Mark Willis : OnePopz’s Top 10 Artists To Watch Out For In 2015

With 2015 now upon us, it's the perfect time to take a look at some of the singers and bands who we feel are destined for great things this year!

While some artists such as Ben Haenow and Fleur East from The X Factor are pretty much guaranteed a certain level of success this year, we've decided to list the acts that you may not yet have heard about. These singers are all hugely talented and we truly believe that they deserve more recognition in the music industry.

If we do say so ourselves, we did pretty well last year. We predicted big things for Sam Smith before his 2014 global success and told you to watch out for 5 Seconds of Summer before the release of their 'She Looks So Perfect' music video. Foxes, Fifth Harmony, The Vamps and Neon Jungle also made our list last year.

But which acts will take the spotlight this year and help shape the sound of 2015? It's pretty much impossible to rank them as we can't wait to see what they'll all release this year but we'll start our list with...

10. Magalie

If you want straight up bubblegum pop, look no further than Magalie. She's one of our favourite newcomers here at OnePopz and we can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for her; hopefully more awesome music.

Magalie's debut single 'First Kiss' has now been viewed nearly 400,000 times on Youtube and to follow that, she recently released the music video for her catchy second single 'Love Criminal'. It's another absolute tune. Magalie has been inspired by many artists including: Kate Bush, Prince, Alanis Morissette and Bruno Mars.

Back in September, we interviewed Magalie about her debut single and life as a new artist so make sure you check it out here. She also spoke about whether she'd ever audition for The X Factor or The Voice.

9. Troye Sivan

Despite already having over 2 million followers on Twitter, Troye Sivan is a bit of a newbie to the music industry. His huge online following is largely down to his hilarious Youtube videos and those fans are now helping him get noticed in the charts. They truly are supporting Troye on his journey as a singer-songwriter every step of the way.

We'll be honest, we weren't sure what to expect at first but we actually love 'Happy Little Pills'. It's a great song and Troye's latest EP 'TRXYE' managed to rocket all the way up to number 5 in America's Billboard chart. It also peaked at number 2 in both Australia and New Zealand; we're sure Troye was very happy with those figures.

So what's next for Troye? As well as constantly recording new videos for Youtube, Troye is also working on his debut album. We can't wait to hear it and hope it follows a similar direction to 'TRXYE' because we love that EP.

8. Years & Years

Out of all of the acts in our top 10 this year, we'd say that Years & Years' sound is the most current. The boys keep pumping out amazing electro-pop tunes and if we had to compare them to anyone, we'd say that they're quite similar to Disclosure in some ways. Years & Years are still totally unique in their own right though.

The London-based trio have previously toured with Sam Smith and the band consists of: vocalist Olly Alexander, bassist Mikey Goldsworthy and synth player Emre Turkmen. They were nominated for 2015's BRITs Critics' Choice Award and while they may not have won, simply being runner-ups is still an amazing achievement.

All in all, Years & Years is definitely a name to remember. They've released some fantastic EPs in the past and we're hoping that a full album will follow at some point this year; that's definitely something we 'Desire'.

7. Rae Morris

If you're a fan of Ellie Goulding or Florence and the Machine, Rae Morris is certainly someone that you want to put on your radar. Like the two stars mentioned, Rae has a unique voice that really does set her apart from everyone else. She's been inspired by the likes of Kate Bush and we're expecting big things for her this year.

Having already featured on tracks with Clean Bandit and Bombay Bicycle Club, it's now time for Rae to take centre stage. We're loving 'Under The Shadows' and all of her singles so far so she's off to a great start.

The 21 year-old from Blackpool is set to release her debut album 'Unguarded' on the 26th January and she describes it as 'a coming-of-age tale documenting those important years of growing up and learning.” We don't know about you but we really can't wait to purchase a copy of the album at the end of the month.

6. Room 94

Do you want a hot new band to obsess over? If so, Room 94 are your boys. The four-piece group are set to release their second album in February and amazingly, it sounds like it might be even better than their first.

Room 94's forthcoming second album is self-titled and it's being released independently so it's 100% the music that the boys actually want to be releasing. We reckon 2015 could be a massive year for Kieran, Sean, Kit and Dean. They already have a huge following but we can expect their fanbase to grow even bigger this year.

