Lists & Guides: The Top 30 Artists You Need to Follow on Social Media

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29. Girlpool’s Harmony Tividad

Harmony Tividad of NYC indie duo Girlpool treats social media as if it were a surrealist art project. Not unlike her band’s songs, her version of weird is presented with utmost honesty. She changes her Insta handle approximately weekly, and following along to see what wacky pun she devises—e.g., @fresh_prince_of_bell_hooks—is part of the fun. Her Twitter blends that freakiness with post-@sosadtoday poetics: “Sometimes u write a song and ask yourself ‘am I really this sad???’” “Punch every bro” “Hey I just met you and this is crazy but the Internet has robbed half of our generation of a personality.” —Jenn Pelly

i only date boys that give up on skateboarding
— flan Voyage (@harmonysaccount) June 4, 2016

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28. Beyoncé

Beyoncé is famously private, so her Instagram is a carefully curated glimpse into the parts of her life that she wants her 74.9 million followers to see. The offerings range from performance pictures, promo videos, and adorable family snapshots, all of which feature the star looking (duh) flawless. While she doesn’t offer too much, almost every picture is an event. —Quinn Moreland

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27. Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj may be the most powerful person on the internet. But it’s not the sort of power that Kanye or Beyoncé have, where they can make news with just one tweet, or stash an album behind a streaming paywall. Nicki’s power is something most of us want but could never have: millions and millions of likes. She can take upward of 10 nearly identical selfies and still crack a half million likes on each; even a pic of a freaking blender (and nothing else) has tallied 419,000 hearts to date. Her tweets are mostly inside jokes or awesomely candid responses to her adoring horde of fans, and they are still infinitely more popular than that one really good one you thought up that day. Nicki’s mere presence is strength and popularity. It goes a long way. —Matthew Strauss

Photo by Simon Sarin/Redferns

 
26. Diplo
Twitter: @diploSnapchat: @diplo3000
Diplo doesn’t really give a fuck. The professional rudeboy is pretty much always flipping the bird online, picking shit with other artists, shooting off his mouth, and, yes, criticizing this publication (amongst others) for editorial decisions he deems unworthy of his high journalistic standards. Sorry, Diplo! Please don’t @ us. —Jeremy Gordon

edc main stage look likes Walt Disney present princess castle on crystal meth how do u guys play that thing & look at yourself in the mirror
— dip (@diplo) June 19, 2016

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25. Chance the Rapper

Chance’s social presence parallels the friendly, easygoing spirit of his music, creating safe spaces that are as much for him as they are for his followers. He retweets and interacts with fans, signal boosting everything from stories about how people have been positively affected by his feel-good jams to opinions on his random Jeffrey Wright vs. Geoffrey Rush Twitter poll. His photos are a collage of personal highlights: childhood memories, photo ops with local legends like Scottie Pippen and Derrick Rose, and pictures alongside Ty Dolla $ign, Future, Kehlani, Taylor Swift, Lil B, and Frank Ocean. He’s great at marketing, too. —Sheldon Pearce

Father Stretch
A photo posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on May 20, 2016 at 5:18pm PDT

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24. Lorde

Watching a fan geek out is a particular kind of pleasure, and Lorde’s Twitter feed contains plenty of the music-obsessed joy that jaded olds complain has been lost to the digital age. She’ll swoon over the lyrics to her favorite songs, her peers, and the act of creativity itself—and being a fan means that she knows exactly how to let Lorde followers in. Amid studio pics and screenshots of group texts losing it over Drake, she’ll serve up the occasional sharp call-out (“hey, men – do me and yourself a favour, and don’t underestimate my skill”), and, especially on Instagram, get candid about her flaws. —Laura Snapes

people keep asking me what i will be for halloween and my answer is that i am halloween
— Lorde (@lorde) October 31, 2014

