DISCOVERED : arlissa

Another one to watch for 2013 (I first heard of her from her amazing throwback duet with Nas 'Hard To Love Somebody'), Arlissa's 'Sticks and Stones' single is slowly creeping onto radio and airplay in the UK and I'm loving it. The artworks are solid as well, so she gets both thumbs up!

DISCOVERED : laura mvula

Appearing on many a "One to watch in 2013" list - Laura Mvula is going to be a name you will be hearing a lot in the next year. For me, I've been playing her single 'She' on repeat and so I decided I would post the artworks she has so far and pledge to keep posting about her as she ascends to stardom!

Debut album 'Sing To The Moon' is out now:

ALSO! Check out the mini videos created for some of her album's tracks, edited to look like a paper flip book - a beautiful visual to accompany the effortless sounds she has created.

DISCOVERED : jessie ware

In the UK, most people will have heard Jessie Ware's name spoken or written about (she's appeared on many "Next Big Thing" lists and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize) but probably haven't checked her out. I was one of those (silly) people, I kept seeing her artworks all over sites and eventually thought that if this chick's music is as interestingly quiet and beautiful as these covers, then I'mma like me some her! I went out and bought her 'Devotion' album and have had it on repeat for weeks - so here is a post catching us all up on her cover art and giving snaps to the wonderful Ms. Jessie Ware.

Her debut album is titled 'Devotion' and was released in two different type versions. One in gold...

...and one in black.

'Running'

'110%' - this was the artwork that really kept catching my eye and made me get up, get out and buy the album. I love how tranquil the image and type come across, it's really beautiful.

'Wildest Moments'

'Night Light'

'No To Love'

DISCOVERED : nikki williams - kill fuck marry & glowing

I haven't done a "Discovered" in some time, so I thought I'd bring back the section starting with a new favourite of mine called Nikki Williams. She was a songwriter signed by Island Music Records - but has now been taken on as a fully fledged artist and I believe she's one to watch in 2013! First single 'Kill Fuck Marry''s title may sound like a bad dating show, but give it a spin (especially while watching the Lana Del Rey-esque video) and I bet you'll like it :) Visuals-wise she is a mixed bag, as I said the video to the song is delicious, but this artwork is poor...too much focus on that "yin yang heart" tattoo of hers, methinks... and a backwards letter within a logo is a pet hate of mine...but for real, the song is good enough to ignore those annoyances!!

Second single is set to be the (slightly more) radio friendly song 'Glowing' - again, the artwork lets it down, but give it a spin as I truly believe you'll be hearing more from her in the new year!

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : angel - wonderful

So I've been aware of Angel for some time now, I first saw him open for Keri Hilson and then again, recently, for Nicole Scherzinger. He was a solid act - but I always felt he wasn't marketed towards me (he seemed to be grabbing his crotch to the ladies in the front row...my needs were not met). BUT I could appreciate his talent and his first single 'Go In, Go Hard' with Wretch 32 was solid. Soooo, when his latest single cover popped up (designed by the talent over at fluidesign.co.uk/), I thought I would post and introduce you all to him.

p.s. Does his logo remind anyone else of Rihanna's 'Rated R'-era logo...all sharp edges and 'tude!

DISCOVERED : zowie - love demolition & my calculator

so i absoLUTEly love it when an amazing artwork introduces me to a new artist - instead of seeing their video first or an interview or badly-written blog post. if the artwork is done reaaallly well, then not only do you get a feast for the eyes but also so much information about what they're about to give you musically. and that is what happened to me with my new pop crush: zowie - a new zealand singer songwriter who is about to make it big. the first image of her i came in contact with was the cover of single 'my calculator'. i saw wet-look leggings, i saw faboose shoes, i saw ladies legs spread a-kimbo, i saw a shade of purple that justin bieber hasn't shat all over...i felt love at first sight. check that out below:

i know right. UH-MAY-ZANG! simple, edgy, camp...you're hooked! so obviously i checked out what else she had to offer visually and discovered the video for 'my calculator':

i know right. also UH-MAY-ZANG! geometric shapes, just enough colour, everything dripping in glossy, matte black. yum! then i thought, i need an album cover. i need an album cover that is gunna seal this deal. and seal that deal it did. the album is 'love demolition' and here is that artwork:

