Pigeons & Planes Presents: 25 Artists to Watch in 2025

25 Artists to Watch in 2025

25 new and rising artists who we're excited to see thrive and reach new heights in 2025, featuring John Glacier, Samara Cyn, Sam Austins, Ally Evenson, YT, Oklou, Florence Sinclair, Igwe Aka, 2hollis, and many more.

January 29, 2025

BY Pigeons, Alex Gardner, Jacob Moore, Kieran Press-Reynolds, Madeline Quach, Olive Soki-Kavwahirehi, Alex Siber, Shamus Hill, Rani Boyer, Marissa Duldulao, Brooks Travers, Annabelle Kline-Zilles, Millan Verma, Graham Corrigan, Neel Shah, Cydney Lee, Josh Moore, Riley Furey

The way 2025 is going so far, it's hard to feel confident about any predictions (other than chaos). Trying to anticipate what technological advance will shake the music industry next requires pulling from a mind map of buzzwords like AI and generative. Here are a couple of cold hard facts, courtesy of Luminate's 2024 year-end music report:

There are over 200 million songs on streaming services, but around half of them have 0-10 listens.

There was an average of 99,000 songs uploaded to streaming services every single day in 2024.

In many ways, it's a deeply depressing landscape, especially for new artists hoping to break through, find their audience, and build a sustainable career. On the other hand, at any moment any one of those 99,000 songs is there to be discovered and obsessed over. We'll keep doing our best to listen to as much new music as humanly possible, but when it came to building this feature we were looking for much more than the latest viral track or recent buzz.

Case in point, many of the artists on this list have been making music for 5-10 years, giving them a solid foundation for greatness in 2025. There are some wild cards and surprises in here too, so read on for 25 Artists to Watch in 2025.

Check out our Artists To Watch features from 2024 here, 2023 here, and 2022 here.

John Glacier

Loading Text...

Loading Image...

If the wind could rap as it swept over mountains, as the calm Trelawny breeze gathered strength and greyed the Jamaican sky, I’m convinced it’d sound like that self-made fashion girl from Hackney who’d still crash your house party. John Glacier has obeyed no clock but her own since her ageless 2021 project SHILOH. It’s in her Maroon bloodline to personify defiance. So she returns on a comet’s cycle, unrushed even over the most jackrabbit BPM, with a voice like a wand. Vegyn, SURF GANG, Kwes Darko, Andrew Aged, Zack Sekoff, and Tony Seltzer stand in her production corner. Her official debut album’s out next month, finally, eight-plus years after making iOS GarageBand sketches and Britney Spears covers with a PC headset.

“I’m proud of what I’ve become and I’m proud of my parents for raising me,” Glacier tells us. “My album Like a Ribbon is a full circle moment, a new cycle, about the ripples of life and how they cascade. A ribbon is an instrument that takes on any shape and form, depending on how it’s tied. Despite this, all knots can be undone.”

You get the sense that the only growth that truly matters to Glacier is imaginative. Her plan and the game’s are not the same. (She once said she was dead because her energy put her out of reach of most earth dwellers. Religions have been started for less.) Inertia can get a bad rep: we’re often drawn to dynamism over immovable force. But it’s Glacier’s unwarpable presence on any given song that makes her feel inevitable, like an erosion-proof boulder in white water rapids. Tune in to hear her lyrics (“I weep 1000 rivers dry,” from “Timing”) and boom-bap affirmations. There are pick-me-ups for never-pick-me girls, flexes for the subletters, notes to self we can all benefit from (“Steady As I Am”). Self-love made wavy.

“I want people to want more for themselves when they listen to my music,” she told Interview last October.

Trace amounts of M.I.A. and Clams Casino, soca and Mssingno and chopped n screwed, glimmer in her cloud rap beats on speed (“Found”), the negative space she makes homes out of (“Satellites”), the noir skin-crawlers that sound like faintly lit E1 roads (“Cows Come Home”). Like A Ribbon, a package of three EP-length chapters, dials down the lo-fi that Glacier’s long been known for. Her vocals hit harder, the synths more crystalline. “Nevasure” is an intergalactic blockbuster; the Eartheater-featuring “Money Shows” embraces abrasion. Whether it’s “Ocean Steppin’” featuring label mate Sampha (!) or the tear-jerk closer “Heaven’s Sent,” Glacier is hypnotic as she rain dances in the middle of a downpour, molasses flooding the orchard. She’s gone from couch-surfing to crowd-surfing with her pen and an infallible ear.

“My mum brought up on a council estate in Hackney and now I’m journeying… Flowers for the women them,” Glacier tells us. “As someone that’s been impacted by class and class structures, I think it’s important to highlight and reference genuine experiences that are important to you, but class isn't an influence on my art because I'm my own being. I’m the type of person that wears a random ‘I’m retired’ cap in the midst of releasing an album.”

If she called it quits today, she’d walk away as one of the most captivating artists out. Like A Ribbon is set for release on February 14 via Young.—Siber

Loading Text...

Lazer Dim 700

Loading Image...

Fawk!

As 2024 unfolded, these four letters evolved from merely an exasperated figure of speech to the rallying call of one of rap’s most polarizing talents. Enter Lazer Dim 700.

With public opinion generally swaying between short-lived meme and Atlanta rap prodigy, Lazer has steadily established a name for himself through his relentless and unyielding brand of music. His destructively brilliant discography has enthralled listeners everywhere, and over the course of the last year he’s ventured from internet subculture sensation to a promising rising figure in rap music.

Establishing prominence through his unconventional, do-it-yourself recording methods, his frantic, torrential rapping style, and his deep southern twang, Lazer’s music has an air of freshness that simply can’t be replicated by anyone else. If forced to draw a comparison, his music is almost as if the Nickelodeon character Invader Zim had a cousin from Atlanta who rapped about everything from smoking Florida weed to taking girls to Raising Cane’s. Songs like “Laced max,” “Asian rock,” and “CALYPSO” do a great job of capturing the nonchalant delivery, outside-the-box thinking, and unquestionable authenticity that pool together to make Lazer Dim stand out.

