New Faces, New Projects
Who To Look For in Today's Sphere of Music
By: Jack Leary
The music industry has been experiencing a renaissance behind the scenes. 2025 was the year for household names, with artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift and more dominating the charts, concert scene and trends of that year.
But it’s become obvious that people want to hear something different, something experimental. 2026 has been the year to do exactly that, with the underground community coming to the forefront of all things music and media. There is a clear shift from listeners wanting to see perfected pop personas to desiring authenticity and original ideas.
Coachella, Lollapalooza, Governor’s Ball and more festivals to come like Austin City Limits have been experiencing a resurgence in popularity as well, introducing entirely new groups of artists to fame.
Notably, many artists like PinkPantheress and Ninajirachi brought out guests for surprise appearances at Coachella, creating a festival for the history books. Meanwhile, artists like Slayyyter and Adela performed for the first time at Lollapalooza and made waves on social media.
This year is one that will go down in time for allowing art and music to come to the forefront of social media. With even more music coming out this year, hopefully this short list can introduce you to some of the amazing artists that have recently garnered noticeable fame, or influence you to become a “pre-fame” listener.
Slayyyter
Slayyyter has become a breakout star in the music scene within the past year.
Her rollout of singles “DANCE…,” “BEAT UP CHANEL$” and “CRANK” (most notably) have been teasing the release of her album “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA,” that has since taken over every music lover’s timeline.
However, for long time listeners such as myself, she’s been a notable force in the realm of earlier glitchpop, with songs like “Hello Kitty,” “Daddy AF” and “Celebrity” notating her earlier pop persona(s).
Slayyyter, coming from Missouri, has made it clear that her constant shift in musical and artistic personas has been influenced by her location for each past project.
Yet, what’s so notable about “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” is that she frees herself from her previous “homes” like New York City and Los Angeles and throws it back to her youth growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, depicting the grit and grime that she feels is an authentic representation of her true self.
This is what fans are becoming increasingly attracted to: authenticity over arbitrary aesthetics. Seeing the newfound fame she’s receiving, dominating Coachella and completely selling out her tour across America, it’s more apparent than ever that Slayyyter has dominated 2026 and will hopefully continue to dominate for years to come.
Recommended Slayyyter Songs/Projects:
“WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” (2026)
14 songs, Electropop/Electroclash, Alternative Dance Pop Genres
Personal favorites: “YES GODDD”, $T. LOSER, BRITTANY MURPHY
“Purrr” (2023)
Featured on STARFUCKER and STARFUCKER (Deluxe) (2023)
2:11 minutes, Dance-pop, Hyperpop Genres
“Mine” (2019)
Featured on Slayyyter (2019)
2:39 minutes, Dance-pop and House Genres
ADÉLA
For someone who has only been present in the music scene for two years, ADÉLA’S domination over pop culture and trends is similar to that
of early 2000s pop sensations.
It’s increasingly clear that, with nearly 20.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, it’s only up from here for her and every aspect of her artistry.
Born in Slovakia, ADÉLA first found media attention from her participation in “The Debut: Dream Academy” and “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE,” the show and documentary that formed the girl group KATSEYE. Although she was the first eliminated, this was in no way indicative of her talent.
With her breakout singles of “Homewrecked” and “Superscar” in 2024, she started off her career completely independent, but quickly signed with Capitol Records and Polydor Records in 2025, with whom she released her EP “The Provocateur,” and later her debut album “PRIMA” (2026).
She’s broken boundaries with her grittier aesthetics, emphasizing the unfair treatment of artists under industrial powerhouses and the underrepresentation of foreigners within spheres of entertainment. ADÉLA is discreetly breaking boundaries of conservatism, singing about things like sex and drugs to showcase that what people define as crude and refined is not always the same for everyone.
Recommended ADÉLA Songs/Projects:
“PRIMA” (2026)
11 songs, Alt-Pop, Dance-Pop, Contemporary R&B, Electropop Genres
Personal favorites: “Marijuana”, “Nicole Kidman”, “Boys”
“The Provocateur” (2025)
7 songs, Electropop and Dance-Pop Genres
Personal favorites: “SexOnTheBeat”, and “FinallyApologizing”
“Superscar” (2024)
Featured on The Provocateur (2025)
3:14 minutes, Dance-Pop, Electropop, Atlanta Bass Genres
Chxrry
Chxrry, a Canadian-Ethiopian singer currently based in Atlanta, has created a journey through her discography.
