With big labels, DSPs and an unregulated internet monopolizing audiences and splintering attention spans, it’s harder for emerging musicians to delineate their own space and make an impact. More than ever before, tastemaker lists feel essential; a considered, curated selection of artists, bands and collectives pushing genre conventions into thrilling new terrains. 

When constructing our list of artists to watch this year, we pinpointed the prevailing trend was clear-sighted inventiveness. Whatever your taste, this genre-spanning list gives you a heads-up on the prospective music prize winners, big sellers and lesser known gems that may fly-under-the-radar but will always catalyze the cultural conversation.

Our Ones To Watch format – mirroring the number of artists with the year – was initiated back in 2018. Now, in 2025, the CLASH team has assembled 25 risers who we believe will make an impact this year and beyond. See this list as a conduit to new music, a point of discovery, and a reference of artists to follow and bank on as they progress in their careers. 

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Annahstasia

Born Annahstasia Enuke, this self-taught, LA-dwelling artist creates torch songs and cosmic hymns that sit within the ambit of filigree folk. Anahstasia’s self-interrogating lyrics pierce through in weathered songs, where the listener is witness to a ritual of desolate transformation before reaching a plane of stasis. At the tender age of 17, Annahstasia was hurled into the industry, ill-equipped to deal with a machine that prioritises would-be stars who burn bright before burning out. Pressure turns uncut gems into diamonds, however. Charting her creative reawakening with last year’s ‘Surface Tension’ EP, a curtain-raiser to debut full-length ‘Tether’ arriving this Spring, Annahstasia’s grace and wisdom promises to leave a lasting impression this year and beyond. Shahzaib Hussain 

Chloe Qisha 

Chloe Qisha is unstoppable. A standout at The Great Escape’s First Fifty showcase before Christmas, everything she touches turns to gold. The floral, artful pop of her debut EP – self-titled, natch – is strewn with literate, instantly infectious synth-pop jewels; like the lush, sweeping ‘Evelyn’ or the Annie Lennox-echoing thumper ‘Sexy Goodbye’. Stepping into the New Year with the essential new single ‘21st Century Cool Girl’ – a bold title if ever there was one – she’s ready to claim the waiting world as her own. Robin Murray

Jana Diab 

Newly-signed to Interscope/Polydor, this Cairo-born, London-based musician distills between-worlds, third culture musings into artful pop-rock hybrids. Her composite sound evokes Lorde and Saya Gray, but Jana’s half-sung, half-vocalised sermons are entirely her own. Equal parts penetrating and conversational, Jana’s televisual EP, ‘Season One’, released late last year, is the perfect opening salvo of her unfolding storybook. Shahzaib Hussain

Ledbyher 

Co-signed by the likes of Central Cee, Lola Young, and Ants Live, Ledbyher – real name Rachel Diack – is the 21-year-old all-rounder bringing low-lit “bedroom drill” to the masses. Her misty-eyed music blends insular feelings about queer identity and the kinetic energy of live performance with an auteur-level eye for world-building. Thus far, she’s released 21 videos, fifteen singles and three EPs, and if new single ‘DAYDREAMING MADE BE BLUE’ is anything to go by, we’re moments away from getting swept up in her pixelated vortex. Shahzaib Hussain

Travy 

Galvanizing Dublin’s underground, Travy brings forth a ruthless grit to rap. A master of storytelling and quickfire flows, the riser approaches each verse with vim and bombast that harks back to his enduring love for 50 Cent’s ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Travy stepped into the new year with his debut solo mixtape ‘SPOOKY’; a medley of revving basslines, nocturnal trap beats and a super-charged pen. The rapper channels feelings of alienation and angst whilst capturing the spirit and kinship of his Gliders movement – a multi-purpose collective putting Irish regional rap on the map. Ana Lamond

