Shazam Fast Forward 2025
These are Shazam's Predictions for breakthrough artists in 2025. 50 artists from trending genres revealed over 5 days.Featuring emerging artists who, based on Shazam data and reviewed by our editors, are poised to have a breakthrough year. It's a remarkably global and diverse selection, hailing from 26 countries and spanning sounds from Indie-Rock to UK Drill.
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Before adopting his current alias in the early 2020s, the North Macedonian musician (born Haris Ajrulahi) recorded a pair of melodic house EPs for Armin van Buuren’s Armada Music. Under his new name ALSO ASTIR, he explores a softer sound that folds in gossamer folk textures and his delicate falsetto. Since its release last April, “Forget,” a collaboration with producers YOTTO and AVIRA, has brought festival-grade feels to the Shazam charts worldwide, especially in his current home of Germany.
MoreALSO ASTIRElectronic - North Macedonia
Born Katleho Ramalefane in Botshabelo, the largest township in South Africa’s Free State province, Khathapillar got his start playing piano at age 12. He fell in love with amapiano, the South African style of piano-driven deep-house music, as it emerged in the late 2010s, then taught himself production during the pandemic lockdown. His big break (and Shazam debut) came last May with the release of “Diqabang,” an amapiano posse cut alongside Sol Phenduka, Smash SA, and vocalist Kamoh Xaba, with lyrics sung in Sesotho.
MoreKhathapillarAmapiano - South Africa
The Italian trio take their name from the Greek word for “three-pointed,” which doubles as the ancient name of their native Sicily. TR3NACRIA made their Shazam debut in 2023, spending five weeks on the Greek charts with the Afro-house-inspired “Sikulambele” featuring Lizwi. Last year, the masked trio’s versatile tech-house officially broke through: Four separate TR3NACRIA tracks appeared on the French Shazam charts, where their flip of an Édith Piaf classic, “La Foule (Le Monde Mix)” featuring StereoKilla, remained a fixture for four months.
MoreTR3NACRIADance - Italy
Barcelona has a proud legacy in dance music, but it hasn’t produced many EDM superstars. The Spanish production duo Prophecy aims to change that with their peak-time anthems made for festival sound systems. The duo spent the past few years climbing the ranks of labels like Armada and Spinnin’ Deep before dropping a pair of splashy collabs: “My City” with Tiësto, which was named the official anthem of EDC Las Vegas 2024, closely followed by “Kill the Vibe” with David Guetta and MORTEN. (Both tracks saw significant Shazam volume throughout Europe and North America last year.)
MoreProphecyTechno - Spain
The Brazilian producer was catapulted into the spotlight by his airy bootleg edit of The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition,” which was played throughout 2023 by a who’s-who of superstar DJs (Black Coffee, Keinemusik, Tiësto) before getting an official release in 2024. But the biggest hit to date from the in-demand remixer was 2024’s “Amana,” a moody tech-house banger with fellow Brazilian Maz, which landed at No. 1 on the Beatport charts upon its release in April, and spent more than seven months on the Greek Shazam charts last year.
MoreVXSIONHouse - Brazil
A cosign from Fuerza Regida is a serious flex in música mexicana. The California singer, who’s signed to bandleader Jesús Ortiz Paz’s Street Mob label, got the ultimate endorsement with his feature on “INMORTAL,” a highlight from Fuerza Regida’s 2023 album. Though Chuyin famously shrouds his identity, appearing on social media as a creepy crocheted doll, he’s become a frequent collaborator with regional Mexican superstars. Both “INMORTAL” and September’s “NO PIERDO LA VIDA,” a duet with labelmate Calle 24, saw significant Shazam volume throughout the fall in Mexico, Guatemala, and the U.S.
MoreChuyinMúsica Mexicana
The Argentine singer, born Agustin Thomas Mesa, has established himself as a standout in the local RKT scene, exploring the sound’s more rugged, rap-oriented possibilities since his 2023 debut on the viral posse cut “Con Tu Amiga” alongside Alejo Isakk, Locura Mix, Fauna Music, and Eme Sarav. The Lomas de Zamora native hit his stride in 2024, appearing on five separate tracks that charted throughout South America—including his June single “PELEAMOS,” which reached Shazam charts in Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela last summer.
MoreelaggumeLatin Urban - Argentina
The five-piece band from Culiacán Rosales, the capital city of Sinaloa, catapulted into the spotlight when their cover of “Mami,” a Peso Pluma and Chino Pacas fan favorite, went mega-viral. After officially releasing their rendition in August 2024, the group (vocalists El Cuate and Mingo, bassist Miguelito, guitarist Misa, and tololoche player Alder) kept the momentum going with a stream of original tracks in the corridos tumbados tradition, including September’s “Mercedes” and the joint single “Ya Valió V Mojo” with Antonin Padilla.
MoreLa CuatizaRegional Mexicano - Mexico
After blowing up on TikTok in 2023 with the breakup ballad “Odiame,” the Venezuelan singer delivered its spiritual sequel with last fall’s “Lo Siento.” A minimalist entry into the música urbana canon, the song went mega-viral after reggaetón star Feid shared the song on his account upon its release in October, creating a snowball effect on TikTok and breaking into the Top 10 songs identified with Shazam in both Venezuela and Colombia.
MoreMILO BVGATTILatin Urban - Venezuela
The emotional balladry known in regional Mexican music as sad sierreño continues to reign, drawing heavy-hearted listeners to its melancholy themes. The baby-faced Guadalajara native wears heartbreak well on heartfelt songs like “Noches Llenas,” his 2023 debut single that earned him a deal with Warner Music Latina and put him on Shazam’s radar. He hit a new peak on the Mexican charts with September’s “11:11,” which also cracked the Top 200 in the U.S. Shazam charts.
MoreDarenLatin - Mexico
The Brooklyn native spent four years playing guard for University of Michigan’s basketball team, then moved to Nashville to pursue a different passion: country music. Before dropping his debut single “LOW ROAD” in August 2024, the 6’6” singer was known on TikTok for his over-the-top reactions to his favorite country songs. (Shaboozey’s team even gifted Nunez a platinum plaque for his early role in boosting “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” the biggest song of 2024.) The viral success of “LOW ROAD,” a bittersweet sing-along inspired by a past love triangle, earned Nunez an opening spot on rising country star Dasha’s first headlining tour.
MoreAdrien NunezCountry - United States
Born out of pandemic boredom in 2020, Moody Joody began as the joint project of Nashville singers Kaitie Forbes and Kayla Hall, eventually joined by producer Andrew Pacheko. The trio released their debut EP, Dream Girl, in November 2024—six tracks of hooky synth-pop, like the propulsive “Velvet Connection,” that draws from bands like Bleachers and The 1975 just as much as it does the twangy sound of Music Row.
