
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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
New all-in-one scoring package incoming
EastWest's latest release brings together an eclectic mix of sampled instruments in an attempt to provide compos...
07/10/2026
Granular process features graph-based sequencer
The latest addition to Baby Audio's ever-expanding collection of plug-ins is a new time-bending effect b...
07/10/2026
Iconic inventor & designer passes away
Mike Beigel, the inventor and designer who co-founded Musitronics, has sadly passed away aged 79. Mike was responsibl...
07/10/2026
Combines filtering & wavefolding
Kreuzberg Audio have recently introduced a plug-in that combines filtering and wavefolding in a way that allows the two pro...
07/10/2026
Recreates the ultra-rare Gleeman Pentaphonic
Cherry Audio's latest soft synth faithfully recreates the Gleeman Pentaphonic, a vintage synth that was kno...
07/10/2026
Statement on the passing of Richard Morecroft
7 October, 2026
Media releases
Statement by SBS Managing Director, Jane Palfreyman
SBS is deeply saddened...
07/10/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the extensi...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Sacramento Production Services has completed a major wireless audio overhaul at Sutter Health Park, current home of the Athletics (A's) professional basebal...
07/10/2026
Cobalt Digital to Bring End-to-End ST 2110/IPMX Solutions and Practical Tools to...
07/10/2026
Sanbila Lets Video Editors Import Rushes From a WeTransfer Link and Edit Them Fr...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
UK-based broadcast engineer Andrew Kemp has chosen a dhd.audio SX2 and XS3 as the basis of a transportable media-training resource. With a quarter-century of ex...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/10/2026
Cobalt Digital to Bring End-to-End ST 2110/IPMX Solutions and Practical Tools to NAB Show New York
Highlights include complete path from SDI to IP, C-band tran...
07/10/2026
Deerstalker Pictures The Exorcism of Nixie Shot With Blackmagic Cameras
Brie Clayton October 6, 2026
0 Comments
Fantasy series relied on Blackmagic ca...
07/10/2026
Nevion announces Providius NVRT integration with eMerge switches for expanded br...
07/10/2026
DriveShelf - A Filmmaker's Mac App for Finding Footage on Unplugged Drives
Brie Clayton October 6, 2026
0 Comments
DriveShelf for Mac catalogs eve...
07/10/2026
COW Jobs: Cinematographer, Video Editor - Baltimore, MD
Brie Clayton October 7, 2026
0 Comments
Cinematographer / Video Editor
September 23, 2026 ...
07/10/2026
Behind the Scenes at Berklee Homecoming 2026 Follow Marley Striem BM '25 behind the scenes as she manages a team of students and liaises with artists duri...
07/10/2026
Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia Named to Billboards 2026 List of T...
07/10/2026
The six-part series will launch on free-streaming service U in 2027.
A set of first look images have been released for The Cadburys (6x60'), the upcoming s...
07/10/2026
Wednesday 7 October 2026
Sky Sports to broadcast England's ODI tri-series a...
07/10/2026
When the EBU and AMWA launched the Joint Task Force on the Dynamic Media Facility (JT-DMF) at IBC2025, the DMF was largely a concept. Twelve months on, the conv...
07/10/2026
Even the Digital Government Needs a Plan B
AFCEA study National Security Ecosystem 2030 presented at the Bonn IT Dialogue. Arvato Systems / AFCEA Bonn e. ...
07/10/2026
This development extends certification beyond individual Retail Media Networks a...
07/10/2026
RT has been informed that, as stated in Budget 2027, the Government has made the decision to cut the agreed public funding of RT by 20 million for 2027.
In ...
07/10/2026
Undercover filming shows add-on treatments with potential safety concerns on sal...
07/10/2026
Join Emma Doran, Justine Stafford, Killian Sundermann, Se n Burke and Michael Fry on RT 2 and RT Player tomorrow at 10.30pm
A host of guest stars include Siob...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/10/2026
A response to Mark Turner and the SVG AI Innovation Lab
SVG AI Innovation Lab Program Director Mark Turner's How Broadcast Sports Can Apply the Newsroom S...
06/10/2026
Cobalt Digital will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 226, Javits Center, October 21-22), demonstrating its ST 2110/IPMX product line alongside solutions...
06/10/2026
LiveU and Airwise have announced a strategic partnership integrating LiveU's bonded video transmission with Airwise's drone fleet management, airspace a...
06/10/2026
Hotspur Labs, Tottenham Hotspur's corporate venture programme, will co-host ...
06/10/2026
SPORTEL Monaco 2026 will take place October 19-21 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, with the conference programme running October 19-20.
Sessions include:
Mast...
06/10/2026
Zixi has announced the appointment of John Towers as Chief Financial Officer. Towers brings more than 20 years of experience in media and entertainment, includi...
06/10/2026
The Memphis Grizzlies, DAZN, and WATN/ABC24 have announced a partnership to simulcast 15 regular season Grizzlies games free over-the-air on ABC24 during the 20...