Next Up: 10 artists you need to watch out for in 2025

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6 February 2025, 14:51 | Updated: 6 February 2025, 14:56

Next Up: 10 artists you need to watch out for in 2025.

Picture:
VLF, Def Jam, RCA

By Sam Prance

Your favourite artist’s favourite artists.

Another year of arriving fashionably late with our Ones to Watch list. However, just like previous years, Capital Buzz’s Next Up list for 2025 is worth the wait. As always, we’ve selected 10 incredible rising stars who look set to dominate pop culture in 2025. Think of this as your go-to guide for who to add to your playlists this year.

Want proof that we know what we’re talking about? Over the past five years, we’ve highlight many beloved artists in our annual ‘Next Up’ series including the likes of Tyla, Rachel Chinouriri and Rose Gray. We even picked out Gracie Abrams in 2022, long before she took over the charts with ‘The Secret of Us’.

Want to find your new favourite artist? Scroll down to meet an array of the most promising voices in music right now.

You can also listen to all of our Next Up artists directly on the Capital Buzz playlist below.

Listen to Capital Buzz on Global Player here.

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Capital Buzz

Addison Rae

Who: Queen of TikTok whose left of centre approach to pop has got everyone desperate to see what she does next.

Standout track: ‘Aquamarine’

Sounds like: Floating in a higher realm of existence after going on a shopping spree.

For fans of: Britney Spears, Charli xcx, Selena Gomez

In their own words: On the most underrated thing about her: “I would like to say my taste, or maybe my intuition—oh, you know what? I’ll say this. The most underrated thing about me is my ability to evolve and transform. People like to say, ‘Her PR team is working overtime on the rebrand.’ And I’m like, ‘Girl, nobody’s rebranding. This is me.'” (Interview)

Addison Rae – Aquamarine (Official Video)

Chloe Qisha

Who: The UK’s latest sardonic it girl with a gift for writing instantly memorable hooks.

Standout track: ‘21st Century Cool Girl’

Sounds like: The soundtrack of a 20-something girl figuring s— out.

For fans of: MUNA, Olivia Rodrigo, Troye Sivan

In their own words: “I tend to write a lot about my teenage years – not that it was a particularly riveting time in my life haha… but I find the heightened emotions at that age so interesting, especially looking back in retrospect. It’s just a tsunami of raging hormones, acne and broken hearts – feeling ALL the feelings at once – over really nothing at all. I think back to teenage Chloe and laugh, because she was truly the main character in her own sitcom.” (Still Listening)

Chloe Qisha – 21st Century Cool Girl (Official Video)

DETO BLACK

Who: Lagos based rap superstar with a wicked sense of humour and the talent to match.

Standout track: ‘It’s a No from Me (feat. chi)’

Sounds like: Your internal monologue dialled up to a thousand.

For fans of: Flyana Boss, Flo Milli, Shygirl

In their own words: “I’m trying to blend genres because I feel like I’m a blend of different cultures. I grew up in Lagos, went to school in England, and was born in America, I want my music to reflect all sides of me.” (NOTION)

DETO BLACK & CHI – It’s A No From Me (Official Music Video)

Good Neighbours

Who: Indie-pop duo who make instantly feel-good anthems that sound like they’ve always been a part of your life.

Standout track: ‘Ripple’

Sounds like: A supercut of candid, joyful moments.

For fans of: Foster the People, Djo, Dominic Fike

In their own words: “From day one we set about making something bright and beautiful, then in the early days coined a phrase “blue sky mentality” which has really helped our sonics and lyrics grow. The idea being that even the small towns that we came from can look like the most beautiful places when the blue skies are above them, and we really try to bring that into our writing; taking the more taboo problems and drowning them in a bright production, where it feels okay to talk about it.” (Wonderland)

Good Neighbours – Ripple (Official Video)

f5ve

Who: Fearless J-pop girl group who sound like they’ve come from another planet for the greater good of music.

Standout track: ‘UFO’

Sounds like: The hottest party in another solar system.

For fans of: Rina Sawayama, Sophie, Caroline Polachek

In their own words: “I believe that we stand out because we’re able to really incorporate Japanese culture [in our music] and represent it in an authentic way, I think something unique about us is that we are globally transmitting Japanese culture, which we don’t think any other group is doing right now.” (NME)

JADE

Who: Girl group royalty whose thrillingly chaotic approach to pop is making the music industry pay attention.

Standout track: ‘IT girl’

Sounds like: Throwing everything at the kitchen sink in the best way possible.

For fans of: Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan, Slayyyter

In their own words: Describing her debut single ‘Angel of My Dreams’: “I want people to be like ‘oh my god, I didn’t expect that’ – but then want to listen again. I didn’t want to do a safe first single, that was really important to me. I’m setting the tone of who I am as an artist on my own. I want people to hear it and be like ‘what the f*** is that song?’. My worst nightmare is for someone to hear my song and go ‘that’s nice.'”

JADE – IT girl (Official Visualiser)

Jae Stephens

Who: Tumblr icon who knows how to write (and produce) the kind of bangers that stay in your head for days on end.

Standout track: ‘Body Favors’

Sounds like: God-tier Neptunes productions with a 2020s edge.

For fans of: Normani, Kelis, Tinashe

In their own words: “My own personal genre of pop it’s a bit sexy, it’s a bit cool, it’s intentional, it’s slick and it’s a bit tongue in cheek. My version of pop is always going to have a sprinkle of R&B in it, because that’s what I grew up on. I think my voice lends itself to that very well. The beauty of being a Black girl is that we can pull off both.” (NME)

Jae Stephens – Body Favors (Official Music Video)

KATSEYE

Who: Your new favourite girl group who won over millions with their instant chemistry on Netflix’s Popstar Academy.

Standout track: ‘Touch’

Sounds like: The best girl’s night out.

For fans of: BLACKPINK, NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM

In their own words: “Each of us has such a specific group of people that look up to us and feel like they can relate to us [and] I think that’s so beautiful. I’m so excited to actually see that in action and be able to influence people and make people of our cultures feel seen through our music. To really be that representation is our mission.” (Teen Vogue)

KATSEYE (캣츠아이) “Touch” Official MV

Oklou

Who: French prodigy who is pushing the boundaries of electronic music in irresistible ways.

Standout track: ‘take me by the hand (feat. Bladee)’

Sounds like: You’ve just been transported into your favourite video game.

For fans of: FKA twigs, Erika de Casier, Cashmere Cat

In their own words: Discussing her debut album ‘choke enough’: “I see it as built on a permanent conversation between a life anchored in reality and another in fantasy. I can’t imagine a life without daydreaming, without spending time appreciating beauty, but I need to be anchored to the ground to continue paying attention to what’s happening around me.”

Oklou – take me by the hand ft. Bladee (Official Video)

SAILORR

Who: Confessional R&B singer whose no filter approach to lyricism is making her a fave of all your faves.

Standout track: ‘W1LL U L13?’

Sounds like: Getting everything off your chest in therapy even if it makes your therapist do a double take.

For fans of: SZA, Summer Walker, Jhené Aiko

In their own words: “I’m always trying to find ways to include Easter eggs and nods to my culture with everything I do. Growing up in the South and coming from an immigrant family shapes who I am as a person and I always want to exhibit that in everything I do. My grillz are black because my grandma’s teeth were dyed black – a customary beauty standard for Southeast Asian women to ward off bad spirits and signifies wealth.”