2024 proved to be Lazer’s most momentous year yet, and was carpeted with a cross-country tour, collaborations alongside the likes of Trippie Redd and Denzel Curry, and a viral Nardwuar interview during which he gifted the beloved host a photo of his late mother. Lazer Dim ended the year by releasing a full album, KEEPIN IT CLOUDY.

As the masses begin to open their horizons to his artistic prowess, Lazer is gearing up to make his biggest splash yet during the coming year, whether you’re his lil twan or not.—Shamus Hill

Loading Text...

Merges

Loading Image...

Sometimes a first impression is all you need to know you are in the right hands. In the case of South Dakota native singer-songwriter, Merges, it only takes about five seconds of the opener of her latest project to know that not only are you in good hands, but you might never want to leave the wonderland you stumbled into.

Having spent some time in the Los Angeles and Nashville music scenes, Merges’ sound can be practically categorized as alt-R&B with some Western mystique. Etched with ‌a sense of catharsis and wondrous vocal runs, once the dust settles, each one of her songs reveals itself to be more complex than the last.

Last year, Merges released two EPs, Fuji and Agnus, both of which serve as perfect introductions to Merges’ sound. Armed with a voice well-suited for R&B, backed by incredibly imaginative instrumentation, songs like “American Eagle” ooze of nostalgia, while “what a life” presents a modern, contemplative atmosphere in less than three minutes. Reminiscent of projects that have managed to craft impeccable and textural musical backdrops, like the likes of Ryan Beatty’s Calico and Dreaming of David, Merges’ Angus is unforgettable.

With hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners and two impeccable introductory projects under her belt, Merges’ following is growing quickly, and she’s eager to strengthen ties with more fans this year. “I played a couple shows in 2024,” she tells us, “and it was so fulfilling to connect with actual people in real life. I had my lyrics sung back to me for the first time, and it was such a special feeling. I can be so hard on myself and lose many a night’s sleep in the studio and it really makes it all worth it.”

All signs point to more of those moments in 2025.—Olive Soki-Kavwahirehi

Loading Text...

Samara Cyn

Loading Image...

2024 has been a groundbreaking year for women in rap—both in terms of commercial success and the exciting range of newcomers—and Samara Cyn is at the forefront of this new wave. The Tennessee-bred artist is blending neo-soul and hip-hop with the kind of finesse that recalls icons like Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, all while making her own unique mark on the current landscape.

Coming from a military family, Cyn made frequent moves throughout her childhood. She lived in Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Hawaii, and Colorado, soaking up different cultures and experiences. She got into poetry at a young age, thanks to her mother who was an English teacher, and her love for poetry evolved into an urge to make music.

After attending school as a full-time student in Arizona, Cyn made the bold move to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Reflecting on her hustle, she shared in a 2024 interview with Pigeons & Planes: “I moved to LA with no job. I was trippin’, lowkey. One of the best places I create is in the car. Even when I was younger and I was in college, I would go sit in my car and I would write raps. DoorDashing, you’re driving all over the place, there’s slow moments where nothing’s happening. And I would go on SoundCloud and I would just look up instrumentals and I would rap in the car.”

Cyn’s relentless drive has caught the attention of major artists like Rapsody, Alicia Keys, and Erykah Badu, who also praised her freestyle over Badu’s “Green Eyes” instrumental. In October, Cyn released her debut project The Drive Home, which features standout tracks like “Sinner” and “Chrome,” where her inspiring bars, star charisma, and vivid imagery shine.

Her rise continued this past November when she opened for Nas in London during his Illmatic 30th anniversary tour. Now, Cyn is gearing up to join Smino on his Kountry Kousins Tour, performing across 31 U.S. dates starting in April.

With a breakout album and a national tour in the works, Samara Cyn is gearing up for an unforgettable 2025.—Marissa Duldulao

Loading Text...

Chanel Beads

Loading Image...

Shane Lavers reminds you (me) that we’re all just hideous little miracles on an unlikely sphere. Ash after the fireworks, plastic in the riverbed, jokes at the funeral, ugly feelings in warm skin. It’s all a beautiful thing (or at least sounds that way under his watch). Lavers writes, sings, and produces music as the ascendant Chanel Beads, an uncontainable artist project that revels in confusion, staring down the world with a trickster’s smile. Since last year’s release of debut album Your Day Will Come, more of the world is beginning to stare back, pressing play, buying tickets, etc. It’s maybe been a bit too much of that.

“The album isn’t for everyone,” the Minnesota-raised Lavers tells us. “But it might be palatable enough that more people are hearing it than they should. I feel very lucky and a little cynical. I didn’t expect people in Europe to care. [Laughs] But I’m still trying to learn how to not field too much input from strangers. It used to be like, ‘Okay, let’s go for it as hard as we can.’ Now I’m making sure I’m doing what I want.”

So far, that’s meant lots of dead-serious fun. At the start of his filmed set in Tokyo, Lavers tests his mic with two hair-raising screams before a grin flashes across his face. “Coffee Culture,” a lush orchestral piece made with cracked VSTs and a qwerty DAW keyboard, mocks excess as it burrows into your bone marrow. He gleefully injects still photos into videos: a Star Trek character pops up in the euphoric dance track “let’s go out tonight,” and nuclear-flash photos of collaborators Maya McGrory (who also makes spellbinding music as Colle) and Zachary Schwartz (a violin wizard) interrupt “Live Video.” His earlier releases featured the tag “mineral water” (“I decided ‘water’ wasn’t specific enough,” he says) and his album art features a public domain image, limiting his own ability to profit from his art. On Your Day Will Come, processed vocals often feel sugar-sweet, as if you’re hearing an inner child beamed through moonlight. Onstage, they’re rendered more abrasive, punk leaking through the pitch fx.

