Just because someone is an “emerging” artist doesn’t mean they are necessarily “new” or “half-done.” À la Shelby Lynne’s 2001 Best New Artist Grammy’s speech — it sometimes takes “13 years and six albums to get here.” By rule, the Recording Academy governs the Best New Artist nominations by “[…] an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.” And in the case of Mexican musician Peso Pluma, it may take a few years to gain international traction despite becoming a 5× Platinum Latin-certified artist in 2022 (“Siempre Pendientes.”)
While it’s up for debate whether or not awards have become a stamp-of-approval faux pas, the Recording Academy also recognizes “new artists” as working professionals who recently achieved mainstream success, much like 2024 Grammy nominee Noah Kahan and his catalog of collaborations with Billboard chart-topping artists. Even without a Grammy nomination, there’s no stopping PinkPantheress or Chapell Roan’s bag as they prepare to open for Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out GUTS world tour. And it won’t keep South African artist Tyla from conquering Billboard’s U.S. charts, let alone K-pop band NewJeans from drawing out a 70,000-person crowd at Lollapalooza Chicago.
Ahead, with the term “emerging” slightly expanded, these are the artists who should be on everyone’s radar going into 2024, from TikTok favorites to the industry’s up-and-coming.
Tate McRae
Tate McRae already made a name in the dance world as the first Canadian finalist on So You Think You Can Dance. Now, McRae is putting that fancy footwork into her savvy, baby-voiced single “greedy,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (with the help of TikTok’s “Tube Girl.”) McRae was already making the TikTok rounds with viral singles “you broke me first” and “10:35,” but her jaw-dropping dance breaks swept late-night television and spawned an iconic Billboard Music Awards performance, leaving people seeing a Britney Spears reincarnate– complete with teeny bops about heartbreak, self-reflective ballads, and downright bangers scaling her debut album, THINK LATER. Now, the “exes” singer makes an official bid to pop stardom with her 54-date world tour starting in April 2024.
PinkPantheress
The PinkPantheress world domination started with the earworm intro: “Take a look inside your heart / is there any room for me?” Since then, the English singer-songwriter has become a pillar in the Y2K movement. While the quick drum-and-snare of the UKG genre has transformed into Billboard chart-toppers with rising stars Ice Spice (“Boy’s a liar pt. 2”) and Central Cee (“Nice to meet you”), the Londoner radiates a singular aura through her “anti-fashion” looks, nostalgic mixed-media music videos and candy sweet verses that attract nearly 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Although losing out on a Best New Artist nomination at the 2024 Grammys, her eight-date U.S. tour and opening slot on Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out GUTS world tour will undeniably keep PinkPatheress busy enough.
Peso Pluma
The Mexican singer-songwriter was already a RIAA-certified multi-platinum Latin artist before becoming Variety’s 2023 Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Whether collaborating with reggaeton heavy hitters Karol G and Bad Bunny or regional Mexican group Eslabon Armado, Pluma’s streaming numbers always skyrocket– to the point where his Top 5 Spotify tracks alone amount to 2+ billion streams. With Música Mexicana as the focal point of his third album, GÉNESIS, the rising star displays a raw duality that delivers cultural sounds from the requinto, the bajoloche, and corridos tumandos to audiences worldwide.
NewJeans
A No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart? Check. The first K-pop girl group to perform on the United States’ most-watched New Year’s Eve special program? Double Check. Despite debuting in July 2022, NewJeans are the type of super rookies that can draw in 70,000 concertgoers to Lollapalooza during a Chicago heat wave and non-headlining time slot. The contrast between the quintet’s bubbly UKG sound and powerful (yet re-creatable) choreography makes for a memorable 2023 Billboard Music Awards performance while driving ten of their songs across the 100-million stream threshold on Spotify.
Noah Kahan
As one of Time Magazine’s TIME100 Next for 2023, the Vermont native never thought he would be famous, especially with the two-year-old hometown-momento “Stick Season.” But here he is with a shiny Best New Artist nomination at the 2024 Grammys, along with his breakout folk-Americana surpassing one billion streams across all streaming platforms. With Olivia Rodrigo as the newest member of the Kahan fan club, along with country legend Zach Bryan and Maisie Peters, the singer-songwriter generates irresistible A-list collaborations with Post Malone (“Drunk Dial”), other Best New Artist nominee Gracie Abrams (“Everywhere, Everything”), Hozier (“Northern Attitude”) and more. Beyond headlining Red Rocks and performing with the Lumineers, Kahan established enough buzz to nearly sell out his “We’ll All Be Here Forever” beginning in March 2024.
Tyla
While putting her mining engineering degree on pause, who knew South African artist Tyla would end up going on tour with Chris Brown or earning a 2024 Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance? There was no way TikTok could solely contain the virality of “Water” to a 15-second clip of rhythmic booty shaking. Instead, Jimmy Fallon invited the amapiano artist to his late-night television show, marking her debut U.S. performance, and indomitable international presence. In a sample singles package released in December, Tyla proves “Water” (and the Travis Scott remix) is one of many sexy, bodacious hits off her self-titled debut album releasing this March.
Tezzo Touchdown
It’s almost a shame how Tezzo Touchdown isn’t hip-hop royalty already. In between guesting on works with Lil Yachty and Travis Scott, he modeled for Moncler and Marc Jacobs’ Heaven campaign and even toured with Colombian star Kali Uchis and idol Tyler, The Creator. Tezzo’s multi-genre artist friends filibuster his unique vibe, notably heard on Tezzo’s verse on Drake’s track “Amen” (For All The Dogs), and prepares new fans for his genre-bending tendency present on his debut album, How Do You Sleep at Night? and his much-anticipated headlining tour starting in April 2024.
Chappell Roan
Nothing spells a killer debut album better than keyboard pop artist Chappell Roan on The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess. Once a struggling Atlantic Records artist who sought refuge in her home state of Missouri in defeat, Midwest Princess was Roan’s heavy-handed last-ditch effort at fame, one powered through 14 brilliant displays of genre-spanning pop spanning from electro-pop dance tracks to folk-soaked ballads. Filled with flirty, kiss-smudged choruses, Roan topped Rolling Stone’s year-end list with a special acknowledgment from the Recording Academy. Now on everyone’s radar, Roan will go international as another opener on Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out GUTS world tour.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter may seem like a newcomer, but the “Feather” singer has been releasing music since her Disney Channel days at Epic Records. Now five albums deep, the 24-year-old finally arrived at the pop precipice with social media pages dedicated to her freestyled “Nonsense” outros, a coveted opening act on the Eras Tour, and a Marilyn Monroe-inspired performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. While netizens thought Carpenter deserved a 2024 Grammy nod for Best New Artist, the singer left the year on a high note with a holiday EP and a newfound confidence only found on the South American leg of Lollapalooza.
Del Water Gap
From 2020’s “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” receiving social media endorsements from actresses Margaret Qualley and Kaitlyn Dever to collaborating with music prodigy and NYU friend Maggie Rogers, Samuel Holden Jaffe (known professionally as Del Water Gap) is that one too-cool-for-school indie kid who’s a closeted romantic at heart. As an opening act for other well-known indie acts like Arlo Parks, girl in red, Holly Humberstone, Jeremy Zucker, and Mt. Joy, Jaffe slowly built a sonic reputation that filled many New York Fashion Week venues last September. His latest album, I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet (2023), is a lyrical eulogy to heartache, addiction, and life yet to come, which was brought to life with a 2023 headlining tour and festival sets at Austin City Limits and Newport Folk Festival.
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