Santigold

While her first single, "Creator," and her ties with producer Diplo marked Sandi White (aka Santogold) as a kin of M.I.A., her heralded 2008 self-titled debut SANTOGOLD swiftly dispelled any notion that the singer was a mere clone. A child of the '70s-cum-'80s, Santogold creates music that artfully incorporates elements of a thoroughly New York underground world encompassing reggae, no wave, punk, post-punk, hip-hop, and synth pop into an early-21st-century sound. The singer-songwriter slightly altered her name in 2009 to Santigold to avoid confusion with a similarly named informercial host.

• rock