DJ Suzy 

There’s something brewing in the Nordic underground. I discovered this “digital girl from Sweden” late last year when I came across her project ‘Haunted Disc’. Affiliated with Stockholm producer Osrin and sonic trickster Oscar Scheller, Suzy Viktoria Ekman Ronander, known professionally as DJ Suzy, fashions a tapestry of symphonic soul and glassine future-pop that evokes the work of Ouri, Erika de Casier, Astrid Sonne and TYSON. ‘Haunted Disc’, led by moreish singles ‘Digital Girl’ and ‘Aqua’, coasts between subtly offbeat numbers playfully dissecting modern love/algorithmic expressions of art, with more folkloric passages framed by a hyperreal sheen. Shahzaib Hussain

Luvcat 

Luvcat knows how to get what she wants. Hell, her song ‘Dinner @ Brasserie Zédel’ spells it out loud and clear – she’s here for a good time, and she’s not about to be denied. A pop powerhouse in waiting, her roots lie somewhere between Liverpool, South London, and Paris, but in truth she’s the kind of borderless talent UK pop only coughs up every few years or so. With a mere three tracks to her name, Luvcat is ready to steal some serious hearts – and she’s got designs on yours. Robin Murray

Giift

Copenhagen-based Giift comes into 2025 off the back of some serious wins. Last year, she was honoured with the prestigious Music Moves Europe Award, and named Songwriter of the Year at the Danish Music Awards, having written with-and-for artists like Beyoncé, Kehlani, and Arlo Parks. Giift’s peripatetic upbringing has shaped her musical DNA. Born in Pretoria, South Africa, she was adopted by parents from Denmark, where she grew up in an insular “hygge” community. Sonically polygluttonous, Giift’s lyrical style is starkly confessional by nature, mirroring early SZA’s guitar-plucked musings on situationships, sexuality and the chafing sensation that comes with outgrowing what once felt familiar. Explicit new single ‘Pussy’, a preview of forthcoming EP ‘Desires’ out next month, sees Giift strip away the artifice. Radical and forthright, Giift’s future RnB overtures are a necessity this year. Shahzaib Hussain

Sunken  

Last year marked the return of Sunken, an enigmatic four-piece fashioning grungey, indie-pop delights. The band put their best foot forward with ‘10K’, a fuzzy distortion that neatly slots into a teen dream ‘90s horror flick. Elsewhere, the group have unveiled glimmers of their dynamic live performances on the road, joining Aussie duo Highschool on their UK/Europe tour. As they step outside of the shadows, we can bank on Sunken providing the perfect soundtrack to an enveloping winter chill. Ana Lamond

chlothegod

Readers may know singer-rapper chlothegod from the sybaritic neo-soul notes of her debut project or the sun-dappled pop-rock of last year’s EP ‘My GF H8s Me’. With a textural voice that brings to life her truth-telling lyricism, chlothegod reflects the thorniness of one’s twenties back at her listeners; be it a relationship on the brink of collapse or the epiphanies that come with exploring one’s sexuality. 2025 is the year theNorth Carolina artist transitions from an indie act to one capturing the hearts of the masses. Josh Abraham 

ALT BLK ERA

Sister duo ALT BLK ERA are among the freshest talents emerging from Nottingham’s thriving music scene. Nyrobi, 20, and Chaya, 17, first made waves as teenagers on their debut EP ‘Freak Show’, which firmly put them on the map. Now, their debut album, ‘RAVE IMMORTAL’, out now, charts their evolution from adolescence to adulthood. In 2024, they earned a MOBO nomination, stormed festivals like Glastonbury, Download, Reading & Leeds, and collaborated with the likes of Wheatus. With their explosive energy and sibling synergy, 2025 is poised to cement their status as rising stars of the alternative scene. Gemma Cockrell

