Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Spotify's Artists To Watch Are Primed To Make Moves in 2023

31/01/2023

It's always exciting when artists enter the realm of bonafide stardom and bring new sounds and ideas to the music world. And it's even more exciting to follow along as it happens. That's why, at the start of each year, we tap our influential playlists to reveal our Artists To Watch.

With this list, we're amplifying the next wave of music stars who we predict will make an impact in 2023. As we considered this year's Artists To Watch, we were guided by four main playlists:

RapCaviar's Most Necessary, our playlist for the next generation of voices in hip-hop

Viva Latino, our flagship playlist for today's top Latin hits

Hot Country, our flagship country playlist

Are & Be's R&B Rising, our newest playlist for emerging artists

Spotify has always been a place for music discovery and artist growth, and our Artists To Watch lists allow us to showcase up-and-coming talent with serious momentum behind them, said Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial. We use our fan-favorite editorial playlists, including Hot Country, Viva Latino, Most Necessary, and for the first time, R&B Rising, to tap into existing listener bases. In return, artists are introduced to listeners who will love their sound.

The end result is 40 artists-10 from each list- representing each playlist that should be on your radar in the coming year. Keep reading for our full list of picks.

Most Necessary's Artists To Watch

Our picks from Most Necessary, who hail from Atlanta, Brooklyn, London, and beyond, are ready to impact hip-hop culture and make their mark in the music industry.

GloRilla

Rising to prominence following her Grammy-nominated 2022 song F.N.F. (Let's Go), GloRilla has gone on to record chart-topping collaborations with Cardi B and Latto.

Finesse2tymes

Revered for his thunderous voice and motivational lyrics, this Memphis rapper recently collaborated with Gucci Mane, Lil Baby, and others on his debut mixtape 90 Days.

SleazyWorld Go

SleazyWorld Go went viral in 2022 with his track Sleazy Flow and later collaborated on an official remix with Lil Baby; he's also collaborated with Migos' Offset.

Central Cee

Known for his upbeat and melodic approach to UK drill, this British rapper and songwriter topped the UK album charts with his first two mixtapes, Wild West and 23.

Destroy Lonely

The No Stylist rapper resonates with fans for the dynamic and eclectic beats featured in his music.

Ice Spice

This Brooklyn drill artist seized the rap world's attention in 2022 with her viral, chart-topping track Munch (Feelin' U).

Babyface Ray

After collaborating with Big Sean and Hit-Boy on his 2021 single It Ain't My Fault, the Detroit native released his album Face in 2022, featuring collaborations with Pusha T, Wiz Khalifa, and more.

Saucy Santana

This makeup artist turned rapper commanded the spotlight when his tracks Walk and Here We Go went viral in 2021. Notable collaborations include the remix of his song Material Girl with the Queen of Pop Madonna, hip-hop duo City Girls, and Latto.

2Rare

This Philly rapper stands out for his 2022 collaboration Q-Pid with Lil Durk, and later appeared on NLE Choppa's Do It Again.

Real Boston Richey

Catching the ear of listeners with his Michigan-style hip-hop production, he's recently collaborated with Future and Lil Durk.

Viva Latino's Artists To Watch

With a selection of artists representing a wide range of styles and countries, Viva Latino's picks are ready to go worldwide in 2023.

Emilia

Finding fame with hits such as Recalienta and No Soy Yo featuring Darell, this Argentine artist continues to generate buzz. Her first album, T crees en m ?, debuted at No. 4 on Spotify's Top Albums Global chart.

Ivan Cornejo

A California native and one of the most promising voices in the sad sierre o scene, Ivan caught the attention of the music world with his debut album Alma Vac a, and is a pivotal figure in exporting M sica Mexicana out of the U.S.

Chris Lebron

This rising Dominican artist already has a few notable collaborations under his belt, most notably teaming up with Romeo Santos on his popular track SIRI.

Kevin Kaarl

His most recent album, Paris Texas, debuted at #5 on the Top Albums Global Chart which experiments with traditional folk, rock, and lush dream-pop and. In addition to being an Artist To Watch in 2023, the Mexican singer was also part of our RADAR Class of 2022.

Paopao

A Latin Grammy award-winning artist known for her mix of reggaeton and alternative pop, this Puerto Rico native released the all-female EP hembrismo in 2022.

YOVNGCHIMI

A rising star from Puerto Rico, this Latin trap artist is best known for his debut single Glizzy's Walk. He has numerous collaborations with prominent artists in the Latin trap scene, including Arcangel, Anuel AA, and Ozuna.

