5 Artists to Listen to If You Love Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has easily become one of pop’s most listened to artists. She is able to switch up her sound with every album and her lyricism and storytelling are on another level! If you like Taylor Swift, check out these amazing artists!
1. Julia Micheals
Julia has been one of my favorite artists for a couple of years now, I started listening to her stuff back in 2018, and her honest lyrics and raw emotion she shares in her albums instantly drew me in. Like Taylor Swift, her storytelling is so vivid and really creates a clear image for the listener and connects you so tightly to the person behind the music. Julia discusses mental health and of course, relationships within her music. I really appreciate that she talks about her depression and anxiety within her songs so openly, as it helps those who also struggle with those things, such as myself, feel connected and that we are not alone in it. Two of my favorite songs she has written are “Anxiety” ft. Selena Gomez and “Body.” Selena and Julia collaborated on “Anxiety”, which talks about their struggles with anxiety and depression. This song has such a special place in my heart, as I had not heard an artist discuss it this way in a song before. “Body” is a song off of Julia’s album called, Inner Monologue Part 2, and this song talks about body image and Julia’s desire to love her body the way people in past romantic relationships have. Her music is so powerful and moving, I highly recommend giving her stuff a listen!
2. Lennon Stella
I have been listening to Lennon Stella since her days acting and singing on the TV show, Nashville. Her sound is so incredibly unique and almost lulls the listener into a wonderful trance. Like Taylor Swift, her sound has definitely evolved over her career. When she was on Nashville, the songs she was singing were more country in genre, which then evolved into pop. Even now, I think her sound is still ever-evolving, her stuff is categorized as pop but also sounds ad if it has a lot of indie influence. Lennon’s lyrics, much like Taylor and Julia, are some of the most lovely and authentic that I have ever heard. She is not afraid to be open with her fans and that really shows in both her music and her performances, which is are so captivating and intimate. Lennon Stella has an incredible gift and her voice is so soothing and angelic. I get chills every time I play her music, so you should definitely check her out if you are a fan of Taylor Swift’s music and storytelling abilities. One of my favorites is a single called, “Like Everybody Else”, which was released back in 2018 if you are looking for somewhere to begin in her discography.
3. Little Voice Cast
A bit of a newer discovery is the music from the cast of Little Voice, which is a show on the streaming platform Apple TV. If you have access to it, I cannot recommend this show enough! Music is at the core of this show and the cast of actors themselves sing most of the music that appears on the show. Brittany O’Grady who plays Bess and Colton Ryan who plays Samuel, perform a lot of the songs and their harmonies are impeccable. If you are a fan of Taylor Swift’s vocals and her master way of integrating perfect harmonies, then you will adore the soundtrack from season one of the show! The way that this cast sings together and the chemistry they all have is just stunning to hear and see in action. There are seriously so many songs on this album that I love, but two of my favorites have to be “Dear Hope” and “Simple and True”. These ballads are incredibly deep in meaning and feature those harmonies I was telling you about. “Dear Hope” is all about trying to hold onto a sense of hope for the future amidst tough times, while “Simple and True” is a song about being in love with someone that you cannot have and that internal struggle. I have not purchased music on Itunes in years, but this show made it impossible for me not to own this wonderful soundtrack.
4. Bea Miller
Bea Miller is an artist that I have known of for quite some time. I was very into her music at the start of college, so a few years ago now, and I still think of some of her creative concepts for videos and albums to this day. Much like Taylor Swift, Bea Miller started to draw from what made her and her music unique and incorporate that into her music and aesthetic for certain albums and eps. Bea associates certain colors with sounds, which is called Sound Synesthesia. She used this to conceptualize this series of eps that led up to her album, aurora, in which she used one color for each one. For example, the color blue was used for Chapter One: Blue, which Bea associates with sadness and heartbreak. The color red was used for Chapter Two: Red, which Bea associates with anger, frustration, and sensuality. Lastly, the color yellow was used for Chapter Three, which Bea associates with happiness and self-love. She then released the album which contained all three chapters as well as bonus tracks that did not appear on any of the three chapters. It is this conceptualization and uniqueness that sets Bea Miller apart, and her amazing, soulful voice is such a treat for listeners!
5. Alessia Cara
Last, but certainly not least, is the beautiful and incredibly talented Alessia Cara. She has a huge discography like Taylor Swift, and her music as well as music videos, are very reminiscent of a young Taylor Swift for me in the way Alessia is able to tell stories and share herself with her fans. Her voice is so dreamlike and unique, and her fan base is so faithful and supportive! I love so many of her songs that it is incredibly difficult to pick just a few to mention here, but ones that I cannot leave out are “Growing Pains” and “October”. Like much of her music, Alessia talks about growing up and how difficult and confusing it can truly be within the lyrics of “Growing Pains” which was released in 2018. It is a song that I think everyone, no matter what age you are, can relate to and appreciate. “October” is all about a relationship and cherishing the time you have with that person, as circumstances are pulling them apart from each other, in this song’s case I think that circumstances and time and distance. Alessia Cara is such a talented artist and her music touches the heart straightaway. I really do advise you to listen to her music if you have not done so already.
