The concept of the “breakout artist” was close to being written off until 2024, when both Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan exploded into the public consciousness as two very different, but equally huge new pop queens. Yet they were far from “overnight sensations” – former Disney star Carpenter was on her sixth album by then, while Roan first began releasing songs in 2014. A decade later, both are nominated in most if not all of the Big Four categories at the Grammys – including “Best New Artist” – and still firmly in the ascendant.
When it comes to choosing our own best new artists, there’s no talk of genre or streaming numbers, and it doesn’t matter if they don’t all scoop Brit Awards or Grammy nods in the next 12 months. On this year’s list, we’ve fallen for everything from Scottish folk-punk to dark alt-pop, soul to mind-melting techno-rock. Many have yet to release their debut albums, but they’ve done enough to convince us they’re worth paying attention to.
