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For many of us, each day starts with getting in the car or turning on the shower radio to hear our usual preset blaring a popular station such as Kiss 107.5 or Star 102.5. Often, however, outstanding musical work doesn’t make it onto prominent pop radio channels and fails to reach large audiences. Here are a few musical artists that have slid through the cracks and whose work deserves more attention than constant Chainsmokers replays.

Ryn Weaver
Singer and songwriter Ryn Weaver was first noticed when her hit single “OctaHate” generated positive buzz in 2014. She first released the single on her personal SoundCloud and gained attention from major mainstream artists such as Charlie Puth, Charli XCX and Paramore within hours.

Weaver’s songs tie together qualities of many genres and pave the way for a new sound in modern music. However, her work typically falls somewhere in the electro-pop category. “OctaHate” stood out for its polished angst and effortless exterior, which is a cohesive theme in Weaver’s collection of work, including albums “Promises” and “The Fool.” Her songs apply her personal aesthetics to a variety of musical moods, which is invigorating to hear floating through your sound system in the midst of today’s hollow music industry. Her compositions are glistening, cathartic, self-destructive and human.

Juke Ross
Juke Ross, another underrated singer and songwriter, has delivered powerful messages to fans anthem after anthem. Ross, the first Guyanese artist to record on an American label, writes compelling melodies that are humble and reserved yet heartbreaking and soulful. His early work includes hit single “Colour Me,” which gained wide attention, becoming an online sensation and exceeding 500,000 streams on Spotify. The single took off and eventually landed him a record contract with Republic Records, a major label that records artists such as Ariana Grande, Drake and Hailee Steinfeld.
His songwriting falls in the alternative folk genre. He consistently showcases a hungry, life-loving heart, eager for raw emotion and experiences. His tracks are usually acoustic with breezy instrumentation and passionate vocals. Everything about his compositions feels organic, which is a refreshing feeling in the heavily autotuned reality of popular music today.

MisterWives
American band MisterWives consists of lead singer Mandy Lee, guitarist Marc Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Jesse Blum, bassist William Hehir, saxophonist Mike Murphy, and percussionist Etienne Bowler. Derived from the desire to form an ‘80s cover band, the group played its first show in 2013 in New York City. The next day, the band was signed to Photo Finish Records. Since signing, MisterWives has opened for acts such as Panic! at the Disco, Twenty One Pilots, Walk the Moon, Foster the People and Paramore but still remains a secondary group, sidelined in the world of headlining musical bands.

Rebellious, colorful and percussive, MisterWives challenges societal musical norms. The group has woven through multiple genres, including indie pop, alternative rock, soul and folk. They seem to intertwine all these categories perfectly. With a combination of sass and subtlety, it is easy to get lost in their enthralling sound. As each of their songs delivers a different feeling and element of commotion, it seems MisterWives cannot be placed into one category. MisterWives is highly undervalued and constantly pushes the eclectic envelope.

William Singe
William Singe is an Australian singer and songwriter, originally notable for his videos on YouTube and Facebook. Before transitioning to solo artistry, Singe started his career as a member of The Collective, an Australian boy band. In 2015, Singe left the group and began approaching music as a solo act. He recorded and posted several R&B, pop, reggae, hip-hop and rap covers and accumulated a massive listening, including 20 million streamers on Spotify. Singe officially signed with RCA Records in 2016.
While Singe started his career doing mostly covers, he has since evolved, releasing original work that mirrors the pop, R&B and hip-hop material he began posting online. His debut single, “Rush,” is smooth and stirring and represents his stance as an artist. He has a rich, velveteen quality in his voice that balances innocence and mischief and turns any genre into easy listening.

Just because an artist’s name doesn’t come up on live radio or the top of the music charts doesn’t mean they aren’t worth consideration. These artists channel the likes of Zedd, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd and more. Each of them have original extended-play records or major studio albums available for stream and purchase on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora. Hopefully one track or performance will encourage you to look past the surface at all that the world of music truly has to offer. Tomorrow morning, instead of leaving your preset where it is, consider connecting your bluetooth or plugging in that aux cord to immerse yourself in new music options.