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New for 2020
New for 2020: Arlo Parks
Young London musician/poet Arlo Parks is considered the majestic voice of Generation Z.
New for 2020 introduces our top predictions of the hottest new emerging live bands and musicians for those looking to find the best new acts to listen to and see live in 2020.
Having recently announced her forthcoming second EP ‘Sophie’, London musician/poet Arlo Parks is overwhelmingly considered the majestic voice of Generation Z.
She references Nayyirah Waheed, Hanif Abdurraqib and Iain S. Thomas as her favourite modern poets, and it is clear that their works are as influential on her songwriting as any musician. She also is influenced by King Krule, hip-hop artists from Kendrick Lamar, MF Doom and Earl Sweatshirt to the more confessional sounds of Loyle Carner, rock names such as Jimi Hendrix, Shilpa Ray and David Bowie, as well as the subdued, pained sounds of Keaton Henson, Sufjan Stevens and Julien Baker. Not to mention the visual, almost cinematic quality to her writing too, which is born from her love of horror films, streetwear and abstract art.
In her own words, ‘Sophie’ (the single from her homonymous EP) “is a song about crumbling under expectations and feeling helpless, but with a persistent, quiet sense of hope underpinning it.” True to form, it’s a melodic and beautifully articulated sonnet. Listen now:
Having toured with Loyle Carner and Jordan Rakei across Europe on 2019, the extraordinary trajectory and dream is being played out in real-time for Arlo Parks, who just recently celebrated her nineteenth birthday and completed her A-Level exams.
Since then, she’s signed a record deal with Transgressive, headlined her first London show, played to a packed out crowd at Glastonbury Festival (where she was also invited to perform live on BBC television), debuted her live offering across Europe and found herself nominated for an AIM Award. She has also recently been announced as a VEVO DSCVR Artist to Watch 2020, which in previous years has spotlighted artists including Billie Eilish, slowthai, Mabel and Sigrid.
‘Sophie’ EP is the follow up to her debut ‘Super Sad Generation’; a four-track collection, which was entirely self-written between the ages of 16-18 and released earlier this year to critical acclaim.
Since her debut, she has been heavily championed by BBC Radio 1, BBC 1Xtra, Beats1, Radio X and Foundation FM, as well as COLORS, FADER, Complex, Noisey, Guardian, Gal-Dem, The Face, The Line of Best Fit, DIY, Clash, LOVE Magazine, Wonderland, Independent and many more.
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