As 2026 begins, a new generation of artists is emerging with distinctive voices and fresh perspectives. From intimate singer-songwriters to boundary-pushing bands, these performers are shaping the sound of the year ahead. This selection highlights 11 artists whose music, creativity, and vision make them essential voices to watch.

Mollie Elizabeth

Mollie Elizabeth crafts her songs as tiny, immersive worlds, a style she honed growing up in the woods of Washington State, and she gladly gets to be our tour guide through these manyfold adventures. Following her debut EP, “Dirty Blonde,” her new single, “The Disappearing Girl,” marks a step into a more nuanced, personally penned chapter. With her whimsical yet melancholic touch and a new EP on the horizon via Neon Gold for 2026, she’s building a refuge in song form, one invitation at a time.

Tash Blake

Tash Blake builds a universe where pain transforms into power and pop music becomes high-stakes art. The LA-born, NYC-based performer pairs her powerhouse vocals with an ambitious electronic edge and meticulously crafted visuals she calls The Pop Dungeon. Following sold-out shows in Paris and New York, her 2026 plans center on a third EP, pushing her glam-grunge aesthetic and immersive choreography into even bolder territory.

Erin Kirby

Erin Kirby’s path runs from Georgia talent shows to the Grand Ole Opry stage, with SXSW and American Idol along the way. Once rooted in pop and R&B, she has carved out a country sound she calls “Adele Country,” stripped back and soulful, built on storytelling and a voice that can just be described as “POWERFUL” (yeah, all caps). Signed to Concord and fresh off her debut EP “In and Out of Love,” she enters 2026 with more releases on the horizon and the momentum to become one of Nashville’s defining new voices.

Danae Greenfield

Danae Greenfield’s story begins with a toy keyboard in Bellevue and now stretches to Radio City and Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center. A Berklee‑trained pianist who has already shared stages with Chick Corea and Norah Jones, she has carved her place in New York’s creative music scene while moving fluidly between acoustic jazz and fusion. After a year touring with Clairo and John Carroll Kirby, she enters 2026 on Josh Groban’s world tour and with her debut jazz‑fusion album ready to drop. Blending jazz, R&B, and hip‑hop influences, Greenfield’s next chapter is set to carry her sound from Queens to audiences worldwide.

Marie-Ann Hedonia

Marie‑Ann Hedonia has a way of turning each release into a shift of terrain. “Solar Eclipse” in 2025 stretched wide with collaborators, a record that felt like a gathering. Now she’s stepping inward with “Lunar Eclipse,” arriving in 2026 as a solo dive into hidden desire, followed by “Total Eclipse,” a full‑length that binds her recent explorations. With shows across the country and a summer tour ahead, Hedonia’s year is set to unfold as a continuum of sound that keeps expanding outward from Baltimore.

D’Arcy

D’Arcy broke through with The Art of Flying in 2021, a debut that critics raved over and audiences consecrated by selling out the Fonda Theatre. Since then, she’s played more than a hundred shows across the country, supported cult bands, and lit up New York dance floors as a DJ. Named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2025, she steps into 2026 with a full‑length album on the way, a growing slate of shows, and Til Death, her own management company, already signing new artists. The year ahead positions her not just as a performer but as a builder of scenes.

Chelsea Reed

Chelsea Reed is entering her most atmospheric chapter yet. After years of exploration across continents and genres, her upcoming single, “Laura,” introduces a synth-soaked dream-pop direction, pairing candid storytelling about secret affairs with shimmering new textures. This single sets the stage for a full EP due in mid-2026, marking a compelling and intimate new era for the songwriter.

Queen Anne

Queen Anne emerged as a collision of Katie Silverman’s dark, addictive lyricism and Sandy Chila’s sharp production, a duo that bends indie pop toward something more shadowed and insistent. Silverman, already known for her acting work, channels everyday frustrations into songs that feel both ethereal and biting, with singles like “Real Enough” and “Lexi Loves Me” opening a lens into their restless world.

2026 begins not with world domination but with new music and a stage at the Viper Room in Los Angeles. The year ahead promises expansion of their sound, a blend of 80s punk pulse and postmodern edge, and a growing presence that positions Queen Anne as one of indie‑pop’s most intriguing new forces.

Sevi

Sevi grew up in Los Angeles with music woven into her childhood, first through theater roles like Dorothy and Ariel, then through violin, piano, and guitar. The pandemic revealed her voice, leading her into a rock cover band and eventually into producing her own songs. With tracks like “Backup Friend,” “Oh Okay,” and “Nobody Else,” she has already begun shaping her sound while balancing life as a performing arts high school student.

2026 marks a year of acceleration. Sevi plans to release a new track every few weeks, collaborate with seasoned producers and musicians, and bring her songs to live audiences. Backed by HBM management and with seven releases already streaming, she is stepping into a chapter defined by consistency, growth, and a clear drive to make her voice heard.

KALEN

KALEN trades in the raw, compelling power of a voice laid bare through the overwhelming emotional depth of jazz and blues balladry. Her album “Velvet Night” (accompanied by a handmade zine) is a testament to this, a collection of stripped-back songs that showcase dynamic vocal character and elegant piano-based composition. With its wider digital release slated for 2026, along with a live album and new music from her theatrical project Death By Piano, KALEN’s year is about reaffirming a commitment to tangible, substantive craft.

The Zappe Cats

When three Venezuelan musicians landed in Miami, they carried with them the pulse of Caracas rock and the urgency of starting over. Luis Irán, Lucas Paredes, and Ozzie Perez built The Zappe Cats as both continuation and reinvention, a band that could hold onto its roots while carving out a new identity in South Florida’s scene. Their debut album and the fuzz‑drenched “MISU MISU” EP gave them traction, yet the real story lies in how their live sets at venues like Churchill’s Pub and Las Rosas became proof of concept, full of raw riffs, crooked grooves, and a restless energy that never sits still.

Now, 2026 opens with the band sketching darker shapes. New songs lean into odd rhythms, shoegaze textures, and flashes of Spanish‑language lyricism, hinting at a bilingual future. They’re widening their reach beyond Miami, plotting shows across the Southeast and East Coast, and eyeing festival stages that match their sound.