2020 saw the dramatic rise of a new subgenre – hyperpop. Hyperpop music typically consists of upbeat, melodic, pop and dance beats with hip hop drum patterns and feature vocal styles ranging from the pitched up melodies of Jackie Platinum to glitched out rap sounds of David Shawty and BBY GOYARD. Hyperpop has been fully embraced by the youth, with many prominent artists and fans being teenagers. In this article, we’ll cover the 5 most exciting hyperpop acts of 2020 that you need to watch in 2021.
Delto
Coming out of Luxembourg is an incredibly talented 16 year old producer and recording artist named Delto. Their infectious collaboration with Ericdoa and Glasear, Problem, which recently placed on Spotify’s Fresh Finds and Fresh Finds: Hip Hop editorial playlists helped establish them as a key player in the hyperpop scene. In addition to Problem, their top singles include Backdoor featuring SEBii, and I Don’t Wanna with joss lockwood and Cypheracite. Learn more about Delto in our recent interview.
Jackie Platinum
Jackie has been one of our favorite artists since early 2018 and he has continued to impress us as he breaks into new genres and experiments with completely unique sounds. While Jackie is not a standard hyperpop artist, his music often falls into the subgenre. His creation of and involvement in the Varsity music collective featuring artists such as Boofbby, Kasper Gem, Curtains, and more, helped establish him along with his popular single Nova Scotia featuring Foreign Forest. Read our interview with Jackie Platinum here.
David Shawty
David Shawty is a 20 year old San Jose, California born musician running the hyperpop and glitchcore scenes. After the success of his singles Kiss My Own Dick and Under Pressure with frequent collaborator and friend Yungster Jack on Tik Tok, David began receiving high praise from blogs and curators for his original and glitchy sound. Learn more about David Shawty in this article from earlier this year.
BBY GOYARD
BBY GOYARD has a number of affiliations that he frequently shouts out in his music: (1500, SSX, and BMG) along with a pseudonym, Lil Shannon, he often references in his songs. For the past few years, he has released genre-fusing and mindbending singles including his incredibly popular Run Shannon Run, which many credit as a huge inspiration to the hyperpop scene, in addition to 100 gecs. Since then, he’s released three full length projects, Loose Lips and Sharp Tongues, Euphoria, and Symbiote, on all streaming platforms. Learn more about BBY GOYARD here.
Boofbby
Boofbby is a fantastic and unique artist who has collaborated with artists including Jackie Platinum, Kasper Gem, Cartoon Ben, and other artists in the Varsity collective he is a member of. While many artists with similar sounds pitch their vocals up digitally, Boofbby is able to pull off incredible highs contrasting with booming lows completely naturally. With the right team by his side, and a ton of talent, Boofbby is an artist we’re hoping to see shine in 2021.
If you like hyperpop, you’ll definitely want to keep your eyes on these artists. If you are looking for similar sounds, check out our favorite pop rap and emo rap acts this year. Make sure to follow these artists on Spotify and social media!