Marie Dresselhuis stands out as one of the music industry's best kept secrets right now, and is an artist whose upward trajectory through 2026 feels quietly inevitable rather than loudly announced.
Her work doesn’t clamour for attention; instead it draws you in with a steady and assured hand. It’s work that rewards close listening and emotional presence. There is a rare sense of clarity in Dresselhuis’ songwriting, you know each note and word is carefully chosen and given space to breathe, even from the first listen.
Her latest single, ‘January’ arrives like a soft but decisive turning of the seasons. It embodies new beginnings and light, yet still makes you reflect. It’s more a sense of light that is earned after a long year, rather than something ornamental. Built around a couple of guitars and led by her quietly commanding, yet stunning vocals, the track carries a warmth that feels rooted in tradition yet never stuck in it. Folk memory swells beneath the surface, but it’s shaped by a modern sensitivity that keeps everything feeling alive and present.
Dreselhuis has an exceptional instinct for melody as she crafts lines that linger far after the track ends. There’s no excess or showboating here but instead, music that moves with calm confidence and trusts its own emotional gravity. The restraint is precisely where the power lies. She understands that sometimes the most affecting moments are the ones delivered softly, without insisting on their importance. Lyrically, ‘January’ speaks with a plain, spoken grace that feels increasingly rare. "Steady is the love that is chosen / It’s quiet in its strength", lands with the weight of lived experience, offering reassurance rather than drama. Meanwhile, "I’m coming home to where I’m from, January", reads like a new years homecoming, part reckoning and part renewal, suggesting not only a return to a place but also a return to a sense of self. It’s a line that feels deeply personal yet universally resonant.
Taken as a whole, the song leaves you with that same feeling of stepping out into a clear day after a long winter, an unmistakable sense that something good has already begun. A celebration of light, in its purest, most lived form. Marie Dresselhuis may still be flying under the radar, temporarily, but the work of her marvellous mind suggests it won’t stay that way for long.
Anna Louise Jones
Image: ‘January’ Official Single Cover