Villano Antillano

One of the leading figures of the queer movement within the urban genre in Puerto Rico, Villano was most recently selected as an ambassador for RADAR US, Spotify's global program for emerging artists.

Young Miko

This Puerto Rican artist burst onto the scene in 2021 with the release of her first single, 105 Freestyle. Her debut EP Trap Kitty and US Tour solidified her as a Spotify RADAR US artist.

3AM

A duo made up of Venezuelan brothers Richard and Christian Berm dez, 3AM started their musical career after leaving their home country and settling in Boston. They are best known for their songs Por Ti and Vuela.

Fuerza Regida

Trailblazers of the urban corrido movement, this California group is making waves for a new generation of Mexican Music artists.

Hot Country's Artists To Watch

Our picks from Hot Country bring a fresh and unique sound to the world, and these artists are primed to make their mark on the country music scene thi
LINK: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-01-31/spotifys-artists-to-watch-are-...
See more stories from spotify

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

21/02/2026

OBS CTO Sotiris Salamouris on the Legacy of the 2026 Winter Games

With Software Defined Broadcasting more established in Milan Cortina look for Los Angeles 2028 to have less hardware and more cloud-based software systems...

21/02/2026

Invisible String: NBC Olympics' Marsha Bird on the Hidden Work That Makes the Games Shine

The SVP of Olympic Operations on turning CAD drawings into reality, building tru...

21/02/2026

NAB Urges FCC to Tamp Down Reallocation Plans for Upper C-Band

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/02/2026

Chyron Paint 10.3 Adds New Visualization Features for Live Action

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/02/2026

Netflix Unveils the Trailer of Accused', A Psychological Drama on Power, Perception and Public Judgment

Back to All News Netflix Unveils the Trailer of Accused', A Psychological ...

20/02/2026

Gravity Media, Green Couch Entertainment Partner to Create Original Programming for International Broadcasters

Gravity Media and Los Angeles-based Green Couch Entertainment announce a strateg...

20/02/2026

IMAX, Apple TV Bring 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship Races to Selected U.S. Locations

IMAX announces it is working with Apple TV to bring the 2026 FIA Formula One Wor...

20/02/2026

Big Upgrade to Spring Training Experience With New Daktronics Displays at Phillies' BayCare Ballpark

Daktronics has partnered with the Philadelphia Phillies to design, manufacture, ...

20/02/2026

ESPN To Launch Women's Sports Sundays, a New Summer Weekly Primetime Franchise

ESPN announces the upcoming launch of Women's Sports Sundays - a first-of-it...

20/02/2026

Sennheiser Spectera Handheld Makes Broadcast Debut at Super Bowl LX

As the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots faced off in the NFL's biggest sporting event of the season on Sun., Feb. 8, Sennheiser wireless solutions ...

20/02/2026

ESPN To Stream More MLB Spring Training Games Than Ever in 2026

ESPN announces its 2026 Major League Baseball spring training schedule, which includes four national games on ESPN, six games on ESPN Unlimited, and more than 2...

20/02/2026

Open Broadcast Systems Launches 200 Gigabit Ethernet

Open Broadcast Systems, which specializes in software-based professional video transport, has added support for 200 Gigabit Ethernet to its range of encoders an...

20/02/2026

Chyron PAINT 10.3 Adds New Ways To Visualize Live Sports

Chyron announces the release of PAINT 10.3, which is designed to help analysts and operators turn live action into clearer, faster on-air storytelling. PAINT ...

20/02/2026

Live Spring Training Games Begin Feb. 20 on MLB Network With Yankees Against Orioles

With full squad workouts underway, MLB Network's live Spring Training game s...

20/02/2026

MLS Kickoff 2026: As FIFA Men's World Cup Looms, League's Media Operations and Apple TV Aim To Enhance Viewing Experience

Tech enhancements, marquee productions are expected to take advantage of a summe...

20/02/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 4: Temple Athletics' Paige Wisehaupt - Driving Digital Content for the Cherry & White

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

20/02/2026

BBC Sport's Focus on Clips, Social Media and a Highlights-Free Games

Speaking with SVG Europe after one of Team GB's greatest days at a Winter Olympics, BBC Sport's head of major events, Ron Chakraborty, explains the broa...

20/02/2026

Warner Bros. Discovery on Making Olympic Magic for Multiple Local Markets From Its Studios in Cortina and Livigno

Making Winter Games Olympic magic is the goal for every broadcaster in Italy cov...

