Meet the Fender Next Class of 2021, featuring Lime Cordiale, Arlo Parks, Blu DeTiger + more
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Mixdown Magazine

20.04.2021

Meet the Fender Next Class of 2021, featuring Lime Cordiale, Arlo Parks, Blu DeTiger + more

Words by Will Brewster

Spotlighting an emerging school of guitar-centric acts.

Back again for 2021, Fender have unveiled their prestigious Fender Next list for this year, celebrating 25 up-and-coming guitar-based acts who look set to take the instrument forward with their own creative endeavours.

Check out all the latest music gear and product news here.

Selected from a pool of more than a thousand submissions, the Fender Next list for 2021 spotlights a range of artists with totally unique sounds, nationalities and identities, presenting an exciting glimpse of where the guitar might be headed in the near future.

As part of the initiative, Fender will hook up all artists involved in the campaign with an array of Fender musical equipment and 360-marketing support to assist with pushing their music further to the masses.

This year’s school consists of a diverse assortment of artists, operating in all parts of the world and performing a myriad of different musical genres.

The Next Class for 2021 is led by the likes of Arlo Parks, Alfie Templeman, Gabriel Garzon-Montano and Blu DeTiger, each of whom have released critically acclaimed releases in the last six months.

Closer to home, Sydney pop-rock duo Lime Cordiale have also made the shortlist of celebrated acts, with local pop punk act Stand Atlantic also finding themselves upon the honour roll for 2021.

Other acts to appear on the Fender Next Class of 2021 include Holly Humerstone, Griff, CAIN, Beach Bunny, Remi Wolf, Drax Project, Nova Twins and TENDRE.

“As leaders in the music space, we have a responsibility to support new artists looking to establish careers long-term,” Fender’s CMO Evan Jones said in a statement shared today.

“We’re uniquely positioned to showcase and develop emerging artists on a global scale, and it’s our goal to act as a best-in-class marketing partner to them, leveraging the full breadth of our capabilities and brand investments on their behalf.”

Fender’s VP of Marketing, Matt Watts, reaffirmed Jones’ sentiment in a statement of his own, pinpointing the diversity of this year’s class as a reflection of where the brand sees themselves within musical culture.

“The power of musical expression is universal and we’re proud to welcome the Fender Next Class of ’21 with artists from Africa, Europe, Latin America, the U.S. and everywhere in between to this program,” said Watts.

“These artists are not only pushing their respective genres forward, but they’re pushing guitar forward. Our goal is to help create long-term exposure for the artists in the program, support their creative passion and provide tools to fuel their creative output. Given the rapid changes in the music industry over the last 12 months, we know that this support is more important than ever.”

Check out the full list in the video below. Previous acts to have been selected as Fender Next artists include the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Black Pumas, IDLES, King Princess, Japanese Breakfast and more.

Find out more about Fender Next 2021 via Fender Music Australia.