Maryland is known for crab cakes, Old Bay and being a premiere lacrosse state – but Maryland has music talent too. Musical acts such as Billie Holiday, Frank Zappa and Toni Braxton are just a few of the notable artists from Maryland.
Here’s five innovative musicians from Maryland with fans in the state and beyond that you may not be familiar with:
1: Maggie Rogers | Born and raised in Easton, Md.
- Genre: Folk, Indie-Pop
- Recent Release: Don’t Forget Me (2024 Album)
- You’ll like this artist if you like: Clairo, HAIM, Japanese Breakfast, or Phoebe Bridgers
Listen here: Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me (Official Video)
Find them on Spotify.
Maggie Rogers is a singer-songwriter from Easton, Md., who has released a total of five albums – three studio and two independent – and has opened for artists such as HAIM, Mumford and Sons and Coldplay.
Rogers, a graduate of NYU, gained popularity after a viral video showed her playing “Alaska” for producer Pharrell Williams when he visited her music production class.
In 2016, Pharrell Williams visited an N.Y.U. music production class to critique student songs.
After he listened to a song called “Alaska” by a student named Maggie Rogers, he explained why “I have zero, zero, zero notes for that:” pic.twitter.com/tuaZCI9X3h
— Billy Oppenheimer (@bpoppenheimer) March 11, 2023
Fans of Rogers admire her unique blend of folk and pop, coupled with her relatable lyrics that resonate deeply, which has allowed her to connect with a diverse and loyal fanbase.
Katherine Scott is a 21-year-old who enjoys a wide variety of genres such as ambient music, hyperpop and indie-pop. Scott says Rogers crafts songs that she can connect with.
“I like Maggie Rogers because her music feels very authentic,” Scott said. “[To me] she has mastered telling a story while blending genres in the process.”
2: Turnstile | Formed in Baltimore
- Genre: Punk, Alternative Rock
- Recent Release: Glow On (2021 Album)
- You’ll like this artist if you like: Soundgarden or The White Stripes
Listen here: TURNSTILE – UNDERWATER BOI [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
Find them on Spotify.
Turnstile is a punk band originating from Baltimore in 2010 with five EPs and three studio albums.
According to an interview with Fader magazine, the bandmates met through Towson University and the surrounding local hardcore Baltimore music community.
Current band members include vocalist/keyboardist Brendan Yates, drummer Daniel Fang, bassist/vocalist Franz “Freaky” Lyons and lead guitarist/backing vocalist Pat McCrory.
Fang grew up in Birdsville, Md., and Yates grew up in Greenbelt, Md., alongside childhood neighbor, former bandmate and former lead guitarist Brady Ebert, according to Yahoo Entertainment.
Fans describe Turnstile’s music as a mixture between hardcore, punk and 90s alternative rock.
Orla Collins, a 21-year-old DJ who has a radio show about women in country music, discovered Turnstile when they opened for Blink-182 in 2023 – a show she says was her favorite of all time.
“I honestly was not into hardcore before listening to them. And when I saw they were hardcore band I was kind of intimidated, but I thought it was really interesting,” Collins said. “I felt like the live environment was so electric and cathartic.”
Griffin Hevsy, a 21-year-old and the music director at WMUC-FM College Park, who describes his music taste as zany, discovered Turnstile’s music through his sister who lives in Baltimore.
“I listened to it and was like, this is awesome. Since then, I’ve just been a pretty big fan of all the stuff that they’ve put out,” Hevsy said.
“It kind of matches my taste, because it is very energetic, but it’s also really varied,” Hevsy said. “It’s also really accessible.”
3: Beach House | Formed in Baltimore
- Genre: Dream-Pop, Shoegaze
- Recent Release: Become (2023 EP)
- You’ll like this artist if you like: Cocteau Twins, The Sundays or Slowdive
Listen here: Beach House – Space Song
Find them on Spotify.
Beach House is a dream-pop band that was formed in Baltimore in 2004, with nine albums and two EPs. Bandmates include multi-talented musician Alex Scally and vocalist/keyboardist Victoria Legrand.
Scally is from Baltimore, graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 2000 and from Oberlin College in 2004, according to a Pitchfork feature on the group. After his college graduation, he returned home to Baltimore to work alongside his father, a professional carpenter.
For Legrand, she spent several months in Baltimore with family after her mother’s divorce in the mid-1980s, eventually moving to Rising Sun, Md., before being primarily raised in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Beach House is regarded as one of the most popular dream-pop bands. They helped popularize the sound with a younger audience.
Paul Gracie, a 20-year-old who describes their music taste as leaning more towards chill music but still adventurous, discovered Beach House’s music right before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gracie found out about their music through a sample of their song “Silver Soul,” which appears in Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 track entitled “Money Trees.” They enjoy Beach House’s music because of their engaging rollouts and originality.
“I think musically, it’s the fact that they kind of stay in their genre and make a type of music that it’s really hard to get well … they kind of made the blueprint for it,” Gracie said.
4: Joony | Born and raised in Silver Spring, Md.
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
- Recent Release: Memento (DELUXE) (2024 Album)
- You’ll like this artist if you like: Jordan Ward
Listen here: Joony – Drifting In Tokyo [Official Music Video]
Find them on Spotify.
Joony is a 23-year-old rapper, songwriter and artist from Silver Spring, Md., who is known for his eccentric melodies and interweaving of his particular rapping style with those melodies.
The rapper has collaborated with artists such as Brent Faiyaz, Jordan Ward and Lancey Foux, which has helped him garner 2.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify in December 2024.
Fans of Joony like his distinctive style and the versatility of his musical projects.
People such as graphic designer Evan Jackson, a 24-year-old with his own ties to Maryland, appreciates the genuine nature of his music and how the music showcases parts of Montgomery County that are not highlighted within everyday discourse.
“I think people should listen to him because his flow is very authentic and real, and you know, he’s coming from MoCo, where a lot of people can relate to his music,” Jackson said. “He’s also really good at using his voice as an instrument.”
5: Brent Faiyaz | Born in Columbia, Md.
- Genre: R&B
- Recent Release: Larger Than Life (2023 Album)
- You’ll like this artist if you like: 2000s R&B, Frank Ocean, Miguel or Bryson Tiller
Listen here: Brent Faiyaz – Last One Left feat. Missy Elliott & Lil Gray [Visualizer]
Find them on Spotify.
Brent Faiyaz is a 29-year-old singer-songwriter from Columbia, Md., who has steadily made himself a premiere R&B artist, with 23.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify in December 2024.
Faiyaz gained attention for his music on the 2016 track “Crew” by Goldlink and Shy Glizzy, where he sang the infectious hook that captured many people’s attention.
Crew – Goldlink ft. Brent Faiyaz https://t.co/NRGJ0zqD6R pic.twitter.com/hOZcBXrdSV
— AIR-J (@airjaxx) March 5, 2024
Faiyaz has released four solo albums and is part of the group Sonder – made up of producers Atu and Dpat with Faiyaz on the vocals. Sonder has released a handful of singles outside of their only album that was released in 2017.
Fans of Faiyaz from the Maryland area value his originality and the representation he brings for the state.
“He collabs with a lot of different artists from out here, so when you listen to an album of his, you are really getting an authentic DMV sound,” Jackson said. “It’s not just all R&B or all one thing, he’s also included a lot of different aspects and instruments in the way his production goes, so it’s very fluid.”