3 under 30k - Pt 2.
New music from Rona Mac, Toni Sancho, and Thaïs Ray.
Hi friends,
I’m sharing three amazing women with you today who deserve more recognition. I’ve also made a few slight changes to the format and will now include pronouns and put more emphasis on sharing platforms where you can support each artist directly. I’m always open to suggestions regarding this series or artists you’d like to see included here, so feel free to reach out! Thanks for reading and supporting these artists ✌️
1 – Rona Mac (they/them)
Alt-Folk | 15,600 monthly listeners on Spotify
📍 West Wales, UK
I discovered Rona Mac through their song “Steady”, but it is “showmehowyoumourn” that made me pause in awe. Half song, half poem, and featuring voice notes from a friend, Mac says the track “is inspired by some incredible people in my life and the relationships which got dark and heavy when dark and heavy things happened.” It’s hard to compare their music to anything, but if I tried, I would say it’s a mix of early Laura Marling and early Justin Vernon (before he was Bon Iver). Mac is producing, mixing, and mastering their work in a caravan home studio. Their music is deeply influenced by their rural surroundings in West Wales, with lyrics that explore themes of identity, personal struggles, and societal issues. You’ll find a link to support them on Patreon below, where they talk more in-depth about their music.
Streaming | IG | Patreon | Bandcamp
2 – Toni Sancho (she/her)
Indie/Alt. R&B | 10,300 monthly listeners on Spotify
📍 London, UK
Toni Sanchao was born in the Caribbean; she spent the first half of her life in England and the second half in Trinidad. Her music is vulnerable but liberating, merging the rhythmic and cultural influences of both the Caribbean and the UK. She began her music career relatively recently (initially by picking up the Ukulele during the pandemic) and started releasing music in 2021 through her own label, Blue Daisy Collective. Her debut EP, Heaven Knows, came out last week, on May 31st.
Streaming | Bandcamp | IG | YouTube
3 – Thaïs Ray (she/her)
Pop | 2,400 monthly listeners on Spotify
📍 London, UK
Thaïs Ray just released her debut single, and there is not much of her music yet to discover, but I had to share it. Her song “Lights Are Dancing” blends elements of pop and soul, reminding me of Freya Ridings and Gabrielle Aplin. Ray, who is originally from Paris but is now based in London, will release her follow-up single, Walk Me Home, at the end of June.
under this same criteria, i’ve also been loving Summer Vee! Her track Judas is so good.
The 30 under 30k is such a great idea. Like every other indie musician, I’m so exhausted by the industry equating my artistic value to my (low) streaming numbers. I appreciate how you are taking the time to look beyond that.