We’re kicking off 2026 with our first blog of the year, which is our annual must-listen artists list! This year, we’re spotlighting 16 incredible artists you need on your radar.
From all different parts of the world, these artists made waves in 2025 and we’re confident their impact will only grow stronger in 2026. Without further ado, here are 16 artists you should be listening to this year!
Current Monthly Listeners: 1.3K
Ruby Aeron is a UK-based artist who made her debut on January 28, 2022 with the single “Overdue”, followed by “Not Here Forever” on May 13, 2022. After a brief hiatus, she returned in February 2025 with the track “Temporary Love”.
We discovered Ruby through TikTok shortly after the release of her single “Beautiful Liar” on May 9, 2025. This track served as a pre-release for her debut EP what are you scared of?, released in November 2025.
Ruby has a distinctive sound and aesthetic, crafting songs that explore themes of love, self-discovery, and personal growth. Her ability to convey emotion through both lyrics and melody makes her a rising voice to watch in the UK music scene.
Follow Ruby Aeron:
Current Monthly Listeners: 64.1K
THEM is an all-girl pop-rock band from Seattle. The name THEM is an acronym of the members’ names: Thompson, Hudson, Ellie, and Maia. The group made their debut on June 4, 2021, with the single “BAD 4 U”. Their most popular song, “Sunset Blvd”, was released on July 8, 2022, and is featured on their debut EP the car ep, released July 22, 2022.
Since their debut, THEM has been consistently releasing music and performing at major Seattle venues and festivals, including The Paramount Theatre, Bumbershoot Music Festival, and even atop the Space Needle. Their second EP, Girls Mind, dropped on June 28, 2024, and their latest single, “Cool Girl”, was released on December 12, 2025.
We’ve been following THEM since discovering them in 2024 through a friend. We love their vibe and how distinctive and powerful their music is, truly showcasing the energy and talent of an all-girl pop-rock band.
Follow THEM:
Current Monthly Listeners: 24.5K
J.Y.N. (Just Your Name) is a Korean-American singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Chicago, United States. His sound blends alternative rock with elements of bedroom pop, blues, and punk rock. He made his debut on January 23, 2021, with the single “Hard to Love Reflections,” which remains his most popular track with over 2.4 million streams.
J.Y.N. released his debut EP, For Fuchsia, on September 2, 2022, and has consistently released singles since. He released his second EP, Bittersweet, on November 17, 2023, followed by his latest EP, Clip Distortion, which dropped on December 19, 2025.
In August 2025, he opened for wave to earth and is set to join Sylo and hevel at Tomorrow Never Knows (TNK) Fest in Chicago on January 22. We’ve been following J.Y.N.’s music since mid-2023, and we love his sound. So far, his growth as an artist has been so exciting to watch, and we think 2026 will be a big year for him.
Follow J.Y.N.:
Current Monthly Listeners: 7.5K
Chelsea Cara is a singer-songwriter from Singapore. Her music spans multiple genres, including pop, EDM, synth-wave, dance pop, and dark pop. On February 28, 2020, she was featured on the single “Live On” alongside Foxela and Brittle Bear. In May, she collaborated with Foxela again for “wanted you so bad”, and she released numerous collaborations throughout 2020 and 2021. Chelsea made her official solo debut on July 28, 2022, with the single “Walls”.
Since her solo debut, Chelsea has consistently released music, leading up to her debut EP PHASES, released on March 14, 2025. She kicked off 2026 strong with the January 2 single “landline,” which is such a bop.
We’ve been following Chelsea since August 2024, and it’s been incredible to see her growth as an artist.
Follow Chelsea Cara:
Current Monthly Listeners: 33.1K
Avi Roy is an R&B/Soul artist from Toronto, Canada. He made his debut on August 4, 2021, with the single “Yourself,” followed by his first album, the london tapes, released on February 11, 2022.
We discovered Avi Roy in 2023 after the release of his single “Healing” on April 7, 2023. Since his debut, he has consistently released music, including the EP MY WAYS, which dropped on June 28, 2024.