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23. Kim Gordon

True to form, Kim Gordon approaches social media with a conceptual bent. Case in point: her “Flung Garments” series, in which she photographs the pieces of crumpled clothing on her floor and posts them to Instagram. And she even painted a number of tweets on canvas and put them on the gallery walls at an art exhibition a few years ago. The incessant stream of RTs on her Twitter seems like commentary on the muchness of social media in and of itself, but they’re mixed with the poise of an uncompromised existence. —JP

Better to be a young older person than an old young person
— Kim Gordon (@KimletGordon) November 2, 2013

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22. Rihanna
Instagram: @badgalririSnapchat: @rihanna
Bless badgalriri: Rihanna’s Instagram and Snapchat accounts offer The Ultimate Vibe. Whether she is posting poolside selfies, fan art, the occasional meme (Ri probably loves dat boi), or crazy Carnival pics from her native Barbados, Rihanna always seems to be having a blast (or a joint). She has had issues with Instagram’s censorship policy in the past—and was briefly suspended in 2014 for topless photos—but she continues to use her social media platforms to push buttons, promote her futuristic fashion experiments, and give everyone a regular dose of life envy. —QM

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21. Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino

Do you like cats? Stoner snacks? TV? Battling daily anxiety? Feminism? Well, Bethany Cosentino’s Twitter account is your one-stop shop. On Instagram, she chills even harder, combining the wonders of her sun-kissed day-to day-life with even more pics of her animal friends. But it’s not all peace signs and hairballs—with the election cycle in full swing, Cosentino is now imploring the Twitterverse to get off their asses and vote. —Kevin Lozano

Once someone tried to diss Best Coast by saying we sounded like we belong on The OC soundtrack- that’s actually the greatest compliment ever
— Best Coast (@BestCoast) April 10, 2016

Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns via Getty Images

 
20. Alice Glass

Former Crystal Castles screamer Alice Glass posts dead funny 140-character truth bombs that underscore the dystopia of modern life, as well as her own understated genius. Talk about getting to the marrow of existence: Whether she is posting grotesque rewrites of Lana Del Rey lyrics or talking about that time in elementary school when her mom cancelled her birthday party “because i had an allergic reaction after girls at camp put poison ivy in my pillowcase,” her feed should serve to make freaks everywhere feel less alone. —JP

The smell of freshly cut grass is the plants distress call because of severe trauma 🍃☠
— ALICE GLASS (@ALICEGLASS) May 1, 2016

Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images Portrait

 
19. Danny Brown

If you follow Danny Brown on Twitter or Instagram, you know that, apart from music, the dude loves three things above all else: his fans, his cats, and his video games. Though, if we’re going off his Instagram, he mostly loves his cats. And who can blame him? Danny’s pair of bengals, Siren and Chie (the latter named after a character from Japanese role-playing game Persona 4) are painfully adorable, especially when they reach out to their bed-headed human over FaceTime. —Noah Yoo

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18. Carrie Brownstein

As a member of one of the world’s greatest rock bands and one of the world’s greatest comedy duos, Carrie Brownstein mostly uses Twitter to let fans know what she’s up to—upcoming appearances, new writings, new episodes, etc. It’s good to know that stuff, but the account’s really worth a follow to keep track of her current faves (“Empire,” Rihanna, Beyoncé, “Broad City”) and some genuinely hilarious IRL observations where she shames her friends for not knowing INXS songs and ponders the backstory behind someone’s fanny pack. —EM

Award for mansplaining a brokered convention goes to the guy who just said to his girlfriend, ‘let me back up and simplify it for you.’
— Carrie Brownstein (@Carrie_Rachel) April 8, 2016

Photo by Ebru Yildiz

 
17. Mitski

It’s hard to be a person, but Mitski is here to help. It’s too basic to call the ambitious singer/songwriter’s music “confessional,” and the same goes for her Twitter, which brims with emotionally curious observations about the world around us, as well as random asides that make her sound like Daria’s gloriously deadpan offspring: “I love to scare children by smiling at them.” —JG

somewhere between not wanting to exist and not wanting to die
— mitski (@mitskileaks) May 31, 2016

