Tomorrow’s Five: Sophie Thatcher, Bnnyhunna, BAK Jay, Art School Girlfriend, Tony Vaz

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By Will Schube, Brandon Ousley, Kemet High, Leah Mandel, Vrinda Jagota of Third Bridge Creative

In this week’s installment of our column exploring emerging artists, we’re fanning out over an actress who moonlights as a musician, a Ghanaian prodigy, Texas rap’s new frontrunner, an indie experimental export from Wales, and alt-punk music out of New York.   

Sophie Thatcher

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 52,246 

Genre: Alternative

Country: U.S.

Sophie Thatcher is widely known for her roles on television shows like ​​Yellowjackets and The Book of Boba Fett, but the Chicago-born multi-hyphenate’s talent as a songwriter is equally worthy of acclaim. On her debut EP, Pivot & Scrape, she conjures the anthemic goth pop of Zola Jesus (“My Friend”) and the skittering trip-hop of Portishead (“Go On.”) Thatcher’s voice is the show, but the effortless precision of the instrumental arrangements should receive a Best Supporting nod, too. Since Pivot & Scrape’s October 11 release, Thatcher has seen a 20.7K increase in Spotify monthly listeners. 

Bnnyhunna

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 15,883

Genre: R&B/Soul

Country: Netherlands

Ghanaian-Dutch indie artist Bnnyhunna’s multifaceted sound reflects a wide range of musical influences shaped by his West African upbringing, coupled with a commitment to authenticity. Since his 2021 debut EP, SINTHA, his eclectic fusion of jazz, hip-hop, gospel, and Afro rhythms has established him as a rising favorite on the international R&B scene. After a brief sabbatical, he builds on its spiritually-enriching vibe with the October 11 release of his highly-awaited debut album, Echoes of Prayer. Listeners have been enthralled with his introspective takes on faith, culture, and renewal on the LP’s noted singles “Calm Waters” (261K Spotify streams), “Communicate” (35K), and the latest, “Silent Chaos” (52K). Bnnyhunna’s shape-shifting music has netted 117K Spotify monthly listeners to date, landing on several editorial playlists like Fresh Finds, R&B, and Morning Rhythm.

BAK Jay

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 15,843

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

Country: U.S.

BAK Jay is one of the most distinguished names in Texas’ burgeoning rap movement. He hit his biggest stride this May, thanks to his breakthrough record “Reap.” The track showcases his usual artistic recipe of booming beats and savage lyrics. With over 13M Spotify streams, the track generated enough buzz for BAK to reach 1M monthly listeners on the platform—a 33% increase since releasing his project Meet The Reap. The project, which houses combative tracks like “Backend” and “D to da Murda,” has officially introduced the budding regional talent to the world. 

Art School Girlfriend

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 40,842

Genre: Indie

Country: U.K.

Welsh-born Polly Louise Mackey got her start in London as a member of a shoegaze band called Deaf Club. In 2016, she officially started making indie pop under the moniker Art School Girlfriend, and the following year released the single “Bending Back,” which now has 3.6M streams on Spotify. This July, Art School Girlfriend’s 2023 album Soft Landing, got a remix album called Hard Landing, featuring work from Oliver Coates. After a feature on Lane 8’s single “The Deep,” Art School Girlfriend is experiencing a serious boost. In the 52 days since the track was released, her Spotify monthly listeners has increased by 380K.

Tony Vaz

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 947,582

Genre: Alternative

Country: U.S.

New York musician Tony Vaz has been making experimental music for over a decade—first as art-rock band Dances, and, for the last few years, as a solo act. In October, he released his solo debut, Pretty Side of the Ugly Life. The album is imaginative and expansive: the songs sprawl from indie rock to country to emo. Orchestral arrangements add ornate intricacy, while elsewhere, chanted lyrics create a sense of punk propulsiveness. Following the release of the record, which came out on October 4, Vaz has seen a 55% boost in fan conversion rate on Spotify and was featured on Pitchfork.

Portions of this are included in Sound Signal, a bi-weekly newsletter from Third Bridge Creative. Sign up here.

Visualizations by Alejandra Arevalo and cover image by Crasianne Tirado; data as of Nov.18, 2024.