Top 10 Global Artists to Check Out in 2009

This is HuffPost World's regular feature that highlights interesting musicians and musical trends around the world. Know of a great musician doing ground-breaking work outside the United States? Send us your ideas for bands to profile or up-and-coming musicians to follow. Please fill out this survey form.

I have not had a chance to listen to all of the music the world has to offer (yet) and therefore cannot pretend to offer you the very best 10 global artists from 2008. That being said, in addition to the artists featured over the past month, here are 10 figures from around the globe who graced us with good sounds in 2008, and who are worth watching in the new year. Without further ado, and in no particular order...



1) BelO is a socially-minded, Haitian-born singer-songwriter powerfully delivering jazz and worldbeat inflected reggae in French and Creole. His tours overseas have brought him to New York, Paris, and 11 African nations, in addition to his numerous performances throughout Haiti. He released his second LP, "Reference," in June.



2) Novalima is a multinational collective of Peruvian musicians playing electro infused Latin beats on a mini-battery of congas, cajons and like percussion. Their third album, "Coba Coba," was released in Peru this past October, but isn't due on the international market until January 2009.



3) Jazzanova is a Berlin production outfit best known for pioneering jazz house. In October, they trumpeted, so to speak, their fluency in a different vernacular with their eminently soulful, much-anticipated sophomore album, "Of All the Things."



4) Momokomotion is a former Bangkok indie-punker now crafting raw but catchy electro-pop tunes in Japan. She released ""Punk in a Coma" in January, with a full set of remixes (dubiously but not impossibly) slated for this December.



5) Tomer Yosef is an Israeli M.C. spitting verses and wailing choruses in Hebrew on top of grinding, modal beats. In August, he released "Laughing Underground," his solo debut.



6) Noble Society is a grime dancehall group that reaches from Brooklyn to Guyana (as vaguely referenced in my Dec. 5 entry for WMC). In October, they released "Take Charge," recently named among iTunes Best Reggae Albums of 2008.



7) Zuco 103, a trio based in Amsterdam, calls itself "Brazilectro." This unique style, as showcased in their October release "After the Carnaval," layers brazilian guitar, cavaquinho and cuica timbres (among others) over funky grooves to swaddle vocals that alternate between English to Portuguese.



8) Nneka is an oil-politics aware hip-hop songstress with one foot in resource rich Nigeria, where she was born and raised, and the other in Germany, where she has lived since she was nineteen. In April she released her second LP, "No Longer at Ease."



9) Mhee Noi is an explosive, irreverent Thai punk band, who appropriately invokes said tradition to indict police corruption and Thai society writ large. (Alas, their first full length album, Kluay Kak, seems to be only available at present if you happen to be in Bangkok, or able to read Thai).



10) Menino DiJa, a Rhode-Island resident rapping in Kriolo and English, released the video for Tentason, a track featuring fellow Cape Verdean Shokanti. The YouTube profile for the video promises an album "soon," so be sure to keep your eyes open and your ears peeled...

Special thanks to World Music Promotions, Nomadic Wax Records, Modiba Publishing+, Mo Glo Radio, DJ Santo, and HuffPost readers Simeon Chapin and Alain Mpenda for helping expose me to this music.

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Comments

[vjoseph]

I love, love, love, Jazznova (no, its not Jazzanova, its Jazznova). They are one of the coolest house music/chillout music producers in the world. In fact, everybody on Sonar Kollectiv are simply impressive. I would love to see house music spread and become a bit more mainstream. As for BelO, its funny to see an Haitian are your list, since today I was discussing about the lack of Haitian artists who play authentic Haitian music on the international scene. That makes me happy to see at least one.

[LeftLeftLeft]

I thought this was going to be about ARTISTS . . . you know, brushes, canvas. . . .

Never mind. . . . .

[curiousasheck]

Shut Up and play yer' guitar Gabe.

☺

[retrocozayshin]

I thought this was gonna be an article about death pools for next year. Yet ANOTHER misleading title.

[belnet]

Belo is very good. i'm so proud of him for the first time the Media talk something good from Haiti.I know they have a lot good things.

[jefered]

Zdob Si Zdub, from Moldova. Well worth whatever hoops you have to jump through to get their music. They are a fun and very talented mix of traditional Eastern European gypsy music and rock.

http://www.zdob-si-zdub.com/

[eliaskifle]

I think Ethiopia's singer Teddy Afro should be included in the top 3. He is a more internationally recognized singer than all those you mentioned in the list. Regards,

Elias Kifle, Publisher, EthiopianReview.com

[111]

this is a great addition to Huffpo - thanks for the post

[musakmeastro]

BAJAH and DRY YAI CREW!!!!

Bajah -- Sierra Leone's biggest pop star, is poised to hit is HUGE in 2009... stay up on this guy and move over Sean Paul!!

[barack is prez]

The American group "SIRIS" should be on this list. They're the only Western group composing and performing original Mandarin Chinese music. Saw them on MTV China last year. They rock!

[barack is prez]

I would include the group "SIRIS" on this list. They're the first and only Western group (American) composing original Chinese rock music. Pretty cool stuff.

[irtrad17]

Afrissippi!

[1sparrow]

8 years ago i would have said --check out shakira

[tryharder2think]

To add to the list:

Tiniwaren - an amazingly good touareg group.

Zap Mama - an oldy but still fantastic.