The 97 Demo's Artists of the Year
Kanye, Japanese Breakfast, Olivia Rodrigo, Jazmine Sullivan, and more!
Welcome back,
This past week on the podcast, we kicked off our three-part “Year in Review” series. The first part chronicled 15 musicians we feel defined the cultural landscape of the year, whether by using their platform to enact change, reshaping the boundaries of the music industry or reaching new career heights.
Simply put, we highlighted our ‘Artists of the Year!’
This newsletter, we decided to recap that list and offer more detail as to why we picked each artist.
But first, a brief reminder before reading: This list, as with everything we write, is purely subjective. It’s also not entirely based on music releases — that’s what our ‘Albums of the Year’ episode will be for.
Happy Reading!
EPISODE 72: Artists of the Year
Artists of the Year
Olivia Rodrigo
2021 belonged to Olivia Rodrigo, and no one can really deny it. Her smash hit “Driver’s License” came out in January, and from then on it was domination by Rodrigo. The song spun off into a Tik Tok trend, spawned SNL skits, and became a theme song for teens and adults alike. She released two consecutive singles in “deja vu” and “good 4 u,” all of which charted within the top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100. She then followed up with her debut effort Sour, which is hailed as one of the best albums this year. Within the span of 11 months, Rodrigo has attended the Met Gala, performed on SNL, broken Spotify streaming records, visited the White House, announced a tour, been named Time Magazine’s Entertainer of the Year and most recently, scored more than half a dozen Grammys nominations. Did I mention that she is 18 years old? Rodrigo’s rise to success has been meteoric. She has truly been a force this year.
By Avery Dalal
Silk Sonic
When Anderson Paak. and Bruno Mars announced that they were making a project together back in March, it felt so out of left field — but also made so much sense. When their first single was released, we saw the potential of what they could make. “Leave the Door Open,” while a little overplayed at this point in the year, was infectious when it came out. The two were making gold for your ears. Over the course of the year, they would tease and tease us, eventually releasing two more singles, “Skate” and “Smokin’ Out the Window,” on the way to their album An Evening with Silk Sonic. The project was a callback to 60s and 70s groovy R&B and soul. The fact that these two kept all of us on our toes throughout the year was impressive, and their ability to consistently leave us wanting more, all the way until the end, was unmatched. We really hope that their first project isn’t their last.
By Avery Dalal
Taylor Swift
An argument could be made that the quality of Taylor Swift’s music releases alone this year warrant her inclusion on this list. Swift injects her re-releases of her 2008 sophomore effort Fearless and 2012’s Red with refined vocals, enhanced production and a bevy of new features, ranging from Phoebe Bridgers to Keith Urban. The massive commercial success of the two projects could also be used as rationale for Swift’s inclusion. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) moved about 291,000 units in its first week. Red (Taylor’s Version) doubled that, scoring a jaw-dropping debut sales week of 605,000 units. But Swift’s inclusion is ultimately inspired by the larger implications of her effort to re-record her music. Ownership of Swift’s first six albums has shifted from Big Machine Records, to Scooter Braun, to the financial holding company that currently possesses them — each transaction moving forward without Swift’s involvement. Her decision to fight fire with fire displays both her business savvy and advocacy in a singular light. By re-recording '“Taylor’s Version” of her classics, Swift is decreasing the worth of the originals that are owned by someone else. While most artists won’t find the same commercial success as Swift, they now have a current, mainstream example to point to if trying to undergo the task themselves.
By Nnamdi Egwuonwu
Japanese Breakfast
Perhaps no one in music was busier than Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast. Not only did she release one of the best albums of the year in Jubilee, she released the book “Crying in H Mart,” and also made the soundtrack for the video game, Sable. She did all of this while also going on tour. I’ve said this a lot, but by consuming all her different forms of art this year, I really felt like I got to know her. Through her album, I learned about how she feels joy, and through all the prisms in which she views joy. Through her book, I learned how she views grief and how the passing of her mother affected the rest of her life. Even seeing her on tour, and the connection she has with her husband, which is established in the book, feels like I gained some insight into her life. Being as prolific and vulnerable as Zauner was throughout the whole year, releasing high-quality work, earns her a place on our list.
