Entertainment

Two to Watch: Isaac Gracie and Christine And The Queens

Andy Welch recommends two up-and-coming acts – this week: Isaac Gracie and Christine And The Queens

Isaac Gracie released the Songs From My Bedroom EP earlier this year
Isaac Gracie released the Songs From My Bedroom EP earlier this year Isaac Gracie released the Songs From My Bedroom EP earlier this year

WHO: Isaac Gracie.

WHAT: 21-year-old singer songwriter from Ealing in west London.

WHY: His music recalls Jeff Buckley and early Radiohead.

HOW: Usually when an artist is as hyped as young Isaac Gracie, the internet is awash with stories of how they arrived at the point they've reached, usually involving carefully selected records from their parents' collection and one formative experience that set them on their way.

No such luck with Isaac Gracie, who, if the internet is anything to go by, arrived fully formed at the age of 19 or 20, armed with a guitar, a delicate voice and a batch of quite frankly brilliant songs.

He recorded a bunch of them in his bedroom using his laptop and released them as the aptly named Songs From My Bedroom EP earlier this year. Now 21, he was subject to a rather frenzied bidding war by the major labels eager to sign him and his Jeff Buckley-esque tunes.

He's since signed with Virgin EMI, having been pursued by Universal boss Lucian Grainge himself. To gauge the significance of that, Grainge is currently No 1 on industry bible Billboard's Power 100 list. With that kind of heft behind him, there's basically no chance that you won't hear more from Gracie in the coming year.

For starters, he's going to be playing all of the big festivals over the summer and a debut will follow hopefully by the end of the year, possibly next year. A talent this special should not be rushed, and fingers crossed, he has a few more songs as good as Terrified and Last Words up his sleeve.

WHERE: Songs From My Bedroom is available on iTunes and other online retailers, and features five tracks; Terrified, Hollow Crown, All The Burning Lovers, Darkness Of The Day and We're So Very Lost.

That's a good place to start, while Terrified and Last Words can be streamed on Gracie's Soundcloud page, www.soundcloud.com/isaac-gracie. YouTube yields a few good results, namely live sessions from BBC Introducing and a great live version of Running On Empty, not to be confused with the Jackson Browne song of the same name.

:: www.facebook.com/isaacgraciemusic.

WHO: Christine And The Queens.

WHAT: 27-year-old singing sensation from Nantes, France.

WHY: Real name Heloise Letissier, she's the year's most interesting star.

HOW: Letissier studied theatre at Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon before moving to Paris in 2010 to finish studying. She later moved to London, where she became intrigued by the local drag queen musicians she encountered, later teaming up with one, Russella, at her early gigs.

Pretty soon, she had the Queens, her backing band, and began creating her distinctive brand of music she dubbed 'freakpop', dedicated to the drag queens and transgender folk she was friends with. Her debut EP Misericorde was released in 2012, followed by another, Mac Abbey, which featured the tracks Narcissus Is Back and Cripple. Support slots with Lykke Li, The Do and other artists ensued, and the following year, she had her first charting release back in France.

She's since become a huge, mainstream star there. Identifying as pansexual (gender blindness), her songs address her fascination with how having male genitalia might make life easier, and make for hugely interesting listening. If that subject matter's not your cup of tea, the music, all glitchy electronica with Letissier's gorgeous voice over the top, provide more than enough entertainment if taken at face value.

WHERE: The best place to start is probably Christine And The Queens' debut album, Chaleur Humaine (human warmth), which was released earlier this year, a reissue of sorts, adapted from the French language album she released, with some translated lyrics and other English-language songs added.

It's earned a raft of five-star reviews since being released in Britain and Ireland, and it's no surprise. Expect to hear a lot more from her after the summer – this is perfect festival music.

:: christineandthequeens.com.