ATRIP

ATRIP creates electronic riddims for the people – untethered notes that use space to collapse into the nuances of French house, glitchy jungle beats, UK garage, and Prodigy-inspired techno. Patrick Pache is becoming a fixture of London’s club culture: the German-Polish producer ties audible feelings into soft synths and romantic buildups that bounce into reverie. His catalog is more early Nosia than disco-pop and it’s the drums that give ‘TANZPARTEI I’ and ‘II’ their singular sound – turning two mixtapes into cellularly real dance records that are engineered to glue your heart together. Joshua Khan

Jacob Alon 

There’s just something about Jacob Alon. Within days of their visit to the set of Later… the Scottish artist’s performance of ‘Fairy In A Bottle’ had well and truly gone viral. It’s not hard to see why. An artist of profound honesty, there’s a magic to everything Jacob Alon touches. A beautiful spirit, their work melts together the acoustic beauty of Sufjan Stevens with the revelatory truths of Douglas Stuart’s novel Shuggie Bain. A force of nature, their incoming debut album will set the world alight. Robin Murray

Nia Smith

A coveted voice emerging from South London’s ever-expanding scene, Nia Smith is gesturing towards the next phase of neo soul. Leaning into the genre’s fusion core, Smith delivers bittersweet melodies straight from the heart. Last year’s EP ‘Give Up The Fear’ marked Smith’s debut, a soothing listen that flits between revelatory ballads and dancehall-infused bops. With a voice that glissades across registers, this technically-gifted artist will electrify the UK RnB and soul scene in the coming years. Ana Lamond

Micofcourse

2025 is the year Micofcourse comes into his own. A freestyle mainstay on Rinse FM and BBC 1Xtra, with Manga Saint Hilare and Capo Lee team-ups under his belt, this West London rapper unspools inner-city meditations over all manner of tempo-shifted beats: be it the narcotic drill of ‘Lidge’ or the percolating anthemics of ‘Sumac’. 2024 project, ‘Locked In’, laid out Mic’s future aspirations whilst exhuming a restless past – a lofty show of his honed lyrical skill. Open and engaging, Micofcourse doesn’t manufacture distance in his songs. Instead he pulls the listener closer into his creative orbit. Shahzaib Hussain

UCHE YARA

Putting a kaleidoscopic spin on R&B and rock, Berlinite UCHE YARA creates a soundscape that meanders from one world to another. The Austrian multi-instrumentalist realises that breaching genre rules is more fulfilling than adhering to it. She takes full creative control over her craft as a songwriter, producer and vocalist, embracing the quirks in her artistry, piecing together vibrant backdrops to interior monologues. Closing off 2024 with ‘honey,’ an emblem of her experimental prowess, UCHE YARA started this year with a bang as a winner of the prestigious Music Moves Europe (MME) Award. The MME Award, co-funded by the Creative Europe program, is renowned for spotlighting groundbreaking new talent and has propelled artists like Dua Lipa, Stromae, ROSALÍA, Adele, Years & Years, and Hozier to international acclaim. A co-sign if there ever was one. Ana Lamond

Dan Whitlam

Simply put, Dan Whitlam’s arresting spoken word, which memorialises big city fears and ambitions, is the reason he’s one to watch this year. His musical origin story was born from a near calamity: on the way to an acting audition, Whitlam was the victim of knife crime, sustaining serious injury in the process of trying to break up a fight. In the aftermath, he found relief and reconciliation in poetry and song craft. Having built a dedicated audience on social media since, spreading universal messages that speak to the raw truths of the human condition, the rapper-poet will have you in the feels with each lyrical masterstroke. Josh Abraham

RB

RB is the freshest new face taking the grime scene by storm. At just 15, RB quickly gained a legion of followers when he jumped on the mic last year during a DJ AG set, alongside grime scene veteran Scorcher. Soon after, RB linked up with Scorcher and Slix for their collaboration ‘Practice Hours’, a nod to the iconic grime DVD that helped shine a light on young talent in the scene back in the early 2000’s. With a meticulous flow, and an old-school mindset, the scene hasn’t been this excited by such a young talent since Chip. Jack Shephard

jasmine.4.t 

Part of the wonderful Saddest Factory Records nexus, Manchester-based Jasmine.4.t has just released one of the best albums of 2025. Now, you’d probably expect CLASH to add ‘so far’ to that phrase, but we’re willing to stand by this: her debut album ‘You Are The Morning’ is excellent, a series of truthful vignettes that blend indie pop sonics with some often devastating wordplay. Each show takes Jasmine.4.t closer to her goal – get ready to cherish her. Robin Murray

