Stevie Parker - The Cure (2017)

Based in Bath, U.K., Stevie Parker was an ambient/electro-pop singer/songwriter who debuted her first single, "Never Be," on SoundCloud in April 2015. Combining pronounced, thudding electronic beats, resonant piano notes, shimmering synth leads, and warm, reverberated guitar strums, the track owed a debt to fellow ethereal pop acts such as the XX, and Parker's powerful and rueful vocals were compared to the likes of Georgia Nott from Broods and London Grammar's Hannah Reid. Describing her sound as "pop music with a bit of a dark electronic/ambient twist and an emphasis on lyrics," Parker didn’t begin writing songs proper until she went to university. After getting together an ensemble to translate her songs for the stage and landing a number of live shows on the local gig circuit, she opened for Aero Flynn and performed alongside Jessie J at the Bristol Summer Series 2015, eventually capturing the attention of BBC's Radio's emerging artist show Introducing in the West. At the tail-end of 2015, Parker was in the studio working on more songs, aiming for a full-length release. ~ Rob Wacey