She has made waves within the zeitgeist for her confident debut album that, while remaining true to her aesthetic, has been a clear deliverance from her previous releases.
Chxrry’s ascending into the mainstream with no interest in conforming to traditional standards, and she’s the new peoples’ princess that will remain authentic to herself with no f**ks to give.
However, she’s not just bursting out of the gates with her bass-booming, dancefloor-perfect sound; she is also showcasing her vulnerability by letting her guard down.
Within her debut album, Chxrry hits high highs and low lows, and introduces many new listeners to the variable nature of her artistry.
Apart from her aforementioned bass-boosted dancefloor sound, she often lets her church choir past shine through on certain tracks, taking listeners into a cinematic, lush world that I can only describe as a euphoric whiplash — when paired with her club-ready productions.
She makes it very apparent that there is not an instance in which she is going to conform to the status quo, and that she’s fulfilled in expressing herself to fans. Cherry has only begun to scratch the surface, so tune in to see how she evolves her enigmatic, star-powered music and identity.
Recommended Chxrry Songs/Projects:
“U, Me & My Ego” (2026)
10 songs, Contemporary R&B, Pop, Dance-Pop Genres
Personal favorites: “Hall of Fame”, “Main Character”, “Groupie”
“Poppin Out (Mistakes)” (2024)
2:34 minutes, R&B/Soul, and Pop Genres
“More” (2023)
3:16 minutes, R&B and Contemporary R&B
AMARA ctk100
This London-based artist consistently expands the box the music world has put electropop and EDM artists into, and uses her voltaic vocals to make her one of the most ingenious underground pop princesses in the current music market.
AMARA ctk100 takes inspiration from her Swiss and Italian roots to integrate multiple languages in her music, creating an identity that is truly her own.
She also uses her background in fashion and graphic design to create fresh, new aesthetics for each of her eras, with many of her outfits consisting of big boots, sleek sunglasses and her signature red-streeked hair.
With nearly 300k monthly listeners, she has released 25 singles and one album, with another currently on the horizon.
In many of her current projects, she takes unserious concepts and non-gimmicky lyrics and makes anthems reminiscent of glitter, fun jewelry and memories of nights out at the club. She makes her words flow with her beat, making each song an entire experience, rather than something that can be dissected piece by piece.
In a world with so much judgment, she embraces and advocates for not giving a f***. In her song “FIANCHI” (translating to “hips” or “sides” in Italian), her artistic identity is notated perfectly: “It’s just me and the girls and our hips swinging free.”
Despite this relinquishing of seriousness, she is someone that everyone needs to listen to.
Recommended AMARA ctk100 Songs/Projects:
“SERVE IT HOT” (2026)
9 songs, Dance/Electronic, Ukrainian Electro, Dembow Genres
Personal favorites: “TURN IT UP”, “PONYTAIL WHIP”, “SWEAT”
“used to think it was me but it’s you! - zero(three)” (2023)
2:10 minutes, Hyperpop and Electropop Genres
“THONG” (2026)
2:32 minutes, Pop Genre
iKeda
iKeda has only been in the music scene for two years, but her bass-boosted, Caribbean heritage has already made her name cementible within contemporary genres, amongst the likes of M.I.A., Santigold and SOPHIE.
This London-born singer and multidisciplinary artist has synthesized her cultural backgrounds into creating “bubble riddim” that consists of distorted electropop, electroclash and incorporated traditional Caribbean sounds.
She’s been on a steep rise within the London music scene, opening for PinkPantheress on the European leg of her tour, and just recently being announced as an opener for Ninajirachi in select cities.
iKeda is truly an effervescent, underappreciated powerhouse who self-produces nearly everything: music videos, songs, aesthetic packages and more.
In her most recent EP “Bangs N Braces,” she stays true to herself and creates a versatile, multidisciplinary project that combines sounds of an earlier Major Lazer and classic reggae. She does an excellent job incorporating things from her earlier childhood as well, with “Tiger Tiger” taking inspiration from a children’s book “The Tiger Who Came to Tea,” that her grandmother gave her.
