10 EDM Vocalists That We Love

EDM has always been about the beats. Not to say that vocalists haven't cut a clear path through the scene of the years, but it's always a DJ/producer

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Complex Original

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EDM has always been about the beats. Not to say that vocalists haven't cut a clear path through the scene of the years, but it's always a DJ/producer genre first. That said, your best bet to make into the mainstream (be it radio, TV, or movies) is to have something for people outside of the scene to latch onto. The easiest way to reel them in is with a strong hook, and for that, you need a powerful vocalist.

We've seen many singers come and go. Some have just collected a check while not adding much to the mix, while others feel like their voices were made for the music they're singing to. A great vocalist doesn't just sing the words on the notepad; they truly make you feel something with the way they use their instrument. Just like you need the right snare to pair up with that killer bassline, adding the proper vocalist can turn a good song into an anthem.

These are the vocalists who fit that description, and damn it, DAD loves them for it.

Ellie Goulding

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After achieving moderate success as singer-songwriter in her native England, fellow Englishmen Jakwob remixed Ellie Goulding's single "Starry Eyed" to Internet virality and acclaim. The remix's viral success catapulted her to the front of every DJ's radar, making way for more thunderous and emotive remixes like the many renditions of her world-famous track, "Lights." As great as the Jakwob remix is, Bassnectar's rendition of "Lights" truly puts Goudling's talents on display. With its heavenly, airy aesthetic, Goulding's voice takes center stage as she effortlessly reaches the highest notes.

More than just technically, Goudling's performances are of the highest order. With her incredibly personal lyrics, Goulding has audiences eating out of her palm. To be quite honest, it is Bassnectar's remix of "Lights" that perfectly epitomizes what I love so much about strong female vocal tracks. Goulding's ability to deliver a strikingly powerful performance while balancing a certain emotional tenderness makes her a producer's dream and it puts her at the top of our list.

John Martin

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As the go-to vocalist for the Swedish House Mafia, arguably the biggest dance music group on the planet, Swedish singer-songwriter John Martin has quite the pedigree. After co-writing Avicii's smash "Fade Into Darkness," Martin has gone on to write and sing the Swedish House Mafia's biggest hits, festival tear-jerkers "Save The World" and "Don't You Worry Child." As if his vocal strength isn't obvious enough on these two anthems, his pure talent became even more obvious when an acoustic version of "Don't You Worry Child" was released earlier this fall.

While there's no question that the SHM are supremely talented on their own, it's Martin's knack for gut-wrenching lyrics and emotional vocal performances that have launched the group into dance music's legendary elite. But with the group's impending finish and questionable status, we can only hope that John Martin won't be going away anytime soon. My only question, why has no one else picked up his talents yet?!

Alana Watson

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MTA Records signees Nero are ofte billed as a two piece set, but they are not truly complete without vocalist Alana Watson. Nero's unique brand of melodic and anthemic bass music is quite special in it's own right, but as with the work with any top-tier vocalist, Ms. Watson elevates their work to new heights. Watson's voice commands a certain raw emotive power that perfectly compliment to the group's massive bass epics. While there are many tracks that show this, the group's studio album Welcome Reality took the formula to new levels with singles "Innocence," "Promises," and "Won't You (Be There)" leading the way. Despite all that talent, Watson has managed to keep a relatively low-profile. Working with Nero almost exclusively and eschewing any high-profile collaboarations, we're not left with much more, although with a new album on the way, we have a feeling we'll be hearing more of her in the near future.

Richard Bedford

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We've already mentioned the other lyrical half of Above & Beyond's Group Therapy album with Zoē Johnston, and now her male counterpart Richard Beford makes the list. As the voice of trance worldbeater "Sun & Moon," Bedford could've made this list on the strength of that alone. But Bedford is no one-hit wonder, also putting his touches on Group Therapy singles,"Black Room Boy," "On My Way To Heaven," "Every Little Beat," and "Thing Called Love."

Along with Above & Beyond and Zoë Johnston, Bedford's lyrical performance gave Group Therapy the extra personal human touch that's had millions of fans around the world taking part in the new Group Therapy movement. Much like many of the other list's members, Bedford has not worked with many other acts to date. Perhaps he's got a certain comfortability with Above & Beyond, but with rumors of a solo release coming, we're excited to see more from Bedford.