Photo by Leah Nash

 
16. Stephen Malkmus

The former Pavement frontman was once indie rock’s erudite head of the class who doubled as its too-cool-to-care class clown, and that persona carries over to his quality-over-quantity Twitter account, where oblique jabs at Bono’s political grandstanding sit side-by-side with chatty sports commentary and sneakily wise observations on culture. (“For people with introvert tendencies, you can extrovert in a controlled manner,” Malkmus once said of his social-media presence.) Iconoclastic self-deprecation comes as effortlessly to him as everything else seems to: For instance, a winkingly hyperbolic tweet about sunblock burning his eyes is followed by another saying, “file below tweet under ‘things Thom Yorke wants to tweet but can’t.’” —Marc Hogan

Can we all be the Joan Didion of something?
— Stephen malkmus (@dronecoma) April 16, 2016

Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images

 
15. Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes
Twitter: @devhynesInstagram: @devhynesSnapchat: @DevonteHynes
Dev Hynes is always one for the real. That isn’t to say he doesn’t have some fun on social media—he shares the occasional meme just like anyone else worth following—but he also uses his platform to express his opinion on issues that matter to him, like sticking up for originality in art and fighting back against society’s oppressors. Hynes also stays transparent on Twitter about his life as a musician, speaking openly about his influences and idols as well as constantly sharing tunes from his peers. He seems like the type of person a music lover could learn a lot from. —NY

Photo by Dennis Kleiman

 
14. Neko Case

Neko Case has said she eventually intends to become a full-time farmer. Alternative suggestion: She should start a magazine combining her love of literature, animals, social justice, folklore, history, politics, and the country soap opera “Nashville,” all of which she sharply shares on Twitter. Case also retweets a lot, and she’s definitely a great aggregator of interesting stories if you’re looking for a distraction at work (recently: homelessness in Chicago, shelved rape cases), but her original tweets are golden, too, whether cussing out misogynist presidential candidates, or imploring you to, please, cuddle a baby horse today. —LS

Have you stone-cold snuggled a baby mini horse today? pic.twitter.com/3UtaIVGUQh
— Neko Case (@NekoCase) May 16, 2016

Photo by Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images

 
13. The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle

Few songwriters are as emotionally literate as the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle, who’s told hundreds of stories in his songs (and written a novel, too) during his lengthy career. Unsurprisingly, Darnielle is an intellectually convivial presence on the internet, quick with a wordy joke to riff on a political snafu, and sincere enough to leverage his position for worthy causes: A drive for donations to his charity bowling team, which competed to raise money for the Carolina Abortion Fund, started on social media. —JG

open letter to the russet potato I’m trying to roast: neither yukon golds nor red potatoes would have taken this long bro. get it together
— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) May 17, 2016

Photo by Shervin Lainez

 
12. Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis

This guitar shredding frontwoman is so committed to her social media handle that she has even used it as a recording alias. The same fierce wit and fiery passion for social issues that fuel her music in Speedy Ortiz carry over to her online activities, where you’ll find her both live-tweeting about her gnocchi meal during the Super Bowl and speaking out on accusations of sexual misconduct in the music industry. It’s all part of a strong, self-aware whole. —MH

nothing i love more than1. smashing the patriarchy2. scamming my way into catering that isn’t meant for me
— sadie dupuis (@sad13) May 31, 2016

Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

 
11. Kanye West

Kanye West’s Twitter is an emotional rollercoaster. He’s naming his new album! He’s changing the name of his new album! He owns Wiz Khalifa’s child! He is really sorry about that thing about owning Wiz Khalifa’s child! Overall, he’s throwing up a kind of selective transparency—photos in the studio, dissatisfaction about rich tech dudes not giving him money, and the infamous all-caps Bill Cosby endorsement. It’s definitely #problematic, but that’s Kanye. When he recently dropped by “Ellen,” the talk show host asked if he would ever consider handing over creative control of his Twitter to a group of social media managers, as many celebs do. “Absolutely not,” he replied. Thank god. —EM