“I’m just using Ableton stock plugins,” Shane says, laughing. “I’m not a sonic guy! I don’t really feel like a producer. My goal is to make something with lasting emotion that doesn’t feel tied to any one decade, but also doesn’t feel like this kind of muddy soup. I don’t want to just paint with primary IKEA colors. We have this impulse to take the moon, something no one can own, so we can give it away to one person we love… It’s romantic and gross at the same time. I’m interested in writing honestly about things like this that trouble me.”

[Editor’s Note: Shane also plays at least a half-dozen ‘traditional’ instruments, though he seems to rejoice in making no difference between digital and analogue. His vinyl’s front-cover sticker lists the source of his sounds, including “Facebook marketplace hi hat no brand” and “google translation text to speech.” I’d be lying if I didn’t list this approach as one of many reasons why I appreciate his music.]

The Chanel Beads frontman has been painted as alternative’s second-coming; an heir to Bon Iver’s Jagjaguwar kingdom; a complementary foil to The Dare’s New York hedonism; a sweetheart Midwesterner with Seattle angst; a talented provocateur with an underrated Lot Radio set; the natural product of someone who holds Carti, Lou Reed, Brian Wilson, DMX, and the novelist Agota Kristof in equal regard; a musician you should like because Caroline Polachek and Nourished By Time do too… Yeah.

To me, really, he’s a songwriter worth reading. “Bossman’s picking through your pocket” on “Altruism,” “Dust is falling in the god ray” on “Ef,” “You owe it to yourself to believe in something else” on “Police Scanner.” He knows that grief can live in any smile, that life on this rock is earnest and absurd. This alone makes him one of music’s most honest voices. Even, maybe especially, when he's pulling your leg.—Siber

Loading Text...

Florence Sinclair

Loading Image...

Everyone loves an underdog story, and Florence Sinclair is the kind of artist who makes you root for them without ever asking. It’s 2025, a roll of a loaded dice can take you anywhere, but Sinclair isn’t betting on conventions to get there. Instead, the London-based maverick is gradually unravelling their world, drawing in a collection of strays (us included), hypnotized by the music’s restlessness and lingering search for connection.

The underground alternative music scene here is quietly spilling out of the UK, spurning out enigmatic oddballs and misfits like fakemink, jim legxacy, and Iceboy Violet. Sinclair sits amongst these pervasive voices, with nods to UK culture scattered in iconic samples throughout—The Smiths to Giggs, even nods to Skins.

Sinclair’s music is as much a personal diary as it is a cultural statement. At 12 years old, they began experimenting with hip-hop and grime, foundational influences that inform their work today. Later, an exploration of ambient sounds birthed the Florence Sinclair moniker: a creative identity that fuses trip-hop, experimental electronica, grime, and indie stylings.

Their songs delve deeply into self-reflection, turning over every stone as they explore their experiences—from a nomadic upbringing and the displacement it brings to themes of heritage, gender, internal struggles, and self-expression. Given an adolescence spent drifting through different corners of the UK, even a brief stint in Canada, Sinclair’s sense of place (or lack thereof) is a recurring theme in their work. Projects like It’s a Big Man Ting reveal a deeply personal narrative, chronicling the journey of a young Black British boy navigating life’s harshest realities while reaching for self-acceptance. It’s raw, gritty, and profoundly human.

“I feel like I have carved my own identity. The topics I talk about, the sounds I make. I do feel like it’s its own world,” Sinclair reflects in a rare interview with Document Journal.

After a string of shows across the US, several UK performances, intermittent new singles, and building a tight knit team, the stage is set for Sinclair’s next steps in 2025.—Rani Boyer

Loading Text...

Ally Evenson

Loading Image...

Ally Evenson operates in a lane all her own on BLUE SUPER LOVE, a cathartic and striking debut album. The Detroit singer/songwriter refuses to simplify the extent of her emotions; whether entrenched in fuzz and distortion or vocals sounding on the cusp of waterworks, BLUE SUPER LOVE perfectly encapsulates these highs and lows through sharp, surreal production all while bonded together by the sap of some of the stickiest melodies to grace this space in 2024.

Take “Throes,” a song exploring the giddy anxiety that comes with a new relationship, soundtracked by production evoking a frolic through tall grass with Evenson’s muse, emphasized with quips like, “I’ll turn the pages if she reads the words to me / I’ll play the right notes if she’s the one listening.” Evenson’s sweetness is as eﬀective as her grit, made clear in the second act of the album’s title track, as powerful guitars catapult her soaring refrains, only to float back down to the surface over a graceful trip-hop outro, doting on recklessness and impulsiveness (“You can touch whoever you want … and pretend that nothing has happened / Do you see the light at the end?”).

Evenson’s album has an honesty and audacity all too rarely found in an emerging artist, especially on a debut album. Her singular approach to deprecation, lust, love, and all that lingers between makes her stand out amongst her peers. It will be exciting to see how this album translates live, as she embarks as an opener for Wallice across the Eastern & Midwestern US in February. This is only the beginning for Ally Evenson, and we cannot wait to see what she achieves in 2025.—Brooks Travers

Loading Text...

Sam Austins

Loading Image...

Sam Austins proved to be one of 2024’s undeniable success stories. Whether it's his current tour with Dua Saleh, upcoming tour with Magdalena Bay, or a spot at the top of the Spotify's Viral 50 charts, Austins is hitting his stride with the pace of an Olympic marathon runner. But while the masses may be hearing his music for the first time, Sam is far from an overnight success. His releases date back all the way to 2017 as an emerging artist from Detroit and it has been a more tumultuous journey to this point than social media could ever properly depict.

“Behind closed doors I had the hardest year of my life in 2024, and no one could’ve predicted the floodgates of the world opening up to me in the way it did,” says Sam when asked about what this year has meant to him. “I want to be living, breathing proof that you can be whatever the hell you want to be. Everything happening right now is the result of divine timing meeting precision, preparation, and a clear vision for what I want to do. I’m excited for all things that 2025 has to offer.”