AHHHHH!?@?!12?!? yes! getcho life, yes! i'm getting grace jones. i'm getting robyn. hell i'm even getting some kelly osbourne 'one word' and i like it! i'm hooked, i'm signed for, sealed and delivered. artwork heaven with awesome pop to match. done.

DISCOVERED : willy moon - yeah yeah

one of my favourittte blogs (theprophetblog.net) has featured willy for a while now and as soon as i saw this artwork i had to post it! something about it really strikes a chord with me, some sort of patrick wolf vibe i think. effortless and strong, me likes. check him out!

DISCOVERED : leah labelle - sexify

the american idol (season 3) alumni has been signed to jermaine dupri's label and is ready to unleash some smooth, 90's style r'n'b...a la alicia keys...on the world! loving the fresh look of the artwork too, simple type selections that work well. eyes are peeled ms. labelle!

DISCOVERED : ronika - automatic

love this! ronika (who i once heard being called "the madonna of the midlands" <3 ) is an up and coming face in the world of pop, releasing a couple of EPs last year and now this new single in 2012. the artwork was so striking to me (her previous works had been solid, but a little flat). go check her out!

DISCOVERED : azealia banks - needsumluv & 212 (ft. lazy jay)

the latest filthy mouthed femcee to appear in the game is azealia banks. the new york native has been appearing on a lot of "next big thing" lists for 2012 and she is set to give minaj a run for her dollars! 'needsumluv' is her latest release (set to appear on producer machinedrum's EP 'SXLND'...loving all these abbreviated/M.I.A. style titles!)

also check out her earlier single '212'...insanely addictive and deffo not to be sung around your grandmother...

DISCOVERED : moxiie

new artist alert! new artist alert!! welcome to the arena...moxiie! she's serving up some MAJAH tunes (in the never dull genre of electro/pop) with her debut EP, 'jungle pop'...and it is amazing! the artwork is solid...not perfect (though i do love that logo), but as someone who has crafted these awesome tunes, there is already a foundation for her to create a visual that will propel her to super stardom :D!

i decided to include another image from her website (moxiiemusic.net) that uses that purdy logo again and also shows that she does have an eye for a loverly photo :)...i'm excited for what she has in store!

(you can download her EP for free, by "paying by tweet" here.)

DISCOVERED: charli xcx - nuclear seasons & stay away

so from one "discovered" post about piss-poor artwork to...this! charli xcx has been a long time in the making (though is still just a teen...though in pop years, isn't that like 40?) and she's my new fave :D her moody, synthy, indie-ish pop is delightful and even from the few artwork pieces and photoshoots that have arisen from her she seems very in control and aware of what image she wants to put across. below you can see her latest single 'nuclear seasons' with it's strong (almost 'the fame monster'-esque) type and that purple, loving it! and also her older, buzz single ' stay away'. still holding that strong, defined and (never overdone) black and white image. really looking forward to 2012 for her!

DISCOVERED : from above - breaking from above & not the same girl

so many music blog regulars will probably have seen a post or two about matthew knowles' latest venture into girl group-dom with the quintet from above. they're five british girls who've been put together (through an mtv reality show "breaking from above" and have quite a solid sound, think danity kane-lite :) the downfall is the image. good gracious tonight, the image! take a look at the hot mess of a cover below for their album 'breaking from above' and debut single 'not the same girl':

from the poor quality photography, to the girls' styling (a tutu...really?), to the embarrassing "infinity sign" graphic in the logo...wrong, wrong, wrong...and the songs are really quite good, it's a shame that they'll probably fall at the first hurdle as people will not get past the image!

and then there's the single artwork, sorry for the tiny size, matthew's marketing of the girls has been pretty poor, meaning that the single has had no coverage, so no higher quality versions of the artwork! (though to be honest, would you wanna see that wack type and colour combo any bigger? would you? WOULD YOU?)

all in all, i didn't do this post as a massive negative fest, i really had the intention of showcasing a new girl group that have potential...they just need a MAJAH image overhaul! i believe in from above...fingers crossed that we see that pink tutu set alight in the new year!