She is exemplary of how your roots, no matter your age, can be completely transformed while also paying homage to things that have shaped you into who you’ve become.
Just like her recent single “Go!,” it's time to go! and tune into iKeda because she’s taking center stage in the underground.
Recommended iKeda Songs/Projects:
“Bangs N Braces” (2026)
6 songs, Dancehall, Electroclash, and Underground Club Genres
Personal Favorites: “Tiger Tiger”, “Meoww”, “pyramids”
“RED RED” (2026)
2:32 minutes, Electropop, Bassline, and Grime Genres
Featured on Bangs n Braces (2026)
“Luv drunk” (2024)
2:41 minutes, Electropop, Electro-House, and 2-Step Bassline Genres
Featured on Pretty Little Problem (2024)
Tiffany Day
From going viral for singing “Hallelujah” into a well, to now working with electroclash, indietronica and rap powerhouses, Tiffany Day has departed from previous aesthetics to create a synthesized EDM-inspired identity that has resonated with more fans than ever before.
Hailing from both Toronto and Wichita, Day began independently releasing cover music on her YouTube channel, where she garnered millions of views and hundreds of thousands of followers before even releasing her own projects.
It wasn’t until her first release in 2018 that she created an indie musical identity that was definitive of that time. However, behind the scenes, she would listen to EDM and attend raves — a complete juxtaposition from how she portrayed herself to early fans.
As time went on, and Day continued to release music, she reached a point where she was about to quit the industry because of its non-lucrativity. “HALO” was going to be her last shot, until she unexpectedly garnered major popularity and attention from it.
Tiffany Day has completely revolutionized how the music scene sees her, and how she sees herself as an artist — it’s clear that she is more confident and more in love with her music than ever before. With aforementioned roots in EDM and dubstep, she faces difficult conversations behind her amplified, bass-heavy sounds about not fitting into the standard “cool” crowd, while continuously pushing forward and staying true to herself and her craft. Now she sells out multiple stops on her tour, complete with special guests such as Zetra, Tommy Fleece and Miley Duo, while also making appearances at different shows.
It’s true that, even though Day has felt that she doesn’t fit inside the norm, she is pushing to expand that norm and make sure that she has a seat at the table of new contemporaries.
Recommended Tiffany Day Songs/Projects:
“HALO” (2026)
13 songs, Hyperpop and Electropop Genres
Personal favorites:
“LOVER TOFU FRUIT” (2024)
10 songs, Indietronica, Alternative-Pop, and Dance-Pop Genres
Personal favorites: “WHAT AM I RUNNING FROM”, “ALWAYS FUN”
“CONSTANTLY” (2026)
3:02 minutes, featuring slayr
Hyperpop, Digicore, Rage, Pop Rap, and Electropop Genres
Ninajirachi
Ninajirachi has been tearing up the electronic music scene as of late, with her 2025 album “I Love My Computer” gaining global massive popularity.
This Australian-based artist has been making primarily EDM music for years now, with her earlier releases resembling the likes of Porter Robinson projects.
Yet, she has taken a new approach with her 2025 album, as well as her “girl EDM (disc 1)” project, in which she began using her own vocals and integrating her own unique spins on traditional EDM. Her high-energy debut album is almost diaristic and, similar to other artists on this list, uses the strengths of her roots to showcase her authenticity as an artist to her audience.
With nearly 1.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify and now an increasingly sold out tour with even more stops being added, Ninajirachi is venturing outside of Australia and dominating the world one remix at a time.
She’s already taken the stage at Coachella, Lollapalooza and Primavera Sound, with more festival appearances coming up.
At Coachella specifically, she made appearances at PinkPantheress and Madeon’s sets, while bringing out Porter Robinson during her own set.
Ninajirachi’s making sure that while also being introduced to more audiences, she is introducing genre-staples to her audience. She wants to bring everyone into the bedroom clutter that is her art, and she makes me love my computer even more.