Zoe Johnston

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After a stint of touring and recording with the famous Faithless, English singer-songwriter worked with UK trance trio Above & Beyond on their initial studio offering (a ethereal chillout track "Good For Me"), Zoe Johnston returned to the studio with the the group to work on their most recent album, Group Therapy. Contributing to nearly half of the album's fifteen tracks, Johnston did not just provide a voice to someone else's words. Along with Richard Bedford, Johnston split the lyrical duties of the album, giving her talents to the massive singles "You Got To Go," "Love Is Not Enough," and most recently, "Alchemy." Having that kind of input on an album speaks to her talent. Furthermore, it's fair to say that as talented as Above & Beyond is in the studio, the album would not have been nearly as successful without the soaring emotive voice and heart-touching lyrics that Zoē Johnston delivers.

Example

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UK rapper-singer Example is a bit of a different beast than any of the other list members. With a rapping background, Example provided his melodic rhymes on UK chart-toppers hits like "Kickstarts" and "Won't Go Quietly" before seeing those hits be remixed as the YouTube channel UKF Dubstep elevated him to a world stage. Now with the release of his latest studio album, The Evolution of Man, Example's enlisted a host of EDM all-stars for collaborations. Hardwell, Feed Me, Flux Pavilion, Dirty South, Alesso, Tommy Trash, Benga, Skream, Calvin Harris, Friction, Dada Life, Laidback Luke, Dillon Francis, AN21, Max Vangeli, Dannic, Joker, and Dyro are ALL on his album in one form or another. Rather than going for the almost cheesy vocal delivery, Example employs a balanced mix of sung and spoken/rapped lyrics, giving Example a huge dose of originality and, ultimately, a step over the competitiors. He may not have the most beautiful voice, but it is genuine, an often underappreciated aspect of dance music. The fact is, with the names he's worked with and the succes he's had on his own, Example has proven once again that sincerity rules all.

NERVO

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It might seem like these two trend-setting Australian fashonista DJs bursted on to the scene out of nowhere, but they've actually been making hits for awhile. After signing to Sony/ATV Music Publishing at age 18, the twins paid their dues writing and assisting on songs for other stars, most notably massive vocal anthems like David Guetta and Kelly Rowland's "When Love Takes Over" and Armin Van Buuren's "Drowning." Now as they've built momentum on their own careers, they've collaborated with names like Steve Aoki, Afrojack, Nicky Romero, and Hook N Sling taking their brand of anthem-sized feel good vocal house to a world-wide audience. They don't have the same catalogue of credited vocal work as some of the other names on this list, but with massive hits like "You're Gonna Love Again" and "Reason" already making the top of Beatport, we're excited to see these girls flourish.

Matthew Koma

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Matthew Koma is one of those names I don't have to do any research for, as his 2012 was enough to land him on this list. Providing the topline for some of the year's biggest hits like Zedd's "Spectrum" and Alesso's "Years," Koma has put himself in prime position for an even bigger 2013. Far too often I've heard an amazing original (re: instrumental) mix only for a vocal mix to come along and ruin my enjoyment (Hardwell's "Spaceman" and Dada Life's "KOTEMF" anyone?!). With Koma, this has yet to be the case. Koma has surely benefitted from the astounding musical talents of Zedd and Alesso, but more than that he has shined often taking these tracks to the next level and giving them that extra bump to reach massive success. He released a solo EP on Cherrytree and Interscope Records to little fanfare, but given a few more solid collaborations and some more radio play, and we could see a bonafide pop star in the making.

Nadia Ali

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For trance fans, Pakistani-American vocalist Nadia Ali should be no surprise. After her initial solo success "Rapture" came over a decade ago, in 2012 Nadia Ali came back into the spotlight. Collaborating with BT and Arty, Nadia Ali lent her voice to their single "Must Be The Love." While Nadia has a distinct voice on her own it's nearly impossible for me to hear her sing and not think of Madonna. No I don't mean 2012 "have you seen Molly?" embarrassing Madonna, but world pop superstar Madonna of yesteryear.

Greta Svabo Bech

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Taking a central role into deadmau5's foray into dubstep-tinged beats, Greta Svabo Bech's performance on "Raise Your Weapon" could have easily flopped, but to our surprise she turned in a stunning performance. The soulful ballad provides a climax on the 4x4=12 narrative as Bech delivers the eerie "How does it feel now, to watch it burn?," perhaps a facetious insight from the mau5 as he annihilates imiators with his own unique take on dubstep.

Since then, Bech has proven she isn't a one-hit wonder having linked up with Gemini and The Bloody Beetroots to provide her voice on smashers "Fire Inside" and "Chronicles of a Fallen Love." Bech's track record may not be long, but it's quality.

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