MoreMoody JoodyAlternative - United States
Since forming in early 2023, the San Antonio four-piece has channeled vintage surf rock, feel-good indie rock, and a touch of anime theme song melodrama into songs that feel like summertime. There’s an infectious positivity to the group’s 2024 debut full-length, ALOHA INOHA, which includes the super-catchy “Seventh Heaven,” the group's most-searched song on Shazam.
MoreINOHAAlternative - United States
The angsty emo trio spent the past few years establishing themselves among Taiwan’s thriving rock scene, but 2024 marked FUMON’s biggest year yet. September saw the release of the group’s debut album, When you suffer, you are blessed., leading to a major spike in their Shazam volume—particularly their single “I’m Willing,” a glitchy pop-punk anthem featuring rising Taiwanese rap-rocker Marz23.
MoreFUMONRock - Taiwan
The dream of the mid-2000s is alive in Los Angeles, where the trio of Greg Aram, Zach Michel, and Brooke Danaher have crafted electronic-tinged garage rock with a side of aughts revivalism since 2021. (Think Stars, The Go! Team, or The Whitest Boy Alive.) The group released their third EP, My Star, in November, while their single “Cross the Street” spent the fall driving new highs in Shazam volume.
MoreJunior VarsityAlternative - United States
At nine years old, the British singer born Bea Wheeler assured her sisters she’d grow up to be a pop star. Maybe manifestation works: “Born To Be Alive,” her first-ever single as Bea and her Business, went mega-viral upon its release in 2023. With two EPs of candid, writerly pop ballads under her belt (think Gen Z’s answer to Lily Allen or MARINA), the 20-year-old singer is making waves both on TikTok and IRL: She played her debut live show in Oslo to a crowd of 70,000, and spent fall 2024 headlining her first world tour.
MoreBea and her BusinessPop - United Kingdom
The Nigerian singer (born Daniella Ibinabo Daniel) briefly attended medical school to appease her parents’ dreams before realizing that her real passion was music. In 2020 she began posting covers to TikTok, though it wasn’t until 2023 when her acoustic rendition of Fireboy DML and Asake’s “Bandana” went viral, catching the attention of the Nigerian-American singer Davido. Her work with the Afrobeats star, including their duet on her 2023 debut EP, RAVI, brought Morravey to the Nigerian Shazam charts, but it’s her breezy infatuation anthem “Ifineme” that made waves on the global charts this past fall.
MoreMorraveyAfrobeats - Nigeria
The 20-year-old singer, born Felix Dautzenberg, spent his childhood in Hamburg studying music theory and playing in the school band, then released his debut single, “Echo,” just after finishing high school in 2022. His self-produced demo tape, recorded in his parents’ basement, was meant to be his application to a Mannheim music conservatory; instead, he found himself fielding offers from record labels. Berq released his debut EP, ROTE FLAGGEN, in 2023, but the poetic title track (which translates to “red flags”) continues to be a Shazam fixture in Germany and beyond.
MoreBerqPop - Germany
The Filipino-Cuban singer and Florida native has spent the past few years honing her soft, sublime style of pop en español, first entering Shazam’s radar in August 2023 with the release of her debut EP, Miracle. But it was 2024’s “ella brilla”—a hypnotic duet with the Mexican singer HUMBE, inspired by a love as vast as the sea—that led to significant spikes in Riza’s Shazam volume last summer in Mexico, Spain, Colombia, and the US.
MoreRizaPop in Spanish - Philippines
Hailing from the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, Suzete’s fusion of Afrobeats, reggaetón, and pop has been making waves worldwide since she released her single “KOMBOLEWA” in January 2024. (The love song’s Swahili title translates roughly to “redeemed.”) But it was the song’s remix—on which Suzete crooned in Spanish alongside the Madrid-based singer Lola Índigo—that broke through on the Shazam charts upon its release in late July, entering the Top 100 Shazam charts in Spain last September.
MoreSuzetePop in Spanish - São Tomé and Príncipe
The teenage phenom from Chicago’s South Side embodies the spirit of the drill movement that emerged from the streets of his hometown when he was graduating pre-school; his versatile flow combines the bluster of Chief Keef with the wordplay of G Herbo. 2024 was major for the baby-faced MC: he dropped his two-disc debut album, ANIMALS ONLY (ICE COLD), and landed four separate songs on Shazam’s US charts. (His smack-talk-heavy single “The Viper” has been a fixture since its September release.)
MoreBabyChiefDoitHip-Hop/Rap - United States
The artist known as CITIZEN (not to be confused with Citizen the band) remains shrouded in mystery despite the singer’s active social media presence, where he shares his process and inspirations behind his songs. The handful he’s released since 2022, on which he sings in a wispy falsetto and occasionally raps, sit comfortably alongside the sexy funk of Steve Lacy or Tommy Richman. “You Haunt Me,” a nod to the retro-futuristic R&B of the 2000s, led to his Shazam debut on the India charts in September.
MoreCITIZENHip-Hop/Rap
The Chicago native’s breakthrough hit, 2022’s super raunchy “Point Me to the Slut’s,” was already blowing up on TikTok when it caught the ear of Cardi B, who joined Fendi on the ever-so-slightly more family-friendly remix (“Point Me 2”) in 2023. The remix, which spent three months on the US Shazam charts last year, brought Fendi to the Billboard charts; meanwhile, her viral momentum continued with 2024’s “Clock Dat,” a duet with social media star Shamar Marco, whose accompanying dance has since gone viral. (The latter was her first song to chart on Shazam outside the US when it hit the charts in Senegal, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire in October.)
MoreFendiDa RappaHip-Hop/Rap - United States
As a kid in Jakarta, Jordan Susanto thought he wanted to be a filmmaker when he grew up, until he realized what he actually was obsessed with was the soundtrack. Inspired by classic soul music of the ’60s and ’70s, the Indonesian singer’s 2024 debut album, Jordan, modernized the vintage sound with big pop hooks and diaristic lyrics. His single “Senopati in the Rain,” an ode to cozy nights on the couch, was a mainstay on Shazam charts across Asia after the album’s release in August, coasting at No. 1 for 12 days in the Philippines.
MoreJordan SusantoR&B/Soul - Indonesia
The 22-year-old rapper and social media star has had TikTok in a choke hold since 2022: he was the most-viewed UK artist on the platform that year, beating out pop superstars like Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith. But the South East Londoner is formidable behind the mic, too, earning co-signs from grime legends like Dizzee Rascal and D Double E. He dropped his first EP, Step by Stepz, in 2023, though it’s his 2024 single “Rock” (and its accompanying air-guitar dance moves) that took Shazam by storm last year, charting in 24 separate countries since its release in October.