By Avery Dalal
Britney Spears
Britney Spears hasn’t put out a body of work in five years. She hasn’t performed in nearly three. And that’s part of the reason she’s on this list. It was Spears’ announcement that she was canceling her Vegas Residency and subsequent stint in rehab that catalyzed the “Free Britney” movement. After piecing together news events, legal filings and social media postings, a legion of her dedicated fans were convinced something foul was at play — and they were right. Spears’ legacy will no longer hinge on the innocent-but-sexy image that launched her career, nor will it hinge on the public breakdown that resulted in her losing her autonomy. Spears’ greatest achievement will be doubling as a mirror for society to reflect off of. A New York Times documentary chronicling early media coverage of Spears’ made us reconsider how quick we were to laugh at a *very* public mental breakdown; how quick prominent news figures were to ask a 20-year-old about her virginity; how complicit we were when Spears’ family quietly moved to place her into a conservatorship, robbing her of her personal and financial freedom for more than a decade. The reckoning society has had over its treatment of Britney Spears will aid every public figure that comes after her. She reminded us of our humanity, and the benefits of that just aren’t enumerable.
By Nnamdi Egwuonwu
Jazmine Sullivan
The underdog of R&B. At least once every couple of months I see a tweet that says, “Jazmine Sullivan does not get the love she deserves tbh.” Which has been true. But not in 2021. Sullivan released Heaux Tales on January 8, 2021, the first big release of the year. The response to the album was great! People loved the great concise story she told on this album and people recognized it as maybe her best work to date! But, people, including us, we’re worried that people would forget about this album because of its early release. They didn’t and this album has continued to receive a lot of critical acclaims and is near the top of many year-end lists. Sullivan is no longer the “underdog” of R&B and is now one of the faces.
Pharrell
Outside of electoral politics, it’s rare to see successful musicians use their platforms to advocate for change. It’s even rarer to see them sacrifice a check when doing so. But Pharrell did both of those things this year with seemingly little hesitation. After his cousin, Donovan Lynch, was fatally shot by police in their hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Pharrell derided the initial response from police and city leaders. So he acted. Back in 2019, Pharrell launched his “Something in the Water” festival in Virginia Beach. The lineup included the likes of Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Migos, Janelle Monae, J Balvin and SZA. To call it a massive success would be an understatement: the festival generated at least $24 million dollars in tax revenue and $41 million in media coverage for Virginia Beach. And after two years sidelined because of the pandemic, 2022 was set to be the grand return of the festival. But Pharrell cancelled it — simultaneously making a statement about the city’s response to police violence while also pulling millions of dollars in tax revenue from Virginia Beach. If you want to get someone’s attention, you have to hit them where it hurts. And in the case of most localities, that’s their pocketbooks.
By Nnamdi Egwuonwu
BTS
America’s most commercially successful dance pop act is a group of seven men from South Korea. BTS this year became the first Asian act to win “Artist of the Year” at the American Music Awards. The award was the latest in a series of ‘firsts’ by a musical act that’s faced their fair share of challenges breaking into the American mainstream. With the success of “Dynamite,” “Permission to Dance” and “My Universe” this year, BTS became the first Asian act to score multiple number one debuts on the Billboard Hot 100. The group has now earned six chart-toppers within the span of two years — propelled to the top by a passionate, dedicated fan base that seems to resonate with the group for reasons beyond their music. To the “Army,” BTS’ success is more a demonstration of resilience, inclusion and kindness than bragging rights. It’s why in addition to organizing coordinated “listening parties” to ensure the group’s singles get enough streaming support to chart on Billboard, fans also raise money for those in need, advocate for social causes and hold to account public figures who display bigoted rhetoric. BTS, for their mainstream success, visibility and fandom cultivation, rightly have been recognized as one the year’s top musical acts.
By Nnamdi Egwuonwu
Adele
“Divorce, babe, Divorce.” Those three words by Adele define the inspiration of her latest record 30. An album that continued Adele’s tradition of translating raw vulnerability into boisterous pop. No other musician on this planet has replicated Adele’s widespread appeal — her fanbase crosses generational and cultural lines, and she has the numbers to prove it. “Easy on Me” has spent nearly all of its 7 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 1. 30 sold an astonishing 838,000 units in its first week. It became the best-selling album of the year after just *three days.* And though that figure is a significant drop from the 3.38 million units Adele sold in 25’s first week, the decline can be attributed to broader shifts in the music industry. Streaming has become a much more dominant, and less lucrative, form of listening in the six years between the two records. Billboard has also redefined what constitutes a “unit,” no longer letting artists bundle additional albums with merchandise to juice their figures. In fact, since Billboard changed their rules *no one* has been able to move a million copies in a single week. Adele has long been the industry’s commercial roof, and that hasn’t changed. And if her dynamic, cathartic album doesn’t justify her inclusion on this list, her record-setting sales week does.
