Undiscovered: Artists to Watch 2024

Every week on our Undiscovered playlist, we spotlight 10 tracks from rising artists you should get to know. In this special edition, we’re rounding up some of the emerging talents that made the biggest impression on us this year. From new-wave bar slingers like BXKS and Chy Cartier to Bamster’s shimmery nostalgia, R&B ingenuity from Nourished By Time and the Sylvia Plath-inspired pop of Ocean LeClair, here are 10 artists that you need on your radar in 2024.

Babyxsosa

After a few years garnering a niche but cult following on NYC and Virginia’s underground scenes, both solo and as a former member of SURF GANG collective — you might remember her first buzzy moment with 2019’s ‘Everywhereigo’ — 2023 saw Babyxsosa both expand and finesse her own identity as an artist.

From her chaotically maximalist synth punk EP BLING BLING to moody auto-tuned project Babyxsosa, as well as a string of starkly disparate singles released around them, her output has been prolific and truly, rarely eclectic. Whether you’re into melodic rap, distorted electropop or high-octane techno, there’s a diamond in her discography for everyone – and as for where she’ll take us in 2024, your guess is as good as ours.

Bamster

Bamster’s music makes you feel young again – like it’s early summer and all your friends are crammed in the back of your friend’s mum’s Toyota Corolla en route to the most hyped house party of the year, with a bottle of Malibu tucked into the waistband of your skinny jeans and the promise of six weeks off college to recover. As co-head of PhatBoy Records and exec-producer for Babymorocco, who he’s joining on tour supporting Dorian Electra early next year, the Frost Children-approved artist is part of a collective of creatives bringing back fun for 2024.

First making music in the innocent aimlessness of his teenage years in the Irish countryside, where he’d sit out on green electric boxes around town swapping Bluetooth tunes with mates and remixing late 00s staples like Cheryl’s ‘Fight For This Love’ in Sony Acid, Bamster’s first singles retain that same sense of escapism and nostalgia. Offering an antidote to the prudish and the predictable with his upcoming debut project, he’s finding ecstasy in ordinary spaces, glamorising the mundane with garish maximalism and loud, shiny, expensive-sounding production.

BXKS

Luton–hailing bar-slinger BXKS, formerly known as Beks, first went viral with her Mixtape Madness ‘Next Up?’ freestyle, catching the attention of underground rap forums and Skepta simultaneously. Five years on, the alt-grime artist blew up again when she shut down Unknown T’s Boiler Room Rap Fantasy showcase. It wasn’t D Double E, M1llionz or the other legendary names being clipped and shared on social media; it was BXKS, giving out lyrical licks to fellow rising rappers sharing the microphone.

Few emcees share her intergalactic energy. Across a debut EP, Full Time Daydreamer, and a slew of singles, the wordsmith bodies spacey beats on a myriad of genres, from Jersey club to trap and UKG, she leaves very few stones unturned. MCing for Joy Orbison, and collaborating with electronic producer powerhouses BAMBII and Lamsi are just a few other accolades she’ll be taking proudly into 2024.

Chy Cartier

Every now and then, a rapper comes along with such raw passion and ability that they’re impossible to ignore. Chy Cartier, the north London hailing rhymester with razor-sharp wordplay, is taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Her latest single, ‘Bossed Up’, was premiered by DJ Target on Radio 1Xtra and instantly received cosigns from the likes of Stormzy, Little Simz and Central Cee. Aligning with her affirmations and ambitions, the track is a testament to her come-up: a celebration of the success she’s received thus far and will inevitably go on to achieve in 2024.  

Konyikeh

Since making her iconic debut at 2022’s BRITs joining Dave, who’d recently discovered her on SoundCloud, on stage for his performance of ‘In The Fire’, Konyikeh has stepped into her own spotlight. With 2023 seeing her sign to Jorja Smith’s label Famm, drop an arrestingly beautiful COLORSxSTUDIOS rendition of ‘Girls Like Us’ and release her debut EP, Litany, it’s been a whirlwind year marked by milestones that have laid the foundations for wild success.