MoreStepzUK Drill - United Kingdom
A veteran of the UK’s ’90s speed-garage scene, the Birmingham producer/DJ has a feel for the heavy grooves and sped-up vocal samples that have made bassline house huge throughout the 2020s. A recent dance-floor encounter with Porn Kings’ cheeky 1996 anthem “Up to No Good” was all it took to convince Hunt to put his own spin on the tune. Twenty-five years into his music career, he unleashed a peak-time stormer that was practically inescapable last summer, leading to Shazam chart runs in New Zealand and the UK last August.
MoreJoe HuntGarage - United Kingdom
The Greek DJ and producer has been making dance music for two decades, inspired by childhood favorites like Faithless and Everything But the Girl. He’d released earlier tracks on powerhouse labels like Italy’s d:vision and the Netherlands’ Spinnin’ Deep, but it was his 2024 single “Opera”—an homage to Afro-house with lilting melodies and intricate drum programming—that spiked his Shazam volume last spring and summer, remaining on the Greek chart for more than half the year.
MoreMarasiDance - Greece
DJs and producers tend to hog the spotlight, but sometimes it’s the vocalist that gives a track its soul. The UK singer Nu-La got her start writing songs on acoustic guitar, then made her dance-music debut on CHANEY’s 2023 filter-disco anthem “Out of My Depth.” With powerhouse vocals fit for a ’90s house diva, she’s since become one of club music’s most in-demand voices, hopping on recent tracks by DubVision, Example, and Benny Benassi.
MoreNu-LaDance - United Kingdom
The producer born İsmail Büyüktatlı hails from Turkey, but his sound is fully global, drawing from melodic Afro-house and contemporary Latin pop. Quentro’s been honing his production style since 2017, but his breakthrough came with 2024’s “Perreo,” a chilled-out fusion of melodic house and dembow rhythms in collaboration with fellow Turkish producers Tuna and Kuntay Cevizci that put him on Shazam’s radar upon its release last June.
MoreQuentroDance - Türkiye
The German production duo (Marlon Wenck and Philip Blau) turned heads with their first-ever single, March 2024’s “Karibu.” The hypnotic Afro-house track, with its slinky synth riff and lyrics sung in Kenya’s Kikuyu language, lodged itself in Italy’s Shazam chart for five months last year. It’s not just beginner’s luck: The duo followed it up with a run of Afro-house slow-burners, spiking their Shazam volume again in July with their Albert Breaker and mohalizer collab “Alive.”
MoreWITH UDance - Germany
Afrobeats’ influence on Latin music was hard to ignore in 2024, a year of countless crossover hits between reggaetoneros and pop artists. Venezuelan singer-songwriter Dahili (born Alejandro Sambrano Guevara) embraced this fusion early with his viral 2022 smash, the tropical-sounding “Parcerita.” With the release of its remix last August, also featuring Colombian singers Andy Rivera and Zaider, the hybridized track became a global sensation, spiking Dahili’s Shazam volume in Columbia, Spain, and the U.S.
MoreDahiliLatin - Venezuela
The Uruguayan rapper honed his skills in freestyle battles in his hometown of Melo, then moved to the nation’s capital, Montevideo, in 2020, where he fell in with a local rap crew throwing rowdy basement shows. The MC has rocked much bigger stages in recent years, opening arena shows for Argentine trap stars YSY A and Duki, and playing Uruguay’s massive Cosquín Rock festival last year. His 2019 single “Oka” remains a Shazam fixture throughout South America, while recent hits like 2024’s shimmering “+ DE ESO” reached No. 13 on the Shazam charts in his home country.
MoreKnakTrap - Uruguay
The Venezuela-born singer (Maikel Rafael Rico Torres) relocated with his family to Colombia when he was two years old, where he inherited his musician father’s passion for vallenato, a centuries-old style of Colombian folk music. Later he moved to Medellín to write songs for other artists, but his break as a solo artist came in 2023 with a record deal from Colombian superstar Maluma. Last year’s romantic reggaetón single “SE ME OLVIDA,” a duet with Colombian singer Feid, became Maisak’s first bona fide hit, reaching No. 1 on the Colombian and Venezuelan Shazam charts in August and debuting on the worldwide charts in October.
MoreMaisakLatin - Venezuela
The 21-year-old Spanish singer got his start in freestyle battles in his hometown of Seville, then graduated to more melodic songwriting in his off-hours from his job as a soccer coach. His breakthrough single, “Fighter”—a deceptively upbeat account of a messy relationship—has steadily gained traction since its release in 2022, entering Shazam’s radar in Portugal in 2023 before spreading to Spain, France, and Italy last year.
MoreQ2Latin Urban - Spain
The Argentine artist has been putting his own spin on the homegrown sound known as RKT, the cumbia/reggaetón hybrid that emerged from Buenos Aires in the late 2000s. Doble P, who calls his version of the genre “RK Punky,” spent four months on the Argentine Shazam charts with “Me Escapé,” his 2023 collaboration with Lauty Gram and Gusty DJ. His momentum continues with last year’s “TERAPIA DE CHOQUE” with Argentine singer La Joaqui, which cracked Shazam's Top 20 chart in Argentina upon its release in July.
MoreDoblePLatin - Argentina
Before breaking through to North American audiences with his appearance on American Idol in 2022, the Canadian singer worked long hours on a British Columbia pipeline, posting Tyler Childers covers to Reddit in his spare time. Whitcomb had never sung in public before his televised audition, but his rendition of Waylon Jennings’ “Rock, Salt and Nails” impressed judge Katy Perry, earning him a deal with Atlantic Records and a substantial TikTok following though he didn’t make the cut. Fall 2024 was big for the 21-year-old singer: he released his soulful debut EP, Quitter—inspired in part by past struggles with addiction—and embarked on his first headlining tour.
MoreCameron WhitcombCountry - Canada
The fiery Irish rockers, named for a dated Irish slang term for someone up to no good, formed in the inauspicious early months of 2020, then used their time in lockdown to pour their anxieties into noisy, cathartic demos full of biting social commentary. The five-piece “noise-gaze” band, with a raucous sound somewhere between punk and shoegaze, have built a devoted following since selling out their first-ever live performance at Dublin’s iconic Workman’s Club in 2021. In 2024 they released their debut album, Come and See, whose biggest songs (“Top of the Bill,” “Approachable”) feel like the soundtrack to a world on fire.
