Spotify's Artists to Watch 2026 Are Ready for the Spotlight

At Spotify, we listen to a lot of music. And every year, our global editors and artist partnerships teams come together to spotlight the emerging voices we believe are about to make a serious impact. Enter our Artists to Watch list.

These are the artists turning heads on our playlists, gaining momentum around the world, and pushing their genres into new territory. Whether they're rewriting the rules of pop, bringing raw energy to hip-hop, or blending global sounds into something entirely new, they're all redefining what's next in music.

To celebrate this year's stars, our team has handpicked one standout track from each artist and then compiled them into the Artists to Watch 2026 playlist, a genre-spanning, culture-driven collection of what's around the corner.

Ready to find your next favorite artist? Dive into the list below, organized by genre, and start exploring the sounds of 2026.

Afrobeats MOLIY

Essential track: Shake It To the Max (FLY) (Remix)

Christian Jamie MacDonald

Essential track: Desperate

Country Vincent Mason

Essential track: Damned If I Do

Zach John King

Essential track: Happy For You

Laci Kaye Booth

Essential track: Luck Of The Draw

Max McNown

Essential track: Better Me For You (Brown Eyes)

Dance KETTAMA

Essential track: Man With a Second Face

Prospa

Essential track: Love Songs (feat. Kosmo Kint)

Jackie Hollander

Essential track: You Go I Go

Hip-hop Hurricane Wisdom

Essential track: Drugs Callin

PLUTO

Essential track: WHIM WHAMIEE

sosocamo

Essential track: soulless

Ovrkast.

Essential track: Small Talk

Indie/folk Hudson Freeman

Essential track: If You Know Me

Dove Ellis

Essential track: Pale Song

Folk Bitch Trio

Essential track: The Actor

Fcukers

Essential track: Bon Bon

After

Essential track: 300 dreams

fakemink

Essential track: MAKKA

Latin Young Cister

Essential track: QLOO*

Mar a Isabel

Essential track: Bien Bien

rusowsky

Essential track: malibU

Hermanos Espinoza

Essential track: DIOS POR DELANTE

Pop Haute & Freddy

Essential track: Freaks

Baby Nova

Essential track: Too Pretty For Buffalo

Noah Rinker

Essential track: The Pines

AD LA

Essential track: Superscar

Mikayla Geier

Essential track: piano in the sky

R&B Isaia Huron

Essential track: I CHOSE YOU

Jai'Len Josey

Essential track: Won't Force You

Mack Keane

Essential track: Candycrush

JayDon

Essential track: Lullaby

Rock/alternative Ecca Vandal

Essential track: CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE

Speed

Essential track: PEACE

Die Spitz

Essential track: Throw Yourself to the Sword

Check out the full playlist on Spotify and get to know the voices shaping the soundtrack of the year.

LINK:	https://newsroom.spotify.com/2026-01-12/artists-to-watch-2026/...
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