In an era where social media plays a major role in launching today’s biggest music icons, countless underrated artists are equally worthy of the spotlight. Spanning genres from R&B and disco-pop to grunge-club, rock, and K-pop, these rising talents are carving out distinct sounds and gaining traction both online and off. Whether you're looking for new music to add to your 2025 playlist, wanting to support smaller artists, or hoping to expand your horizons this year, this list will give you exactly what you need. You may even be able to say, "I knew them before they went viral!"

Molly Grace

Sparkly, upbeat, and effortlessly bubbly: those are just a few words that come to mind when describing Molly Grace and her infectious sound. Tennessee's Molly Grace is an independent singer-songwriter. Hailing from Tennessee, this independent singer-songwriter blends funky disco grooves with cheeky innuendos, crafting songs that explore love, self-confidence, and breakups through a fun, feel-good lens. Grace's odes to the classic 90s and early 2000s culture stand out in her recently released single "F.E.M.M.E," inspired by the 1999 queer cult movie But I'm a Cheerleader. Grace talks about the struggles of being a feminine queer woman in the modern dating scene, not with despair, but with fierce self-love and joy that invites her listeners to do the same.

Grace has been releasing music since 2021, with her EPs Everybody Wants to Know Molly and Lovin' On You from 2023, and will soon be embarking on her "But I'm a Cheerleader!" tour.

For your 2025 Playlist:

• "F.E.M.M.E"

• "Little Bit of Hell"

• "Lady Lady"

MICO

Toronto-native MICO brings a wave of nostalgia with his indie-pop sound, echoing the charm of 2010s boy bands while layering in a deep sense of emotional introspection. His music is a blend of upbeat melodies and raw, vulnerable lyrics, crafted with care by the artist himself, who wears the hats of singer, songwriter, and producer. MICO has been active since 2020, having released his EPs 21st Century Heartbreak, Second Thoughts, the tears we fight,e4, and his first album in 2024, Internet hometown hero. As an independent singer-songwriter-producer, MICO's upbeat personality shines through his social media, which he uses to advertise his music. His most recent single, "HOMESICK," has gained a significant amount of attention lately, despite having been released in June of 2024.

MICO became more widely known through his involvement in the viral concept musical Epic, by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, based on Homer's Odyssey. MICO lent his voice to Telemachus, Odysseus' son.

To jam to all year:

• "HOMESICK"

• "cut my hair"

• "maybe i'm the problem now"

Charlotte Plank

We definitely didn’t leave the club classics vibe in 2024; in fact, it’s only getting louder. Australian-British singer Charlotte Plank channels the wild abandon of a night in full swing, her music radiating a joie de vivre that makes it impossible not to dance. Her sound is so distinct, it demanded its own genre. So, she made one: grungle, a bold fusion of grunge and jungle. With pounding techno and drum & bass influences, Plank lures listeners into a sonic whirlwind, inviting them to let loose, give in, and get swept up in the hypnotic pulse of her world.

In 2023, Plank released a song with Rudimental and Vibe Chemistry titled "Dancing is Healing", debuting at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and was later nominated for Song of the Year at the 2024 Brit Awards.

Party all year long:

• "Rave Out"

• "Nightshift"

• "Dancing is Healing"

Towa Bird

Born and raised in London, British-Filipino singer Towa Bird has rewritten the rules of the modern rock genre. Rising to fame in 2020 through her guitar videos on TikTok, Bird then proceeded to release her first single, "Wild Heart," in 2023. Bird's raspy and edgy voice gives way to outward expressions of lust, protest, and loneliness. Through her first album, American Hero, Bird's sound recalls the artists of the 70s, with her rebellious, often anti-capitalistic messages, topics regarding queer relationships, sharp guitar riffs, and her unwavering willingness to stand out.

Bird has opened for Renèe Rapp's Snow Hard Feelings Tour and, most recently, for Billie Eilish's Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour. Despite having been active for only two years, Bird has earned herself some respectable praise, with American Hero ranking at number 52 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Best Albums of 2024".

For a Rockin' 2025:

• "Drain Me!"

• "Rat Race"

• "B.I.L.L.S."

Angelina Mango

With edgy and sensuous vocals, the Italian-born singer-songwriter Angelina Mango commands attention whenever she steps onto a stage. Through her music, full of danceable beats, Mango transports her listeners to feel nostalgia for a summer full of wild fun and abandon. Mango has been active since 2020, releasing her first album Monolocale and her 2022 EP Voglia di Vivere, but only recently has she begun to receive recognition for her highly energetic music. Her lyrics convey an unwavering love for her country, the region of Italy in which she was born, her dialect, and her unashamed direct responses to public criticism. Mango's more mellow songs convey an untethered longing for a life that doesn't feel hers anymore, layered within the themes of family, which are frequent in her 2024 album, Pokè Melodrama.

Her most recent album was released soon after her win at the Sanremo Music Festival with her song "la noia," which allowed her to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024.