Alongside his recent streaming success, Austins has been developing a strong performance identity, as he showed in his Medium Sized Backyard performance that reached over a million people and counting across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube earlier this year.

His music draws from hyperpop, electro-punk, and dance genres to name a few, but listing the genres could never do his discography justice. Sam’s inspirations include Outkast, LCD Soundsystem, and Smashing Pumpkins which may help to build out the bigger picture, but if you need a place to start, either “KILOS” from 2021 or his recent breakout hit “Seasons” will serve you well.

The world is steadily getting to know Sam Austins, but he has been working his whole life for this moment and is ready to welcome 2025 and beyond with open arms.—Riley Furey

Loading Text...

2hollis

Loading Image...

“Once they all got it, it was insane,” 2hollis told Pigeons & Planes in a rare interview last year. He was referring to his opening stint on Ken Carson’s Chaos Tour, but it’s also been the driving force behind his entire career.

2hollis, born Hollis Frazier-Herndon, is an artist and producer, rumored Playboi Carti collaborator, son of OWSLA cofounder Kathryn Frazier, and platinum blonde Gen A messiah. His output is staggering— a new project drops, an unreleased feature leaks, and an entire persona is wiped from the Internet. His digital footprint is sparse, but you can still trace the rise of 2hollis through the annals of subreddit threads and YouTube reuploads.

In 2018, having received Ableton as a birthday gift a few years prior, Hollis began releasing under the name Drippysoup. Just 13 at the time, he cut his teeth on plugg beats rapping about DMT and interpolating Tay-K (this song later became the 2023 single “cliche”).

Drippysoup became 2hollis during the chainmail era, which produced fan favorite EPs META and The Jarl. From 2020 to 2021, Hollis was part of the collective OSX or Open Swords of Ten, whose style of medieval period rap is a little bit like Thomas Tallis meets Drain Gang meets Skyrim. Alongside artists like Circleain and sighsare, he wove intricate stories about knights in the kingdom of Tenflower over choral hymns and frenetic arps. Save for META and a handful of features, most of Hollis’ music from this time has been taken down, although fans have scraped together these lost songs in hopes of keeping the spirit of Tenflower alive.

In 2022, he moved on from OSX with a series of solo releases including another fan favorite, FINALLY LOST. The now-deleted trap tape is a nod to Chief Keef’s Finally Rich, with mixtape era DJ tags and a Pen & Pixel-inspired cover art. That same year he dropped White Tiger, which marked a shift for 2hollis. While the album is named for a divine figure that he says saved him from a Truman Show-like psychosis, the writing itself moves away from chainmail era fantasy and toward the realities of unrequited love and the pitfalls of celebrity.

2hollis no longer speaks in tongues or lives in mythical worlds. But that esoteric flair and the feeling that he knows something you don’t underscores all of his work. It follows you through every listen, whether that’s the eerie knocking at the end of “gold” or the Minecraft sound effects sprinkled throughout his music. It’s why new fans flock daily to his subreddit with questions about 2hollis lore. And why diehards keep meticulous records of all of his aliases and archived releases. That’s the true key to making people “get it”: they never really do, and that makes them want even more.

In the second half of 2024 alone, 2hollis released his third studio album, boy, along with the singles “trauma” and his Interscope debut “gold”. He performed Lollapalooza as part of the Skrillex-curated Sonny’s Stage next to artists like Kenny Beats and Four Tet and not only survived the infamous Opium tour supporting slot, but thrived in it. At the top of this year, he takes off on the second leg of his North America headline tour followed by a daytime Coachella set in April. With a follow-up to “gold” undoubtedly on the way, an electrifying live show, and an army of evangelists at his Rick-clad feet, 2025 is 2’s for the taking.—Maddy Quach

Loading Text...

Igwe Aka

Loading Image...

My first encounter with Igwe Aka was when I heard his 2022 single “DONT NEED A SOUL.” I was immediately intrigued by his airy falsetto. As the song went into the first verse, I heard his voice get deeper and more textured. I felt the honesty in his lyricism and how freely his voice maneuvered through the song. A few months later, I came across his SUPER EAGLE EP, which included “OFF BRAND” featuring Camila Covington; as I listened I fell even harder for Aka. The way he flowed through his melodic raps felt like a beam of sunshine straight to the face. But my world stopped spinning when I heard the song “TONY ON THE RADIO.” It felt like the soundtrack to a groundbreaking A24 film and made me get chills all over my body. It was then I understood the world Igwe Aka was building, and knew I needed to dive deeper. (Little did I know I would end up joining his team in 2024 and building a beautiful working relationship.)

I met Igwe Aka the following year in Brooklyn and started to learn more about him. Igwe was born in Nigeria and then moved to the US. He now calls Sacramento home and is proud to be a leader of the next generation of NorCal artists. He surrounds himself with an extremely creative and driven group of friends, and they all collaborate often. If you ask his friends about him, they’ll probably rave about his talents as a director and a creative leader. If you take a look at his social media, you’ll find colorful skits and short films that Aka has directed. His music videos are breathtaking, clearly made with great attention to detail and outside-the-box thinking.

Igwe Aka’s 2024 releases reveal a year of impressive growth. There’s “I HATE LA,” a bouncy song with Aka singing in a low register and talking about how much he despises LA, paired with a music video filled with beautiful shades of orange and a puppet. There’s “TWIN,” a song with a second verse that I find myself shouting out randomly at the top of my lungs when I’m home alone. (“I GOT TOO MUCH SAUCE! I GOT NO MORE SWEAT ON ME RIGHT NOW!”) There’s “BRUISER,” a dynamic journey with sparkling production that feels like a future classic. However, out of all of his 2024 releases, “CAMERAS” is the one that has gone platinum for me and my friends. The production is punchy and his voice shines bright, spitting unforgettable bars. He premiered this song on my show on The Lot Radio in September of 2024, and our entire crew went crazy during the performance. Aka ended the year on a high by releasing his album ‘EAGLE OR THE EGG’ on December 26.

