The current music industry is dominated by the heavy hitters. With this, they seem to hog the spotlight from those who deserve it just as much if not more. However, the underground still rides on, and soon it will be their time to shine. With that in mind, I have arranged five different artists who have the potential to do it.

First up is Colorado-based artist Tejas Hariharan, who is more known by the stage name “Ynvariant” (I am not sure how to pronounce it either). Ynvariant is an incredibly unique artist who, if their style gets noticed further, can only go up from here. Their style of music is a blend of acoustic pop, electronic pop, and modern dance music. And the most important part is their vocal style and fantasy-driven songwriting. Tejas’ whole discography has taken the listener into a world they have created to build their music around. Their voice, too, is incredible. Ynvariant has such a noticeable and unique sound that only they could replicate. I recommend listening to their debut EP “Hail to the Failure” and their latest release “Play The Fool” for those who want to check this artist out.

Moving onto the next artist on the list, Pierre Garnier, a French artist who goes by “PLEEG” online. Pierre has a super high-energy sound, with a minimalist approach to a very melodic and electronic synth-pop style. His songs are way more upbeat and rhythm focused with incredible and catchy flow to every song. Every single one of his songs can make any listener happy and energized. Like Tejas, he is super recognizable in the underground, and this uniqueness is what I feel will carry him forward in the future. Like most current electronic tunes in the underground, his music is mostly instrumental, with the rare vocal feature of his own voice on more recent tunes. Despite this, the melodies he writes are beautiful and each song feels so different yet still has that noticeable PLEEG style. I recommend checking out his songs “Forever” (My personal favorite) and “Spirit,” as well as his largest multi-song project, “Dreamer.”

Next up is a personal friend of mine, Paul Gabriel Torres, known online as “JUKO”, a nickname he received as a kid that he stuck with. Gabe’s music is a very recognizable pop style with an 80s influence. His music is just so upbeat and fun to listen to, and since I know him well enough, I have seen his process and understand the love and care he puts into each and every one of his songs. He has such a nostalgia-driven brand and unique vocal style that I feel people will come to love if he gets big. I recommend his album “PEPPER” as well as his single “Change (it won’t be long!).” With recent appearances on huge community projects in the underground, JUKO has nowhere to go but up.

The fourth artist on the list is Lane “Wishlane” Mercer. This man was destined to be a star and he knows it. He is an incredible singer and songwriter, and each one of his songs is a new experiences. A lot of his music is reflective, with songs like “ridgewood” reflecting the mistake he felt he made moving to New York. Lane’s relatability seems to be what resonates with most people, not being afraid to add a personal touch to every tune he writes. Lane’s style is an acoustic-pop and rock blend with a few electronic influences at times. Again, it is something never really approached in such a way, and he does a great job with it. If this is an artist you want to start listening to, check out “ridgewood” and “selective altruism.”

The final artist on this list is an artist I feel is extremely close to making it even bigger than he already has. Josh Kucharczak, aka Jkuch, is growing exponentially. From his humble electronic dance beginnings, Jkuch has molded the sounds he was once known for plus his own singing into a glitchy, poppy, and uplifting experience. The confidence he shows to now incorporate his own voice onto recent tracks has done nothing but help him find the sound he has always wanted to make. I recommend his latest album, “Specter’s Garden,” the result of his experiments. This album, which may be looked at further by me in the future, has a few select hits to it, namely “Maybe” and “Redo,” two amazing songs that, if Jkuch keeps growing at the rate he is, will hopefully be noticed by many, many more.

That concludes the list. There are so many more artists in this underground scene I seem to have found home with, and these five are only a glimpse at what people there have to offer. I hope this list serves as a welcome into a whole different world in the industry and hopefully you can give these artists a few more listens.