Why a female artists watch list? My friend mentioned that she didn’t know many female artists other than already established pop stars, so I put this together for those seeking something a little more interesting. Definitely keep your eyes and ears open for these female artists in 2012.

Friends
Friends is a Brooklyn indie rock band and their single “I’m His Girl” is ready to explode into the indie rock scene.

Neon Hitch
Neon Hitch is going to turn a lot of heads in 2012. Yes, that is her real birth name. Neon looks like a Lady Gaga experiment gone even weirder. Her music on the other hand does all the talking. She signed to Warner Bros. and her debut album Beg, Borrow, and Steal will be released this year.

Azealia Banks
Azealia may be my favorite artist besides Kimbra to watch out for in 2012. Her music combines house with hip hop. Her innocent sweater wearing looks matched with her club music and filthy lyrics are the freshest one-two-three punch to come from the music industry since last years big hit Nicki Minaj.

Kreayshawn
Two possible things will happen from Kreayshawn, she will either take over the American rap game in 2012 or end up becoming the biggest joke of the year. Her first single “Gucci Gucci” which was released as a YouTube video went viral and hit over a million views in a week (now over 30 million views). Kreayshawn was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. Kreayshawn signed to Columbia Records and while everything looks great so far, Kreayshawn has major controversy surrounding her already. Her major label debut should drop later this year.

Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey has fire in her music, it’s cautiously hypnotic with a soul of its own. Lana, real name Elizabeth Grand has already performed on Saturday Night Live and other major television shows. Her debut album Born to Die from Interscope Records is scheduled for release on January 30th.

Kimbra
Kimbra Johnson, native of New Zealand caught my attention when Youtube surfing one night. She has already worked with Miami Horror on their single “I Look to You” and has comparable styles to Bjork, Amy Whinehouse, and Fiona Apple. Production on Kimbra’s music has Jon Brion’s influence all over it while her music video’s are quirky and extremely stylish. Her album Vows was released last year in Australia and New Zealand; plans for an American release should be underway.