Igwe Aka possesses the qualities that I see in musical and cultural leaders like Tyler the Creator, A$AP Rocky, and BROCKHAMPTON in their golden era. Not only is the music phenomenal and unlike anything else I’ve ever heard, but he’s built an entire world around it; whether it’s his skits, his music videos, or his fashion, each facet of the Igwe Aka world is curated in perfect harmony with his personal taste. Igwe Aka is himself boldly and confidently, and I have no doubt that he is an artist to watch closely in 2025 and beyond.—Annabelle Kline-Zilles

Loading Text...

Fcukers

Loading Image...

There’s a lowkey charm to Fcukers dance-pop, which is often just an airy-headed hook and a drum and synth loop. It’s music to lightly bop to while drunkenly riding the bus home from a party at night. There’s so much noise nowadays, sometimes all you want is some geeked-out gibberish to fill the brain-space: YA! i getcha bon bon. YA! i getcha bon bon. It sounds like they’re just riffing at a hang sesh, having fun; it’s like parasocial partying in music form.

The New York-based duo of singer Shanny Wise and producer Jackson Walker Lewis initially sparked derision when they rose out of nowhere last year and were accused of being industry plants. But actually listen to the music and it’s undeniably addictive: The cavernous swirl of “Heart Dub,” the sultry grind of “Homie Don’t Shake”; little licks of UK garage and samples shivering everywhere.

Their debut EP last fall Baggy$$ was a gentle joyride, like riding a rollercoaster but you’re so blissed-out that the juddering drop only registers as a gust of cool wind. Rather than leveling up by overthinking and laboring over a debut album, I hope their music stays glazed. The simplicity of their hooky melodies is key to the allure, along with the detached, sardonic New York cool. Enough of the shy, fatally online Substackers and tryhard snobs who scoff if you don’t play the most esoteric electronic records; Fcukers just want you to dance and pop a little grin.

Fcukers are set to have a breakout year. They’ve already got a slew of connections, from collaborating with LCD Soundsystem to performing at festivals alongside major names. Most importantly, they have a preternatural sense for textures that just sound sweet. If they summon up their best instincts in the studio, it’s easy to see them soaring in and beyond NYC.—Kieran Press-Reynolds

Loading Text...

Nino Paid

Loading Image...

“Pain & Possibilities,” a standout track from DMV-based rapper Nino Paid, serves as both his breakthrough record and mission statement. The 23-year-old lays out his traumas plainly to listeners but balances them with the promise of resolve, a rare feat in a region whose rap scene is largely characterized by notes of aggression.

As if actively making progress in therapy, Nino weighs the reality of his situation in real time as he raps. On one hand, he is alive and healthy and his career is going well, but on the other, he has friends who have died far too young, and the scars of growing up in the foster care and juvenile systems seem to be permanent. This push and pull keep his mind racing, making Nino one of the most captivating writers in music right now.

His fireside-chat-like verses continue on his 2024 debut mixtape, Can’t Go Bacc, which showcases an airy, more vulnerable approach to the DMV’s rapidly evolving strain of crank. On “When I Was Young” he hauntingly raps, “Tried to forget everything that I been through, I got my whole life still ahead/I been in therapy since I was nine ‘cause that’s when I first wished I was dead.”

Already amassing over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Nino Paid’s rawness could lead to an even bigger 2025. His new project, Love Me As I Am, is set for release on February 4.—Millan Verma

Loading Text...

Alemeda

Loading Image...

Not even the bots could conceive of a story like Alemeda’s. Born in Ethiopia and raised between Arizona and Addis Ababa, the singer/songwriter was raised in a religious household that didn’t always look fondly on pop music. She ran away from home at 17 and started taking music seriously (“heart attacks were had”). When Alemeda started recording music in college, the closest studio was an hour away and had to be booked between two different jobs.

Slowly but surely, the long bus rides produced a string of singles. Alemeda was finding her sound, exploring R&B, alternative, and even a dash of drum & bass, all backed by her intensely personal lyrics and powerhouse vocals. “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows” was both the breakthrough and the exception, an understated, sample-driven dance track that opts for bells and hi-hats over the usual distorted guitars.

Regardless of the genre, Alemeda’s songs are often direct addresses, stories of heartache and emotional turbulence that ebb and flow with her wide-ranging delivery: one second she’s is hushed and reverent, the next, a hurricane-force gale, all righteous indignation and level-clipping vocals. “I love hateful songs on the happy beats,” she told Polyester. “I’m someone that laughs through bullshit and pain.”

Recently, Alemeda’s name is nearly always followed with an addendum: as TDE’s newest member, the Arizona-raised singer/songwriter has been under more scrutiny since she shared the news of her signing in fall 2024.

But the connector is a bit of a misdirect, because Alemeda represents something new for the label made famous by Kendrick, ScHoolboy Q, and SZA. She’s in a different lane, evidenced by the remarkable range of 2024’s FK IT EP. There are seething, acidic punk anthems (“Don’t Call Me” and “I hate your face”), lovesick country ballads (“Not Asking For Much”), and perky pop-rock to round it all out (“I already dug your grave”): all on show in her Medium Sized Backyard performance. The bases are covered, the way is paved, and next year, we’ll see where Alemeda takes her victory lap.—Graham Corrigan

Loading Text...

Oklou

Loading Image...

Oklou’s glorious new album, choke enough, is built on a foundation of electronic production that lands somewhere between sci-fi video game soundtrack and a PC Music warehouse rave. Still, the human touch can be felt throughout, like the gentle hand of a loved one on your shoulder. Found sounds from nature and the city are woven in amongst the crystalline synthesizers, providing an enchanting partner for Oklou’s singing, which is all in her second language.

