5 Modern Folk Music Artists You Need to Know
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Discover five of the most talented and innovative modern folk music artists working today. From intimate singer-songwriters to boundary-pushing experimentalists, these artists are expanding the possibilities of the genre and creating some of the most exciting music around.
Introducing 5 modern folk music artists you need to know.
The term “folk music” can often bring to mind images of dusty old records and crackly radio static. But in recent years, the genre has undergone a renaissance of sorts, with a new crop of artists carrying the torch for the old-timey sound. Here are 5 modern folk music artists you need to know.
Passenger
British singer-songwriter Passenger is one of the most popular folk music artists of the past few years. His 2013 album All the Little Lights was a huge success, reaching number one in several countries. Passenger’s music is often described as heart-warming and roof-raising, and his live performances are not to be missed.
The Paper Kites
The Paper Kites are an indie folk band from Melbourne, Australia. The band consists of Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy, David Powys, Sam Morris and Kirsty Tickle. The Paper Kites have released three studio albums, States (2013), twelvefour (2015) and On the Train Ride Home (2018).
The Paper Kites have been acclaimed for their intricate and beautiful melodies, as well as for the high quality of their songwriting. The band has been nominated for several awards, including the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album (for twelvefour) and the APRA AMCOS Artisan Award (for On the Train Ride Home).
If you’re a fan of modern folk music, then you need to check out The Paper Kites!
Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons are a British folk rock band from London, formed in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, electric guitar), Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, electric guitar) and Ted Dwane (bass guitar, double bass, backing vocals). Mumford & Sons have released three studio albums: Sigh No More (2009), Babel (2012) and Wilder Mind (2015). The band has also released three live albums: Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire (2011), The Road to Red Rocks (2011) and Live from South Africa: Dust and Thunder(2017).
Mumford & Sons are known for their live performances and have headlined various music festivals including Glastonbury Festival, Bonnaroo Music Festival,bottleRock Napa Valley Festival and Austin City Limits Music Festival. The band has also won several awards including a Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Babel and an American Music Award for Favorite Alternative Rock Artist.
The Lumineers
The Lumineers are an American folk rock band from Denver, Colorado. The band’s classic lineup consists of Wesley Schultz on guitar and lead vocals, Jeremiah Fraites on drums, percussion, and mandolin, and Neyla Pekarek on cello and piano. The Lumineers rose to prominence in 2012 with their debut single “Ho Hey”, which peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band’s self-titled debut album was released in April 2012 and peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
The Lumineers’ sophomore album, Cleopatra, was released in April 2016 and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. The album’s lead single, “Ophelia”, reached number 4 on the Hot 100 chart. To date, the band has released three studio albums and 11 singles. They have sold over 10 million albums worldwide and have been nominated for three Grammy Awards, winning one for Best American Roots Performance for “The Weight” in 2018.
Of Monsters and Men
Of Monsters and Men are an indie folk-pop band which formed in 2010 in Reykjavik, Iceland. The band members are co-lead vocalists and guitarists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar “Raggi” þórhallsson, drummer Guðmundur “Gummi” beneedingsson, lead guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, and bassist Kristján Páll Kristjánsson. Hilmarsson is from Akureyri and Beneedingsson is from Hvammstangi; the rest of the band members’ hometowns are not known.
The band rose to prominence in 2011 with their debut album My Head Is an Animal, which peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard 200 and topped the charts in several other countries. Of Monsters and Men won the 2013 European Border Breakers Award.
My Name Is Bear is the first album by Of Monsters and Men as a trio, released on 4 October 2019 by Republic Records. It follows their second album Beneath the Skin (2015) and features singles “Alligator” and “Ahay”.
