Jodie Abacus grew up in South East London, England -- the borough of Lewisham, to be exact. Through his radio DJ father, he was exposed to a broad range of styles. This evidently informed his approach. "I'll Be That Friend" and "Good Feeling," two singles he released in 2015 on the Household label, zestily mixed early-'80s post-disco R&B and singer/songwriter pop. They sounded like the work of a perfectionist who views Hall & Oates and D Train with the same degree of reverence. Zane Lowe spun the former song while he was still a DJ with the BBC. By the end of the year, Abacus was scheduled to play his first headlining gig in early 2016. ~ Andy Kellman