Oklou (pronounced okay-lou) was born and raised in the countryside of Western France and began her musical education very young, singing in choirs from the age of four and going on to be classically trained in piano and cello. Then came bands with friends, performing covers, and eventually the life-altering first computer and access to GarageBand. Moving to Paris at 19 years old coincided with Oklou’s deep-dive electronic music education, producing house and techno tracks, DJing, and launching herself into all the big city had to offer.

All of Oklou’s experiences, her personal growth and formal education, and years of being a full-time musician (2020 mixtape Galore was a breakout moment in itself) have fed into choke enough, which feels like a clear mission statement from an ascendent experimental pop auteur à la Caroline Polachek or even Charli XCX.

“I see [the album] as built on a permanent conversation between a life anchored in reality and another in fantasy,” Oklou says. “I can’t imagine a life without daydreaming, without spending time appreciating beauty, but I need to be anchored to the ground to continue paying attention to what’s happening around me.”

choke enough was co-produced with Casey MQ, Danny L Harle, and A. G. Cook and will be released on February 7 via True Panther.—Alex Gardner

Loading Text...

YT

Loading Image...

The jerk renaissance of the past few years proved to be alive and well this summer when all eyes turned to the UK for YT’s instantly viral “Black & Tan,” which blew up not only because of its nostalgic Frutiger Metro-coded music video, but also for the crackling chemistry between YT and collaborator Lancey Foux. The pair pass playful brags and references back and forth like prime Xavi and Iniesta playing Barcelona tiki-taka, and for anyone not already familiar with who just might be 2024’s king of flexing, the song was definitely a wake up call.

YT, a recent Oxford graduate in philosophy and French, has a knack for floating instantly quotable bars over beats that take the classic jerk bounce and drench it with hyperactive sound effects and synths, resulting in songs that snap, pop, and roar to life. Going viral isn’t new to YT though, and he certainly isn’t coming out of nowhere. The rapper had a trending moment in 2021 with the plugg-y “Arc'teryx” and 2023’s Lady Gaga-sampling, Spongebob-referencing, 2013 internet-brained #STILLSWAGGIN started to create buzz for his move into this jerk-inspired sound.

“Black & Tan” was simply the culmination of years of growth for the young rapper, who sits at the forefront of a tidal wave of talent bursting out of the UK underground. YT has been ready for this moment for years, and he has cemented himself as a pivotal player alongside scene legends like Lancey and fellow up-and-comers like Fimiguerrero, the latter of whom YT collaborated with on the basketball-themed “MVP” later in the year.

What can we expect from YT in 2025? Judging from his social media feeds, a mixtape is on the way, and October single “Prada or Celine” delivered more of the same irresistible sound, another highly creative music video, as well as increasingly inventive ways of telling us how rich he is.

In the new year, it’s looking like YT is ready to capitalize on a success that has been a long time coming, and one thing is definitely for sure: if we see him, he’ll be swagging: “Not a shadow of a doubt.”—Neel Shah

Loading Text...

Snow Strippers

Loading Image...

Listening to Snow Strippers is often compared to an extra-sensory experience—and not the psychedelic, peace and love kind. The NYC-based duo, comprised of producer Graham Perez and singer Tatiana Schwaninger, have been, perhaps unfairly, typecast as rave kids: late-night dance vampires leaning hard into their library of synths and effects.

Lost in that categorization is the group’s undeniable work ethic. Snow Strippers have been dedicated members of the scene circuit for a few years now, releasing mixtapes and touring regularly in the wee hours since 2021. But it was in 2024 that they broke through to a new level. Two EPs, Night Killaz Vol. 1 and Night Killaz Vol. 2, have found widespread acclaim from seasoned trance heads and new fans alike for the punishing pace, inventive sound collages, and unapologetic attitude. Their singles “So What If I’m A Freak” and “Just Your Doll” sum things up nicely: no matter what you think, Snow Strippers are plowing ahead.

Yet for all the talk of raves and substances, there’s a gentle melancholy blanketing the Snow Strippers sound that allows them to move between a number of different genres. The DNA of house, trance, dubstep, and chiptune show up in their music, providing a unique blend of nostalgia and foresight

“If people are on some hating-ass shit, it’s whatever,” Perez told The Face. “But sometimes people say it on some love shit… I don’t think we try to reference a specific year or anything, because we get all different years [...] People are like, ‘Oh, this reminds me of 2004’, or ‘This is, like, straight out 2016.’”

In other words, comparison is the thief of joy. Part of what makes Snow Strippers fun is tracing the musical lineage—but most of it comes from the music itself.—Graham Corrigan

Loading Text...

Bktherula

Loading Image...

A phrase that describes Bktherula’s career up to this point: continuous improvement. The Atlanta-bred rapper blew up as a teenager on the tail-end of the Soundcloud era with “Tweakin’ Together,” but has managed to push her sound forward with every ensuing project. NIRVANA, the follow-up to her 2020 debut, takes on warped psychedelia; 2021’s LOVE BLACK mixes rage with moody disruption; and the two LVL5 albums, Bk’s most realized projects to date, put her own stamp on emerging sounds in rap.

Being so versatile has put her in an interesting spot. By not ever sticking to one sound, Bk has built a loyal base of fans who are excited by the growth she shows with each drop. A byproduct of this, though, is that she exists in a space between the mainstream and the underground. Too consistent to be a hidden gem, too unpredictable to be a chart-topper.

2025 may not be the year Bktherula scores a #1 hit, but there’s a good chance it’s the year she puts out her best music yet. Her next album, LUCY, is on the way.—Millan Verma

Loading Text...

Polami Roko

Loading Image...

For some artists on this list, all signs point to a breakthrough year in 2025. Polami Roko is more of a wild card, but his last two singles ("Bug Bite" and "Awesome") have us convinced—there’s massive potential here.

Polami Roko is the pseudonym of 21-year-old Christophe Rochon, a French Canadian artist from Lévis, a small town in Quebec. He’s currently in school for sound engineering, a much-needed skill since for now he’s a DIY act who considers himself a “perfectionist to the point of obsession.”

