The holidays are upon us. And some of you lucky ducks might find a new smartphone sitting underneath your Christmas tree or handed to you on the final day of Hanukkah. One of the first apps you should consider picking up on your new toy is Instagram, the social media account that allows famous people and plebeians alike to put our best visual foot forward. Or just take a picture of an awesome, jealousy-inducing meal. Once you get Instagram downloaded and start your account, you’ll want to follow some folks. Some well-known folks. Like music artists who take their self-promotion and photography as seriously (or not) as their audio art. Let us help you take some of the guesswork out of this for you with a list of the 15 folks that are making the best use of IG’s filters, video capability, and instantaneous connection with fans and curiosity seekers.
15. Ann Magnuson ( @annmagnuson.official )
True to her longstanding form as one of the most original voices in the underground rock and art worlds, Ann Magnuson’s newly-minted IG account features a lot of short video clips of her puppet friends, Dust Bunny and Arzetta.
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14. Jason Narducy ( @jasonnarducy; )
Jason Narducy has it all. He’s the bass player for Superchunk and Bob Mould, leader of the group Split Single, and possessor of the sexiest elbows in rock music. Oh, and he’s also one of the funniest men on this planet. To add to his accolades: one of the best IG accounts around. Behold the rare quintuple threat.
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13. Jess Williamson ( @jesswilliamson; )
It should not surprise folks to learn that singer-songwriter Jess Williamson studied photography in college, and that she views the world through a lens of awe and wonderment. The latter is clearly evident in her music, but she combines these two sides of her artistic personality very well in the lovely and thoughtful pics she posts to the world.
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12. Wayne Coyne ( @waynecoyne5 )
Need a deeper glimpse into the psychedelic headspace of Wayne Coyne, leader of the Oklahoma rock group the Flaming Lips? Look no further than his IG world, in which he offers up snippets of his band’s phantasmagorical live shows and his love of alluring, if slightly unnerving art.
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11. Cat Power ( @afasm; )
While we pine for some new music from Chan Marshall, we have these brief missives from her world—some political and some poetic and almost none with any sign of self-promotion—to tide us over. It might just help see us through into what is hopefully a better year in 2017.
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10. Mike Mills ( @lordmillsey; )
One reason to keep watching the account of former R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills is to wait for word of the inevitable reunion of his old band. (Too early to start petitioning for #Coachella2018?) But until that happens, there’s still lots of goodness with which to bide your time, as he travels the world with his current musical endeavors like The Baseball Project and his recent Concerto for Violin, Rock Band, and String Orchestra, and amuses himself with corny jokes and visual treats.
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9. Tim Rutili of Califone ( @califone_timrutili; )
Though his group isn’t as well known as many of the other folks on this list, Califone leader Tim Rutili deserves a spot here for his impeccable eye for a great shot, whether that’s a dusty and ridiculously overpriced The Clapper, a dilapidated van, or a wonderful-looking lady named Nellie working the front desk of a Super 8 in Missouri.
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8. Erykah Badu ( @erykahbadu; )
Erykah Badu‘s IG account hasn’t been around for long, but she’s stayed as wicked and weird on it as in her recent musical turns, with copious selfies of the artist herself in various garments and guises. There’s a heartfelt strain running through it all, too, as evidenced by her recent posting of some charming video clips of her daughter—a spitting image of Ms. Badu—singing a gorgeous rendition of Rihanna’s “Stay.”
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7. Miley Cyrus ( @mileycyrus; )
This beloved Voice judge and pop goofball’s IG feed is chock full of on-brand messaging (her ubiquitous tongue, her love of weed) and surprising diversions like her recent ode to the late Zsa Zsa Gabor and her apparent love of Nick Drake, The Modern Lovers, and The Stooges. Don’t ever change, Miley. We need more weirdos like you in the world.
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6. Questlove ( @questlove; )
There is, perhaps, nothing finer than the data dump/stream of consciousness captions that The Roots’ drummer indulges in on this app. It was through those that we learned that Questlove woke up his buddy D’angelo at 4am to preach the gospel of the new Childish Gambino album.
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5. Claire Evans ( @clairelevans; )
If you’ve ever picked up an album by YACHT or seen their live performances, you’re well aware of how much they consider the look and design of their musical world. Co-founder/vocalist Claire L. Evans’ IG feed is a fine extension of that attention to detail, wherein each picture looks good enough for an album cover or a piece of wall art.
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4. Jon Wurster ( @jonwurster; )
One-half of the comedy duo Scharpling & Wurster and drummer extraordinaire (ever heard of a band called Superchunk? Or the Mountain Goats?), Jon Wurster never met a dog or a double entendre that he didn’t love and get revolted/delighted by, respectively. His love of pop culture and rock history is often on display here, but he’s mostly interested in sharing some particularly groan-and-giggle-inducing uses of the English language, often sent to him by friends, earning them the tag #mynewworstfriend.
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3. Margo Price ( @missmargoprice; )
Not only did this Nashville sensation have one of the best albums of the year, she also kept the fire going on her Instagram account during ’16. Sometimes literally, as with her post of the famous moment Charlie Rich set ablaze the card announcing John Denver as the winner of Entertainer of the Year at the ’75 CMAs, and the lovely portrait of her toking up with Willie Nelson.
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2. Biggy Pop ( @biggypop; )
It’s not just that lithe and limber punk icon Iggy Pop has a huge cockatoo, it’s that he went and named the bird Biggy Pop. Oh, and he dedicated an entire Instagram account to his interactions with his pet. It doesn’t get much better than watching the man behind “Lust for Life” singing The Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird” to li’l Biggy.
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1. Taylor Swift ( @taylorswift; )
She took the top spot last year, and retains the title for good reason. No pop diva is killing the IG game like Tay-Tay. The indulgences in self-promotion are a small sacrifice for us to suffer through to get a glimpse into her world of celebrity and the bursts of goofy energy she brings to it.
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