In 2025, Avi released two more EPs: as you run away on January 22, and LOST IN ABYSS 1, which closed out the year on December 31.
Avi is set to kick off 2026 with a new single, “who am i?,” releasing on January 16.
Follow Avi Roy
Current Monthly Listeners: 6.1K
Christina Hart is a Swiss alt-pop-rock artist based in UK. She made her debut on October 14, 2022, with the single “Never Be Her.”
Since then, Christina has consistently released new music, steadily building her sound and audience. We discovered her through her single “Thank You For Leaving,,” released on August 1, 2025.
In July 2025, Christina opened for Louis Tomlinson at his Zurich Open Air show, marking a major milestone in her rising career. Her latest release, “Little Crimes,” released on November 7 and continues to showcase her evolving artistry.
Christina is an incredible artist, and we’re looking forward to following her musical journey as it continues to unfold.
Follow Cristina Hart:
Current Monthly Listeners: 69.8K
ROM COM is a Nashville-based indie rock/synth-pop duo formed by Aron Rosing and Tyler Murray. Known for their nostalgic aesthetic and sound, the duo draws inspiration from classic films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club.
They made their debut on October 20, 2023, with the single “Tom Cruisin’,” and have since consistently released EPs and singles, building their distinctive retro-leaning discography.
In 2025, ROM COM released two albums: *Never Know* in May and End Zone in August. Later that year, they followed up with “Don’t Think Twice,” released on October 20, 2025. This was the track that first introduced us to their music as they were promoting it on TikTok. They closed out the year with “McConaughey,” a collaboration with Wolf Mahler, released on November 24.
We love ROM COM’s romantic, ’80s and ’90s classic movie-inspired style, and we believe they will reach an even wider audience this year.
Follow ROMCOM:
Current Monthly Listeners: 92K
Leanys is a Cuban artist raised in Miami, blending elements of Latin, R&B, alternative, and pop, and singing in both Spanish and English. She made her debut on March 19, 2021, with the single “soaking”.
Since her debut, Leanys has released many singles, leading up to her debut album, Nova, released on August 9, 2024. The track “Explicame” on this album was what first introduced us to her music.
On May 30, 2025, Leanys released her sophomore album, El Arte Del Cambio. Following the album’s release, she continued to put out new music, closing out the year with the single “Aquí Aquí,” released on November 14, 2025.
Follow Leanys:
Current Monthly Listeners: 55.1K
Bianca Espino is a Filipino singer and songwriter from Toronto, Canada. She made her debut on November 1, 2023, with the single “a love lullaby”.
We discovered Bianca prior to her debut release and featured her in our “UP & COMING ASIAN ARTISTS PT. 5 | 100K AND BELOW” article in April 2024, when she had just 688 monthly listeners. In February 2025, she went on to perform at our second showcase on February 7, alongside Nilo Blues.
Since our initial feature, Bianca’s growth has been remarkable. Her music has been shared by Justin Bieber on his Instagram story, introducing her sound to an even wider audience. She released her debut EP, second nature, on July 11, 2025, and closed out the year with the single “Plum,” released on October 24, 2025.
Follow Bianca Espino:
Current Monthly Listeners: 53.2K
Ben Ellis is a Welsh singer-songwriter who first gained popularity on TikTok, where his acoustic covers earned him a following of over 140K. He made his official debut on March 9, 2022, with the single “not this time.” Following that, he released his debut EP, The Ed’s House, on November 15, 2023.
We discovered Ben in 2025 after hearing his single “Does It Get Cold In California,” released on October 16, 2024, which caught our attention after coming on shuffe following Bradley Simpson’s album on Spotify. This track was later included on his sophomore EP, The Hollywood EP, released on February 21, 2025.
Ben has released singles every few months since his debut and he ended 2025 off strong with the release of “still be friends” on November 12.
Looking ahead to 2026, Ben is set to perform at Victorious Festival in Portsmouth, UK, in August, further solidifying his growing presence in the indie-pop scene.
