Ever since my first job at MTV working as a music programmer, I can't stop trying to match people with music they might like. So, I wrote a book called Record Collecting for Girls and started interviewing musicians. The Music Concierge is a column where I share music I'm listening to that you might enjoy, with a little context. Get everything I've recommended this year on Spotify, follow me on Twitter or Facebook, and leave a comment below telling me what you're listening to this week.
Celeste "Stop This Flame"
2020 is about to be the year of Celeste. The soul singer starts the year off as the winner of the BRITs Rising Star Award and the BBC's Sound of 2020 poll. Get a little taste of why in her new single, "Stop This Flame." There's a hint of Adele there as she belts away, but something so fresh backing it up.
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Caroline Rose "Feel The Way I Want"
Prepare to shake your thing. Rose embraces their feelings as an outsider and packages them into a highly danceable, upbeat single that shot straight to top my personal playlist for 2020 immediately. If you were looking for a new musical obsession, her Don Quixote-sounding concept album about an outsider's journey into the heart of stardom with nothing but their ambition to recommend them is dropping in March.
Olivia Jean "Jaan Pehechaan Ho"
If this track sounds a little familiar, congratulations: you, too, are a cool girl. It's the song in the end credits of Ghost World, given a new life courtesy of Third Man Records' new signing, Olivia Jean. She's been in Jack White's touring band and is an incredible guitar player — her chops are on excellent display in this very technical surf rock song. Now, let's dance!
The Secret Sisters "Hand Over My Heart"
One of my most anticipated albums of the year is the Brandi Carlile produced Saturn Return from The Secret Sisters. From the title alone you know it's about becoming a grown-up, embracing maturity, and restoring clarity — but doing it all the hard way. Plus, that blood harmony that Laura and Lydia Rogers possess will give you chills.
Charlee Remitz "Nothing Blooms Quite Like a Heartache"
Another potential 2020 anthem comes from Charlee Remitz. This track is about getting to that moment when you've hit the tearful end of your own personal path and you finally see the long-waiting results of your sacrifice and hard work. Do I like it because it's swathed in a synth-filled musical cocoon? Yes, but I also love the hopefulness here. Skip the Rocky theme, press play on this instead.