“It’s a bit hard to find an audience where I come from because the media only highlights francophone artists,” Roko tells us. “I’ve been making music for six years now, and it’s my dream to be able to make a living from it. I’ve been working on a project, but several events have caused me to focus less on my music, and they also demotivated me a bit. Since I released ‘Bug Bite,’ I’ve really regained my love for music. That song confirmed to me that there are people who want to listen to me—whether it’s one person or 1,000, I don’t care. As long as I know there are people who like what I do, I’ll keep going.”

Roko names Prince, Bon Iver, Joni Mitchell, and Nick Drake as influences, but his current favorites also include Mk.gee and Dijon. It’s in this world where Roko’s music is already finding an audience. Songs like “Bug Bite” and “Awesome” are starting to pop up on “Mk.gee/Dijon vibes” playlists, and while that’s a box he may want to break out of eventually, it’s also an opportunity to be discovered.

We’ve heard a lot of Mk.gee rip-offs and Dijon soundalikes over the last year, but Polami Roko isn’t that. His music combines raw musicality with a dynamic nature, but it’s his approach to songwriting that keeps every track engaging—a hook that veers or a burst of energy that feels essential the moment it arrives. It’s as unpredictable as it is satisfying.

Vibes and aesthetics get tired, but great songwriting doesn’t, and if Polami Roko can keep delivering at the level of his recent releases, 2025 should be the year that his dream of making music for a living becomes a reality.—Jacob Moore

Loading Text...

OsamaSon

Loading Image...

Among the new class of internet rap upstarts—what SoundCloud generation are we on? 5.2?—OsamaSon easily ranks near the top. Rewiring and combining the no melody beats of the late 2010s with Ken Carson’s distorto-miasma, he’s pushed this kind of aggro rap to the brink of madness. His best songs capture the cluttered mania of modern life like little else, spasming with synth layers and twitching percussion.

Take “just score it,” a leak the 21-year-old finally dropped in October. The low end is borderline excruciating, a barrage of dissonance. Yet it’s got a hypnotic rhythm, the bass blares and dizzy synths arranged in such a way that it chains you to its convulsing merry-go-round. I’ve seen him perform live multiple times and the dancefloor shakes like deranged flash mobs. The online haters spam vitriol—All these songs sound the same: NOISE!—but the heads have memorized every micro-texture hidden in OsamaSon’s chainsaw beats.

Osama just crested 1 million monthly listeners. His collabs with producer OK are only getting more intoxicating, straddling the line between extreme rage and glittery pop with samples that sound like radio hits chewed up and spat out by a demon. After years of grinding in the underground, racking up TikTok micro-hit after micro-hit, the masses might finally be ready to appreciate his blown-out chaos. This next album could vault him into the spotlight.—Kieran Press-Reynolds

Loading Text...

The Hellp

Loading Image...

The duo behind The Hellp—Noah Dillon and Chandler Ransom Lucy—have been making outré music accompanied by visuals that pop off the screen for about 9 years, building a world of distorted Americana and faded glory that feels like cultural commentary delivered with a knowing smirk.

In the early days, confusion around the band was based on the uneven stream of releases which jumped between different sounds and the lack of information regarding who was behind these ambitious but unpolished multimedia projects. More recently, the band has honed in on a distinct sound and a few more details are available, but the mystique remains. Partly it’s the rockstar image—leather jackets, skinny jeans, big hair—but there is a lot to unpack. As Millan Verma put it in a piece for P&P earlier this year, “Their work is so layered with ambitious ideas that it can be hard to decipher what lies at its core. What is clear, however, is that their intentions run deeper than mere shock value.”

In 2024, The Hellp released their best music yet with the album LL and embarked on a sold-out fall tour of North America. The sharp edges of their electroclash-meets-punk-meets-pop-meets-balladry haven’t been dulled, but everything feels a little more polished and the the thrilling highs (take “Colorado,” “Caustic,” or “Go Somewhere,” for example) hit like a lightning bolt.

If you’ve seen The Hellp in an aesthetic moodboard or meme-y outfit video but haven’t given the music a chance, it’s not too late to dig deeper. Look past the 2003 Julian Casablancas/2005 Justice uniforms and you’ll uncover a serious band with a lot to say. As they told the Fader recently, “People aren't interacting with The FACE magazine article [an in-depth profile of the band], they're interacting with an outfit TikTok of us that goes viral. The pieces of media people have seen from us that they're forcibly [made to] interact with have not been the best reflection of what we are.”

A new record and more touring is planned for 2025.—Alex Gardner

Loading Text...

Fimiguerrero

Loading Image...

The UK underground is having a sweet moment right now: there’s fakemink’s bittersweet vignettes, Jawnino’s fragile grime, YT’s skittery jerk. But no rising British rapper has more giddy charisma than Fimiguerrero. He soared off a slew of TikTok hits in 2024, most notably the balefully bouncy “Mandy” and “Vogue,” which could soundtrack a demented fit check video.

In a rap scene dominated by too-slick squares and Opium clones, Fimi offers a goofy reprieve and energy that leaps out of the speakers. It’s a world of “Gucci burgers,” coochies splayed in the backseat, dench pockets, smoking that “smelly.” The Nigeria-born, London-based rapper has undeniable hype on the mic, spacing each word perfectly so it pops, and a stylist’s taste for elegantly distressed beats—the kind of warped jerk perfect for both the SoundCloud abyss and a runway show.

Fimi capped off 2024 with the surprise CONGLOMERATE, a collaborative tape with countrymen Len and Lancey Foux that made the UK scene’s intentions clear: Dominate the airwaves. It leaked way beyond just their home city, spawning viral adulation and rave reviews. As hype continues to coalesce around London’s new generation, it's only a matter of time before he ascends to new peaks.—Kieran Press-Reynolds

Loading Text...

PUNCHING BAG

Loading Image...

We included PUNCHING BAG in Fall 2024’s Best New Artists round-up, but the Pomona-raised pair of Jahsy and Askari seem as if they're only warming up.