Get your Italian on this year:

• "la noia"

• "melodrama"

• "fila indiana"

The Last Dinner Party

Dramatic, theatrical, and unapologetically operatic: The Last Dinner Party is a London-based band that commands attention on every artistic front. Their vision is as bold as their sound, with cinematic music videos like "Caesar on a TV Screen," a modern reimagining of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, that match the grandeur of their music. Their lyrics are rich with imagery, inviting listeners to see the metaphors as much as hear them, delivered with a melodic, almost sermon-like intensity. Their song "The Feminine Urge" gives way to crude, yet all too relatable lyrics such as "I am a dark red liver stretched out on the rocks/ All the poison, I convert it and I turn it to love." Their messages of carnal lust, female rage, and religious shame build a solid backdrop for the genre that the band itself calls "baroque rock," full of big, lyric moments contrasted by poignant guitar riffs.

The Last Dinner Party opened for Hozier's Unreal Unearth Tour in 2023 and won a Brit Award in 2024 in the category "Rising Star." The group has been active since 2021, but debuted in 2023 with their song "Nothing Matters" lead single of their 2024 album Prelude to Ecstasy.

The year of feminine rage:

• "Nothing Matters"

• "Caesar on a TV Screen"

• "The Feminine Urge"

Rachel Chinouriri

London-native Rachel Chinouriri wears her heart on her sleeve when writing her songs. Her dynamic, yet gentle vocals let us in on each one of her secrets told through song, as her listeners almost feel like talking to a friend on the phone. Her music is an ode to early 2000s Britpop, with Lily Allen as one of the artists that most inspired her work. Chinouriri started on Soundcloud, publishing many of her original songs, and in 2019, she released her first EP, Mama's Boy. Chinouriri's lyricism is deeply intimate and poignantly evocative, almost as if her listeners were able to sense the emotional attachment to her own words. Her more upbeat works, like the second single to her 2024 album What a Devastating Turn of Events, "Never Need Me," are accompanied by a spirited and story-driven music video that feels like her listeners are right there with her to plot a revenge against a hypothetical ex.

Some of Chinouriri's work has gained traction on TikTok over the years, such as her songs "So My Darling" and "All I Ever Asked".

To keep in tune with your feelings:

• "Never Need Me"

• "Mama's Boy"

• "What a Devastating Turn of Events"

Luvcat

The mysterious and alluring tones of her music enwrap Luvcat in a cloud of the unknown herself. No one truly knows who she is, and that’s precisely the point. Her ever-shifting backstory, laced with absurd mysticism, is a performance in itself, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Beneath the surface of her songs lies a quiet tension, as if her lyrics are withholding some deeper, secret truth. Where does reality end and fiction begin? Under the surface, her songs carry the perpetual feeling that there's something her lyrics aren't telling you. Her voice, mystical and velvety, blends with a contemporary and classical tone at times gothic, contrasting huge crescendoes of trumpets, sultry guitar, drums, and delicate music box melodies, that make her voice all the more haunting.

Despite only having three songs out, all released in 2024, they each tell their own story, shrouded in a cloud of mystery and a backdrop of romantic gothic motifs.

The mystery continues:

• "He's My Man"

• "Dinner @ Brasserie Zèdel"

• "Matador"

Amelia Moore

Based in Los Angeles, the dulcet tones of singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Amelia Moore --who also calls herself @icryatwork on her socials-- is determined to always be transparent with her emotions, especially when songwriting is such a vulnerable feat. Her music is bold yet emotionally open, dipping into a multitude of genres, creating a honey-sweet blend of alt-pop with a touch of R&B. Moore has collaborated with artists such as Coco Jones, Absolutely, and Samara Cyn on the remix of her song "see through," as well as ASTN on her song "next door." Both songs are from her second EP, he's just not that into you!, released in 2024. Her debut EP, teaching a robot to love, released in 2022, includes songs she teased on her socials, such as "vinegar" and "drugs".

Moore has written music for multiple artists such as Loren, LOONA, and Gray; Some of her inspirations include Kehlani and Timbaland.

For when you're in your feels:

• "see through"

• "sweet and sour"

• "i feel everything"

BABYMONSTER

Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita: these are the names driving the force behind BABYMONSTER, the 7-member K-pop group that’s quickly becoming impossible to ignore. Based in South Korea, BABYMONSTER has burst onto the scene with contagious energy, carving out a space of their own with hard-hitting trap beats, hip-hop-infused choreography, and bold messages of self-empowerment. Their vibe is distinct, with both their dancing and their music influenced by hip-hop. The group flaunts darker vocals and witty rap breaks, showing the individual talents of each of its members. BABYMONSTER celebrates youth, femininity, and empowerment without necessarily having to fit in one genre.

The group debuted in 2023 with their single "BUTTER UP," later becoming the lead single of their first EP, BABYMONS7ER. They have since released their first album in 2024, titled DRIP. They will be embarking on their very first tour this spring.

Feel empowered:

• "BUTTER UP"

• "SHEESH"

• "DRIP"

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