MoreGurriersIndie-Rock - Ireland
The French musician (born Luc Bruyére) spent his childhood training as a dancer, then honed his voice working at Paris’ oldest drag cabaret venue, where he performed as a character named La Venus des Mille Hommes. Since 2022, his alt-pop songs as LUCKY LOVE deconstruct restrictive social norms in a delicate falsetto that channels ANOHNI or James Blake. He released his debut album, I DON’T CARE IF IT BURNS, in November, buffeted by the slow-burning viral success of his 2022 single, “MASCULINITY.”
MoreLUCKY LOVEAlternative - France
The 21-year-old Canadian songwriter had nearly given up on music when she recorded “Purple Gas,” inspired by her experiences growing up in rural Alberta. Hofmann worked on a ranch and performed at local bars until Zach Bryan took notice of the song in 2023; the two covered it as a duet on his 2024 album The Great American Bar Scene, leading to a spike in Shazam volume for Hofmann. Since then, she’s dropped her debut EP (October’s Purple Gas) and opened for a handful of her heroes, Charley Crockett and Wyatt Flores, on their respective headlining tours.
MoreNoeline HofmannCountry - Canada
The Washington native has an old soul for a guy born in 1997, having spent his childhood playing in a bluegrass band with his siblings. The mustachioed singer relocated to Nashville in 2021, where he honed his style of songwriting—inspired by ’90s country legends like Alan Jackson—before finally releasing his Cold Beer & Country Music album in April 2024. Nostalgic tracks like “Sounds Like the Radio” and “I Never Lie” have powered Top’s recent rise, landing him a nod for New Artist of the Year at the 2024 CMA Awards and opening spots on recent tour dates for Dierks Bentley and Lainey Wilson.
MoreZach TopTraditional Country - United States
The Malaysia-born, UK-based singer got her start posting cover songs to YouTube, where she caught the ears of industry pros and began sharpening her songwriting chops. In sessions with Rob Milton (the producer best known for his work with Brit Award winner Holly Humberstone) she landed on the sound of her self-titled debut EP, released in November 2024—nostalgic synth-pop drawing from Talking Heads by way of LCD Soundsystem. Her top song on Shazam, “I Lied, I’m Sorry,” is all messy feelings, biting one-liners, and crying-on-the-dance-floor energy.
MoreChloe QishaIndie-Pop - Malaysia
The Buenos Aires native spent a few years as the lead singer for the cumbia band Acantilados, then embarked on a solo career in 2019. But it wasn’t until 2024’s “en la cara” that the 28-year-old singer saw her big break. The minimalist pop song, inspired by a fresh breakup, stood out against the reggaetón and cumbia that typically dominates the Argentine charts; still, it’s become a Shazam fixture in her home country and in Mexico, along with its grittier remix featuring the rapper Rusherking.
MoreOlivia WaldPop in Spanish - Argentina
The 22-year-old singer was last year’s winner of the reality TV competition Star Academy (France’s long-running American Idol equivalent), but Pierre Garnier’s reach extends much further than French prime-time TV. His debut single, “Ceux qu’on était” (which translates to “who we were”), went viral upon its release in February, spending nearly half the year among the top songs recognized on Shazam in his home country. The raspy-voiced singer released his ballad-heavy first album, Chaque Seconde, in November, and he’ll start the new year off with his first-ever tour.
MorePierre GarnierFrench Pop - France
The London singer blew up on TikTok singing covers, from Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” to Etta James’ “At Last,” in a rich, velvety voice well beyond her 19 years. Spiro’s timeless voice (and 600,000-plus followers on TikTok) caught the attention of modern R&B greats like SZA and Kali Uchis following the release of her jazzy debut single “NEED ME” in May 2024. But it’s her second single “MAYBE.”—a heartfelt piano ballad that shows off her powerful range—that continues to grow on Shazam in the US and UK.
MoreSIENNA SPIROPop - United Kingdom
The new K-pop group on the block debuted in February 2024 with a pair of singles (“YoYo,” “UhUh”) that drew from the slick sounds of early 2000s R&B. The five-piece girl group—that’s Woni, Liv, Minami, May, and Zena—spent 2024 establishing their own sound within the hyper-saturated K-pop market. After releasing their debut EP, SCENEDROME, in August, tracks like “Pinball” and “LOVE ATTACK,” with their airy melodies and understated bounce, spent the fall steadily climbing the South Korean and US Shazam charts.
MoreRESCENEK-Pop - South Korea
The raspy-voiced French rapper, hailing from the Bois l'Abbé neighborhood of Champigny-sur-Marne, got his start as one-third of the hip-hop trio L2B. He’s still active in that group, but he’s been making waves as a solo artist in the meantime, known for his YouTube freestyles that rack up views in the millions. 2024 was IDS’s biggest year yet on Shazam, where “BOOM BOOM,” his joint track with the French-Congolese singer Rsko, has been a fixture on the charts in France, Belgium, and Germany since its release last February.
MoreiDSHip-Hop/Rap - France
The Monterrey rapper made waves in the Mexican hip-hop scene with her 2022 debut single, the gritty “Rayas Blancas.” La Potter’s been on a hot streak ever since, releasing a barrage of EPs with producer Dímelo Seven while racking up views on TikTok and YouTube. A pair of 2024 singles—two icy breakup anthems, “A Tu Salud” and “Venganza”—inspired new peaks in her Shazam volume, particularly in her home country.
MoreLa PotterHip-Hop/Rap - Mexico
As a kid, the South Carolina native’s love of poetry grew into a passion for rapping, though nowadays Gabriel Jacoby’s more of a musical polymath. His yearning melodies on songs like “forever”—which spiked his Shazam volume following its release last October—channel the kind of heart-on-sleeve ’90s R&B you hear on throwback radio, with breezy instrumentation reminiscent of Frank Ocean. When he’s not playing guitar, he produces his own tracks (and directs his own music videos for good measure).
MoreGabriel JacobyR&B/Soul - United States
The Nemours native with Moroccan/Italian roots blew up on his first feature in January 2024, bringing out the softer side of French drill rapper Kerchak on his song “Mi-Temps.” Since then, the rising R&B singer’s half-rapped, half-sung melodies have made him one to watch in France’s hyper-saturated music scene: he debuted on the Shazam charts across Francophone Europe and Africa with “RESTE-LÀ,” a sultry collaboration with Tiakola and Monsieur Nov, then made his solo chart debut in France and Senegal with October’s moody single “Instable.”
MoreRnBoiFrench Hip-Hop - France
Born Avante Smith in the Bronx, the former choir singer came of age in the heyday of New York’s drill movement. But Vontee’s hyper-melodic, half-rapped/half-sung style fits in much better with the genre’s newer, smoother offshoot known as “sexy drill,” collaborating regularly with scene pioneer Cash Cobain. The singer entered Shazam’s radar last April with his single “For Us,” where he waxed poetic in Auto-Tune over a soulful Cash Cobain production.
