21 emerging artists to watch in 2026

JayDon is far from a new artist, as he’s been working since the young age of eight. Throughout his career, he’s acted on shows like K.C. Undercover, films like the 2019 version of The Lion King and Little, and appeared on songs alongside Childish Gambino. In 2025, it was announced that he signed to Usher and L.A. Reid’s record label Gamma. And in October, he released an EP Me My Songs & I, which featured the singles “Lullaby” and “I’ll Be Good.” 

In early 2025, Jamal Roberts was crowned the winner of the 23rd season of the music competition show American Idol. Over the summer, it was announced that Roberts would be the opening act on Brandy and Monica’s The Boy Is Mine Tour. Although fans are still waiting on an album, Roberts has since received a Grammy nomination for Best Gospel Song/Performance for his Jonathan McReynolds-assisted track “Still.” 

Sienna Spiro started releasing singing videos on TikTok, which was the launchpad before releasing her debut single “Need Me” in 2024. With the success of her follow-up singles like “Maybe” and "Taxi Driver,” Spiro released her debut EP Sink Now, Swim Later in early 2025. Throughout the year, Spiro has been seen as the supporting act on tours with Sam Smith and Teddy Swims. She may be only 20 years old, but she has an enticing voice that is well beyond her years. 

Brianna Mazzola, Nori Moore, and Wennely Quezada auditioned for a place in a band on Netflix’s competition series Building the Band. Once the band formed as the group 3Quency, they went through the series performing songs from artists like Muni Long, Billie Eilish, and Mariah Carey. After weeks of competition, 3Quency was named the winner of the show and eventually signed record deals with Sony Music and Columbia Records. In September, they released their debut single “Top Down” produced by TBHits, known for his work with Ariana Grande. 

Rising pop group Moody Joody has been winning over fans since the release of their 2024 debut EP Dream Girl. The trio has since hit the road opening for acts such as ARIZONA and Misterwives, while delivering standout sets at major festivals such as SXSW and Austin City Limits. Now, with the release of their funky new single "OOPS!," Moody Joody is building momentum toward their highly anticipated debut album, slated for release in 2026. 

Abby Jasmine is a rapper and singer who first gained attention after going viral on the now-defunct social platform Vine. So far, she’s gone on tour with acts like Rico Nasty and T-Pain, and in 2025, she released two projects Closure, and Love It For Me, Hate It For U. 

Karri is moving in the right direction, as he’s gotten co-signs from some of the biggest artists in the game. His song “3AM in Oakland” started gaining some traction on social media in 2023, which prompted a call from Drake’s right-hand man, Chubbs. Soon after, Drake and Chubbs signed Karri to the PFL record label. Since then, he’s released an EP Late Night Slider Music, and in late December 2025, released his album Slider II, which features the Kehlani-assisted track “go.”  

Emerging artist Chloé French knows how to get people on the dancefloor as she meshes electronic, disco, and pop on songs like “Angels” and “Chocolat.” She also reimagined Lola Young’s single “Messy,” but of course naming it “Messy (but French). The bouncy production on her songs is the type of music fans would love to hear when they want to have fun night out on the town. French is set to release her debut project in early 2026. 

Houston-based rapper iAMLYRIC was known for dropping freestyles but she gained more recognition in 2025 when she released her debut single “Broken Barbies.” She has a smooth and deep voice that instantly draws listeners into her soulful sound. iAMLYRIC is currently managed by Punch, co-founder of Top Dawg Entertainment, and she recently released her debut project BLKBRD, which features tracks with Isaiah Rashad, The Ichiban Don, and Joose. 

Indie rock band PRYVT first formed in 2023 after meeting on a Discord server, decided to blend their styles together, and the following year released their debut project &SCENE. In 2025, they released their sophomore album BACK TO REALITY, which features hit songs like “PALETTE” and “MAYBE I’M RIGHT.” Oftentimes, PRYVT’s music is a mesh of lyrics in English and Korean, songs that have helped them amass over 20 million streams. The group is set to embark on the Back to Reality Tour in 2026 across Asia-Pacific and North America.

