You know that feeling when you discover a new song and it just clicks? You dig deeper, find the artist’s Instagram, and suddenly you’re seeing them post about some obscure 1970s folk singer or a jazz pianist you’ve never heard of. That is the "favorite artist's favorite artist" effect. It’s the secret sauce of the music industry.
The phrase itself blew up recently because of Chappell Roan. During her Coachella set and subsequent interviews, she famously donned the title of "your favorite artist's favorite artist," a cheeky nod to a line famously used by drag legend Sasha Colby and, before her, the rapper MF DOOM. But it’s more than just a catchy tagline. It’s a lineage. It is the invisible thread connecting the Top 40 hits you hear on the radio to the experimental, often overlooked geniuses who paved the way in smoky clubs decades ago.
Musical influence isn't a straight line. It's a messy, overlapping web.
When we talk about a favorite artist's favorite artist, we are talking about the "musician's musician." These are the creators who might not have forty million monthly listeners on Spotify, but they have the respect of everyone who does. They are the ones who took the risks that eventually became the standard.
The MF DOOM Legacy: The Blueprint for Your Favorite Rapper
If you ask your favorite rapper who they listen to when the cameras are off, there is a massive chance they’ll say MF DOOM. Daniel Dumile, the man behind the metal mask, is the ultimate example of this phenomenon.
He didn't have a radio hit. He didn't care about the Billboard charts. Yet, Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, and even Mos Def have spoken about him with a level of reverence usually reserved for deities. Why? Because DOOM played with language like it was LEGO. He broke the rules of rhyme schemes. He’d rhyme five syllables in a row just because he could, often sacrificing traditional "flow" for something much more complex and rewarding.
- The Influence: You can hear DOOM’s DNA in the weirdness of Odd Future.
- The Sound: Lo-fi beats, comic book samples, and internal rhymes that require a dictionary and three listens to catch.
- The Impact: He proved you could be a "supervillain" in an industry that demands you be a polished product.
Honestly, without DOOM, the "alt-rap" scene as we know it today basically wouldn't exist. He gave permission to a generation of kids to be weird, stay independent, and prioritize the craft over the clout.
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Joni Mitchell: The North Star for Modern Songwriters
Switch gears for a second. Think about Taylor Swift, Lorde, or Olivia Rodrigo. They all write about heartbreak with a specific, surgical precision. Where did that come from?
Most roads lead back to Joni Mitchell.
Specifically, her 1971 album Blue. It’s the record that changed everything. Before Blue, folk music was often about external stories or political movements. Joni turned the lens inward. She was raw. She was vulnerable in a way that actually made people uncomfortable at first. Kris Kristofferson famously told her, "Joni, keep something for yourself."
But she didn't.
That’s why she is the favorite artist's favorite artist for every songwriter who has ever picked up a pen to vent about a breakup. Brandi Carlile has practically made it her life's mission to ensure Joni gets her flowers while she can still smell them. When Joni made her surprise return to the Newport Folk Festival a few years ago, the stage wasn't filled with backup dancers; it was filled with superstars who just wanted to sit at her feet.
It’s the tunings, too. Joni used "weird" guitar tunings because of a childhood bout with polio that weakened her left hand. She turned a physical limitation into a signature sound that virtuosos still try to mimic today.
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Why the "Industry" Needs These Outliers
You might wonder why these "artists' artists" don't always become household names themselves. It’s a bit of a paradox. Often, the person who invents the sound is too far ahead of the curve for the general public.
- The Innovator: They create something brand new (like Arthur Russell’s cello-disco or Silver Apples’ proto-electronics).
- The Translator: A more mainstream artist hears it, loves it, and "translates" it into something more digestible for the masses.
- The Success: The mainstream artist gets the Grammy, but the innovator gets the "legend" status among peers.
Take Big Star, for instance. In the early 70s, they were a power-pop band from Memphis that nobody bought. They were a commercial failure. But as the saying goes: only a few thousand people bought their first album, but every one of them started a band. Those bands included R.E.M. and The Replacements.
The Sasha Colby Factor and the Power of Performance
In 2024, the phrase "your favorite artist's favorite artist" moved beyond just music. Sasha Colby, the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15, took this mantle and ran with it. In the world of drag and performance art, Sasha was a legend for twenty years before she ever stepped onto a national television stage.
She was the person other drag queens traveled miles to see. She was the one they studied to learn how to move, how to command a stage, and how to embody "G-O-D-D-E-S-S."
When Chappell Roan used the phrase at Coachella, she was paying homage to this specific type of "internal" fame. It’s about having a "legacy of excellence" that exists independently of viral metrics. It’s a flex. It says, "I have put in the work, and the people who actually know the craft recognize me, even if the algorithm hasn't caught up yet."
Finding Your Own "Artist's Artist"
So, how do you find these hidden gems? How do you trace the lineage of the music you love?
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Usually, it's in the credits. Look at who produced your favorite track. Look at who the artist thanks in their liner notes or who they bring out as a "special guest" at a random festival set. Often, it's a veteran musician who has been grinding in the shadows for thirty years.
Listen to Nick Drake if you love Bon Iver.
Listen to Sister Rosetta Tharpe if you love Rock and Roll (she basically invented it).
Listen to Kate Bush if you love... well, almost any female pop star working today.
How to Deep Dive Into Music Lineage
- Check the Samples: Use sites like WhoSampled to see where your favorite hip-hop or electronic tracks got their "vibe." You’ll often find incredible 70s Japanese jazz or obscure Italian soundtracks.
- The "Influences" Playlist: Many artists now curate playlists on streaming platforms. Search for "[Artist Name] Influences."
- The "Old Head" Interviews: Look for long-form interviews (like Rolling Stone or Pitchfork features) where your favorite artist talks about their childhood. They always mention the one record that broke their brain.
Actionable Steps for the Curious Listener
If you want to move beyond the surface level of music and truly understand the art form, start treating your listening sessions like a detective project.
First, pick your absolute favorite album of the last five years. Go to the Wikipedia page for that album and scroll down to the "Personnel" or "Production" section. Pick one name you don't recognize—maybe a session musician or a co-writer—and look up their solo work.
Second, watch documentaries. Films like 20 Feet from Stardom or The Devil and Daniel Johnston pull back the curtain on the people who shaped the sound of generations without ever becoming the "face" of the movement.
Finally, support the "artists' artists" while they are still active. These creators often struggle the most because their work isn't "commercial." Buy a shirt, go to the small club show, and spread the word. Being a fan of the person who inspired your favorite star is like being in on a beautiful, secret history of human creativity. It makes the music sound deeper. It makes the connection feel more real.
The next time you hear someone called a favorite artist's favorite artist, don't just nod and move on. Go listen. You’re about to hear the future, years before it actually happens.
Next Steps:
Identify the "originator" of your favorite genre. If you love Neo-Soul, spend tonight listening to D'Angelo’s Voodoo. If you love Synth-Pop, go back to Kraftwerk's The Man-Machine. Trace the lineage and see how the sounds have evolved over the decades. This isn't just trivia; it's the best way to develop a "sophisticated ear" and find music that actually sticks with you for life.