Entertainment
The Best Up-and-Coming Artists In 2020
List Rules
Vote up the musicians you expect to hit big in 2020..
A boatload of music comes out each day, making it a challenge to keep up with new artists. So, to help you learn about the big acts of tomorrow, we're running down the musical acts poised to break through in 2020.
From up-and-coming pop singers to Soundcloud rappers, these artists represent the emerging music trends of both today and tomorrow. Many of these upcoming stars are new bands, DJs and pop singers who are about to have a meteoric rise, while others were artists to watch in 2019 who are about to hit the next level, such as Yaeji and Rosalía. Some of the names on this list are first time Grammy nominees at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
As festivals begin releasing their lineups for 2020, expect many of these names to appear on the posters. And if you're annoyed waiting for any of 2020's most anticipated music, let a few of these acts fill the void. Whether it's YBN Cordae's feature-packed debut rap album, The Lost Boy, or Khruangbin's jam-driven festival sets, this group of rising artists offers something for everybody.
list ordered by
- Conan Lee Gray (born Gurei Konan) is an American recording artist and social media personality. He is best known for his debut EP, "Sunset Season," which was released under Republic Records in 2018 ...more
- Marie Ulven Ringheim (born 16 February 1999), known professionally as Girl in Red (often stylized in all lowercase as girl in red), is a Norwegian indie pop singer-songwriter. Her single "I Wanna Be ...more
- Finneas Baird O'Connell, also known as FINNEAS, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, and actor. He has released several singles and has written music for other artists, ...more
- 4Yolanda Claire Quartey (born July 31, 1983), known professionally as Yola, is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Yola received four nominations at the 62nd Grammy Awards in 2020, including ...more
- Beatrice Kristi Laus (born June 3, 2000), also known as Bea Kristi or professionally as beabadoobee, is a Filipino-British indie singer-songwriter. From 2018 to 2019, she released five extended plays ...more
- Wallows is an American rock band based in Los Angeles composed of Braeden Lemasters, Cole Preston, and Dylan Minnette. They are signed to Atlantic Records. The band began releasing songs ...more
- Beach Bunny is an American indie pop band from Chicago, Illinois. The group formed in 2015 when Lili Trifilio recorded a song titled "6 Weeks." That same year, Trifilio released her first EP, ...more
- Omar Apolonio Velasco (born May 20, 1997), known professionally as Omar Apollo, is an Mexican-American singer and songwriter. Apollo sings in both English and Spanish. Apollo started his career by ...more
- Kero Kero Bonito (KKB) is a British indie pop band from London, England. The band consists of vocalist Sarah Midori Perry (known by her stage name Sarah Bonito) and producers/multi-instrumentalists ...more
- 10Seth Nyquist, better known as MorMor, is a Canadian indie pop singer and songwriter. In 2015, he released his debut EP, "Live for Nothing," under the moniker MorMor, which was the name he used to ...more
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Joywave
- Emotional Oranges is an American R&B–pop duo from Los Angeles, California, which formed in 2017 when members Emo, an audio engineer and V, a vocal coach, met at a bat mitzvah. In 2019, the group ...more
- Khruangbin is an American musical trio from Houston, Texas, with Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald Ray "DJ" Johnson Jr. on drums. The band is known for blending global music ...more
- Cherry Glazerr is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, formed in 2013. The current lineup consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Clementine Creevy, bassist Devin ...more
- Pale Waves are an English indie pop band from Manchester, formed in 2014. They were founded originally as Creek when lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie met drummer Ciara Doran while ...more
- 16Caamp are an American folk band from Columbus, Ohio, which began as a project between childhood friends Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall, who met at a summer camp in middle school. They later added ...more
- Viagra Boys is a Swedish post-punk band from Stockholm. The band formed in 2015, with several members coming from the bands Les Big Byrd, Pig Eyes and Nitad. In 2018, they released their debut album ...more
- Inner Wave is a Los Angeles-based indie band comprised of members Pablo Sotelo (guitar, vocals), Jean Pierre Narvaez (bass, vocals), Chris Runners (keys, vocals), Elijah Trujillo (guitar, keys), and ...more
- Tank and the Bangas is an American funk and soul musical group, based from New Orleans, Louisiana. They won the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Contest. Members of Tank and the Bangas met at a New Orleans open ...more
- Ashley McBryde is a country music singer-songwriter from Arkansas. Her song "A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega" was named one of the 54 Best Songs of 2017 by The New York Times. McBryde's debut album ...more
- Orville Peck is a Canadian country musician. Peck, who released his debut album Pony in 2019, has been widely remarked upon for his tendency to wear a fringed “Lone Ranger” mask.
- Joshua Karpeh (born January 30, 1993), known professionally as Cautious Clay, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Since 2017, he has released three EPs
- Snail Mail is the American indie rock solo project of guitarist and singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan. In 2015, she started playing her songs live with her band and released the EP Habit in 2016. ...more
- 24Poppy (born January 1, 1995), formerly known as That Poppy, is an American singer, songwriter, ambient music composer, dancer, and YouTube personality portrayed by Moriah Rose Pereira. She moved to ...more
- Alexander O'Connor, better known by his stage name Rex Orange County, is an English recording artist. He grew up in the village of Grayshott near Haslemere, Surrey. O'Connor has released three ...more
