Segarini's Forecast For New Acts We Need To Know About

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Songsmith, band leader, broadcaster, blogger, cultural maven, pop historian -- the descriptives for Bob Segarini could stretch a country mile and he'd still beat you out with another gale force torrent of opinion about how to fix the music biz, the media and...well, let's just say Bob isn't ever short of an opinion on whatever the topic of conversation is. Give him his due though, he's crafted a litany of pop songs that still sound as fresh as when first recorded, he has a knack for a hook, a way with words, and an ear for talent. We asked him to give us 10 new acts we should keep our ears out for in the coming year. He didn't quite stick to the storyline, but that's Bob. Here's what he submitted.

THE ARTISTS AND MUSIC I'M PAYING ATTENTION TO GOING INTO 2021

Ladies First

Samantha Fish

Been paying her dues for a long time, Ms. Fish is more than ready for the Bigs. This woman doesn't need a chorus line or circus on stage with her.

Rumer

No matter what she does, her performances always ring with honesty, passion, and a purity unlike anyone since Karen Carpenter. An artist of immense talent.

Bruno Mars

He could retire on the near-perfect Mark Ronson collaboration Uptown Funk, but Mr. Mars still has more to offer, which I am hoping to hear in 2021. In the meantime, his homage to Prince with Morris Day and The Time in 2017 will get me through New Year's Eve.

Rival Sons

As long as these guys keep writing and performing, Rock is alive and healthy. The real deal that continues to evolve musically while they conquer the world one stage at a time. Expect a new CD in 2021...and to me, this is the GREATEST rock video of all time.

Mashups

What's wrong with breathing new life into the old classics? Nothing, really, except for a few more pennies to the publishers. Never understood why radio shies away from playing these creative little pieces of art ...they regularly play songs loaded with samples, so there really isn't much difference...except for how much fun mash-ups can be. For example...

K-Pop

BTS has broken through to some extent (who am I kidding ...they're HUGE), but the girl groups are the backbone of K-Pop and I'm surprised they haven't exploded here in North America. Great songs, entertaining performances, talented artists, and wickedly far better than our pop music here in Canarica. Now that BTS has opened the door, expect an invasion as invasive as that long-ago British one back in the '60s, already in progress with BlackPink.

Dirty Loops

If there is any one group that hints at the possibilities of new directions in popular music, it is these young men and their incredible talent and vision. I first became aware of them years ago when they proved to me that Justin Bieber is a good writer.

Then, not believing what I had been hearing from them, went to see them live and had my mind blown. They played. Minimum lights. No stage set. It was like 1965. So good, it brought tears to my eyes more than once. No album released in Canada at the time, no radio airplay, and they sold out The Opera House for an 8 - 9:30pm show and delivered exactly that, then stayed and chatted with the audience until almost midnight.

Musically, there is nothing like them except the young musicians they have been inspiring.

...and Rush Fans ...you need to hear these guys.

You also might want to check out the lead singer, Jonah Nilsson, with Richard Bona, another treasure trove of great music.

...which brings us to ...

Jacob Collier

Check out this video. Looking forward to seeing what he gets up to in 2021.

Also keep your eyes and ears open for Courage My Love, James Blonde, Samantha Martin, Robyn Black, and anything that Lou Pomanti has anything to do with.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!