For fans who love R&B, then LÉA THE LEOX should instantly be in the playlist rotation. She has a smooth and soothing voice that can easily put a listener in another dimension. With songs like “When You’re Lonely,” “OpenYourEyes,” “IFY,” and “Way Too Cold,” LÉA has been recognized across multiple platforms including VIBE and MTV, and her songs have landed on playlists such as Spotify’s Fresh Finds R&B and TIDAL’s R&B Rising. Throughout the year, she’s been supporting the band Melt on their Plant The Garden Tour, as well as joining Mariah Carey’s choir for her Christmastime in Las Vegas residency. 

Nick Mara isn’t a newbie in the music industry — he was a member of the band PRETTYMUCH for several years before he decided to split from the band in 2022. Well, Mara is stepping back into music as a solo artist and in 2025 released his debut single “Grateful.” He has since followed up with singles like “Dangerous” and “High Fashion,” causing fans to believe that a full project is on the way soon. 

Aaliyah Rose, Cameron Goode, Donzell Taggart, and Katie Roeder met while on the Netflix competition show Building the Band. They were all adamant about forming a mixed group and ended up choosing each other to form SZN4. They instantly became a fan favorite because they were such an unorthodox group with voices that worked incredibly well with each other. Throughout the competition, they performed songs by Hozier, Gotye, Imagine Dragons, and The Weeknd. Although they kept making it through each episode, SZN4 became the runner-up in the competition.

Although kwn has been releasing music since 2022, it seems like 2025 was a huge breakout year for the R&B singer. She released her single “worst behaviour” in late 2024, but the song saw new life a few months later when she dropped a remix alongside Kehlani. Between their synergy in vocals and steamy music video to go along with it, the single was the perfect introduction to new kwn fans. During the summer, kwn released her project with all due respect which featured hit songs like “back of the club” and “do what i say.” 

Gabriel Jacoby is the type of artist who knows how to seamlessly blend R&B, soul, and funk, a talent that’s evident on his 2025 debut EP gutta child. Some of the EP’s instant fan favorites include “dirty south baby,” “hello,” and the Tom. G-assisted track “bootleg.” To help Jacoby gain some more recognition, he joined fellow R&B artist Khamari on his To Dry a Tear Tour. 

Viewers got a chance to first meet boy band Midnight ‘Til Morning when group members Shane Appell, Conor Smith, Zach Newbould, and Mason Watts formed their group on Netflix’s show Building the Band. Throughout the show, they performed songs by Billie Eilish, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Post Malone, which ultimately landed in fourth place in the competition. In October 2025, they released their EP Afterglow and embarked on their first tour across North America and Australia. 

Some people may recognize Felicia Temple as a former contestant on Season 12 of the music competition show The Voice. Other people may recognize her as touring with the likes of Deborah Cox, The Roots, and John Legend. In 2024, she released her EP Welcome Home, which featured dance tracks like “Party” and “Wonder Bout My Love.” Well, Temple is back with her follow-up EP A Soft Place to Land, which features smooth ballads like “Two Ships” and “Alone Together,” the type of songs that R&B fans are sure to love. 

Anna Shoemaker is far from a new artist as she’s been releasing music since 2018 and was a viral sensation on SoundCloud years before that. In 2022, she released her debut album Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire) which featured hit songs like “Until I Die” and “Mariah.” She returned in 2025 with her follow-up album Someone Should Stop Her which showcases her alternative pop sound on songs like “Fields” and “Game of Thrones.” 

Over the last couple of years, rising country singer Vincent Mason released a few EPs. In 2024, his single “Hell Is a Dance Floor” became a viral sensation on TikTok and started opening up for artists like Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert. In 2025, Mason released his debut album There I Go which features fan favorites like “Sink or Swim” and “Old Flame.” 

Ysabelle Angel, Amelia Onuorah, Madeleine Haynes came together in 2022 as the British girl group Say Now. In 2023, they released their debut EP needanamebro and the following year they were honored with the Rising Star Award at the Glamour Awards. Since then, they’ve supported acts on tour including Omar Rudberg, Jade, and Kylie Minogue. With new singles such as “Brick by Brick” and “Supermarket,” fans are anticipating the group to release a new project in 2026. 

Any Gabrielly’s career started as a child when she begin to be casted in musicals. She was also a member of pop group Now United before departing to focus on solo endeavors. In 2023, she signed a deal with Republic Records and released her singles “Sweat” and “Waste Your Love” the following year. As she blends sounds of Latin and pop that is sure to keep people on the dance floor, fans are anticipating her upcoming full-length project.