MoreVontee the singerHip-Hop/Rap - United States
Before adopting his current alias in the early 2020s, the North Macedonian musician (born Haris Ajrulahi) recorded a pair of melodic house EPs for Armin van Buuren’s Armada Music. Under his new name ALSO ASTIR, he explores a softer sound that folds in gossamer folk textures and his delicate falsetto. Since its release last April, “Forget,” a collaboration with producers YOTTO and AVIRA, has brought festival-grade feels to the Shazam charts worldwide, especially in his current home of Germany.
MoreALSO ASTIRElectronic - North Macedonia
A veteran of the UK’s ’90s speed-garage scene, the Birmingham producer/DJ has a feel for the heavy grooves and sped-up vocal samples that have made bassline house huge throughout the 2020s. A recent dance-floor encounter with Porn Kings’ cheeky 1996 anthem “Up to No Good” was all it took to convince Hunt to put his own spin on the tune. Twenty-five years into his music career, he unleashed a peak-time stormer that was practically inescapable last summer, leading to Shazam chart runs in New Zealand and the UK last August.
MoreJoe HuntGarage - United Kingdom
Born Katleho Ramalefane in Botshabelo, the largest township in South Africa’s Free State province, Khathapillar got his start playing piano at age 12. He fell in love with amapiano, the South African style of piano-driven deep-house music, as it emerged in the late 2010s, then taught himself production during the pandemic lockdown. His big break (and Shazam debut) came last May with the release of “Diqabang,” an amapiano posse cut alongside Sol Phenduka, Smash SA, and vocalist Kamoh Xaba, with lyrics sung in Sesotho.
MoreKhathapillarAmapiano - South Africa
The Greek DJ and producer has been making dance music for two decades, inspired by childhood favorites like Faithless and Everything But the Girl. He’d released earlier tracks on powerhouse labels like Italy’s d:vision and the Netherlands’ Spinnin’ Deep, but it was his 2024 single “Opera”—an homage to Afro-house with lilting melodies and intricate drum programming—that spiked his Shazam volume last spring and summer, remaining on the Greek chart for more than half the year.
MoreMarasiDance - Greece
The Italian trio take their name from the Greek word for “three-pointed,” which doubles as the ancient name of their native Sicily. TR3NACRIA made their Shazam debut in 2023, spending five weeks on the Greek charts with the Afro-house-inspired “Sikulambele” featuring Lizwi. Last year, the masked trio’s versatile tech-house officially broke through: Four separate TR3NACRIA tracks appeared on the French Shazam charts, where their flip of an Édith Piaf classic, “La Foule (Le Monde Mix)” featuring StereoKilla, remained a fixture for four months.
MoreTR3NACRIADance - Italy
DJs and producers tend to hog the spotlight, but sometimes it’s the vocalist that gives a track its soul. The UK singer Nu-La got her start writing songs on acoustic guitar, then made her dance-music debut on CHANEY’s 2023 filter-disco anthem “Out of My Depth.” With powerhouse vocals fit for a ’90s house diva, she’s since become one of club music’s most in-demand voices, hopping on recent tracks by DubVision, Example, and Benny Benassi.
MoreNu-LaDance - United Kingdom
Barcelona has a proud legacy in dance music, but it hasn’t produced many EDM superstars. The Spanish production duo Prophecy aims to change that with their peak-time anthems made for festival sound systems. The duo spent the past few years climbing the ranks of labels like Armada and Spinnin’ Deep before dropping a pair of splashy collabs: “My City” with Tiësto, which was named the official anthem of EDC Las Vegas 2024, closely followed by “Kill the Vibe” with David Guetta and MORTEN. (Both tracks saw significant Shazam volume throughout Europe and North America last year.)
MoreProphecyTechno - Spain
The producer born İsmail Büyüktatlı hails from Turkey, but his sound is fully global, drawing from melodic Afro-house and contemporary Latin pop. Quentro’s been honing his production style since 2017, but his breakthrough came with 2024’s “Perreo,” a chilled-out fusion of melodic house and dembow rhythms in collaboration with fellow Turkish producers Tuna and Kuntay Cevizci that put him on Shazam’s radar upon its release last June.
MoreQuentroDance - Türkiye
The Brazilian producer was catapulted into the spotlight by his airy bootleg edit of The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition,” which was played throughout 2023 by a who’s-who of superstar DJs (Black Coffee, Keinemusik, Tiësto) before getting an official release in 2024. But the biggest hit to date from the in-demand remixer was 2024’s “Amana,” a moody tech-house banger with fellow Brazilian Maz, which landed at No. 1 on the Beatport charts upon its release in April, and spent more than seven months on the Greek Shazam charts last year.
MoreVXSIONHouse - Brazil
The German production duo (Marlon Wenck and Philip Blau) turned heads with their first-ever single, March 2024’s “Karibu.” The hypnotic Afro-house track, with its slinky synth riff and lyrics sung in Kenya’s Kikuyu language, lodged itself in Italy’s Shazam chart for five months last year. It’s not just beginner’s luck: The duo followed it up with a run of Afro-house slow-burners, spiking their Shazam volume again in July with their Albert Breaker and mohalizer collab “Alive.”
MoreWITH UDance - Germany
A cosign from Fuerza Regida is a serious flex in música mexicana. The California singer, who’s signed to bandleader Jesús Ortiz Paz’s Street Mob label, got the ultimate endorsement with his feature on “INMORTAL,” a highlight from Fuerza Regida’s 2023 album. Though Chuyin famously shrouds his identity, appearing on social media as a creepy crocheted doll, he’s become a frequent collaborator with regional Mexican superstars. Both “INMORTAL” and September’s “NO PIERDO LA VIDA,” a duet with labelmate Calle 24, saw significant Shazam volume throughout the fall in Mexico, Guatemala, and the U.S.
MoreChuyinMúsica Mexicana
Afrobeats’ influence on Latin music was hard to ignore in 2024, a year of countless crossover hits between reggaetoneros and pop artists. Venezuelan singer-songwriter Dahili (born Alejandro Sambrano Guevara) embraced this fusion early with his viral 2022 smash, the tropical-sounding “Parcerita.” With the release of its remix last August, also featuring Colombian singers Andy Rivera and Zaider, the hybridized track became a global sensation, spiking Dahili’s Shazam volume in Columbia, Spain, and the U.S.
