Top 10 Artists Shazam Expects To Break in 2014, Based on User Curiosity

When people hold their phones in the air to identify a song, they are essentially saying, “I don’t know what this song is, but I like it.”

As such, Shazam has unique insight into where our collective music taste is headed. Which artists are people most curious about? Which ones make them fire up Shazam to tag the song and find out more? By mining that data, it should be possible to tell which artists are about to get big, which is how Shazam predicted that hip-hop would dominate 2011, that the summer jam of 2012 would be by Gotye, and correctly identified 11 of 16 Grammy winners earlier this year.

So, what does Shazam see in its crystal ball for 2014, based on the songs over 400 million Shazam users are tagging? Here’s the list, courtesy of Shazam, in alphabetical order:

Action Bronson – Queens native Bronson lists early influences as Wu-Tang Clan. He launched his first album 2011 but gained huge Shazam tags in 2013 after releasing several hotly tipped mix tapes.

August Alsina – August’s single “I Luv This Shit” has been one of the most Shazamed rap tracks of 2013 and his mix tape tracks are also gaining traction with hip hop heads

Banks – Born Jillian Banks, she started writing music as a teenager in suburban LA and released an acclaimed EP in 2013.

Jhené Aiko – Collaborations with Drake and Big Sean thrust her into the public eye in 2013. Now, after releasing a mix tape, ‘Sail Out’, Aiko looks set for big things.

Kid Ink – XXL Magazine listed Kid Ink among artists like Danny Brown and Macklemore in its 2012 Freshman Class feature. Signed with RCA/Epic, Kid Ink is set to release his first album under a major label this year.

Lucy Hale – Best known for her role as Aria Montgomery on the ABC Family series, Pretty Little Liars, Hale is set to be the next country star.

Martin Garrix – Dutch DJ best known for his track, “Animals,” Garrix is the youngest person ever to top the Beatport charts.

Rich Homie Quan – Georgia native and artist for the Island Jam label, Quan has been named by the New York Times as one of “Atlanta’s rising generation of rappers … who deliver lines with melody and heart, like singers on the verge of a breakdown.”

Sam Smith – London-born Smith contributed the soaring vocals on Disclosure’s 2013 hit, “Latch” and Naughty Boy’s “La La La.” He prefers the raw soul style in the vein of his favorite artists, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin.

Vance Joy – Originally from Melbourne, Vance Joy has already achieved success in his native Australia with his single, “Riptide,” and is set to break globally this year.

Keep an eye out for those artists in 2014. If you Shazam’s data is to be believed, you’ll be hearing a lot more about these artists next year. Its track record is somewhat decent: Shazam picked Haim and French Montana to break out in 2013, and A$AP Rocky and Lana Del Rey in 2012, all of which came to pass.

In addition to these predictions for next year, Shazam also posted its top tracks and artists of 2013 in a variety of categories.

This story was originally published by Evolver.fm