Classically trained in singing, violin and piano, Konyikeh’s skill and talent shine through in a way that, like a ballet dancer well-rehearsed enough to make her intricate footwork look effortless, makes it feel like it all comes naturally to her. But it’s her storytelling ability that really sets the artist apart. First turning to songwriting as a teenager both exploring and struggling with her identity, ‘Litany’ is a poignant and powerful meditation on who Konyikeh is and what she’s been through. Wading through sorrow and finding strength in song, the project bears testament to who she is with complete candidness. With so many new experiences to write about this year and new music on the horizon, if we can expect one thing to continue from Konyikeh, it’s emotion, honesty and the ability to make us feel.

Lucy Tun

2023 was a breakout year for pop experimentalist Lucy Tun, who crystallised her promise as one of London’s most exciting rising artists with November’s Unreal EP. With notable tracks ‘Kulture Klub’, ‘Airport Smoking Room’, ‘ADHD’ and ‘Rabbit Hole’ all drawing from a wide range of sonic and thematic influences, it’s a project driven by an expansive, exploratory creative period for Lucy.

Dancing the line between fantasy and reality, Unreal’s seven songs are inspired more by universal moods and transitory moments than autobiographical tales –  ‘Airport Smoking Room’, for example, explores the unspoken connections that pass us by in liminal spaces, whereas ‘Kulture Klub’ imagines the double-sided life of a fashion socialite sparked by a real-life encounter with Bella Hadid. With a perceptive eye and genuinely progressive sound, Lucy’s stepping up to soundtrack both the intricacies of growing up in 2024 and the fantasies that we dream up for ourselves instead. 

Nourished By Time

Sifting through the past to renovate the future, Nourished By Time is painting vivid pictures with his unique brand of electronic R&B. Raised and based in Baltimore, the singer-producer wrote his recently released debut album, Erotic Priobiotic 2, in the basement of his parents’ home. Lacing sticky funk grooves with warped synths and chunky percussion, real name Marcus Brown laments about life’s injustices and his belonging over nine tracks and 34 minutes of mind-bending music.

This is perhaps best encapsulated by standout single, ‘The Fields’: an ethereal dance jam that fizzes with promise, as the songwriter relays his existential crises in deep, brandy-like croons. Having collaborated with Dry Cleaning, featured on Yaeji’s new album, With A Hammer, and remixed tracks for Water From Your Eyes, who knows what 2024 will hold for Nourished By Time, but we’ll be (im)patiently waiting to see what he does next.  

Ocean LeClair

‘The 1950s had Sylvia Path and you all have me’, states Ocean LeClair’s Instagram bio, referencing the American poet and novelist. With autobiographical songs that read like ripped–out diary entries, it’s not an outlandish comparison to make. Originally from Germany but having moved to various countries and embraced a range of cultures, the rising artist has become a formidable storyteller. Analysing the depths of human emotion to help others through their own vulnerabilities, she wants to remind everyone of life’s magical moments. Currently residing in London, the self-professed cult leader is establishing a loyal fanbase devout to her elegant dream pop charm. 

Pool Kids

Hailing from Tallahassee, Florida, rock band Pool Kids entered the contemporary emo-revival scene with their debut album Music to Have Safe Sex to in 2018, showcasing a musically agnostic approach. Led by Christine Goodwyne, the vocalist and guitarist, Pool Kids released their second self-titled album in 2022 – April 2023 in Europe. Having spent the outset of their career riding the under-current of the music scene, a year after releasing their debut Paramore’s Hayley Williams co-signed the band, propelling them a notch up in the music stratosphere, drawing parallels between the band and a rawer version of early Paramore. Their ascent reached a milestone on July 2023, with a sold-out show at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Praised by publications like Pitchfork for their tactile, subtle post-production, Pool Kids possesses a musical chemistry that resonates. 

Skiifall

Montreal isn’t so well known for its rap stars, but that’s a narrative Skiifall’s began to change over the past three years. Like a Timberland boot, The St. Vincent–born, Canada-based artist came down heavy, stamping his authority on The City of Saints’ creative scene with his dancehall-by-way-of-drill and jazz sound. His first officially released single, ‘Ting Tun Up’, made an impression way beyond Canada’s icy shores, turning heads here in the UK and reaching the late, great Virgil Abloh, who used an unreleased Skiifall tune for a Louis Vuitton campaign.

Released this year, the wordsmith’s seven–track project, WOIIYOIE VOL. 2, featuring British-Nigerian polymath Obongjayar and Parisian singer Charlotte Cardin, showcased his omnivorous music taste, helped by his recent collaborations with jazz quartet BADBADNOTGOOD and British producer Lil Silva.