By Nnamdi Egwuonwu
Doja Cat
This pop star has come a long way since the 2018 release of her viral song, “Moo.” Not only did Doja Cat release one of the most successful and popular albums of the year with Planet Her, but she also became one of the most listened to artists in the world. In October, it was confirmed that Doja Cat surpassed Drake in monthly listeners on Spotify by having 63.3 million listeners a month. If you’re passing champagnepapi on anything you’ve accomplished something. But also, she solidified her spot as the Queen of TikTok, the social media platform. In 2020, her songs “Say So” and “Streets” took over social media. In 2021, songs like “Kiss Me More” and “Best Friend” also took over social media. If Doja Cat puts out a catchy song, it’s going to take over social media. Not something every artist can say.
By Noah McGee
Lil Nas X
If you want to talk about keeping your foot on the pedal, you have to bring up Lil Nas X. Mr. Montero has been in our lives since 2019, which is wild. This year, he finally released his first full album and it was star-studded, with Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Meg Thee Stallion, Miley Cyrus and freaking Elton John. The album was nominated for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Music Video and Best Melodic Rap performance. His “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” music video racked up all the controversy and he capitalized off of it perfectly. Nas X released an accompanying shoe that had a “drop of blood” in it which also sparked controversy. Lil Nas X also performed on SNL and released one of the best bangers of the year in “Industry Baby.” The once viral sensation really set himself as one of pop’s biggest innovators and one of music’s most essential personalities. It’s been rewarding to watch him grow as an artist, creative and a person. Not only has he gotten funnier, but the music has only gotten better, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
By Avery Dalal
Navy Blue
Sage Elsesser, better known as Navy Blue has had a prolific year. It started on December 22, 2020, when he released Song of Sage: Post Panic! A deeply personal and emotional album that sinks deep into the recesses of his mind. He followed that up with another impressive release in August, Navy’s Reprise. A concise album, that still gives you the personal lyrics and minimalistic production that have become standard for Navy Blue. But, Navy Blue’s most impressive accomplishment this year may have been his production on one of the best rap albums, Wiki’s Half God. His soulful, minimalist and varied production on this project is stellar and may have been his biggest musical accomplishment this year. But outside of music Elsesser is also a skater and model for Supreme and Calvin Klein. All in all, Navy Blue had a prolific year.
By Noah McGee
PinkPantheress
PinkPantheress burst onto the scene with catchy short songs that captured the attention of Gen Z. She was the first person I wrote about in this newsletter, and I am happy to report that she has only gained popularity since then. While her fame has grown, she herself has kept a low profile, keeping her camera off during interviews, and not letting interviewers publish her real name. The 20-year-old UK pop star is a pretty quintessential Gen Z personality, showing off how creative she can be while clearly being inspired by 2000s music trends, and all the while poking fun at herself, proving to be quite self-deprecating. Her debut project came out in October, called to hell with it. The mixtape is 10 songs long and only 19 minutes long, and it really provides a taste of what to expect from her in the future. On the project, she experiments with all sorts of sounds, garage, drum & bass, dance and bedroom pop. She really took off in the last half of this year, and we are excited about her bright future.
By Avery Dalal
Ye
The man that makes us angry by what he says and always interests us with what he does. Every year Ye is in the news for something. Thankfully this year, he was mostly in it because of the creative moves he made in music. Before the release of his album Donda, Ye held some listening events, which is nothing unique. But what was different is that he held them in arenas, with the album sounding different each time. The first two were held in the Mercedes Benz Dome in Atlanta and the last one was in Soldier Field, Ye’s hometown Chicago. They were events! Burning houses, weddings, red jackets, and a burning man. Then, he released the hour and 49-minute album on a Sunday. However you feel about the album, Ye is always going to color outside of the lines in his music and he did again with Donda. He also, along with Drake, had one of the biggest live events this year with the #FreeLarryHoover Benefit Concert that was at the Los Angeles Coliseum. And boy did Ye put on a show. So yet again, Mr. West is still doing big things in the music industry.
By Noah McGee
Megan Thee Stallion
Our Queen, Megan Thee Stallion, has been through a lot the past year. But, she has still been able to handle her business professionally and with class. While Meg did not release an official album, she did release Something for Thee Hotties for Halloween which is a fun and enjoyable listen. But she also graduated college! Something she has always wanted to do. Meg could’ve easily wavered considering she is one of the biggest upcoming artists in the world. But she did it! Not to mention, it was announced that Meg will be exclusively producing new series and other projects for Netflix. You go girl!
By Noah McGee
Y’all hear about this?
Astroworld Festival Victims Died of Compression Asphyxia, Medical Examiner Rules
Rapper Logic wrote the song ‘1-800-273-8255’ to save lives. He may have saved hundreds, study finds.
Now on the 97 Demo Mix:
Songs from: Earl Sweatshirt, Fana Hues, Mitski and more