Photo by Byron Spencer
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Australian songstress Jess Higgs (better known as George Maple) is truly one of the year’s most promising artists, even though she’s been hard at work for some time already.

With breathtaking recent singles such as “Talk Talk” and “Vacant Space,” the soulful electro-pop singer’s brooding material fits snugly on a playlist of Jessie Ware and BANKS. But there’s still something so refreshingly new about Maple’s intoxicating sound.

Yes, she’s a relatively unknown voice in the States. But that’s about to change.

Maple has toured alongside fellow Aussies (and FutureSounds alums) Flight Facilities and her newly released Vacant Space EP features contributions from the likes of Kilo Kish and Harley Streten (aka Flume), the latter of whom she worked with on their 2012 collaboration “Bring You Down.”

The name George Maple was originally created as a dark, fictional character, with its own history and narrative. But Higgs abandoned the faux backstory and has instead embraced her own love and loss. Combined with a very real talent, it’s likely you’ll be hearing her name a lot more in the coming months.

We definitely expect a full George Maple record later this year, but the Vacant Space EP is an excellent preview of what’s to come. Keep your eyes on this one.

(Written by Abby Olsen)