Recommended Ninajirachi Songs/Projects:
“I Love My Computer” (2025)
12 songs, Electrohouse, Electropop, Hyperpop, and Complextro Genres
Personal favorites: “CSIRAC”, “ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ”, “Fuck My Computer”
“Angel Music” (2024)
2:07 minutes, song with MGNA Crrrta; Electroclash and Hyperpop Genres
Featured on girl EDM, girl EDM (disc 1) (2024), and remix projects
“1x1” (2023)
3:24, song with Ravenna Golden, featured on 4x4 (2023)
Dance, Bass House, and Electronic Genres
Cece Natalie
Cece Natalie has been a notable “underground” artist over the past few years, since her official debut with her single “Fashion Baby” in 2022 and her debut album “Miss Behaves” (2024). At just 21 years old, Mia Ferrentino, the musician behind Cece Natalie, has made waves as a self-produced artist.
She recently opened for PinkPantheress on her tour “An Evening with… PinkPantheress,” which sparked simultaneous controversy and increased media attention from her being “lazy” and/or “drunk” on stage.
Cece Natalie criticized the internet for their harshness over her awkwardness on stage, but also stood ten toes down on her growth as an artist, which gained even more fan reception. Since then, she has signed to Columbia Records and, within the past year alone, has been averaging over a million monthly listeners on Spotify.
All this is to say Cece doesn’t see herself as a “pop-girl”, but rather an enigmatic artist outside of the mainstream, despite being compared to the likes of Britney Spears. She retains a cool, almost nonchalant persona that secretly loves tarot cards and feels resistant against being placed in boxes.
In a world with so many trends, Cece Natalie shows a refreshingly unconcerned mindset on haters, and a deep endearment for her supporters.
Recommended Cece Natalie Songs/Projects:
“Miss Behaves” (2024)
13 songs, Electropop, Contemporary R&B, and Electroclash Genres
Personal favorites: “Exitin”, “Lovely”, “Limit”, and “754”
“gymnastics - cece natalie house remix” (2024)
Featured on Recycling Bin Collection 2 (2024)
2:42 minutes, Deep House Genres
“Gorgeous (Remix)” (2026)
Remix featuring Isabella Lovestory, Cece Natalie, and the Deep
3:24 minutes, Electropop Genre
Josie Man
This England-based singer with Hong Kong and Catford heritage, has made it a goal to stand by her custom-made genre she’s coined as “Identity-Pop” in an effort to retain her authentic sound and identity.
Josie Man’s music seeks to offer fans shimmery synths and personality within each of her projects, which she executes flawlessly. She often takes inspiration from how she is feeling in a moment and instead of being repetitive, creates a chronological timeline between each of her projects that feels uniquely her own.
Although she has often felt misunderstood within an industry so obsessed with perfection, she wants fans to understand that they can be fine with who they are, rather than be forced to chase an identity that is not true to themselves.
With around 180k monthly listeners on Spotify — and an excellent series of EPs and singles — it’s about time that this artist releases a full album dedicated to her unique musical identity. Especially showcased in her most recent EP, “God Forbid A Girl has Dreams,” the innovative combination of indie and country twang-like vocals mixed with synthpop beats creates something that (like many others on this list) is incredibly unique.
Recommended Josie Man Songs/Projects:
“God Forbid A Girl Has Dreams” (2026)
5 songs, Pop, Alternative-Pop, and Electropop Genres
Personal favorites: “Afterparty”, “Lost In Your Blues”
“me at 23” (2022)
6 songs, Pop and Bubblegum Pop Genres
Personal Favorites: “jealous in my dreams”, “no one cares”
“She’s So Strange” (2025)
2:32 minutes, Pop, Alternative-Pop, and “Identity-Pop” Genres
BRONZE AVERY
As a black and queer LA-based artist, it can be difficult to stand out amongst peers in the music industry. Despite this, BRONZE AVERY makes sure to incorporate his identity within his music and encourages all of his listeners to take pride in living authentically.
As an independent artist who produces his own music, videos and general project rollouts, BRONZE AVERY takes heavy inspiration from Euro-house music, which he integrates into his own musical and personal identity.
He is also the first-ever Billboard NXT award winner, speaking to his artistic versatility and strengths.
In the past few years, similar to Tiffany Day, there was a massive shift in BRONZE AVERY’s musical identity, where he realized his heart was still in the art of pop music, which led to a shift in his later projects of “HEATWAVE” (2024) and very recently “IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES” (2026).
