If we’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s that the old certainties are no longer to be relied on. Whether politically, culturally, technologically or artistically, change is the only constant – which can be a dizzying thing, but also thrilling.

Pop music and culture are no longer centred on the US and UK, plus the boundaries between high and low art are eroding fast. Thanks to online culture, the strangest and most category-evading things can become global sensations in an instant.

Yet for all the unpredictability, trends still exist, and certain things are definitely on the rise – so this is what we suggest you look out for in the coming year.

A Different Side To Soul  

The sounds variously known as Afrobeats, Afro-swing and Afro-bashment, coming from Nigeria, Ghana and the global diaspora, are generally seen as for the club first, with big beats, bass and auto-tune vocals being about instant impact.

But this is a vast and diverse scene, and there’s a great deal of song writing sophistication in the mix too – something that’s been coming to the surface recently.

Witness the maturing of one of the 2010s’ big stars, Burna Boy – particularly in his sultry recent collaborations with Jorja Smith and Mahalia.

See also British acts of West African extraction – Kojey Radical, J-Hus, Ezi Emela, BenjiFlow and Ragz Originale among others, who are ramping up the musicality, often working with musicians from London’s burgeoning soul-jazz scene.

And perhaps the one to watch closest in 2020 is Rema (pictured in the lead visual), Nigeria’s newest rising star, who though only 19 is broadening his sound to incorporate smooth soul, Bollywood influences, and is ambitious enough to not just want to be the new Burna Boy, but the new Michael Jackson or Stevie Wonder.

Intimately Neoclassical

“Neoclassical” – the inter-zone between traditional orchestral music, electronica and post-rock – has stealthily become huge on a global scale. Artistes like Nils Frahm and Max Richter regularly sell out huge concert halls and clock up millions of streams.

This certainly isn’t going away, but a really interesting area to watch is solo artistes or small ensembles within this. Early 2020 sees the release of a gorgeous collection, Miniatures on the {Int}erpret Null label founded by Mark McGlinchey and Mirza Ramic: a set of one minute pieces showing how much can be done in a small space.

Guatamalan singer/songwriter/cellist Mabe Fratti will also be a name to watch. Her upcoming Pies Sobre La Tierra (“feet on the ground”) is a stunning piece of work, giving a powerful sense of intimate proximity to the sound – but for all the delicacy, there’s a power to her voice and songwriting that suggests she could be a major star.

Caption: Mabe Fratti. 

Look out also for a reissue of Sylvain Chauveau’s 2012 Simple album, a record which prefigured much that has happened in the 2010s and should land well with the increased appetite for simplicity and elegance in this area.

Rock Goes Green 

Last year saw ecological consciousness finally forcing its way to the top of the pop cultural agenda, with even the biggest acts speaking out. But we haven’t even seen the start of it yet.

This year is guaranteed to be full of both rhetoric and action on this front. Coldplay’s decision not to tour this year to reduce carbon emissions is a huge moment. A band this big is a multimillion dollar industry in themselves, and this is a huge sacrifice of income for them.

Expect shockwaves and serious discussion about the live music industry throughout the year. Pop band The 1975 using Greta Thunberg’s words in a track will also be a precursor for environmental concern as a creative driver.

Caption: Matty Healey and Greta Thunberg. 

Already we have albums due from Beans On Toast (a project from retro rock ‘n’ roll trio Kitty, Daisy & Lewis) full of rowdy polemic, and from Ian William Craig, with deeper meditations, written and recorded in a Canadian city encircled by forest fires. We can guarantee these won’t be the last “eco-records” this year.

Regional Rap Voices

If there’s one safe bet in making musical predictions, it’s that hip hop culture won’t stand still. A genre predicated on constant battling to be biggest and best is always going to evolve fast, and this isn’t stopping now.

The big story of the 21st century has been the increasing acceptance of diversity of accents in rap: at the turn of the millennium everything was still dominated by New York and LA, with the southern (and particularly Atlanta) twang that now rules hip hop still a novelty.

Caption: Jaykae. 

Since then we’ve seen Caribbean and West African voices increasingly part of the rap mainstream, and even British ones too, especially with the global success of Stormzy. But the UK has many more accents than just London, and the recent local success of Manchester’s Aitch and Bugsy Malone, Birmingham’s Jaykae, Mist and Lady Leshurr and Nottingham’s Young T & Bugsey have brought their distinctive voice to pop radio ubiquity.

Will we hear these acts going global too? Will we even start hearing rappers with French, Chinese or Indian accent on the world stage? Don’t bet against it.

Scary Art Pop

Strange times call for strange art, and one of the most exciting things in pop recently has been seeing how sonically and visually theatrical people are willing to get. The most glaring example is Billie Eilish, with her creepy-crawling electronic cabaret sound, off kilter ASMR close-up vocals and downright disturbing videos.

Charli XCX also has been taking things to extremes, with her continued collaborations with radical electronic artistes like Scotland’s Sophie Xeon blurring the boundaries between pop, art and underground music.

Caption: Jazmin Bean.

But things can always get more extreme, and the rise of singer Jazmin Bean (daughter of Wildhearts singer Ginger), with her terrifying fairy tale-horror prosthetics and lyrics, her friend the fetish visual artist Salvjia, and the artist/producer Doon Kanda – already known for his visuals for Arca, FKA Twigs and Bjork, now making seductive electronica for connoisseurs’ favourite label Hyperdub – you can expect thing to get very weird, very quickly.

Cover Image: Rema

Writer l Joe Muggs

Joe Muggs is a writer, DJ and curator of many years standing, covering both mainstream and underground. His book 'Bass, Mids, Tops', covering decades of UK bass music, is out now via Strange Attractor / MIT Press, and you can subscribe to his newsletter at tinyletter.com/joemuggs