So far from the album, we've heard the infectiously catchy 'Dirty Dancing' and the guitar-driven rock track 'Keep Your Hands Off My Chick'. The songs are completely different to each other but we love them both and can't wait to hear more of Room 94's new music. Their forthcoming album is set to be extremely diverse.

5. Tamera Foster

Who remembers Tamera Foster? She was easily our favourite finalist on 2013's series of The X Factor and thanks to Simon Cowell, she's finally set to release her debut single and album later this year. Exciting right?

Signed to Syco Records, Tamera could almost become this year's Ella Henderson. They're both on the same record labeland they both finished 5th on their respective series of The X Factor too. Like Ella, Tamera has also taken quite a long time in the studio to perfect her sound so hopefully all of her hard work will pay off this year.

The stunning singer recently posted a behind the scenes preview of her music on Christmas day here and with the right songs, we wouldn't be surprised if international stardom was in the pipeline for Tamera.

4. James Bay

Forget James Bay, it's more like him James 'Bae'. The singer-songwriter and guitarist from Hertfordshire has been making waves in the music industry for a while now and he's set to release his eagerly anticipated debut album 'Chaos and the Calm' on the 23rd March. We reckon it'll be one of this year's biggest albums.

James was recently named 2015's Brit Awards Critic Choice Winner and as a new artist, that's one of the best titles that you can receive. He follows in the footsteps of past winners: Adele, Florence and the Machine, Jessie J, Tom Odell and Sam Smith. No pressure then then James. Don't worry, we're sure you can be just as successful.

To date, James has released three EPs and his latest single 'Hold Back The River' peaked at number 18 in the UK. He'll also be touring in April to support his debut album's release so make sure you grab tickets while you can.

3. Taylor Jones

Coming in at number three, we have Taylor Jones. Some of you may remember that we posted the 20 year-old's catchy new single 'Emergency' last month and we haven't stopped listening to it since. It's too damn catchy.

The song has received a great reaction online and thanks to his good looks, Taylor has also melted many hearts across the world. He's not just a pretty face though; Taylor's music is also on the money and he certainly knows how to produce a good beat or two. We can't wait to hear more of his tracks and hope an album will follow soon.

Before releasing 'Emergency', Taylor also had success with various other tracks and he even collaborated with Lasgo for a remix of their hit single 'Something'. With the right promotion, Taylor could certainly be looking at a very successful 2015 and he's definitely going about it the right way so far. Keep the tunes coming Taylor.

2. Eli Lieb

If you're a regular visitor of OnePopz, Eli Lieb is a name that you'll probably be familiar with by now. Like many of his fans across the world, we can't get enough of Eli and we're predicting that 2015 will be a big year for him.

As well as being an incredibly talented singer-songwriter, Eli is also a great role model. He speaks out for equality and his songs, including his latest single 'Lightning In A Bottle', spread an important message about self-acceptance. All of this is of course helped by the fact that he's completely and utterly gorgeous.

We caught up with Eli last month and you can listen to our exclusive interview with him here. While you're at it, make sure you also check out Eli's fantastic cover of 'Wildest Dreams' by Taylor Swift here. We're hoping that Eli will release more original tracks and a brand new album this year; that'd certainly fulfill our wildest dreams.

1. Ryn Weaver

Admittedly, we only discovered Ryn Weaver this week but that's more than enough time for us to realise her amazing potential and talent. Armed with a great sense of style and an incredibly authentic voice, we're sure that Ryn will have no trouble making her mark on the music industry this year. She could easily be the next big thing.

Her debut single 'OctaHate' is a catchy pop tune with a brilliant fist-pumping chorus and we seriously can't stop listening to it here at OnePopz. Ryn's very first EP 'Promises' is literally on repeat in the office right now.

Following the EP, Ryn is set to release her highly anticipated debut album later this year and we're sure it won't disappoint. The American singer-songwriter has already worked with the likes of Charli XCX and Benny Blanco.

Will our predictions be correct though? Only time will tell but even if the acts fail to reach the top of the charts, we're sure they'll still release some of our favourite tracks this year. At the end of the day, chart positions aren't everything and some of the most talented artists around today don't always sell the most records.

As always, we're sure we'll be impressed by lots of previously unknown singers and bands too. The music industry is a competitive world and thanks to the internet, new artists are emerging online every single day.