In 2022, the indie music scene saw rising stars like Wet Leg, Ethel Cain, and rappers J.I.D. and Denzel Curry. However, in 2023, we can expect to see a surge of emerging R&B, pop, hip-hop, and much more with artists such as Ice Spice, Chlöe, and RAYE. Below are ten of the most exciting artists on the rise in 2023!
#10. Black Country, New Road
Photo Credit: Holly Whitaker
After their lead singer and guitarist Isaac Wood left the British band as they released their flawless Ants from Up There early last year, many – including myself – thought that the story of Black Country, New Road would be a short-lived one. But on their recently released Live at Bush Hall, the group perfectly demonstrates that they can still exist without Isaac, and now I can’t wait for a new album.
#9. Cat Burns
Photo Credit: Reuben Bastienne
Her 2020 single “Go” became a TikTok-hit, and as the 22-year-old British singer-songwriter continues to release high-charting hits – most recently the ArrDee-featured “Home for My Heart,” – anticipations for a full-length album increase. Combining R&B and pop influences with guitar-led indie music, Cat Burns has the potential to grab the attention of people from all over the genre register.
#8. Chlöe
Photo Credit: Jack Bridgland
Featuring Chris Brown on your debut solo album, in what happens to be the best song on the record, is a bold choice. But as Chlöe Bailey, one part of the Grammy-nominated sibling duo Chloe x Halle, released her solo debut, she made sure to also invite names like Future and Missy Elliot. The result was a densely produced R&B album, revealing an artist ready to place herself among the biggest names in the genre.
#7. FLO
Photo Credit: Connor Cunningham
Their debut single “Cardboard Box” instantly caught my attention, and Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma, and Renée Downer deservingly won the BBC Sound of 2023 award as well as the Brit Award for Rising Star. Their debut album is expected to release in 2023, and according to the band, “it’s going to be amazing.”
#6. Holly Humberstone
Photo Credit: chuffmedia
With two EPs and one compilation album released in October 2022 (check out the review here) into her career, the English singer-songwriter is already an established name. Her much-anticipated debut album is set to be released in 2023. Be on the lookout, fans of Olivia Rodrigo, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lorde!
#5. Ice Spice
Following in the steps of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, Isas Naija Gaston is the next riot girl rapper on the rise. Hailed by the media as the “crown princess of the Bronx,” she rose to prominence in late 2022 with her song “Munch (Feelin’ U)” and scored her first Billboard Hot 100 Top 3 with the PinkPatheress-featured “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” in 2023.
#4. Jimin
Photo Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC
BTS member Park Ji-min released his debut solo album Face in March 2023, leading him to become the highest-charting Korean solo artist of all time on the Billboard 200 as well as the first to top the Hot 100 with the Latin-flavored “Like Crazy.” If you haven’t already taken a deep dive into the world of K-pop to familiarize yourself with Jimin’s name, chances are high that you will be forced to.
#3. RAYE
Photo Credit: Sebastian Kapfhammer
Rachel Keen finally came true on her debut studio album My 21st CenturyBlues, released to critical acclaim in February this year. Finally freed from an awful four-record deal with Polydor (which eventually saw her releasing zero albums in seven years), her self-released debut climbed to No. 2 in her native U.K., as the 070 Shake-featured R&B banger “Escapism” became Raye’s first No. 1 single.
#2. Yaeji
Photo Credit: Dasom Han
Korean-American Brooklyn-based singer, DJ and producer Kathy Yaeji Lee, blends house music and hip-hop with mellow, quiet vocals sung in both English and Korean. After two extended plays both released in 2017, her anticipated debut album With a Hammer is set to be released on April 7 and will feature the singles “For Granted” and “Done (Let’s Get It).”
#1. Loreen
Photo Credit: Press
Morocco-born, 39-year-old Swedish singer Loreen rose to fame with her larger-than life breakthrough hit “Euphoria” in 2012, a song often considered as the greatest song ever participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. However, her music has been largely unnoticed by international media. As she returns to the annual contest with the similarly euphoric “Tattoo,” things may change – a two-time winner of the longest-running annual international televised music competition would be hard not to notice.
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