The Next Big Thing: Get Into the 70's Dreamscape of Ralph

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There are quite a few new artists I'm excited to introduce you to as they blossom into full grown pop superstars this year, but I wanted to start with the biggest and best one so far.

Canada is known for its irreverent take on pop, mixing sounds of yesterday with ingenious pop lyrics. Nelly Furtado, Dragonette, and Carly Rae of Sunshine Jepsen are a few examples of people who just GET IT. We can add another name to that list and it's the Cher-loving synth-popping Raffa Weyman AKA Ralph!

Based out of Toronto, Ralph first popped up on my radar (REFERENCE) with the sinister and sweet "Cold To The Touch", an ode to physical pleasure without any of the emotional baggage tied to it. From the chunky bass line to the smooth synths in the background, it's pretty immediate how Ralph is onto something special here. "I'm just trying to be honest, I'm not what you wanted." It takes a very special perspective to write anti-love songs but Ralph has mastered the art and can do even more.

She followed up this banger with the breakup anthem "Something More" that takes the sound of your first heartbreak and amplifies it into, well, something more! The line "at twenty-something, feels like losing forever" will likely shatter any hopeless romantic and the whimsical synths don't stop there. "Busy Man" is a slow burning Carly-esque ballad-banger that sees Ralph wanting to break her busy man down, no matter what her friends say. These songs all show a beautiful variety of tempos and subject matter but that all changed this year when she released literal pop monster "Tease".

One of the best songs of this year, "Tease" details Ralph calling a fuckboi out on his bullshit in much sweeter words. "You're writing love notes to every girl on the block, baby you should know us girls we talk". A lesson to be learned for sure but it's the synth-filled rush of a chorus that truly makes you tingle. The uncommon song structure, incredible lyrics, and sense of euphoria remind me of all the best songs I've ever listened to and having such a tremendous banger at the start of her career bodes well for Ralph.

After the release of "Tease", Ralph went ahead and released the best pop EP of the year so far. The self-titled collection includes all of her previous hits, other than early track "Trouble", plus two new songs. "Crocodile Tears" is one of my favorites and lines up nicely with "Cold To The Touch" in not dealing with a guy's antics. We'll have to wait and see what Ralph has up her sleeve next but just based on her pop trajectory so far, I hope she doesn't "Tease" us for long!

You can follow Ralph on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and listen to her amazing EP on Spotify!