Follow Ben Ellis:
Current Monthly Listeners: 508
igloobay is a South Korean rock/pop-rock band consisting of Joymin (vocals/guitar), Hyeong Seok (drums), and Kookoo (bass). The group made their debut on July 29, 2015, with the double-single EP Walk Off, featuring “Winding Road” and “The World of Toys”.
Since their debut, igloobay has released a number of singles along with two full-length albums: 100-8 on March 15, 2017, and Four season’s Seoul, released on November 30, 2022. On November 23, 2024, they released the EP Not Neverland , featuring the track “Peter,pan,” which is how we discovered the band in February 2025.
Their most recent releases, “Garden” and “That Child” were released on November 28, 2025.
igloobay has a distinct and compelling style, and since featuring them in February 2025, we’ve seen their fanbase continue to grow steadily.
Follow igloobay:
Current Monthly Listeners: 129.1K
can’t be blue (캔트비블루) is a South Korean alt-rock band consisting of four members: Lee Dohun (vocals), Kwon Dahyun (keyboards), Lee Hwiwon (bass), and Kim Chaehyun (guitar). They debuted on June 20, 2024, with the single “사랑이라 했던 말 속에서” (Within the Words I Once Called Love). Following their debut, the band released their first EP, Blue Vinyl, on August 30, 2024.
The group has continued to release music frequently, and we discovered them in June 2025 through their single “First Sight,” released on June 24. They closed out the year with “dim,” released on December 5.
We love a rock band, and can’t be blue delivers with a distinctive style and sound. Their more recent releases lean toward a softer, ballad-like direction, showcasing another side of their artistry
Follow can’t be blue:
Current Monthly Listeners: 5.9K
francene rouelle is a Texas-based Filipina-American singer-songwriter signed to mHart, Austin’s first and only Asian American independent music label. She made her debut on January 19, 2024, with the single “love wasn’t enough”.
On April 19, 2024, francene released her debut album, finally a fairytale, which is how we discovered her, followed by a deluxe edition in July 2024. Throughout 2025, she released several singles leading up to her sophomore album, off the carousel, which dropped on August 1.
She closed out the year with the double-single EP songs i like to sing, released on November 14, 2025, featuring “B.O.A.T.” and “wyd now.”
Follow francene rouelle:
Current Monthly Listeners: 58.8K
Lisa Heller is an alternative indie-pop singer-songwriter from a small town in Connecticut. She made her debut on June 24, 2016, with the single “hope.” Since then, Lisa has remained highly active, releasing a steady stream of singles and EPs.
We discovered her in early 2025 following the release of her single “people pleaser,” which released on January 24. On April 3, 2025, she released her EP HELLO, MY NAME IS, and later closed out the year with “Swinging for the Fence,” released on December 3, 2025.
Follow Lisa Heller:
Current Monthly Listeners: 14.2K
Rohin is an alternative/indie singer-songwriter based in Toronto and signed to Universal Music Canada. He made his debut on September 25, 2024, with the EP so follow me down.
We discovered Rohin shortly after the release of his sophomore EP, As The Light Fades, which released on August 29, 2025 and showcases his introspective songwriting and atmospheric sound.
Later that fall, Rohin opened for Sunday (1994) on September 23, 2025, marking another key moment in his musical journey. With a some strong releases so far, Rohin is quickly establishing himself as an artist to watch.
Follow Rohin:
Current Monthly Listeners: 4.8K
Sean, also known by his artist name vylarem, is a Canadian indie-pop/alt-pop singer-songwriter who made his debut on June 2, 2025, with the single “write a note.”
Following his debut, vylarem continued to release new music throughout 2025, including “tell you” and “could he” in September, “more than this” in November, and “what we’d do,” released on December 30 to close out the year.
“could he” is a track we especially enjoyed, and we’ve been following vylarem closely as his artistic journey continues to unfold.
Follow vylarem:
Check out all these songs in our “16 Artists To Listen To In 2026” Spotify Playlist:
Got an artist or song submission? Visit our Submit Music page.