WHAT IT IS: After meeting on SoundCloud in 2017, Texas-based Colin Padalecki and Forrest Frank have continued to mesh their individual talents to create the duo Surfaces. Delivering jazzy sounds spiked with pop, hip-hop, reggae, soul and calypso, all in the name of positive vibes and carefree fun, Surfaces dropped debut album Surf in 2017, Where the Light Is in 2019 and latest release Horizons in February, all self-written and self-produced. With 340m+ global streams to date on their hit RIAA gold-certified single, “Sunday Best,” which blew up at TikTok, and their TV debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers, 2020 is shaping up to be a massive year for the duo.
ALBUM: Horizons
RELEASE DATE: 2/28
SINGLE: “Sunday Best”
TV: Late Night With Seth Meyers
LIVE: Previously announced Bonnaroo and Hangout Fest sets
INTERNET: 340m+ global streams on single; 23.7m+ monthly Spotify listeners, 83rd most-listened-to worldwide; 275k+ Instagram followers; 97m+ combined video views on YouTube, 405k subscribers; 1.2m+ activity on TikTok
RADIO: #19 at Top 40, 164 adds
PRESS: Idolator, OTW (“Surfaces is quite possibly the most optimistic and eclectic indie-pop duo to date”), Flaunt, Medium, more
BOOKING: Jeffrey Hasson & Max Braun/Paradigm Agency
MANAGEMENT: Zack Friedman & Tony Talamo/Homemade Management
WHAT IT IS: Eerie instrumentals and haunting, vaporous vocals serve as the key element of singer/songwriter/producer Sub Urban’s horror-infused pop. The New Jersey native launched his career at the age of 18 with his breakout single, “Cradles,” which, closing in on 500m streams, is one of the most TikTok’d songs of all time with 1b+ uses, while reaching #1 on Alt radio. Subsequently, Sub Urban, aka Danny Maisonneuve, released his highly anticipated EP, Thrill Seeker, which includes the single “Freak” f/REI AMI. Completely self-produced, the project draws on elements of fantasy, conjuring an imaginary world and through the lens of this 20-year-old visionary artist.
ALBUM: Thrill Seeker
RELEASE DATE: 3/13
SINGLE: “Freak” f/REMI AMI
LIVE: Upcoming Melanie
Martinez and Yungblud tours being rescheduled
INTERNET: 4.1m+ monthly Spotify listeners; 1b+ TikTok activity, 754k+ followers; 252k+ Instagram followers; 1.5m+ YouTube subscribers, 197.5m+ video views
RADIO: “Freak” impacting Alt on 5/11; “Cradles” reached #1 at Alt
PRESS: Alt Press, FADER, SPIN, OTW (“Combining elements of left-of-center pop with a wondrously macabre vision, Sub Urban is crafting out a niche that is all his own”), Genius, NME, more
BOOKING: Mike Meyer & Mike Marquis/Paradigm
WHAT IT IS: Within two years of releasing his first single, Conan Gray has amassed 750m+ streams, garnered acclaim from the likes of Vogue, Fader and Taylor Swift, and made his TV debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers. Prior to releasing a full studio album, he sold out North American and European tours, selling over 70k tickets. First album Kid Krow, which debuted in the Top 5, gave him the biggest solo-pop-artist bow since 2018, while single “Maniac” reached the Top 10 iTunes Overall Chart, achieving RIAA gold certification. Gray was Apple Music’s April “Up Next” Artist and has been confirmed for Global MTV PUSH and YouTube Artist on the Rise campaigns.
ALBUM: Kid Krow
RELEASE DATE: 3/20
SINGLE: “Maniac”
TV: Debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers
LIVE: Southeast Asia, Australia and North American tour resuming in the fall; previously performed at Lollapalooza and supported Panic! At the Disco
INTERNET: 704m+ global career streams; 206m+ streams on “Maniac”; 11.1m+ monthly Spotify listeners; 185m+ YouTube views
RADIO: “Maniac” impacted Top 40 on 2/18; adds include SiriusXM Hits 1, B96, KMVQ, WWPW, WNKS
PRESS: NPR, Music Connection, People, Seventeen, Genius, UPROXX, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Paper, Flaunt, Fader
BOOKING: Adam Brill, Shirin Nury & Lee Goforth/CAA
PUBLISHING: Nick Bral/Sony/ATV
MANAGEMENT: Eddie Wintle & Colette Patnaude/Expand Ent.
