Songs of the year, Number 10: Sampa The Great - Never Forget ft. Chef 187, Tio Nason, Mwanjé (Official...

An ambitious salute to Zamrock, 'Never Forget' sees Zambian born Sampa return to her roots literally and figuratively (she left Australia for Zambia at the start of the pandemic) with a fiercely proud sprawling, collaborative track that mixes hip hop with the sounds of Zambia, past and present. 

A collaboration between Sampa, her sister and singer Mwanjé, their cousin singer/songwriter, designer and director Tio Nason and Zambian hip hop artist Chef 187, the result is an incredibly moving and powerful track than transcends genre and instead becomes a cross between a tribute and a statement of intent. It has an incredibly moving sense of dignity and power that is only enhanced by its evocative and atmospheric video. 

Sampa The Great - Final Form (Brisbane, Sept 2019)

A suitably electric live version of the single 'Final Form' in Brisbane in September 2019, it contrasts with the somber lockdown tone of her live session for Africa Day in late May 2020, which you can watch here.

Fantasy Festival number 11: The Lineup

Tyson: Tyson McVey is such a new singer and songwriter that there's very little to listen to, to know, or to find out about her (musically speaking that is. On a personal level: She's from a famous family) online. Lauren Laverne played one of the tracks from her Moonlight Mixtape recently on her 6Music show, and I was smitten. As such, all I can really do is refer you to her Insta and her Soundcloud.

Niia: Sophisticated pop singer/songwriter and pianist Niia Bertino is two albums into her career, and her sound would sit well between Jessie Ware and Ariana Grande. You can find out more here.

The Japanese House: Comprised of Buckinghamshire singer/songwriter Amber Bain and her band, The Japanese House make stylishly arch but emotional synth pop for Gen Z. You can find out more here.

Poppy Adjudha: The South London singer/songwriter has ties to the metropolis's ever mushrooming contemporary jazz scene, and you can hear it in her voice as surely as you can feel it in her music. She mixes styles and genres with ease and her music is fresh and very 2020. Find out more here

Khruangbin: Hailing from Houston, Texas, Khruangbin are comprised of bassist Laura Lee, guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald Johnson. They initially got together over a shared love of Afghan music and middle eastern acrchitecture, according to Wikipedia, and take a similarly international approach to their music, combining a love of soul, psychedelia and dub. You can find out more over on their Bandcamp.

Sampa The Great: Sampa Tembo is a Zambian rapper and songwriter raised in Botswana but nowadays based in Australia. She is two albums into a career that has been looking healthy for a while but also has the potential to go stratospheric. You can find out more here.

Gossip: Fronted by Beth Ditto, a woman with a highly arresting, once heard never forgotten blues-y punk holler, Gossip originally formed in 1999 and split in 2016. Their surprise return in 2019 cemented their reputation as a fantastic disco punk band. You can read an interview with Beth in Clash magazine here.

Janelle Monáe: Singer, songwriter, producer, rapper and actor Janelle Monáe has been compared to everyone from James Brown to Prince to Outkast to Fela Kuti. Which is a damned impressive list, however you look at it. Her song 'Hell You Talmbout', always socially relevent, has gained ever more relevance since the murder of George Floyd at the end of May this year, but she's equally as well known for her Sci Fi influenced concept albums, particularly 2010's The ArchAndroid and 2018's Dirty Computer. Her Insta is here.