Three words — vibrant, historic, diverse. One city — London.

While it might seem like London has recently lost its importance in the global music industry, this city really is still a vital artistic hub. From sold out pop-shows, to UK drill and small indie record labels, Londoners produce content for everybody to enjoy. If you are looking for fresh tracks to spice up your spring playlists, let me introduce you to some of the most exciting London-based artists.

KiLLOWEN — Sober

“Sober” is precisely what inspired me to write this edition of the column. Some might recognise the melody of this song, sampled from the famous “Time Moves Slow” by BadBadNotGood. Talking about the feeling of emptiness that follows fallouts and breakups, KiLLOWEN taps into the most vulnerable human emotions with the catchiest tune. This West-Londoner has recently been attracting attention on TikTok, successfully promoting “Sober” with the caption “UK rap with a different spin to it.” UK garage, rap and soul are genres he takes inspiration from to form his own unique sound. If you, like me, love a good multi-genre experience, I highly recommend checking out KiLLOWEN’s singles.

Qendresa — Don’t Stop

Groovy is a word that perfectly describes “Don’t Stop”. If “Sober” was a song to soothe our romantic grief, “Don’t Stop” is the song of returned self-confidence. This short, but catchy tune was produced by Qendresa — an emerging London-based artist of Albanian origins. Qendresa is still a lowkey presence in London. She writes, produces, and sings original songs, most of which are compiled in her 2020 album called Midnight Request Line. Songs from this record would contribute to a perfect soundtrack for a late night car ride or a GTA San Andreas radio station. On top of original music, Qendresa has a bimonthly radio show on NTS radio. On this indie radio station, Qendresa has previously shared some of her favorite tracks, ranging from hip hop, boogie, rap all the way to salsa.

Cleo Sol — Promises

Ever felt vulnerable, but unworthy of love? Considered the people in your life too good for you or undeserving of your poor, but unchanging treatment? “Promises” is a song that paints this exact situation. This track is featured on Cleo Sol, a London-based, Serbian-Spanish-Jamaican R&B and Soul musician’s, second album Mother . Cleo Sol emerged on the music scene in the MySpace era, but took a music break until the mid 2010s. Since then, she has released two albums and regained popularity. Though a fan favorite, Cleo Sol and her producer-husband are not often in the public eye. She is even alleged to be a member of Sault, an award winning music collective from London which remained anonymous and never performed live or gave any interviews. Mother explores Cleo Sol’s “most transformative, uplifting, heart melting, strength giving experience thus far” — her own experience of motherhood.

Fred again — [Marea](We’ve Lost Dancing)

The most famous artist featured on my list is Fred again. Dubbed by many as a music genius, this Londoner has taken the EDM world by storm. His music process is unique — he is known to take the randomest sounds, such as personal facetime calls and random YouTube videos, to produce some of the hottest new tracks. His Boiler Room session in London was the breaking point in his career — after that, he released a song in collaboration with Skrillex and has performed multiple sold out shows. “Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)” was created by Fred in conversation with Blessed Madonna, whose speech is mixed in with Fred’s characteristic sound. The song focuses on some of the things we lost during the COVID-19 pandemic like hugs, dancing, and a certain sense of self. Though these times were not easy on anybody, the song acknowledges that “what comes next will be marvelous”.

Sons of Kemet — My Queen is Albertina Sisula

Described as a “political, UK-based modern jazz supergroup comprised of musicians from across the world”, Sons of Kemet have had a lot of success in their music journey. All three of their albums were nominated for multiple awards. This comes as no surprise, since this sax/clarinet, tuba, and drums ensemble combines modal and free jazz with a variety of African, Cuban, and Middle Eastern influences. “My Queen is Albertina Sisula” is a track on their second album Your Queen is a Reptile — a musical project released in the post-Brexit period. The title of this album plays into the reptilian conspiracy theory and criticizes the British monarchy for their ignorance on Black immigrants and their realities. With each track, Sons of Kemet propose an alternative monarch, having the title pay homage to an iconic woman. “My Queen is Albertina Sisula” of course refers to Albertina Sisula, a South African nurse and political and community activist, who was a particularly important figure in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.