20/02/2026

OBS Curling Directors Brie Robertson and Susan Young Talk Olympic Experiences and Keeping the Story Going with the Lights Out

Curling, one of the least-dangerous Winter Olympic sports, is dominating the Mil...

20/02/2026

How Digital First' Goals Are Bringing Together Linear and Online Editorial for BBC Sport Coverage at the Winter Olympics

BBC Sport's presence at the 2026 Winter Games is centred around a significan...

20/02/2026

Pinning Digital Content Onto the Backbone of a Strong Linear Infrastructure for BBC Sport in Cortina

BBC Sport is bringing together its linear TV and streaming digital arms in a str...

20/02/2026

BBC Sport Talks Influencers and Athletes in its Bid to Pivot to a Digital First' Strategy for the Games

To broaden the appeal of winter sports at Milano Cortina, the BBC has integrated...

20/02/2026

DIRECTV Adds Apple TV's Formula 1 Racing for Residential and DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS Customers

Just in time for the start of Apple TV's inaugural season as the exclusive U...

20/02/2026

NBC Olympics VP Creative David Barton Dives into Milano-Cortina 2026 Graphics Package, Now You Know' Animations

One big challenge was to depict the character of each of very different and wide...

20/02/2026

By Design Director Asks Festival Audience to Flirt With Their Chairs at Premiere

(L-R) Writer-director Amanda Kramer photographs the photographers at the premiere of her film By Design at the Library Center Theatre in Park City. (Photo by ...

20/02/2026

When Memory Gets Expensive, Is it Time to Swap the Box?

In our latest blog, Tim Pearson explores the impact that increased memory prices are having on the consumer electronics market, and particularly the set-top box...

20/02/2026

Calrec Type R: Shaping the Future of Radio at Flirt FM

Calrec Type R: Shaping the Future of Radio from the Heart of Flirt FM Love may have filled the airwaves last week for Valentine's Day, and we've just c...

20/02/2026

Super Bowl LX Delivers 125.6 Million Viewers

NEW YORK - February 10, 2026 - An estimated 125.6* million viewers watched Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, according to Nielsen's Big Data Panel meas...

20/02/2026

Nielsen: Super Bowl LX Final Viewership Rises to 125.6 Million Viewers with Verified Big Data

NEW YORK - February 19, 2026 - Nielsen today shared updated and final Super Bowl...

20/02/2026

NHPBS Taps Heartland Video Systems for ATSC 3.0 Launch

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/02/2026

Lightware and Cisco interoperability brings AV system suc...

A leading global investment bank, with offices at Two International Finance Centre in Hong Kong, partnered with systems integrators Global Vision Engineering (G...

20/02/2026

Rise AV and Rise Broadcast unite for International Womens...

Rise AV and Rise Broadcast, the global not-for-profit organisations dedicated to improving gender diversity across technical industries, have today announced a ...

20/02/2026

Open Broadcast Systems launches Two Hundred Gigabit Ether...

Open Broadcast Systems, the leader in software-based professional video transport, has added support for 200 Gigabit Ethernet to its range of encoders and decod...

20/02/2026

Signiant Launches Customer Advisory Board to Help Shape t...

Signiant today announced the formation of its Customer Advisory Board (CAB), bringing together a select group of customers to collaborate on product strategy, r...

20/02/2026

PTZOptics launches its Visual Reasoning initiative and pa...

PTZOptics today announced the launch of its Visual Reasoning initiative that makes video more actionable by combining robotic PTZ camera systems, AI, and open i...

20/02/2026

DELTA and Amino Complete Certification of Amigo 7N Androi...

Amino, a global media technology provider delivering devices, software and cloud services that simplify and elevate video delivery, today announced the successf...

20/02/2026

SMPTE Opens Call for Papers for 2026 Media Technology Sum...

SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today announced its call for technical papers for the SMPTE 2026 Media Technology Summit....

20/02/2026

Granicus Standardizes Hybrid Government-Grade Video Infra...

Wowza Media Systems today announced that Granicus, a leading provider of digital engagement solutions for governments, continues to rely on Wowza to power its h...

20/02/2026

CBS Baltimore Launches New AR/VR Studio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/02/2026

IAB Tech Lab Opens Public Comment on Live Event Ad Playbook

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/02/2026

Study: Sports Programming on Major Streamers Up 52% YoY

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/02/2026

ESPN to launch Women's Sports Sundays

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/02/2026

Tegna, Seattle Kraken Extend Broadcast Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/02/2026

Signiant Announces Customer Advisory Board

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...