2020 has been hard. But, some artists have found their way through the year to new heights and new success and we are happy to have seen it. In this post, I'm thrilled to share my 2020 Breakthrough Artists of the Year.
None of these artists was an overnight success. They've all been putting in work to get to where they are. Some longer than others, some with more stumbles or roadblocks along the way, but all of them sticking with it and finding this path and these results and this music.
In the words of Bruce Cockburn, you've "Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight"
There were a lot of other artists that deserve recognition for leaving their mark and finding new success in 2020 - leave a comment if you've got a favourite breakthrough artist of 2020 to add to the list!
Joshua's 2020 Breakthrough Artists of the Year
Alternative: MONOWHALES
released RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down) in September 2019, but in 2020 it took off. The song climbed to #2 on the Mediabase Canada Alternative Rock Chart. It was a history-making run for an indie, self-managed, band in Canada - and that's huge.
2020 also saw MONOWHALES release their EP, Control Freak - an acoustic version and collection of remixes on RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down) and then All Or Nothing and BL/FF (Fake Friends) as singles. That's a hell of a year.
The trio (formerly a quartet with synth player Holly Jamieson leaving the band this summer) finished 2020 with the #5 song on the Alternative year-end chart. They were also the #1 most-played unsigned artist at Alternative radio and the #11 most-played overall. And, you can add All Or Nothing cracking Top 10 as another awesome achievement.
Don't be surprised to see MONOWHALES nominated for a 2021 JUNO as Breakthrough Group of the Year. They should be on the list.
MONOWHALES - RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down)
Rock: JJ Wilde
crushed 2020 on the Canadian rock and roll scene. Her breakout single, The Rush, took her to #1 on Canada's modern rock, active rock and mainstream rock charts - At. The. Same. Time.
Her debut full-length album, Ruthless, is an 11-track journey of stories and feelings and rock and roll. And her follow-up singles (all of this happened in 2020) Best Boy and Mercy. It's an awesome amount of music for a single year. It's a list of history-making accomplishments.
Related: JJ Wilde Keeps Rocking and She Isn't Slowing DownJJ Wilde has already shown that she can go hard or slow it down and break your heart. She's unafraid to take risks, push boundaries, be herself, and shrug off the bullshit that commenters online might throw her way. She kicks ass. And all signs point to this being the start of a lot more of the same. JJ's got all the tools. She's got star power. And I'm excited to see more of her in 2021 and beyond. Bring it!
There's a strong chance that you'll see JJ Wilde nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Rock Album of the Year ( Ruthless), and Single of the Year ( The Rush) at the 2021 JUNOS. Be ready for it. And if she doesn't pick up at least two out of those three nominations, I will be very disappointed.
JJ Wilde - Ruthless
JJ Wilde - Best Boy
JJ Wilde - Mercy
Canadian Country: Robyn Ottolini
has been on our radar for the last couple years, but now she's on a lot of radars after the 2020 she had.
After F-150 blew up on Tik Tok, got picked up by major country playlists on Spotify, got her named by Rolling Stone, and watched her streams climb and climb and climb - Robyn Ottolini, from small-town Uxbridge, Ontario, signed a record deal with Warner Music Nashville and took a giant step forward in her career.
Already with two independently released EPs under her belt, a Country Music Association of Ontario Rising Star nomination (2019), and the experience of playing at festivals like Country Wild and Boots & Hearts, this emerging artist is certainly breaking through.
Look for 2021 to include a Canadian Country Music Association Award nomination for Rising Star, as well as a radio push on a single, and more new music (if we're lucky) from Robyn Ottolini.
Note: I knew I liked Robyn and thought she was going places, but when Dallas Smith dropped her name as his artist that people should be paying more attention to when we talked in mid-September, it was confirmation that the right people in the industry were seeing her too. And that's always a good sign.
Robyn Ottolini - F-150
Country: Mickey Guyton
Look, could have been on this list five years ago when Better Than You Left Me caught my ear when I was listening to random country music playlists on Spotify... and that's on me. BUT there is no denying the breakout that she's had in 2020.
With her wonderful EP, Bridges - and powerful songs like Black Like Me, Heaven Down Here, What Are You Gonna Tell Her?, Mickey Guyton stood out this year at a time when the power of music was on full display. But it wasn't just the power of the music, but the power of the musician that left a mark too.
On social media, she stands her ground, uses her voice, and isn't afraid to throw shade or roll her eyes at folks who deserve it. She's a real one. She's the real deal. And as she prepares for motherhood and hopefully a lot more music - I can't wait to see what's coming from her in the future.
Mickey Guyton - Heaven Down Here
Mickey Guyton - Black Like Me
Mickey Guyton - What Are You Gonna Tell Her?
