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
1
FINNEAS Genre: Pop and Indie-pop; Nationality: USA
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
Yolanda Quartey (born in 1984), known as Yola, is an English musician, singer, and songwriter from Bristol, England. She has also gone by the name Yola Carter. Her family was poor and banned ...more
3
Conan Gray Genre: Indie pop and Dream pop; Nationality: USA
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 ...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.
Caamp is 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
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
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 ...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 ...more
Beatrice Kristi Laus (born June 3, 2000), also known as Bea Kristi or professionally as beabadoobee (stylized in all lowercase), is a Filipino-British indie singer-songwriter. Since 2018, she ...more
10
Kero Kero Bonito Genre: Rock, Indie pop & Electro rock; Nationality: UK
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 ...more
11
Beach Bunny Genre: Indie pop, Rock & Surf pop; Nationality: USA
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 ...more
12
Khruangbin Genre: Rock and Instrumental rock; Nationality: USA
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 ...more
Seth 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 ...more
14
Cherry Glazerr Genre: Rock, Indie rock & Noise pop; Nationality: USA
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
Omar Velasco, known professionally as Omar Apollo, is an American singer-songwriter. He first gained recognition in 2017 with the release of his song "Ugotme." Since his initial ...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), ...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
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 ...more
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 ...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 ...more
Cordae Amari Dunston (born August 26, 1997), known professionally as YBN Cordae, is an American rapper, singer raised in Suitland, Maryland, Dunston began rapping at a young age under the stage ...more
Rex Orange County Genre: Indie pop, Jazz pop & Alternative hip hop; Nationality: UK
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
Summer Walker (born April 11, 1996) is an American singer, songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. She is signed to LoveRenaissance and Interscope Records. Her debut studio album Last Day of Summer ...more
Destin Choice Route, known by his stage name J.I.D (also stylized JID), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He is part of the musical collective Spillage Village, founded by EarthGang ...more