His musical identity has been rooted in inspiring people to dance, party and seriously let loose while also being true to themselves.
With around 80k monthly listeners on Spotify and being recognized as a “Select Fresh Finds” artist, it’s about time that he receives more attention for his incredible lyricism, production skills and general authenticity within the current music scene.
Recommended BRONZE AVERY Songs/Projects:
“IT’S ALL FUN & GAMES” (2026)
13 songs, Dance-Pop, Electropop, and Contemporary R&B Genres
Personal favorites: “VOLCANO”, “MF = $”, “ADDICTION N°1”
“AUTOMATIC” (2025)
2:11 minutes, Pop and R&B/Soul Genres
Featured on THE REPUBLIC OF MOTION (2025)
“SOFTSHELL” (2022)
4 songs, Pop, Contemporary R&B, and Indie-Pop Genres
Personal favorites: “OVER (AND OVER)”, “FIGURE IT OUT”
Portraits of Tracy
Portraits of Tracy’s music career has been tumultuous, with much of her music following her personal identity outside of music.
Her previous sounds of orchestral production that heavily resembled Kanye West later evolved into semi-inspired projects that resembled the likes of Childish Gambino.
Her release of “The Party” in 2023 showed her personal identity blooming further with her coming out as a transgender woman and being kicked out of her home in the Deep South.
Now located in Los Angeles making music as her true self, Portraits of Tracy’s newest project is completely self-produced with elaborate storytelling.
Even in current projects, she is undeniably inspired by her roots in the Deep South and takes time to mention this part of her identity in interludes and snippets of her storytelling. Still, it’s apparent that she takes inspiration from the Riot Grrrl movement from the early 2010s using her own unique spin on fighting against queer rights in today’s media.
With nearly 800k monthly listeners on Spotify, I don’t think you can personally mention unique sounds and personas without mentioning Portraits of Tracy.
Even if she is heavily inspired by many artists, there is truly no one doing it like her. She’s prolific and doesn’t give a f**k about seeming controversial or antagonistic when speaking about her rights as a transgender woman. She even admits that her newest project “Q: From Where Do Our Primal Instincts Originate? A: MTV!” that everything is all over the place.
Yet, it’s authentically herself from every ounce of her personal beliefs to her artistic pursuits. She’s a stand-out that could sell out stadiums if given the proper platform, and I think it’s about time for other people to ask where their primal instincts originate with Tracy.
Recommended Portraits of Tracy Songs/Projects:
“Q: From Where Do Our Primal Instincts Originate? A: MTV!” (2026)
6 songs, Alternative/Indie, Rock, and R&B/Soul Genres
Personal favorites: “Halli Step / Raider Klan Shit”, “Caught In A Jam”
“Driving Home: Parting Gifts” (2023)
24 songs, Neo-Soul, Alt-Pop, Alt-R&B, and Pop Rap Genres
Personal favorites: “En Garde”, “Aeternum”, “Home”, “W. McKinley”
“Endless Parade” (2021)
3:33 minutes, featured on Regardless (2021)
R&B/Soul and Pop Genres
There are SO many more artists that are incredible forces in our current music scene, with more and more musicians sharing their artistry with the world and creating a renaissance.
Artists like the ones I’ve mentioned have made it a point to stay true to their individuality and artistic expression without conforming to industry norms.
People, in general, have become more accepting of others and their individual qualities. Whether that be someone’s identity in their gender, sexuality or cultural background, there has been an increase in attention for different groups that were previously unaccepted in mainstream spaces of entertainment. It’s vital that spaces of entertainment and artistic careers continuously open their doors to even more types of individuals.
I hope that there are even more faces we get to see over the next few years in the mainstream. Even more so, I hope that more people start diving into underground music and learning about artists that deserve more attention.
As the artists I mentioned continue to grow, we as listeners will grow alongside them. It’s great that in such a revolutionary period of our lives, we all get to listen to musicians and artists grow along with us.
Jack Leary is a third-year Neuroscience and Politics student at University of Florida. This is his third semester with ROWDY, and he is interested in all things music, politics and media. Hit him up for more music recs @jack.l.15 on Instagram
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