13 artists we’re excited about in 2025

Every day, the staff of The FADER gets hundreds of emails from industry people about artists they're claiming will be the "next big thing." Sometimes they're right. Most times they're not. Either way, over the years, we've learned that the best indicator is still relying on our gut and how genuinely pumped the music makes us feel for the future.

Here are 13 artists that we're really excited to hear more from in 2025, from singers and rappers to bands. They include the raunchy, London-based rapper Ceechynaa, whose three viral songs deserve the attention; 1900Rugrat, a larger-than-life (white) rapper you need to know; fakemink, a ridiculously prolific U.K. rapper with an ear for beats, and many more. Read on for our primer of what you need to know, and the songs to get you started.

WHO: A larger-than-life white rapper from Limestone Creek, FL.
WHAT: Hard knocking trap anthems that draw equally from his home state and the digital underground.
WHERE TO START: His song “Clean & Dirty.”

WHO: A 20-year-old Ghanaian-English rapper and producer with genre-bending leanings.
WHAT: Extreme, stylized experimental hip-hop.
WHERE TO START: Fondu’s been giving only small nibbles to his fans for the past year. Start with his two officially released tracks, “SB 1 3” and “Another Domestic,” and dive deeper with this video of one of his performances at the notorious Windmill Brixton, as well as his BBC Radio 6 interview, both of which feature unreleased material from the vault. (Also, read our profile from this past spring.)

WHO: A fearsome London-based sex worker turned MC.
WHAT: Aggressive, gender-flipping bars that piss off all the right people.
WHERE TO START: She’s only got three tracks out, so start with them. “Peggy” is the newest and most unhinged.

WHO: A young rapper and producer hailing from Delaware and recently got the co-sign from Charli xcx.
WHAT: Truly outrageous bars that we can't transcribe here can be found throughout her bubbly blown-out drill songs. Some of the things she says feel like they're crossing too much of a line, but she delivers them with such confidence, you can't help but go along with her mischief.
WHERE TO START: Her viral live performance of "FUN."

WHO: A ridiculously prolific U.K. rapper with an ear for beats that's yet to fail him.
WHAT: Forlorn and flexy vibes that sounds like cloud rap waking from a decade-long coma, all dazed and disoriented.
WHERE TO START: 2024's Wild One EP, and its standout single "Truffle."

WHO: The latest ex-Little Mix member to go solo.
WHAT: Forget the radio-friendly, teen-pop of Little Mix — Jade Thirlwall is sprinting down an entirely different lane. Think Studio 54 if it turned into an underground club that also hosted some of pop music's most world-class singers.
WHERE TO START: Her newest song "Fantasy," that's only got us more psyched for the eventual debut album.

WHO: Kenya-born, Uganda-based screamer-producer.
WHAT: Death metal/hip-hop fusion turned up to 11.
WHERE TO START: Drunken Love (or, alternatively, Drunk In Love) is his 2023 joint project with Welsh experimentalist Elvin Brandh. See also: his excellent 2020 self-titled album as half of DUMA. Finally, he’s got a new label, Haekalu Records, which promises to deliver “the heaviest music” from Africa. Coming from someone who makes some of the heaviest sounds on the continent himself, it’s a claim to take seriously — the ultimate “watch this space.”

WHO: In an era where musicians flood audiences with new music, this U.K.-based rapper has opted for a less-is-more approach. With just five tracks (and one collaboration with A.J. Tracey), Pozer has put himself firmly on the U.K. rap radar.

WHAT: Punchy, tough road rap delivered with an irresistible glossy sheen. Pozer has slowly unfurled his story across tracks like "Malicious Intentions" and "I'm Tryna," peppering his bars with tales of violence and gang-land trauma. I'm excited to see how he grows and adapts in 2025, not since Central Cee has a rapper from the U.K. felt this ready for bigger things.

WHERE TO START: His song, "Malicious Intentions."

WHO: A rapper-producer from Charlotte, NC, whose music always leaves me smiling.
WHAT: Enormous 808s and gorgeous synth melodies that manage to make rage rap sound cute and positive.
WHERE TO START: Her 2024 EP, Pretti.

WHO: Boston-via-Texas singer/songwriter
WHAT: Ambient folk-pop with a literary flair. Potentially world-conquering stuff.
WHERE TO START: Their Contact EP.

WHO: Houston-based rapper who came up with xaviersobased's 1c collective.
WHAT: A variety of underground rap styles ranging from Lil B's based era to the nu-jerk movement, all tied together by a keen sense of humor and focus on memorable lyrics.
WHERE TO START: His 2024 album Shine Back

WHO: This London-based band who describe themselves as "jangle prodigies" make throwback indie rock of the highest order.
WHAT: On songs like "Mindsnap" and "Back To Hong Kong," they envision a world in which romantic longing and bitter struggle chug away as the driving forces in life. Think of them as a "cost of living crisis" Talk Talk or The Smiths without a problematic frontman. True Anglophiles will appreciate the name of their label, Pie & Mash Records, too. I'm hoping 2025 is the year that brings their debut album.
WHERE TO START: Their song "Back To Hong Kong."

WHO: Ex-LOONA member who's officially solo and pushing the sound of K-pop to the left.
WHAT: A friend of mine prefaced Yves to me with the thought: "I wonder what impact Brat will have on K-pop." Her song "Loop" is the beginning of that answer, but Yves is also more than that. From her stylish music videos to the out-of-box nature of the rest of the songs on her latest EP, Loop, it's clear that she's amassed a team that's invested in helping her bring genuinely edgy and interesting ideas to the realm of K-pop.
WHERE TO START: Her Brat-leaning single "Viola."