Local artistes among top under-25 musicians in the world

SINGAPORE - Singapore's very own musical talents have proven their abilities among the world's top musicians.

The Sam Willows and Gentle Bones have emerged as the top 25 who are under 25 years of age in the world, according to a list by Swedish music streaming service Spotify that was revealed on Wednesday. 11 of the artistes are female singers or groups.

Young quartet The Sam Willows is one of Singapore's most prominent bands. They've performed in several events in Singapore, including opening the recent National Day Parade for the nation's golden jubilee anniversary on Aug 9. The band also contributed three tracks to the South East Asian Games' (SEA Games) music compilation Songs of the Games.

Joel Tan, 21, who goes by the moniker Gentle Bones, is the first Singaporean artiste to be signed by Universal Music Singapore. His debut single 'Until We Die' was also Singapore's favourite track in 2014 on Spotify Singapore.

Topping the list is 24-year-old UK singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, who also holds the title of the most-streamed artist of 2014, and the record for being the first British artiste to reach two billion streams on Spotify.

According to Spotify, the list was determined using a variety of factors including number-one hits, volume and growth of streams over the past year as well as the artistes' performance on the Spotify viral chart, and was a compilation of choices by Singapore users.

Finishing behind Sheeran respectively are Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus, and One Direction. Others who made it to the list include mainstream artistes Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Echosmith, who was in town last week on Aug 11 for their first performance.

The list also features Asian artistes such as K-pop acts EXO and CL, and Cantopop and Mandopop powerhouse G.E.M. who finished sixth and 11th respectively.

Regarding the music scene in Singapore, Ms Sunita Kaur, managing director, Spotify (Asia) said: "Singaporeans have very diverse music tastes, and it is reflected in this list of young artists that they are listening to. We're thrilled to reveal that Gentle Bones and The Sam Willows are fast becoming household names in Singapore.

"We're always looking to support local artists by showcasing their talent on the global stage," she added.

stephluo@sph.com.sg

Spotify's 25 Under 25 (Singapore):

1. Ed Sheeran
2. Ariana Grande
3. Sam Smith
4. Miley Cyrus
5. One Direction
6. EXO
7. Disclosure
8. Selena Gomez
9. Demi Lovato
10. BTS
11. G.E.M.
12. Fifth Harmony
13. Meghan Trainor
14. CL
15. Justin Bieber
16. Kygo
17. James Bay
18. AOA
19. Charlie Puth
20. Rita Ora
21. Gentle Bones
22. Hunter Hayes
23. The Sam Willows
24. 5 Seconds of Summer
25. Echosmith

Spotify's 25 Under 25 (Global):

1. Ed Sheeran
2. Ariana Grande
3. Sam Smith
4. Miley Cyrus
5. One Direction
6. Disclosure
7. Selena Gomez
8. Rae Sremmurd
9. Demi Lovato
10. Fifth Harmony
11. Meghan Trainor
12. Kygo
13. James Bay
14. Charlie Puth
15. Justin Bieber
16. Rita Ora
17. Martin Garrix
18. Vince Staples
19. Hunter Hayes
20. Silento
21. 5 Seconds of Summer
22. Dej Loaf
23. Echosmith
24. SZA (pron. "sizza")
25. Halsey