MoreDahiliLatin - Venezuela
The Argentine singer, born Agustin Thomas Mesa, has established himself as a standout in the local RKT scene, exploring the sound’s more rugged, rap-oriented possibilities since his 2023 debut on the viral posse cut “Con Tu Amiga” alongside Alejo Isakk, Locura Mix, Fauna Music, and Eme Sarav. The Lomas de Zamora native hit his stride in 2024, appearing on five separate tracks that charted throughout South America—including his June single “PELEAMOS,” which reached Shazam charts in Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela last summer.
MoreelaggumeLatin Urban - Argentina
The Uruguayan rapper honed his skills in freestyle battles in his hometown of Melo, then moved to the nation’s capital, Montevideo, in 2020, where he fell in with a local rap crew throwing rowdy basement shows. The MC has rocked much bigger stages in recent years, opening arena shows for Argentine trap stars YSY A and Duki, and playing Uruguay’s massive Cosquín Rock festival last year. His 2019 single “Oka” remains a Shazam fixture throughout South America, while recent hits like 2024’s shimmering “+ DE ESO” reached No. 13 on the Shazam charts in his home country.
MoreKnakTrap - Uruguay
The five-piece band from Culiacán Rosales, the capital city of Sinaloa, catapulted into the spotlight when their cover of “Mami,” a Peso Pluma and Chino Pacas fan favorite, went mega-viral. After officially releasing their rendition in August 2024, the group (vocalists El Cuate and Mingo, bassist Miguelito, guitarist Misa, and tololoche player Alder) kept the momentum going with a stream of original tracks in the corridos tumbados tradition, including September’s “Mercedes” and the joint single “Ya Valió V Mojo” with Antonin Padilla.
MoreLa CuatizaRegional Mexicano - Mexico
The Venezuela-born singer (Maikel Rafael Rico Torres) relocated with his family to Colombia when he was two years old, where he inherited his musician father’s passion for vallenato, a centuries-old style of Colombian folk music. Later he moved to Medellín to write songs for other artists, but his break as a solo artist came in 2023 with a record deal from Colombian superstar Maluma. Last year’s romantic reggaetón single “SE ME OLVIDA,” a duet with Colombian singer Feid, became Maisak’s first bona fide hit, reaching No. 1 on the Colombian and Venezuelan Shazam charts in August and debuting on the worldwide charts in October.
MoreMaisakLatin - Venezuela
After blowing up on TikTok in 2023 with the breakup ballad “Odiame,” the Venezuelan singer delivered its spiritual sequel with last fall’s “Lo Siento.” A minimalist entry into the música urbana canon, the song went mega-viral after reggaetón star Feid shared the song on his account upon its release in October, creating a snowball effect on TikTok and breaking into the Top 10 songs identified with Shazam in both Venezuela and Colombia.
MoreMILO BVGATTILatin Urban - Venezuela
The 21-year-old Spanish singer got his start in freestyle battles in his hometown of Seville, then graduated to more melodic songwriting in his off-hours from his job as a soccer coach. His breakthrough single, “Fighter”—a deceptively upbeat account of a messy relationship—has steadily gained traction since its release in 2022, entering Shazam’s radar in Portugal in 2023 before spreading to Spain, France, and Italy last year.
MoreQ2Latin Urban - Spain
The emotional balladry known in regional Mexican music as sad sierreño continues to reign, drawing heavy-hearted listeners to its melancholy themes. The baby-faced Guadalajara native wears heartbreak well on heartfelt songs like “Noches Llenas,” his 2023 debut single that earned him a deal with Warner Music Latina and put him on Shazam’s radar. He hit a new peak on the Mexican charts with September’s “11:11,” which also cracked the Top 200 in the U.S. Shazam charts.
MoreDarenLatin - Mexico
The Argentine artist has been putting his own spin on the homegrown sound known as RKT, the cumbia/reggaetón hybrid that emerged from Buenos Aires in the late 2000s. Doble P, who calls his version of the genre “RK Punky,” spent four months on the Argentine Shazam charts with “Me Escapé,” his 2023 collaboration with Lauty Gram and Gusty DJ. His momentum continues with last year’s “TERAPIA DE CHOQUE” with Argentine singer La Joaqui, which cracked Shazam's Top 20 chart in Argentina upon its release in July.
MoreDoblePLatin - Argentina
The Brooklyn native spent four years playing guard for University of Michigan’s basketball team, then moved to Nashville to pursue a different passion: country music. Before dropping his debut single “LOW ROAD” in August 2024, the 6’6” singer was known on TikTok for his over-the-top reactions to his favorite country songs. (Shaboozey’s team even gifted Nunez a platinum plaque for his early role in boosting “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” the biggest song of 2024.) The viral success of “LOW ROAD,” a bittersweet sing-along inspired by a past love triangle, earned Nunez an opening spot on rising country star Dasha’s first headlining tour.
MoreAdrien NunezCountry - United States
Before breaking through to North American audiences with his appearance on American Idol in 2022, the Canadian singer worked long hours on a British Columbia pipeline, posting Tyler Childers covers to Reddit in his spare time. Whitcomb had never sung in public before his televised audition, but his rendition of Waylon Jennings’ “Rock, Salt and Nails” impressed judge Katy Perry, earning him a deal with Atlantic Records and a substantial TikTok following though he didn’t make the cut. Fall 2024 was big for the 21-year-old singer: he released his soulful debut EP, Quitter—inspired in part by past struggles with addiction—and embarked on his first headlining tour.
MoreCameron WhitcombCountry - Canada
Born out of pandemic boredom in 2020, Moody Joody began as the joint project of Nashville singers Kaitie Forbes and Kayla Hall, eventually joined by producer Andrew Pacheko. The trio released their debut EP, Dream Girl, in November 2024—six tracks of hooky synth-pop, like the propulsive “Velvet Connection,” that draws from bands like Bleachers and The 1975 just as much as it does the twangy sound of Music Row.
MoreMoody JoodyAlternative - United States
The fiery Irish rockers, named for a dated Irish slang term for someone up to no good, formed in the inauspicious early months of 2020, then used their time in lockdown to pour their anxieties into noisy, cathartic demos full of biting social commentary. The five-piece “noise-gaze” band, with a raucous sound somewhere between punk and shoegaze, have built a devoted following since selling out their first-ever live performance at Dublin’s iconic Workman’s Club in 2021. In 2024 they released their debut album, Come and See, whose biggest songs (“Top of the Bill,” “Approachable”) feel like the soundtrack to a world on fire.
MoreGurriersIndie-Rock - Ireland
Since forming in early 2023, the San Antonio four-piece has channeled vintage surf rock, feel-good indie rock, and a touch of anime theme song melodrama into songs that feel like summertime. There’s an infectious positivity to the group’s 2024 debut full-length, ALOHA INOHA, which includes the super-catchy “Seventh Heaven,” the group's most-searched song on Shazam.