Clara Mann

Clara Mann’s sound is the sonic equivalent of being wrapped up in a bed throw on a cold January day. Her subdued yet heartening sound evokes a sense of longing. Having completed 2024 on tour with Christian Lee Hutson, and entering 2025 with her new single, ‘Driving Home The Long Way’, taken from her anticipated March release, ‘Rift,’ she laments:  “Wondering why you leave familiar roads behind, through the suburbs and to empty skies.” Mann will have you pondering your haunts back home and any heartache you may have left there. Margot Macleod 

Brògeal

Falkirk’s Brògeal are the latest in a long line of exciting Scottish folk-rock acts delivering a sound that feels like a nod to the past whilst motioning forwards to the future. They wear their heritage on their sleeve in triumphant fashion, tapping into Celtic rock with more indie sensibilities, most obvious on ‘Girl from NYC’. There’s a rapturous energy to the group that’s hard not to get swept along by. With two EPs under their belts, we’re hoping we get a full-length this year. Christopher Connor

Getdown Services

There is forever a groove in the minds of these pensive dancers who write music from a place of seeing the disproportions and ridicule in the world. Getdown Services embrace how joy and despair live cheek by jowl; you cannot oust one with the other, and so they must be combined. These are highly-infectious yarns of only having five minutes to cook one of Jamie Oliver’s fifteen-minute meals, the scummery of landlords and the ever-relatable truth of simply not feeling it. Getdown Services deliver every mood under the sky with a beat that comes from the heart: it’s like therapy. After a spin, you might just feel euphoric. Arthur Arnold

Man/Woman/Chainsaw 

This South London quintet may still be 20-year old indie newbies, yet their art-rock experiments – at once furious and devilishly comical – have been road-tested in over 100 gigs to date. Founded in 2019 by school friends – vocalist-guitarist Billy Ward and vocalist-bassist Vera Leppänen – the duo invited violinist Clio Starwood, vocalist-pianist Emmie-Mae Avery and drummer Lola Cherry to complete their troupe in 2023. The DIY band showcased a sense of abandon and whimsy on six-track EP ‘Easy Peazy’ – a mangled, chromatic abyss for the miscreants and misfits. Shahzaib Hussain 

Rian Brazil

2024 saw the arrival of London-based singer-rapper Rian Brazil. Releases were spare but each one landed with visceral impact. From the screamo-rap introspection of debut ‘Smiley Grill’, the balladic breakbeat elation ‘Breathe’, the trancey peaks of ‘Close 2 u’, and the first song Rian recorded when he moved to the capital, ‘Hey!’, Rian coasts through night-cloaked sub-genres with editorial rigour. His lyrics, often delivered in half-sung sermons and clipped monotone, filter a history forged in the Brighton council estates raves he grew up on. With the might of Room 2 Records behind him, Rian Brazil channels jittery cityscape experiences into a bristling sonic alchemy. Shahzaib Hussain

Olympia Vitalis

West London’s Olympia Vitalis is the real deal. Dusky soul offerings on EP ‘Fool’s Paradise’, released last year, are baroque and inventive; her extemporaneous vocals and songwriting conveys jazz fusion’s insistence on instinct, movement and genre cross-pollination. Olympia’s storytelling captures personal cataclysms while also being rooted in pointed social commentary. Now pursuing music full-time, expect Olympia to deliver introspection as a ceremonial embrace. Shahzaib Hussain

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Photo Credit: Tatsiana