KidNews recently looked at some way-hot boy groups and performers who have taken over the music charts. Now it’s the girls’ turn. There’s no shortage of young, talented female musicians who rule: Alanis Morissette, LeAnn Rimes and Fiona Apple are among three of the most popular. But there’s a whole crop of up-and-coming females who are well on their way to making a dent in the pop charts. Here are some new girls on the block we predict you’ll be hearing plenty from.
GARRISON STARR
Home: (Memphis, Tenn.)
Age: 22
Influences: Garrison’s twangy voice and rough-edged sound combine rock, pop and folk. Musicians from Cracker, Wilco and The Bangles contributed to her just-released major label album, “Eighteen Over Me,” on Geffen Records.
The scoop: Garrison was still in high school when she began playing coffeehouse and club gigs in Memphis. She learned the ropes of the music business as an assistant at Ardent Records in Memphis.
Alana Davis
Home: New York
Age: 21
Influences: Her parents (Alana’s father is a jazz pianist, her mother a singer), Stevie Wonder, Siouxsie Sioux, Joni Mitchell, soul singer Bill Withers
The scoop: Time magazine rated Alana’s album “Blame It on Me” one of the best debuts of the year (it includes a cover of the Ani DiFranco song “32 Flavors”). The singer-songwriter received major exposure this year at the Lilith Fair.
SARAH MASEN
Home: Detroit
Age: 21
Influences: The Call, Sam Phillips, The Ocean Blue, Victoria Williams
The scoop: Masen’s alternative, self-titled album features deep, intelligent lyrics. Masen was a history and literature major in college, and her favorite works include William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”
Miss Angie Turner
Home: Springfield, Mo.
Age: 21
Influences: Angie says that she grew up in a family “that traveled together in a band like the Partridge Family.”
The scoop: Miss Angie is on the same label as Christian pop singer Amy Grant (Myrrh Records). But her sound is anything but tame. Miss Angie’s album “100 Million Eyeballs” has an aggressive pop edge that sounds like a cross between Veruca Salt and Juliana Hatfield.