MoreINOHAAlternative - United States
The French musician (born Luc Bruyére) spent his childhood training as a dancer, then honed his voice working at Paris’ oldest drag cabaret venue, where he performed as a character named La Venus des Mille Hommes. Since 2022, his alt-pop songs as LUCKY LOVE deconstruct restrictive social norms in a delicate falsetto that channels ANOHNI or James Blake. He released his debut album, I DON’T CARE IF IT BURNS, in November, buffeted by the slow-burning viral success of his 2022 single, “MASCULINITY.”
MoreLUCKY LOVEAlternative - France
The angsty emo trio spent the past few years establishing themselves among Taiwan’s thriving rock scene, but 2024 marked FUMON’s biggest year yet. September saw the release of the group’s debut album, When you suffer, you are blessed., leading to a major spike in their Shazam volume—particularly their single “I’m Willing,” a glitchy pop-punk anthem featuring rising Taiwanese rap-rocker Marz23.
MoreFUMONRock - Taiwan
The 21-year-old Canadian songwriter had nearly given up on music when she recorded “Purple Gas,” inspired by her experiences growing up in rural Alberta. Hofmann worked on a ranch and performed at local bars until Zach Bryan took notice of the song in 2023; the two covered it as a duet on his 2024 album The Great American Bar Scene, leading to a spike in Shazam volume for Hofmann. Since then, she’s dropped her debut EP (October’s Purple Gas) and opened for a handful of her heroes, Charley Crockett and Wyatt Flores, on their respective headlining tours.
MoreNoeline HofmannCountry - Canada
The dream of the mid-2000s is alive in Los Angeles, where the trio of Greg Aram, Zach Michel, and Brooke Danaher have crafted electronic-tinged garage rock with a side of aughts revivalism since 2021. (Think Stars, The Go! Team, or The Whitest Boy Alive.) The group released their third EP, My Star, in November, while their single “Cross the Street” spent the fall driving new highs in Shazam volume.
MoreJunior VarsityAlternative - United States
The Washington native has an old soul for a guy born in 1997, having spent his childhood playing in a bluegrass band with his siblings. The mustachioed singer relocated to Nashville in 2021, where he honed his style of songwriting—inspired by ’90s country legends like Alan Jackson—before finally releasing his Cold Beer & Country Music album in April 2024. Nostalgic tracks like “Sounds Like the Radio” and “I Never Lie” have powered Top’s recent rise, landing him a nod for New Artist of the Year at the 2024 CMA Awards and opening spots on recent tour dates for Dierks Bentley and Lainey Wilson.
MoreZach TopTraditional Country - United States
At nine years old, the British singer born Bea Wheeler assured her sisters she’d grow up to be a pop star. Maybe manifestation works: “Born To Be Alive,” her first-ever single as Bea and her Business, went mega-viral upon its release in 2023. With two EPs of candid, writerly pop ballads under her belt (think Gen Z’s answer to Lily Allen or MARINA), the 20-year-old singer is making waves both on TikTok and IRL: She played her debut live show in Oslo to a crowd of 70,000, and spent fall 2024 headlining her first world tour.
MoreBea and her BusinessPop - United Kingdom
The Malaysia-born, UK-based singer got her start posting cover songs to YouTube, where she caught the ears of industry pros and began sharpening her songwriting chops. In sessions with Rob Milton (the producer best known for his work with Brit Award winner Holly Humberstone) she landed on the sound of her self-titled debut EP, released in November 2024—nostalgic synth-pop drawing from Talking Heads by way of LCD Soundsystem. Her top song on Shazam, “I Lied, I’m Sorry,” is all messy feelings, biting one-liners, and crying-on-the-dance-floor energy.
MoreChloe QishaIndie-Pop - Malaysia
The Nigerian singer (born Daniella Ibinabo Daniel) briefly attended medical school to appease her parents’ dreams before realizing that her real passion was music. In 2020 she began posting covers to TikTok, though it wasn’t until 2023 when her acoustic rendition of Fireboy DML and Asake’s “Bandana” went viral, catching the attention of the Nigerian-American singer Davido. Her work with the Afrobeats star, including their duet on her 2023 debut EP, RAVI, brought Morravey to the Nigerian Shazam charts, but it’s her breezy infatuation anthem “Ifineme” that made waves on the global charts this past fall.
MoreMorraveyAfrobeats - Nigeria
The Buenos Aires native spent a few years as the lead singer for the cumbia band Acantilados, then embarked on a solo career in 2019. But it wasn’t until 2024’s “en la cara” that the 28-year-old singer saw her big break. The minimalist pop song, inspired by a fresh breakup, stood out against the reggaetón and cumbia that typically dominates the Argentine charts; still, it’s become a Shazam fixture in her home country and in Mexico, along with its grittier remix featuring the rapper Rusherking.
MoreOlivia WaldPop in Spanish - Argentina
The 20-year-old singer, born Felix Dautzenberg, spent his childhood in Hamburg studying music theory and playing in the school band, then released his debut single, “Echo,” just after finishing high school in 2022. His self-produced demo tape, recorded in his parents’ basement, was meant to be his application to a Mannheim music conservatory; instead, he found himself fielding offers from record labels. Berq released his debut EP, ROTE FLAGGEN, in 2023, but the poetic title track (which translates to “red flags”) continues to be a Shazam fixture in Germany and beyond.
MoreBerqPop - Germany
The 22-year-old singer was last year’s winner of the reality TV competition Star Academy (France’s long-running American Idol equivalent), but Pierre Garnier’s reach extends much further than French prime-time TV. His debut single, “Ceux qu’on était” (which translates to “who we were”), went viral upon its release in February, spending nearly half the year among the top songs recognized on Shazam in his home country. The raspy-voiced singer released his ballad-heavy first album, Chaque Seconde, in November, and he’ll start the new year off with his first-ever tour.
MorePierre GarnierFrench Pop - France
The Filipino-Cuban singer and Florida native has spent the past few years honing her soft, sublime style of pop en español, first entering Shazam’s radar in August 2023 with the release of her debut EP, Miracle. But it was 2024’s “ella brilla”—a hypnotic duet with the Mexican singer HUMBE, inspired by a love as vast as the sea—that led to significant spikes in Riza’s Shazam volume last summer in Mexico, Spain, Colombia, and the US.
MoreRizaPop in Spanish - Philippines
The London singer blew up on TikTok singing covers, from Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” to Etta James’ “At Last,” in a rich, velvety voice well beyond her 19 years. Spiro’s timeless voice (and 600,000-plus followers on TikTok) caught the attention of modern R&B greats like SZA and Kali Uchis following the release of her jazzy debut single “NEED ME” in May 2024. But it’s her second single “MAYBE.”—a heartfelt piano ballad that shows off her powerful range—that continues to grow on Shazam in the US and UK.
