What do Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Zedd ,Lorde and Austin Mahone all have in common? They were all a part of MTV’s Artist to Watch.
Each of these artists have gone on to have truly remarkable careers, and now there are a new batch of ATW performers, from all genres of music, who are hoping to follow in their footsteps.
Earlier this month, a few of those newcomers hit the stage at the first Artist to Watch Showcase of 2014 at Los Angeles’ famed House of Blues, where they talked about just how excited they are to join the ATW family.
Fifth Harmony
The fierce fivesome that is Fifth Harmony have come a long way since finishing third on “The X Factor” back in 2012. They’ve had a hit single with “Miss Movin’ On,” released their first EP and are gearing up to hit the road with Demi Lovato next month on her Neon Lights Tour.
“Being chosen as one of MTV’s Artist to Watch is super, super exciting for us,” Ally Hernandez said. “There’s been a lot of other artists who have been on this whose careers have escalated because of it.”
Get More: Fifth Harmony, Miss Movin’ On (Live), Music, More Music Videos
Jake Miller
Jake Miller is an up-and-coming self-described artist with a million-dollar smile. The “Collide” singer is cooking up an album that he says will be a mix between Drake and Justin Bieber, which will be out later this year.
“It means so much to me to be a part of the MTV Artist to Watch this year because there are so many artists in the past that have been part of this, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Zedd, Austin Mahone — artists that I kind of didn’t really know about until they were artists to watch,” Miller said. “So MTV just blew them up and I’m so excited for that and I’m really excited to be part of this program.”
Get More: Jake Miller, Collide (Live), Music, More Music Videos
Tori Kelly
Fresh off signing with Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, Tori Kelly is hard at work on her debut album, which she describes as a mix between “more hip-hop, edgy, Lauryn Hill type of vibe” and her acoustic guitar. But you might not have to wait too long to listen to some new music, she admitted that she’s recorded a song with Ed Sheeran, they are just figuring out how to release it.
“For me to be a part of MTV’s Artist to Watch this year is a huge, huge honor,” Kelly said. “I can’t thank them enough for picking me and it just makes me even more excited for this year.”
Rixton
You may be one of the million people that have checked out the U.K. band’s “Make Out” music video, which pays homage to some of the biggest pop stars today, but Rixton are now ready to take the next step. The pop-rock foursome, who are also managed by Braun, are setting their YouTube covers aside to prep a new album. “It’s just such a whirlwind for us. It’s like from kind of doing nothing and uploading YouTube covers, to even being considered for this is crazy,” lead singer Jake Roche told MTV News.
Get More: Rixton, We All Want The Same Thing (Live), Music, More Music Videos
Echosmith
There’s no sibling animosity in this group. Echosmith, is comprised of the Sierota brothers and sister, tell us their bonding time is when they hit the stage together. The foursome released their debut album, Talking Dreams, last October and plan to spend 2014 on the road.
“We are so honored to be on a list with such cool people and so many people were it last year and the past couple years and its awesome and we love MTV,” Echosmith’s Jamie Sierota said. “And they’re such a big influencer in music so we are really excited about it.”
Get More: Echosmith, Let’s Love (Live), Music, More Music Videos
No Comments