Most Shazamed: Emerging Artists From London You Need to Know

There’s a new wave of 90s-inspired electronic music taking over the UK, and Londoners are keen to know what up-and-coming artists they’re hearing in clubs, bars, and on the office radio. 

You need only look at the Shazam charts for London. This useful barometer tells us what music is getting people excited enough that they absolutely must know what they're hearing.

We’ve done a little digging into the Shazam Top 50 for London with our tagging AI to find out more about the sound.

A quick listen reveals that this revivalist sound harks back to rave culture and seems to be exactly what audiences have been craving in the wake of Covid lockdowns and music venue restrictions. 

According to the AI, it’s generally high-energy, with electronic and pop genres and has moods that the Musiio AI recognises as Dancy, Confident and Euphoric. 

In this article, we share the emerging British talents that best represent this sound – and one that doesn’t but is still very much worth following.

Venbee & Goddard - ‘Messy In Heaven’

Genres: Pop, Electronic, Drum & Bass, Electro Pop
Moods: Restless, Confident, Dancy
Energy: High

This is only the second single from the rapidly ascending 21-year-old British singer and songwriter, but it’s already made a mark. D'n'B banger ‘Messy In Heaven’ has blown up on UK radio and spent three weeks on the UK chart, topping out at number 20.

It’s easy to see why. The track has a potent recipe with arresting opening lyrics, Eilish-esque ASMR vocal production, and a propulsive D'n'B beat courtesy of fellow Brit Goddard. 

The data shows that Venbee’s track typifies the prevailing sound that’s exciting Londoners right now, hitting the two most popular moods among the Shazam Top 50: Dancy and Confident. Genre-wise, the track also fits perfectly among the most popular genres in London today with both pop and electronic tags. 

If this track and her debut, ‘Low Down’ are anything to go by, you’ll want to follow Venbee’s high-energy Drum & Bass sound closely. She looks set only to get bigger and better.

TSHA - ‘Dancing In The Shadows’ (feat. Clementine Douglas)

Genres: Electronic, Breakbeat, Pop
Moods: Euphoric, Uplifting, Confident, Bold
Energy: Medium

The London-based DJ might have just dropped her debut album, but in a few short years, TSHA has gained a reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting new producers. She has been consistently releasing material since 2018, including singles, EPs and the occasional remix for the likes of Lianne La Havas. She’s also been activating dancefloors across the globe with her DJ performances; her Mixmag and Boiler Room sets have amassed over a million views between them.

Not only that, she’s been hotly tipped by Bonobo, Annie Mac and Billboard and is signed to Ninja Tune. We love her indie-guitar-tinged electronic tracks, which manage to maintain credibility while being both club and radio-friendly.

In the data, we see TSHA’s track ‘Dancing In The Shadows’ is another tight fit with the current sound enjoyed in London, with Confident and Euphoric moods tags (two of the three top mood tags for London). With clubs well and truly open, we expect to hear a lot more from TSHA.

Who else should you check out?

Tion Wayne - ‘Let's Go (feat. Aitch)’

Genres: Hip Hop, UK Grime 
Moods: Bold, Playful, Seductive
Energy: Medium

Hailing from North London, Tion Wayne has steadily built a towering fanbase at home since 2014 with a slow drip of mixtapes. And in the last four years, he has never been far from the UK singles chart. His first UK Number 1 (with ‘Body’ alongside Russ Millions) was the first UK Drill track ever to top the charts. With ‘Let’s Go’, Wayne teams up with Mancunian rapper Aitch, who has already featured in the UK Top 40 five times this year. While this track doesn’t sit in the electronic landscape, Tion Wayne still has a huge pull in the UK and massive potential beyond.

RAYE - ‘Black Mascara’

Genres: Electronic, House, Pop
Moods: Euphoric, Dancy
Energy: High

London-born RAYE has been on the precipice of superstardom for years. She has earned multiple BRIT and Ivor Novello nominations and collaborated with the likes of David Guetta, Jonas Blue and Jax Jones. RAYE might have left her record deal with Polydor last year, but that’s not slowed her down. Since the release of ‘Black Mascara’ in August, she’s been on a spree of releasing singles in anticipation of her debut album My 21st Century Blues, due in early 2023.

Matt Guy - ‘Set My Mind Free’

Genres: Electronic, House, Pop
Moods: Dancy, Confident, Euphoric
Energy: High

Fast-rising British producer Matt Guy makes his Armada Music debut with ‘Set My Mind Free’, another track that sounds like it could have come straight out of the 90s. The Nottingham-born DJ/producer made a name for himself DJing at Egg in London, and his latest track, ‘Set My Mind Free’, has been lauded by Danny Howard, Sarah Story and Solomun. According to the producer, the track was designed to be uplifting and “mirror the excitement of being able to dance again.” It certainly achieves its aim; Matt Guy proves he’s a talent to watch.

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