PUNCHING BAG’s sound resides somewhere between the worlds of hip-hop and punk rock, and their ethos as a group is “to represent the misconceptions, microaggressions, and indefinite scrutiny (or punches) that Black youth have to stomach for simply existing.” The duo showcases a deep commitment to their boxing theme throughout visuals and stage design, most recently in the music video for “SPLIT,” directed by PUNCHING BAG’s Jahsy Jule Johnson himself.

“The record sounds like and gives off the energy that it could have been in Fight Club, so we paid homage to the film in a PUNCHING BAG font,” explains the duo.

PUNCHING BAG is fresh off what they call their “pre-season” as a group—a series of bouts (read: shows) which saw them open for Flatbush Zombies as well as playing numerous shows with fellow up and comers including Igwe Aka, Mercury, and bby. They also signed their first record deal with EMPIRE, the powerhouse independent label that is a home to acts including Shaboozey, Larry June, and Asake.

When asked about what to expect from them in 2025, the group says they are “currently training in the mountains in preparation for our 2025 slate of ‘matches.’”

As it stands, PUNCHING BAG’s bio has now been updated to 9-0-0 as they close out their first undefeated season and fans can expect more visuals from the duo in 2025 alongside new music in the first quarter of the year.—Riley Furey

Loading Text...

julie

Loading Image...

Bursting onto the scene back in 2020 with their hit single “flutter,” julie, a noise rock three-piece band, spent 2024 working on their debut album my anti-aircraft friend. Trimming all the fat to find the most pointed version of their vision, the project takes a foundation they’ve built over the past four years and elevates it. Mixing heavily distorted soundscapes with grungy undertones, my anti-aircraft friend is a meticulously crafted record. It tears away at any confusion of who julie is, freeing them of unfitting labels.

Composed of Dillon Lee on drums, Alexandria Elizabeth on bass and vocals, and Keyan Pourzand on guitar and vocals, julie’s chemistry is undeniable. From the back and forth between Alexandria and Keyan’s vocals to the way they give each other space to shine on stage as individuals and as a group, it feels like they’ve been performing together for an eternity. Meeting in high school in Orange County, California, Dillon and Keyan forged a bond over their love for bands like Sonic Youth and Henry’s Dress. Introduced through a mutual friend, Alexandria joined later on. The rest is history.

Akin to their idols from the '90s, julie’s performances are a beautiful chaos. Whether it's Dillon ripping through his kit or the contrast between Alexandria’s dark and grungy bass tone and her strong and angelic timbre, it’s clear why people are taking notice. They’ve even opened for the likes of the Foo Fighters and Alex G.

Looking to 2025, they’ve cleared the runway for takeoff. From the consistent sound throughout the project to Dillon making the art, they’ve shown who they are with my anti-aircraft friend, both sonically and visually. No longer under the weight of feeling misrepresented or misinterpreted, they'll spread their wings in 2025 as they continue to grow and experiment as a band.—Josh Moore

Loading Text...

Molly Santana

Loading Image...

Before rapping, Molly Santana was a fashion student in Japan. The 20-year-old would often skip class to go to the studio before ditching school altogether to pursue music full-time. She started making music in 2021, releasing her first single “Y They Talk Abt Me?” and fast-forward to now, her efforts have paid off.

The Japanese and Black rapper was booked and busy in 2024. She released two projects, Molly Santana and Masonic Musik, opened for Ski Mask the Slump God and Don Toliver on their respective tours, and capped off the year making her Rolling Loud debut in Miami. She was also in the studio with Lil Uzi Vert back in the fall, a full-circle moment considering she once translated the lyrics to Luv is Rage 2 from English to Japanese for her mother who worked at Universal Music Japan.

Pulling from her cross-cultural background growing up outside of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire and Japan, Santana’s sound combines genres like punk, rage, trap, and alt-pop with a high-energy, feminine touch. Masonic Musik, her first EP released via Victor Victor Worldwide, is a testament to her eclectic tendencies. Intro track “Greenlight” is a club-friendly trap, followed by songs like “Want” and “Nothing Like Us” that have her in her alt-pop bag.

At Rolling Loud, Santana performed an unreleased, moshpit-ready track and the crowd hype indicated that she’s onto something. With a new album on the way soon and more touring planned, it’s safe to say that the rising rapper has lots more up her sleeve for 2025. —Cydney Lee

Loading Text...

Mk.gee

Loading Image...

Before you call us late, let me explain…

If you're a longtime Pigeons & Planes follower—thank you, we appreciate you—you might have noticed that we’ve included Mk.gee on this list multiple times over the last 5-plus years.

We first interviewed Mk.gee in 2018 around the release of his Fool EP, and then we named him a Best New Artist in 2019. We also included him in our list of Artists To Watch in 2020 alongside acts like Baby Keem, Kenny Mason, MAVI, Jean Dawson, Gracie Abrams, Remi Wolf, and more.

The next year, we put together the list of Artists To Watch in 2021, featuring Teezo Touchdown, Mustafa, redveil, Nilüfer Yanya, Fousheé, and—you guessed it—Mk.gee. We’ve been expecting the Mk.gee Moment for many years.

Well, here we are in 2025 and we can finally say it with confidence: Mk.gee is once again, without a doubt, an artist to watch. The truth is, he has been for years, but even we couldn’t have predicted his dramatic rise in 2024.

Mk.gee’s 2024 album Two Star & The Dream Police is a pop revelation doused in reverb, stripped of polish, and powered by slow-growers and sleeper hits. The album’s impact grew steadily throughout the year, propped up by lore, two tours, and the most surprising Saturday Night Live appearance of 2024.

2025 is going to be particularly interesting for Mk.gee because his unorthodox rise leaves us with a lot of questions: Will he infiltrate mainstream pop? Will we get a live album? Will he and Dijon reunite?

In the past, Mk.gee was an artist to watch because he deserved more attention. Now, it's about what he's going to do with it.—Jacob Moore

Loading Text...