge after a scene from one of her performances exploded virally. Now, audiences are getting to know her like never before with her first solo project LALISA. She is also featured on DJ Snake’s latest single with Ozuna and Megan Thee Stallion.
Mora – The Puerto Rican reggaeton artist released his debut album this year including breakout songs such as “512” with Jhay Cortez and the remix of “Volando” with Bad Bunny and Sech. His second album is slated for January and will feature major guests including Bad Bunny and Karol G.
Nessa Barrett – From an early age, Barrett worked through her experiences by writing everything down. Later she paired her observations with music which was made easier by the fact there was a studio in her childhood home. After moving from New Jersey to Los Angeles, she penned her debut single “Pain” and then “la di die” which features blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and jxdn.
Otis Kane – In just one year since he began releasing his own music, Otis Kane has breathed new life into today’s music scene with a string of passionate and honest releases that have come to encapsulate modern romance with smooth vocals and sultry lyricism. In June the Los Angeles native released his highly regarded debut album Purple BLUE.
PinkPantheress – With her incisive lyrics and gift for harnessing classic UK garage samples, PinkPantheress’ To Hell With It, her debut mixtape, is a bite-size collection of pop songs. It’s a small slice of the 20-year-old singer and producer’s creative output over the nine months since her first viral moment.
Remi Wolf – Remi Wolf’s ever-present personality, charisma, and unique eye have established her as a trailblazer. With tracks like “Liquor Store” and “Street You Live On” off of her first full-length album, Juno, Wolf highlights her ability to make weighty topics approachable and accessible through her humor and honest lyricism.
Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.
