22 Female Artists You Need To Know – International Women’s Day 2022

In a day dedicated to celebrating the strength, tenacity and power of women in today’s society, and to honour their achievements, it is no doubt that womens’ contributions to the music industry are imperative to its entire being. One of the key missions of IWD this year “to help increase the visibility of women creatives and promote their work so they gain more recognition, commercial projects and awards.” Below we highlight some of the frontrunners in the game at the moment.

Here’s our spotlight on 22 incredible artists you should check out in 2022.

Wet Leg

The arrival of the brand new Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg has been one to watch. Their storming debut single “Chaise Longue” became a radio favourite; since then the song has clocked up over 3,000,000 streams, over 1,000,000 video views and won Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers fans in the likes of Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Iggy Pop, Florence Welch and film critic Mark Kermode.

Mereba

GRAMMY nominated singer, songwriter, and producer Marian Mereba, known as Mereba, got her start with a series of folk-soul hybrid releases, including her self-released EP Room for Living, an alternately spacy and rustic set accompanied by her own guitar playing and production.

Remi Wolf

It’s difficult for Remi Wolf to describe her sound. Within the span of three-minutes, a Remi Wolf track will ricochet between funk, soul, indie and emo with all the predictability of a pinball. Her vocals oscillate between screeching falsetto and melody-anchoring alto, pendulum-swinging the scales in little more than a breath.

PinkPantheress

Meet PinkPantheress, the TikTok sensation and BBC Sound of 2022 winner, stepping out from social media into public view with a brand-new tour. Born in 2001, PinkPantheress has over 1.1 followers on TikTok and over 9 million likes. To date, her single ‘Pain’ has collected over 160 million streams, and PinkPantheress’ whole catalogue has reached half a billion streams in total.

Benee

The 21 year old New Zealand alt-pop hero broke through with ‘Supalonely’, the four billion streaming single from her second EP, and arrives in the UK as part of her World Tour this May.

Pale Waves

Pale Waves released their debut album My Mind Makes Noises in September 2018, by which time they had already won the NME Under The Radar award, made the BBC sound of 2018 shortlist and toured with Dirty Hit label mates The 1975. They’re currently on tour in support of their latest album, Who Am I? and play Neighbourhood Weekender in May.

Cat Burns

Cat Burns is a 21 year old singer and songwriter from Streatham. The former BRIT school student went from busking on the Southbank to mastering Tik Tok in lockdown, singing a mix of her favourite covers and original music. As a result, she rapidly amassed around half a million followers in just three months and now sits on 1 million followers on the platform.

Mahalia

British songstress and double BRIT, Grammy and Ivor Novello award nominated Mahalia hits the road again. The tour announcement comes after the release of her new single, ‘Letter to Ur Ex’, which quickly surpassed a million streams and has seen global support across DSPs and radio. Tour support comes from rising star Ruti, previous winner of The Voice UK.

CMAT

It has been quite a year for Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, one of the year’s breakout stars, earning critical recognition as well as a legion of new fans. CMAT has also announced a run of new live dates, including a full UK tour in celebration of her debut album.

The KTNA

Born in Kenya but raised in Manchester, the KTNA twins are quickly rising to the top.  Hope and Millie Katana channel their experiences into a vulnerable, emotionally expressive heart-on-their-sleeve sound. If you haven’t already heard of the girls, their sound isn’t easily classified – the twins weave their candid lyrics around unique productions to create music which demands to be noticed.

Tems

After stunning crowds alongside WizKid last year, Tems goes from strength to strength. In America, she appeared on fan favourite Fountains from Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy, made a stunning US TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and sold out shows in NY, Atlanta, Chicago and LA. Meanwhile, Essence became the official song of the summer as the track peaked on the Billboard 100 Top 10, became the most Shazamed song in the country, was remixed by Justin Bieber and became the first song written by Nigerian artists to hit No.1 on Urban Radio.

Wallice

After picking up her first instrument at age 6, Wallice started writing songs in middle school and later played in her high school band. Now signed to Dirty Hirt, her unique style is inspired by the lyricism of Thom Yorke, Lana Del Rey and the punky irreverence of Weezer and No Doubt.

Tamera

From the poems she used to write as a child before she learnt how to write songs, to the music you hear from her today, Tamera’s greatest inspiration is her own lived experience and that of others. Harvesting and absorbing the stories and emotions of those around her, there’s a deep empathy to her lyricism and a fluidity to her voice that reveals this.

Ray Blk

One of the most powerful, challenging and important voices in music, breaking the glass ceilings for black female artists is playing the Roundhouse this winter. Ray spent lockdown writing and recording her long-awaited debut album which promises to be one of the cultural highlights of the year, reminding everyone what a truly special and unique artist she is.

Rimon

After releasing her sophomore EP ‘I shine, U shine’ in 2020, with stand-out tracks like ‘Got My Back’ featuring Denzel Curry, RIMON took the rest of the pandemic to focus on her most conceptual work till date. ‘Digital Tears’ is the first project not written from emotion or experience, but instead focusses on one of the biggest societal dilemma’s of our generation.

Blu De Tiger

Born and raised in New York City, she’s been slaying on the bass guitar since she was 7 years old. Blu has been a staple in the New York club, fashion and creative scenes since she started DJing at the age of 17. 2021 saw Blu’s triumphant return to the live space as she sold out her entire How Did We Get Here? tour and spent 24 days on the road supporting Jungle and Bleachers.

IDER

London based duo IDER released their critically acclaimed second album shame last year. The follow up to their lavishly praised 2019 debut album Emotional Education, shame has followed suit with a string of glowing reviews and national radio airplay.

Matilda Mann

Championed by the likes of BBC Introducing, COLORS and Mahogony, Matilda sold out her debut London headline show at Servant’s Jazz Quarters earlier this year as well as previously supporting the likes of Arlo Parks, Beabadoobee and The Staves, whilst Glastonbury Festival revealed Matilda as third place their coveted Emerging Talent Competition for 2020.

Pixey

Emerging Liverpool based performer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Pixey is one of the most exciting emerging talents around currently. She plays Neighbourhood Weekender this May.

Brooke Combe

Influenced by the ‘90s R&B played in her mum and dad’s house, as well as the Motown her grandparents would play her, developed a love of great songwriting and vocalists and lyricists with their own idiosyncrasies – such as Amy Winehouse and Fleetwood Mac – before beginning to work on her own material. Now, with a stunning brace of first statements finally out in the world, Brooke Combe has announced herself as a genuine artist to watch in 2022 and beyond.

Pip Blom

The Amsterdam group Pip Blom began as the solo project of the band’s namesake, making intimate bedroom pop inspired by the lo-fi indie rock of the 1990s. When she expanded the band to become a quartet, their sound grew more powerful without losing that home-cooked feel. Their first two albums, 2019’s Boat and 2021’s Welcome Break, also showed a deep love and understanding for the hooky, punchy sounds of ’90s alt-rock.

Charli XCX

The Global pop icon returns with her 5th studio album CRASH – out 18TH March, alongside UK tour dates kicking off this May! “I was able to possess and persuade an incredible group of producers and collaborators to contribute to CRASH by using my femme fatale powers and a multitude of dark spells and curses. Some of these include A. G. Cook, George Daniel, Deaton Chris Anthony, Lotus IV, Caroline Polachek, Christine and the Queens, Oscar Holter, Digital Farm Animals, Rina Sawayama, Ian Kirkpatrik, Jason Evigan, Justin Raisen, Ariel Rechtshaid, Ilya, Oneohtrix Point Never, Jon Shave and Mike Wise. They will all remain locked in my basement forever.”

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