Authenticity in music is a rare currency. In a time of polished productions and carefully constructed personas, an album like Lisa Jo's "Hood Rats" feels like a jolt of unfiltered reality. It is a record born not in a boardroom, but in the crucible of personal tragedy and immense resilience. The result is a collection of songs that are as raw and uncompromising as the life...

Ettie, who was born and raised in London, is a phenomenon in the music industry because of her lyrical alchemy, which transforms cultural touchstones and personal histories into pure alt-pop gold. She is able to compose alternative pop songs that speak to the anxiety that is felt by millennials because of the gift of being able to play with words. Ettie, who has a degree in...