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Best of 2023

By Alejandra Orellana January 12, 2024
Best of 2023

In 2023, the music industry boomed and further established the power in the essence of creativity and movement. With the virality of songs online, the ever-growing popularity of authenticity and being true to their roots in the shapeshifting music space, these artists took on obstacles on their journey to becoming household names of the year.

Check out The Orchard’s partners who topped the year’s lists across genres, services, publications, and more earning tons of accolades for their successes.

Peso Pluma

In 2023, Doble P Records artist Peso Pluma brought Música Mexicana to the forefront of music globally. He released his sophomore album GÉNESIS which featured well-known artists such as Junior H, Grupo Frontera, and more! His collaboration with Eslabon Armado “Ella Baila Sola”, was one of the most listened to songs of the year and made it to the top of many ‘Best Songs of 2023’ lists.

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Caroline Polachek

Caroline Polachek released her much anticipated album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, receiving critical acclaim in 2023. Fan favorite tracks such as “Welcome To My Island”, “I Believe”, and “Pretty In Possible” were met with great success in the indie pop scene and beyond.

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RAYE

Human Re Sources artist RAYE unveiled her debut independent album My 21st Century Blues. This long awaited release on her journey to independence rocked the music industry and charted #1 on UK charts. Her collaboration with 070 Shake, “Escapism. – Super Sped Up”, charted #10 on Year on TikTok 2023 for Top Tracks in the UK.

BBC recently kicked off the new year with a showing of her live performance at Royal Albert Hall in London. She got 5 star reviews from the Evening Standard, The Telegraph, and The Guardian as well as 4 stars from the Financial Times and praise from Glamour Magazine and Mail On Line. View her performances of “Worth It.” and “Oscar Winning Tears.”

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Bizarrap

Dale Play Records artist Bizarrap produced top sessions with Latin artists Villano Antillano, Milo J, Arcángel, Peso Pluma, Shakira, and more! His collaboration with Shakira “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” debuted at #1 on the Spotify Daily Global Chart. On YouTube, the music video was trending #1 in 28 countries and it had over 50M views in the first 24 hours. It also broke the record for the biggest female-led Latin song of all time by first day streams on Apple Music worldwide on Jan 12th. Be sure to check out his latest collab with Young Miko, “YOUNG MIKO || BZRP Music Sessions #58.”

Jorja Smith

UK R&B star Jorja Smith shared her long awaited album falling or flying. She gracefully presents her vulnerability through songs like “Try and fit in” and “too many times” while also demonstrating playfulness in “Little Things” and “GO GO GO”. With collaboration from artists such as J Hus Lila Iké and songwriters Maverick Sabre, Jorja shares a journey of healing and embracing oneself.

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billy woods and Kenny Segal

Backwoodz Studios artists billy woods and Kenny Segal released their project Maps which received much praise in the Hip Hop scene and the music space at large. The album features collaborations from Danny Brown, Quelle Chris, Aesop Rock, and more! Brooklyn Vegan said it best, in this album “There’s no ploy for a hit single, a TikTok craze, or a Spotify playlist inclusion; they’re just continuing to make music on their own terms.”

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Armand Hammer

billy woods and ELUCID come together to form Armand Hammer – the duo that released We Buy Diabetic Strips in 2023. This album “looks in on modern chaos and romance, its abstractions and observations set to beats from JPEGMAFIA, El-P, and more that feel freewheeling but also carefully produced” says Vulture.  

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Kelsea Ballerini

Black River Entertainment artist Kelsea Ballerini shared Rolling Up The Welcome Mat with the world. For this EP/Short Film, Ballerini received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. She also performed her track “Leave Me Again” at the CMA Awards in Nashville last November. Additionally, in that same month Ballerini celebrated her first sold out arena show playing in her hometown of Knoxville, TN.