MoreSIENNA SPIROPop - United Kingdom
Hailing from the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, Suzete’s fusion of Afrobeats, reggaetón, and pop has been making waves worldwide since she released her single “KOMBOLEWA” in January 2024. (The love song’s Swahili title translates roughly to “redeemed.”) But it was the song’s remix—on which Suzete crooned in Spanish alongside the Madrid-based singer Lola Índigo—that broke through on the Shazam charts upon its release in late July, entering the Top 100 Shazam charts in Spain last September.
MoreSuzetePop in Spanish - São Tomé and Príncipe
The new K-pop group on the block debuted in February 2024 with a pair of singles (“YoYo,” “UhUh”) that drew from the slick sounds of early 2000s R&B. The five-piece girl group—that’s Woni, Liv, Minami, May, and Zena—spent 2024 establishing their own sound within the hyper-saturated K-pop market. After releasing their debut EP, SCENEDROME, in August, tracks like “Pinball” and “LOVE ATTACK,” with their airy melodies and understated bounce, spent the fall steadily climbing the South Korean and US Shazam charts.
MoreRESCENEK-Pop - South Korea
The teenage phenom from Chicago’s South Side embodies the spirit of the drill movement that emerged from the streets of his hometown when he was graduating pre-school; his versatile flow combines the bluster of Chief Keef with the wordplay of G Herbo. 2024 was major for the baby-faced MC: he dropped his two-disc debut album, ANIMALS ONLY (ICE COLD), and landed four separate songs on Shazam’s US charts. (His smack-talk-heavy single “The Viper” has been a fixture since its September release.)
MoreBabyChiefDoitHip-Hop/Rap - United States
The raspy-voiced French rapper, hailing from the Bois l'Abbé neighborhood of Champigny-sur-Marne, got his start as one-third of the hip-hop trio L2B. He’s still active in that group, but he’s been making waves as a solo artist in the meantime, known for his YouTube freestyles that rack up views in the millions. 2024 was IDS’s biggest year yet on Shazam, where “BOOM BOOM,” his joint track with the French-Congolese singer Rsko, has been a fixture on the charts in France, Belgium, and Germany since its release last February.
MoreiDSHip-Hop/Rap - France
The artist known as CITIZEN (not to be confused with Citizen the band) remains shrouded in mystery despite the singer’s active social media presence, where he shares his process and inspirations behind his songs. The handful he’s released since 2022, on which he sings in a wispy falsetto and occasionally raps, sit comfortably alongside the sexy funk of Steve Lacy or Tommy Richman. “You Haunt Me,” a nod to the retro-futuristic R&B of the 2000s, led to his Shazam debut on the India charts in September.
MoreCITIZENHip-Hop/Rap
The Monterrey rapper made waves in the Mexican hip-hop scene with her 2022 debut single, the gritty “Rayas Blancas.” La Potter’s been on a hot streak ever since, releasing a barrage of EPs with producer Dímelo Seven while racking up views on TikTok and YouTube. A pair of 2024 singles—two icy breakup anthems, “A Tu Salud” and “Venganza”—inspired new peaks in her Shazam volume, particularly in her home country.
MoreLa PotterHip-Hop/Rap - Mexico
The Chicago native’s breakthrough hit, 2022’s super raunchy “Point Me to the Slut’s,” was already blowing up on TikTok when it caught the ear of Cardi B, who joined Fendi on the ever-so-slightly more family-friendly remix (“Point Me 2”) in 2023. The remix, which spent three months on the US Shazam charts last year, brought Fendi to the Billboard charts; meanwhile, her viral momentum continued with 2024’s “Clock Dat,” a duet with social media star Shamar Marco, whose accompanying dance has since gone viral. (The latter was her first song to chart on Shazam outside the US when it hit the charts in Senegal, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire in October.)
MoreFendiDa RappaHip-Hop/Rap - United States
As a kid, the South Carolina native’s love of poetry grew into a passion for rapping, though nowadays Gabriel Jacoby’s more of a musical polymath. His yearning melodies on songs like “forever”—which spiked his Shazam volume following its release last October—channel the kind of heart-on-sleeve ’90s R&B you hear on throwback radio, with breezy instrumentation reminiscent of Frank Ocean. When he’s not playing guitar, he produces his own tracks (and directs his own music videos for good measure).
MoreGabriel JacobyR&B/Soul - United States
As a kid in Jakarta, Jordan Susanto thought he wanted to be a filmmaker when he grew up, until he realized what he actually was obsessed with was the soundtrack. Inspired by classic soul music of the ’60s and ’70s, the Indonesian singer’s 2024 debut album, Jordan, modernized the vintage sound with big pop hooks and diaristic lyrics. His single “Senopati in the Rain,” an ode to cozy nights on the couch, was a mainstay on Shazam charts across Asia after the album’s release in August, coasting at No. 1 for 12 days in the Philippines.
MoreJordan SusantoR&B/Soul - Indonesia
The Nemours native with Moroccan/Italian roots blew up on his first feature in January 2024, bringing out the softer side of French drill rapper Kerchak on his song “Mi-Temps.” Since then, the rising R&B singer’s half-rapped, half-sung melodies have made him one to watch in France’s hyper-saturated music scene: he debuted on the Shazam charts across Francophone Europe and Africa with “RESTE-LÀ,” a sultry collaboration with Tiakola and Monsieur Nov, then made his solo chart debut in France and Senegal with October’s moody single “Instable.”
MoreRnBoiFrench Hip-Hop - France
The 22-year-old rapper and social media star has had TikTok in a choke hold since 2022: he was the most-viewed UK artist on the platform that year, beating out pop superstars like Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith. But the South East Londoner is formidable behind the mic, too, earning co-signs from grime legends like Dizzee Rascal and D Double E. He dropped his first EP, Step by Stepz, in 2023, though it’s his 2024 single “Rock” (and its accompanying air-guitar dance moves) that took Shazam by storm last year, charting in 24 separate countries since its release in October.
MoreStepzUK Drill - United Kingdom
Born Avante Smith in the Bronx, the former choir singer came of age in the heyday of New York’s drill movement. But Vontee’s hyper-melodic, half-rapped/half-sung style fits in much better with the genre’s newer, smoother offshoot known as “sexy drill,” collaborating regularly with scene pioneer Cash Cobain. The singer entered Shazam’s radar last April with his single “For Us,” where he waxed poetic in Auto-Tune over a soulful Cash Cobain production.
MoreVontee the singerHip-Hop/Rap - United States
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