I’m a human being… I’m an artist, bro…
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 13, 2016

Photo by Rankin

 
10. Grimes

The thoughts of Grimes’ Claire Boucher are wormholes that just suck you in (she really loves science), and the clarity of her 140-character wisdom seems to come from a different realm altogether. And even though her own personal Tumblr has changed a lot in the last three years, it still feels like the most intimate place to get to know this insatiable cultural sponge, via an giant ongoing playlist of her current obsessions. (As of late she’s into the dancehall act Konshens and Meghan Trainor.) Meanwhile, her Instagram features everything from one-of-a-kind outfits to Nat Geo style nature shots to weirdo art, establishing an aesthetic that will oft be copied, but never ever captured. —KL

Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images

 
9. Questlove

Among his many virtues, Questlove stakes a serious claim as music’s most enlightening chatterbox. In our saturated age, this is not faint praise. As feeds pinball between calm and chaos, glib takedowns and fawning hallelujahs, Questlove is the anchor keeping it together. He’ll shower Badu-like wisdom over awards-show shitstorms or sneeze out amusing anecdotes about being fired by Prince, nerdy tributes to unsung heroes, and insider trivia—like the existence of a treasure trove of unheard Dilla beats. He’s the music scholar and diplomat we need but don’t deserve. —Jazz Monroe

Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for GQ

 
8. Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig

Ezra Koenig manages to poke fun at the inanity of late capitalism while also reveling in its quirks on social media. He is bemused. He is goofy. He is smart. Sometimes he’s psychoanalyzing the Polo Man; other times, he’s spotting wavy Trump lookalikes. When he isn’t formally requesting to make songs for Shrek with iLoveMakonnen, he’s lobbying against Ultron propaganda. In the middle of all the irreverent wit are a few well-measured political takes, too. Oh, and sometimes his tweets become Beyoncé hits. —SP

Photo by Giulia Marchi

 
7. Perfume Genius

Perfume Genius leader Mike Hadreas’ Twitter feed is an exemplar of the George Saunders maxim: “Humor is what happens when we’re told the truth quicker and more directly than we’re used to.” A songwriter from whose sashay no family is safe, Hadreas has a gift for shining one-liners that freeze-frame eccentric thoughts in vulnerable moments—of insomnia and depression, celebrity and animal worship, food cravings and surreal goth fantasies—and then flip them in a measured deadpan that welcomes you into his mind. Not everyone has wandered around Costco thinking about P!nk, but the sentiment rings true, because it reminds us of the wild places our brains go when nobody’s watching. —JM

Me except without all the bread pic.twitter.com/Wl8beVpYwk
— Perfume Genius (@perfumegenius) April 27, 2016

Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images

 
6. Killer Mike

The world is a crazy, unpredictable place. But there is at least one comforting constant: No matter the time zone or the circumstance, Killer Mike will let you know when it’s 4:20. When he’s not giving you atomic-clock-accurate updates on smoking time, he’s roasting trolls, engaging in activism, and helping to educate a generation on the benefits of democratic socialism. It’s all in a day’s toke. —KL

Please let this be the image of Harriet on the new 20 dollar bill!  🙏🏾.  #GetMoney #BuyGold pic.twitter.com/z4CXdIB5CI
— Killer Mike (@KillerMike) April 20, 2016