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Nas

Mass Appeal artist and Hip Hop legend Nas released 3 albums in 2023: King’s Disease III, Magic 2, and Magic 3. King’s Disease III, mostly produced by Hit-Boy, received high-acclaim and was notably Nas’ first album without featured artists. Moreover, Magic 2 has been included in Best of 2023 lists for Complex and XXL Mag, stating that Nas “has somehow found his second wind entering the third decade of his career” and his “ever-evolving flow is tighter than ever with cadences that further complement his elite lyrical ability.”

His label Mass Appeal celebrated 50 years of Hip Hop throughout 2023 though #HipHop50 Live which included park jams, music festivals, pop-up shops for merchandise, original content, web3 launches, and more. In collaboration with Fotografiska, they brought Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious to life; A major new exhibition of over 200 photographs, dated 1972 to 2022, that traces the rise and proliferation of hip-hop through five decades of work from the trailblazing image-makers who helped codify hip-hop as the most influential pop culture movement of its generation. 

Additionally, Mass Appeal x Sony Music Certified paid homage to some of the greatest voices of all-time by unveiling 50+ product releases via Legacy Recordings, Record Store Day, Vinyl Me, Please, Get On Down, Mobile Fidelity, and Urban Outfitters in 2023 to celebrate, commemorate, and honor the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop.

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YOASOBI

Japanese duo YOASOBI were a viral sensation in 2023. Their single “アイドル (Idol)” broke records and charted on Billboard Global Excl. US #1, a first for a Japanese-language song. They also held the No. 1 spot on the Japan Hot 100 for 21 consecutive weeks, an all-time record in the history of the Billboard Japan charts.Throughout 2023, the pair released various singles such as “Biri-Biri” and “HEART BEAT” as well as EP/full-length projects such as はじめての – EP and THE BOOK 3.

Paris Texas

Rap duo Paris Texas released their album MID AIR establishing their artistry through genre-bending and unwavering determination in their vision. MID AIR contains hits like  “Everybody’s Safe Until…” and “BULLET MAN” as well as collaborations with Kenny Mason and Teezo Touchdown. After it’s release they scored the #7 spot on Spotify’s Top Albums Debut USA chart.  

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Kara Jackson

In 2023, Kara Jackson released her album Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? Jackson expresses herself through honest, artful, and witty lyrics that transport listeners to a state of reflection and contemplation on how the world moves around them. Her song “dickhead blues” made it into the Top 40 of Pitckfork’s 100 Best Songs of the year.

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Joanna Sternberg

Fat Possum artist Joanna Sternberg released her sophomore album I’ve Got Me, produced by Matt Sweeney, and recorded at Strange Weather Studios in Brooklyn, NY. A rising star in the Folk and Indie Pop genres, Sternberg has amassed a large fanbase of successful musicians like Jeff Tweedy, Phoebe Bridgers, Regina Spektor, Conor Oberst, Angel Olsen, and more. “For an album about heartbreak and self-blame, it’s more uplifting than you’d think. The words speak of despair; the music tells a different story,” says Pitchfork.

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Corinne Bailey Rae

Thirty Tigers artist Corinne Bailey Rae launched Black Rainbows, an interpretation of the objects and artworks collected by Theaster Gates at the Stoney Island Arts Bank in Chicago. The project explores Black femininity, Spell Work, Inner Space/Outer Space, time collapse and ancestors, the erasure of Black childhood and music as a vessel for transcendence. Sonically, the album is a multi-genre mix of the progressive R&B, neo soul sound that will be familiar to fans but it also contains rock, jazz and electronic elements. 

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Thirty Tigers artist Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit released their album Weathervanes. This album tackles issues such as gun violence, the opioid crisis, and women’s rights through Isbell’s signature songwriting lens.The group has received 3 Grammy nominations for this project for Best Americana Performance, Best Americana Roots Song, and Best Americana Album. 

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The Wiggles

ABC Music artist The Wiggles had a big year scoring the #1 spot for Australian artists on Spotify in 2023! Last year, they received nominations for Best Independent Children’s Album or EP for Rewiggled at the AIR awards and Best Children’s Album for Ready, Steady, Wiggle! at the ARIAs.

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