Olivia Dean and Rosalia branded ‘ones to watch’ as they’re tipped for huge 2026
We’ve seen a huge wave of musicians break into the industry this year but next year, the likes of Rosalia and Olivia Dean are expected to take their careers to the next level
Rosalia and Olivia Dean are just two names who are tipped to have a huge 2026. The past year has witnessed an array of diverse musical talent, transitioning from small venues to some of the nation’s grandest stages.
Platforms like TikTok, celebrity endorsements and radio airplay have catapulted many artists into chart-topping success and mainstream recognition in 2025.
As we move into the new year, a fresh wave of stars is on the horizon. Here are the acts to watch out for in the upcoming months.
Fcukers
Endorsed by The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, Charli XCX and Beck, Fcukers are poised to make a splash in the coming year. This duo has garnered millions of streams with their infectious electroclash sound, drawing inspiration from the likes of The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem and Soulwax, with a touch of dub reggae and hyperpop.
Comprising vocalist Shanny Wise and producer, bassist and keyboardist Jackson Walker Lewis, this New York-based band is yet to drop their debut album. Their first EP Baggya$$ was released under Ninja Tune’s sublabel Technicolour Records in September last year.
In the past year, the band delivered a high-energy performance on the Woodsies stage at Glastonbury Festival, supported Tame Impala on the US leg of the Deadbeat tour, and sold out three nights at London’s Colour Factory, despite only having played their first gig in 2023.
Their first single, Homie Don’t Shake, cleverly borrowed the riff from Them’s 1966 hit I Can Only Give You Everything and immersed it in pulsating electronica. Their October release, I Like It Like That, has maintained their high-quality output, hinting at a full-length album on the horizon.
– Tune in to Bon Bon, an energetic indie house track featuring seductive vocals from Wise that has racked up nearly eight million Spotify streams.
Olivia Dean
London-born singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, nominated for best new artist at the 2026 Grammy Awards, has expanded her fanbase over the past year with the launch of her second studio album, The Art Of Loving, which soared to the top of the UK albums chart in October.
Her second album also spawned a UK number one single, Man I Need, along with additional top 10 hits So Easy (To Fall In Love) and Nice To Each Other. Her inaugural album, Messy, released in 2023, made its way into the top 10 of the UK albums chart, with one of its singles, Dive, peaking at number 17 on the UK singles chart in 2025, two years post-release.
The 2025 record will be succeeded by the Art Of Loving Tour in 2026, kicking off in Glasgow in April and wrapping up in Auckland, New Zealand, in October, with performances at New York’s Madison Square Garden and London’s O2 Arena.
Dean, a devoted supporter of Premier League football club West Ham United, has recently performed a live duet with Sam Fender on his track Rein Me In. She’s been a supporting act on his People Watching Tour and released the single It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be for the 2025 film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
In the past year, she’s also supported Sabrina Carpenter on her Short ‘N’ Sweet tour in the US. The 26-year-old, whose mum is the deputy leader of the Women’s Equality Party, is quickly becoming a familiar name in the UK thanks to her soulful sound. However, it’s predicted that 2026 will be the year she skyrockets to global stardom.
– Listen: Nice To Each Other, an acoustic ballad about dating, showcasing a soulful vocal.
Geese
After releasing three studio albums, New York rock band Geese finally hit the big time in 2025 as the indie band of the year following their album Getting Killed. Their lead singer, Cameron Winter, also received high praise for his solo album Heavy Metal, which was rumoured to be in the running for a Grammy Award nomination.
The band are the latest addition to a long list of innovative New York bands, a lineage that started with The Velvet Underground and includes Blondie, Television, Talking Heads, and The Strokes. They’ve taken inspiration from these iconic groups while adding their own unique experimental twist.
Winter’s distinctive vocals are remarkably versatile, morphing and adapting to suit each track flawlessly, shifting from a spirited punk rallying cry to a tender and wounded whisper, whilst guitarist Emily Green delivers her own interpretation of the jagged approach pioneered by Television’s Richard Lloyd.
Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy has become a devoted follower of the group, confessing in a recent chat that he is “obsessed” with them, and hailed Winter’s solo record as “amazing”.
The band have already shifted tickets for two sold-out London gigs scheduled for next year, including one that required a venue change owing to overwhelming demand, and recently graced Radio 1’s Live Lounge, where their rendition of The New Radicals’ You Get What You Give became a social media sensation.
– Listen: Crusades, a pulsating New York street anthem that would make Lou Reed and Tom Verlaine beam with pride.
Rosalia
Among Spain’s most triumphant musical exports ever, Rosalia, whose complete name is Rosalia Vila Tobella, has long been a familiar face in her native land, though broader European chart triumph has remained elusive until recently.
Following the drop of her fourth record Lux, the alternative pop sensation became the most successful female Spanish performer in UK albums chart records, as it climbed to number four, whilst she also secured her peak position on the singles chart with Berghain, which hit number 36. The 2025 album has garnered high praise for its intricate concept, featuring songs inspired by the lives of female saints such as Hildegard of Bingen, Rabia Al-Adawiya, and Miriam, and delving into Rosalia’s personal relationship with religion.
Hailing from Sant Esteve Sesrovires in Catalonia, the singer has previously released albums including Motomami (2022), Los Angeles (2017) and El Mal Querer (2018), and has bagged two Grammy Awards for best Latin rock or alternative album with her 2022 record, and for El Mal Querer in the same category. It’s claimed that Rosalia is gearing up for a tour in 2026, which would be her first since the 2022 Motomami World Tour.
– Listen: Berghain, a unique pop single featuring Bjork and Yves Tumour, blending classical strings, opera and pop.
The New Eves
Comprising guitarist and violinist Violet Farrer, cellist and guitarist Nina Winder-Lind, bassist Kate Mager, and drummer and flautist Ella Oona Russell, with each member taking turns on vocals, The New Eves emerged as one of the most distinctive groups in 2025.
Their debut album, The New Eve Is Rising, was crowned Rough Trade’s album of the month upon its release in August. The record fuses the experimental elements of The Velvet Underground and krautrock with feminist punk and folk, resulting in a truly unique sound. Their visual style carries forward the witchy aesthetics of The Last Dinner Party and Florence And The Machine.
The sonic landscape of the band’s debut record perfectly complements the foreboding mood conjured by its strikingly eerie cover artwork, which depicts the group ascending a hillside whilst bearing a banner emblazoned with the album’s title, reminiscent of The Wicker Man.
Following the release, Winder-Lind reflected: “This project has been about us redefining ourselves, and we hope anyone who’s listening can be inspired by that. We’re seeing how far we can go as four people by creating our own mythology.”
The Brighton quartet delivered two atmospheric sold-out performances at London’s Hoxton Hall in 2025, before capitalising on their inaugural album’s triumph with a release containing the tracks Red Brick and Whale Station, revealing a more approachable facet of the collective.
– Listen: Highway Man, amongst 2025’s most compelling compositions, featuring a piercing guitar line accompanied by a wailing violin.
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