Photo by C Flanigan/Getty Images

 
5. El-P

Lately, El-P’s Instagram has been the best source for Run the Jewels 3 previews and mouthwatering snapshots from the Brooklyn deli he co-owns, Frankel’s. But the rapper and producer is at his best when serving up scatological jokes, brutal political truths, and conspiratorial musings. For example, he once led his followers down a wormhole regarding the spelling of the kids’ books series The Berenstain Bears (with an “a”)—which most people wrongly remember as The Berenstein Bears (with an “e”). But rather than chalk it up to a common misperception, El suggested the existence of parallel universes, each with its own spelling. “we are simultaneously the best and worst version of ourselves at all times. a complete piece of shit and fully enlightened,” he eventually explained, fitting the meaning of the universe(s) in 140 characters or less. —MS

Photo by Maarten de Boer/Getty Images Portrait

 
4. Erykah Badu

A quick scroll through Erykah Badu’s social feeds reveals that she is, as always, living her very best life. Her vibe is all-knowing yet down-to-earth, the musings of a spiritual godmother hanging out on the internet’s front porch. When she’s not doling out snappy responses to fans and haters alike, she’s displaying catwalk shots from her equally #woke and chic New York Fashion Week collection, and providing wisdom in her particularly zen tone. Cameos from her children are common on her Instagram (along with some self-described “thirst traps”). It’s an unfiltered look into her wonderfully weird world. —SP

Better think while it’s still legal.
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) October 12, 2014

Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images Portrait

 
3. DJ Khaled
Snapchat: @djkhaled305
The man (meme?) who needs no introduction: DJ Khaled, undeniable Snapchat mogul and selfie king. With his viral catchphrases (“ANOTHER ONE!”) and unflaggingly upbeat attitude, Khaled started using Snapchat as a window into his exclamation-point-heavy lifestyle—and as a result, that lifestyle has become grander (and more excitable) than ever. It’s a testament to the power of the bullhorn—paired with a healthy dose of positivity. And now he’s opening for Beyoncé and chilling with everyone from Nicki Minaj to Puffy, snapping all the while, of course. Also, remember that time he got lost at sea on a jet ski at night and documented the whole adventure? Actually riveting. —NY

Photo by Matt Lief Anderson

 
2. Vince Staples
Twitter: @vincestaplesSnapchat: @poppystreet
There is one word to describe Vince Staples’ social media presence: ruthless. So ruthless, in fact, that the 22-year-old rapper recently deleted nearly 10,000 tweets following a contentious exchange with trolls about the history of slavery. (Vince does not suffer fools.) But thanks to the wonders of Google’s cache, many of his razor-sharp missives remain, like his send-off to a retiring Kobe Bryant (“I’ve hated you my whole life. Thanks for the memories lil bitch.”) or his skewering of a certain beloved national holiday (“I don’t fuck with thanksgiving cause I don’t support the Pilgrims wiping out over 3/4’s of the indigenous hood with them setup blankets.”). In everything he does, Vince has a way of cutting through all the bullshit of modern life—which is especially impressive on social media, a realm often derided for containing nothing but bullshit. And though many of his one-liners are no longer easily accessible, he’s already tweeting again, and his Instagram is active. But his best outlet at this moment may be Snapchat—a recent series of snaps had him dressing down a Golden State Warriors fan as the team lost the NBA Finals, eventually forcing him to sing Usher’s “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)” in shameful defeat. The ruthlessness continues. —Ryan Dombal 

Photo by Mat Hayward/FilmMagic

 
1. Father John Misty

The music Josh Tillman makes as Father John Misty is sometimes funny and often ironic, with a fuzzy undercurrent of sincerity. His Instagram presence is just like that—minus the fuzzy undercurrent. Stalwart followers will recall his deadpan “captioning Sims scenes” phase, way back before he found notoriety as an oracle of stock photos and a dedicated inspector of phone screens. (Also, like Tillman, the account is prone to drastic reinvention.) On the one hand, @fatherjohnmisty is an extension of Tillman’s mission to cast a sardonic modern gaze on faded rock’n’roll archetypes; on the other, it’s a great outlet for an incorrigible prankster who gets off when people don’t get it. —JM

Source: Pitchfork – Features