I recently did a video on 10 underrated artists and, as expected, you all came up with some brilliant suggestions that hadn’t made it into the video. So here are ten more singers that you guys consider underrated artists...
We went all the way through the comments under the previous video and there were loads of great suggestions. Most of these artists I have come across before and there are a couple that I didn’t know but I have to say you all came up with some amazingly talented singers that really should be better known. I’ve linked all the artists in the description with clips of my favourite examples of them, so you can check them out and see if any of them speak to you. If you want to check out my original video on underrated artists there is a link in the description as well.
Haley Reinhart
Haley came up a lot in the comment section and it is easy to see why. She has such control over the different textures of her voice, moving quickly and effortlessly between a warm jazzy resonance and soft sultry breathy textures as well as a raw, gritty growl, powerful belt and soaring head voice. Initially, Haley became known for performing on American Idol but I love her work with the YouTube channel Postmodern Jukebox where her vocal creativity comes alive - combining vintage vocal stylings including a little bit of scatting with the soul and feeling of each song. I really suggest checking out her cover of Creep by Radiohead.
Mariah Formica
This is a singer I hadn’t heard of until your suggestions. But as soon as I listened I knew I wanted to add her to this list. Moriah was a contestant on the Voice USA and has an amazing rock voice with an incredibly balanced mix. She moves between this warm gritty texture at the lower end of her voice to a really high, punchy rock belt/mix. I suggest checking out her version of Heart Barracuda, I mean you know someone is going to be good if they are covering Ann Wilson. Her audition for The Voice where she sings another Heart song “Crazy On You” is also incredible and she is only 16 years old.
Loïc Nottet
I actually reacted to this guy a while back and was stunned by his vocal range. This Belgian singer is well known in France and Belgium but I certainly wouldn’t have known about him before my reaction if it wasn’t for suggestions from you guys. Loic was a contestant on The Voice Belgium in 2014 and then represented his country at Eurovision a year later. He has an incredibly high, androgynous voice and in fact, he was bullied as a teen for how feminine his voice sounded. He often draws from that period of his life, with a dark aesthetic and themes of isolation and judgement in his songs. There is a brilliant and heartbreaking live version of his song ‘Million Eyes’ on youtube and if you like dancing, he is also a great dancer. He showcases that in the music video.
Elle King
Elle King has recently become well known for her songs “Ex's & Oh's” and “Drunk (and I Don’t wanna go home)” but whilst I have to admit both of these songs are absolute anthems of a Saturday night out, you don’t get to hear the emotional and vocal range that Elle is capable of. I recommend you check out her singing ‘A Little Bit Of Lovin’ live in London to see what I am talking about. The depth of emotion and versatility here means I think she can be underrated, even if a lot of you might be familiar with her name.
Morten Harket
Someone else a lot of you might have heard of, Morten is the lead singer of Norwegian pop/rock band A-ha. His gentle, yearning vocals often get overshadowed by the power of other 80s singers. Morten was recently on The Masked Singer UK and it reminded me that although his voice is gentle it can be incredibly hard-hitting. There is never any doubt that Morten means every word he sings and feels every note, there is a fragility and rawness that sit really interestingly with his gentle tone. I recommend checking out his MTV Unplugged version of ‘Take On Me’.
Arnel Pineda
Arnel is currently the lead singer of the iconic band Journey. So many of you will have heard his vocals, but his talent is often overlooked due to the vocal prowess and popularity of their previous singer, the iconic Steve Perry. Taking over that job was going to be hard for anyone! There is so much pressure to live up to, in a totally different way than if you’re performing in a new band or forging your own way as an artist. Arnel isn’t exactly like Steve, but he approaches the fiendishly difficult Journey repertoire in his own unique and thrilling way and I personally think he is just as good. There’s a wonderful video of him singing ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ with the band that you can check out, but my personal favourite is his version of ‘Faithfully’.
Peabo Bryson
Before researching this video I thought I had no idea who Peabo was but once I did a bit of research, I realised his voice was much more familiar than I thought - he sang the title track to “Beauty and The Beast” with Celine Dion. Peabo has a beautifully rich tone and amazing control and is best known for being the other half of some amazing love duets with well-known singers like Natalie Cole, Minnie Riperton, Roberta Flack and Chaka Khan. My favourite is his cover of ‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin with Regina Belle, where you can hear that silky tone and control as well as some difficult technical riffs and runs.
Moya Brennan
Most people have heard of the ethereal Celtic singer Enya but outside of the Irish folk community her older sister Moya is lesser-known. In fact, Moya is the eldest of 9 siblings, 3 of whom collaborate with her in the band Clannad. If you don’t recognise Clannad you will probably recognise their work in film and TV with their ‘Theme from Harry's Game’ and ‘I Will Find You’ from the film Last of The Mohicans. There is a beautiful live version of the latter on youtube. Moya’s voice is beautiful, warm and earthy and certainly equals Enya’s.
Ruby Turner
I was so pleased to see this woman come up in the comments as I truly think she is one of the most talented underrated artists. I actually came across her when she was performing on the Jools Holland New Years show in the UK and was blown away by her power and tone and surprised I didn’t know her before! Ruby has had success in the past, achieving no.1 R&B chart success in the US in February 1990 with "It's Gonna Be Alright" and performing backing vocals for Mick Jagger and Jools Holland but with a voice like hers she really does deserve more recognition. My favourite performance of hers is that initial one I saw of hers on the Jools Holland Hootenanny ‘Well Alright’ - check it out.
Einar Solberg
Einar Solberg is the lead singer of the band Leprous, a band that is gaining more and more traction through YouTube in the last couple of years. Their music ranges from aggressive pop-rock anthems to soaring Scandinavian ballads with a through-line of Einars soaring vocals. Einar is capable of incredible highs and changes of tones and pace. Whether he is delivering an angsty rock piece or a delicate melody there is something otherworldly about his voice. I recommend checking out ‘Castaway Angel’ to hear the full extent of Einars impressive range and the live version of ‘Slave’ for something rockier.
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