KALW is showcasing the Bay Area’s rich musical landscape with the Emerging Artist Project! We’re excited to amplify up-and-coming local musicians and build a community where artists can thrive and audiences can discover new voices. The Bay Area is rich in iconic music history, from the summer of ‘69 and Monterey Pop Festival, to the hip hop ‘80s and the hyphy movement, and we believe there’s an equally exciting present and future here.
Join us as we highlight homegrown talent on the rise.
Bay Area Emerging Artists
The first wave of Artists Features showcase some of the incredible emerging talent our friends at Follow the Music are especially excited about!
14 year-old singer-songwriter Naima Nascimiento had a gift for songwriting from the time she was a toddler, and at age 10, she was featured in Rolling Stone at age 10 for a song she wrote in support of Black Lives Matter. The Oakland-raised artist made her BottleRock debut May 24 in support of the release of the first single "Blood, Sweat and Tears," from her debut EP "Inbetween". With influences from H.E.R. to Natalia LaFourcade, Naima performs across genres, singing in English, Spanish and Portuguese. She also plays guitar, violin and piano, and performs with rising Bluegrass band Salty Sally.
We invited NAIMA to join KALW's Music Editor on an episode of On Repeat, a mini podcast for music discovery. She shared some of the songs she is loving right now, ranging from country melodies to a modern take on Brazilian bossanova.
August Lee Stevens
Hercules-born singer-songwriter August Lee Stevens brings depth and emotion to her music, as heard in her debut EP Better Places. Her powerful voice and poignant lyrics create a reflective space for listeners, particularly in the title track, which honors a fallen schoolmate. A classically trained pianist who picked up guitar during the pandemic, Stevens is making waves with her soulful sound and vulnerability.