Under the radar - 5 artists to lstn. to this week.
PJ
Five women. Five voices. Five new universes to discover.
This week, Under the Radar travels across borders to spotlight voices you should know, each one telling a story the world needs to hear.
Ginge (Netherlands)
Amsterdam’s own GINGE stands at the crossroads of R&B, pop and club culture, a voice that thrives where emotion meets movement. Member of the sound collective exp., she’s been redefining the boundaries of electronic R&B with a UK-inspired twist, weaving soulful melodies through waves of garage, house and neo-soul textures. With her latest releases, GINGE captures the pulse of a generation learning to reclaim sensuality on its own terms, confident, free, and irresistibly alive.
PJ (USA)
Before becoming one of R&B’s most quietly confident voices, PJ, born Paris Jones, was the pen behind some of the biggest names in modern music. After writing hits for Chris Brown, Ty Dolla $ign and Fantasia, she stepped into her own light with Walking Around Pools (2015) and Rare (2016), projects that traded glossy industry polish for grounded, soul-stirring storytelling. Blending honesty, melody and grit, PJ has built a discography that feels less like pop ambition and more like lived experience, the sound of an artist turning everyday life into poetry.
Othélie (France)
In a French R&B landscape still finding its shape, Othélie stands out for her honesty and delicate strength. After years of singing in English, the Paris-based artist chose to return to her mother tongue, a decision that unlocked a more vulnerable, poetic side of her sound. Her debut EP POËSI, released in 2024, captures that transformation: a journey through introspection, sensitivity, and self-acceptance, blending soul, lullabies, and sleek R&B into something unmistakably her own.
Aby Coulibaly (Ireland)
Dublin-born singer-songwriter Aby Coulibaly bridges 90s R&B nostalgia with the warmth of neo-soul and the lyrical honesty of confessional rap. Drawing inspiration from her Senegalese roots and everyday Dublin life, she’s carved out a sound that feels both grounded and ethereal, silky vocals layered over lush, reflective production. Since debuting on SoundCloud in 2019, Aby has emerged as one of Ireland’s most compelling new voices, blending emotional depth with an understated confidence. Whether through the dreamy melancholy of “Long Nights” or the radiant hope of “Maybe,” her songs resonate with a rare authenticity, intimate, unguarded, and universal all at once. A rising figure in Ireland’s R&B scene, Aby is redefining what soulful storytelling sounds like in 2025.
Hannah Frances (USA)
Vermont-based vocalist, guitarist, and composer Hannah Frances is redefining the boundaries of folk music with a sound that feels both ancient and forward-looking. Hailed by NPR’s Ann Powers as “a stunning vocalist and songwriter, making monumental and mythic music,” Frances captured critical acclaim with her 2024 album Keeper of the Shepherd, which earned Pitchfork’s Best New Music. Her follow-up, Nested in Tangles, cements her as one of today’s most fearless storytellers, weaving narratives of family estrangement, emotional survival, and radical self-trust into sprawling, genre-bending compositions.