WBUR’s Sound On: Massachusetts Musicians To Watch

Looking for the song of summer? Discover it with WBUR’s arts and culture reporter Amelia Mason and music critics Mano Sundaresan and Karen Muller, in their renewed newsroom series highlighting emerging local musicians — “Sound On.”

“From Allston basements to Brockton studios, New England is producing some of the best music in the country, and we want you to know about it."

Arts and culture reporter Amelia Mason

In sound and pictures, Mason, Sundaresan and Muller — along with photographer OJ Slaughter as visual creative director — delve into the artistry and lives of the performers. “Sound On” artists run the gamut from fresh faces, new on the scene and experiencing a meteoric rise to tried-and-true musicians who’ve been around for decades and are creating their most resonant work to date. But the most important element of each artist profiled by the series is that they are producing excellent, original, compelling work — right in our own backyard.

Recent profiles include the indie jazz band Really From, hip-hop artist $ean Wire and singer-songwriter Squirrel Flower. In addition to eye-catching and ear-grabbing feature stories, WBUR’s arts and culture team celebrates the artists with musical performances virtually and in person.

Frances Forever, the Massachusetts Favorite Of The Tiny Desk Concert (with NPR and WERS), was among the last to perform live pre-pandemic at WBUR CitySpace. The 2020 Massachusetts Favorite Of The Tiny Desk Concert winner Kweeng Doll performed virtually at the ICA. In May 2021, “Sound On” artist $ean Wire performed a virtual concert at The Record Co. for WBUR.