Meet The Latest Generation of Pop Stars: Dominic Fike and Suki
Dominic Fike
In February, rising 24-year-old Florida singer and rapper Dominic Fike announced on Instagram that he had completed the recording of his debut album.
The talented artist has been clued in to set the blueprint for the future of modern pop singers, certainly high accolade for the homemade internet sensation. The world first took notice in October 2018, after starting a bidding war amongst majr record labels, released his inaugural EP entitled Don't Forget About Me, Demos. These six breathtaking songs gave a measure of his talent from the first seconds alone with 3 Nights, a definite bop which has reached more than 28 million views on YouTube at the time of writing.
It's impossible to categorise this polymorphic artist under a single genre. Like many musicians of his generation, he draws his inspiration from a wide range of styles, a product of growing up with the Internet's vast range of infleunces at his fingertips. In his first EP, we could hear hip-hop influences, of course, but also an atmosphere surf rock, guitar riffs inherited from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, catchy pop melodies and a voice that does not hesitate to both sing and rap.
No wonder, then, The New Yorker wrote that he embodied “the foggy, genre-less future of popular music” , in an April 2019 article. His fan base is also ever-expanding, and not only in the world of music. Last September, Dominic worked with Marc Jacobs to design a hoodie featuring a butterfly whose wings appear to be on fire. This much-requested singer also appears on Halsey's third album earlier this year.
Behind these luxury collaborations, Dominic never forgets where he comes from: originating from Naples, Florida, a young Dominic was raised by a single mother, together with his two brothers and sister. He was part of the Backhouse Music collective (with Slyte, Seno, Ike Offline ...), before going solo in 2017.
During this period, he composed his first EP while he was under house arrest for long weeks following an altercation with a police officer. He chose to speak out about this incident last June, three years after the incident, sparked by the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. On his Instagram page, he posted a poignant text, explaining that he had planned to unveil the first single from his album but that the movement was much more important. He draws a damning report of what he lived by, adding a note of hope: “Widespread racism and brutal abuse of power are rooted problems in this country, but things can change. In recent weeks we have seen a glimmer and we must act. [...] I will send you my music soon, but we have other things to do today. Support each other. ”
EP Don't Forget About Me, Demos (Columbia), available. First album to come
By Noémie Lecoq
Suki
At the tender age of 18, Suki embodies a new generation who is guided by her passions. With her multicultural origins, her fine features and her sultry air, you might think she came out of a manga.
But the young woman is, on the contrary, well anchored in reality, determined to break into the music industry that has always inspired her ... She grew up along to songs of Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Earth Wind and Fire and even Jimi Hendrix growing up. She comes from a musical family - her father plays the guitar, and she sings a lot with her family. At 12, she received her first guitar, which she never seperated from. Her musical talents showed up early, where she composesd and performed her first pieces. Then at 15, she released some of her orignal music on SoundCloud, and reached positive public reception.
From then on, she devoted herself entirely to her work, refining her musical style over time. Each song comes with it a cathartic value to her. Through her singular and hypnotic universe, we can already sense a great career ahead for this natural born artist.
By Pauline Borgogno