DISCOVERED : the charlies - start a fire

a new icelandic girl group (originally a quartet called 'nylon') who are about to hit it big with their 'femme fatale'-like brand of pop! check out the download for their debut EP here, i've been absolutely loving it!... well that's the music out the way, now to the artwork... it is a major mess and does not do them justice :/ i know it's only an EP, but it's also the first showing of the band's visual side. that band logo, with it's weathered ITC avant garde gothic nastiness and the faux-typewriter look of the EP's title type set it all off wrong. i included the EP's back cover also, it just further shows that the designer has been hovering around microsoft word and paint programmes too long!

i realise this sounds like a majah rant...but i hate when bad design stands in the way of people taking notice of good music! sort it out charlies, as i want you to do welllll!

DISCOVERED : aura dione - geronimo

a danish singer/songwriter, whose folky pop has propelled her to the top of the charts in austria and germany, has recently released her second album which spawned the single 'geronimo'. the artwork really shone out to me (mainly because of that logo, loving how they've switched up the letterforms!), the colours and image really work as well.
check her out :)

DISCOVERED : anjulie - brand new chick/bitch

originally posted about anjulie as part of my post on doctor rosen rosen (an up and coming producer), who released an EP 'girls volume 1', featuring some new pop maidens to look out for. anjulie was one of them and here is her newest pop tart 'brand new chick' or 'brand new bitch'...i'm sure you know what the differences are :) check out the artwork and look out for this lady!

DISCOVERED : bridget kelly - every girl

the latest signee to roc nation, she has been seen standing in for alicia keys when jay-z performs 'empire state of mind' and now she's stepping out with an r'n'b/pop cross (in the vein of keyshia cole and keri hilson) for first EP 'every girl'. first single to be released is 'seek and destroy', which has the defining line: "you better not fuck this up", it's an anthem, haha!! loving the artwork too, not working in the usual square format, choosing to leave blank space around polaroids of the singer. unconventional and i love it! this is one to watch...

DISCOVERED : crystal nicole - pinch me

you'll definitely know her writing skills (under the name of cri$tyle): rihanna's 'only girl', mariah's 'touch my body', bey's 'scared of lonely'...to name a few... and now she's finally branching out on her own as a solo artist in her own right! debut single 'pinch me' is a classic urban, cool jam...the artwork is nothing to write home about, but i'm feeling her logo and there is plenty of time for her to work on a visual that will match up to her talent. i'm excited for this one :)

DISCOVERED : jessie and the toy boys - let's get naughty

i originally posted about one of the newest up-and-coming pop gals a while back when she recorded with doctor rosen rosen. now she's releasing her latest (and hottest to date!) single, 'let's get naughty'. the artwork is a pretty straightforward affair (getting a feel of madge's 'celebration'/greatest hits' artwork), love that logo especially!

here's some of her earlier artwork (her debut EP and a remix cover):

and that dee-lightful logo!

DISCOVERED : nervo - we're all no-one

they are australian twins. they are both DJs. they supported britney on part of her 'femme fatale tour'. they are gunna take over the world of pop! 'we're all no-one' is their first break out single (they've been featured on other tracks and have had a couple of buzz singles) and it's hot. the artwork is pretty straightforward, but still feels slick and i love that colour for the images filter!

this was their original logo...which is fun...(and tacky as all hell!)...

BUT they cleverly redesigned and simplified it down to this delightful piece :D