CTRL+ALT+REPEAT 2025: Artists to Know in 2026
Smerz, The Nancys, Alemeda, and Elijah Woods are all artists you need to listen to in 2026.
“I listened to [insert popular band here] before they were big.” We all have that one friend — or maybe you’re that friend — who has earned these coveted bragging rights. Either way, there’s no feeling more satisfying than watching an artist you loved when they had less than 100k monthly Spotify listeners shoot to fame.
If you want to know what musicians are on the cusp of making it big, you don’t need tarot cards or a crystal ball — we’ve got you covered. After taking a look through the murky mists of time, here are the artists you need to know in 2026.
Zinadelphia
Jackie Fortis, Music Reviews Editor
In a league of her own, Zinadelphia is an upcoming artist you simply cannot ignore. She has the fiercest stage presence and voice, and her music has similar undertones to artists like Olivia Dean and Raye. From Philadelphia, she’s been making the rounds throughout festivals this whole summer, including Lollapalooza and All Things Go, belting out songs like “Love Over Glory” and “Love Language.” Her jazzy and genre-blending sound makes her an unforgettable artist the second you hear her. She’s as promising as an up-and-comer can be, and her career is sure to be thrilling to watch.
Been Stellar
Harmony Robinson, Contributor
Been Stellar offers something uniquely temperamental. By blending hazy vocals with haunting, early-2000s-inflected instrumentation, their debut album, Scream from New York, NY, commands you to feel. This four-piece has been a hidden gem amongst the New York rock scene. However, since opening for acts such as Fontaines D.C., Inhaler, and the 1975, it’s only a matter of time before they become crowd favorites. The band has really come into their own since headlining their first U.S. tour in 2024 and releasing their new EP, Breakaway, this past summer. With sounds that hone in on emerging adulthood, Been Stellar is alluring, attractive, and most importantly, riding the next wave of alternative rock.
Elijah Woods
Sullivan Jordan, Senior Writer
While only having released his debut album, Can We Talk?, this fall, Elijah Woods has found a nostalgic and cinematic sound that draws listeners in. Through his skills as a producer and songwriter, Woods invites you to relish in your most magical feelings and confront your darkest demons, all while dancing through explosive indie pop and rock inspired beats. Can We Talk? is a bittersweet portrait of love, regret, insecurity, and grief, painted through the lens of a broken friendship. Woods challenges his self-doubt in vivid ballads while also reflecting on his own actions and future through more instrumentally intimate tracks.
The Nancys
Brooke Shapiro, Music Extras Co-Editor
You know a band is getting serious when they move into a house together and transform the garage into an at-home studio. At least, that’s what the members of up-and-coming Florida indie rockers The Nancys told OTR this year. But if their 2025 debut self-titled EP and singles tell us anything, it’s that the trio is just getting started. Since starting as a college project in 2023, Ella Norris (vocals), Theo Lorenzen (guitar), and Shane Barrera (drums) have solidified their 1975-inspired sound, laden with energizing instrumental builds and reflections on being in your 20s, from timeless truths to modern-day problems. Their two recent singles, “Walking Out” and “Not The One,” mark the start of a shift to a darker era, Norris said, making 2026 sure to bear more equally gut-wrenching and head-banging tracks from The Nancys.
Watch the music video for Devon Again’s “People v. Maryanne Sue.”
Devon Again
Madelyn Aiken, Contributor
Last summer, sapphic indie came close to losing its darling when Devon Again contemplated quitting music. Through her commitment to writing songs that tug at your heartstrings and stick in your head, she released hit singles like “cherry cola” and “never goes away” before dropping a new EP, In Order, last month. In the summer of 2025, she released “People v. Maryanne Sue,” which evokes the catchy call-and-response melody of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” The song is accompanied by a surreal music video starring Devon as a beef jerky salesman-turned-con artist trekking through Himsville, recruiting help to avenge the wrongdoings of her scorner (Maryanne Sue). Devon Again wields an imaginative vision, a rawness to her songwriting, and a playful, endearing energy, all of which make for an exciting rising artist.
Smerz
Mitchell Stewart, Contributor
Something about Smerz’s latest album, Big City Life, sounds off its axis, like each song is about the chase to return the song to its equilibrium. It’s as if the Norwegian duo produced each song separately, but they are so intrinsically linked that they can combine them into a gorgeous soundscape that is viscerally unique. “Feisty” is one of the many tongue-in-cheek songs that sound like a vivid drive through the city, the faint orchestra hits capturing the flashes of ecstasy that come with being slightly tipsy with someone you have a crush on. “You got time and I got money” is a modern-day crush song. It’s about that feeling of wanting to spill all your emotions for one person, the way they consume every thought of yours. Smerz is a duo that has their fingers on the pulse of modern-day love in the city and should be on your radar if you’re a true yearner.
Alemeda
Bri Ng Schwartz, Contributor
Alemeda, one of Top Dawg Entertainment’s freshest faces, has taken the festival circuit by storm this summer and fall. Having first come on the scene in 2021 with viral bedroom pop hit "Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows,” Alemeda has shifted her sound into a pop-punk-inspired femme fest. Her recently released EP, But What The Hell Do I Know, includes smash single “1-800-F**CK-YOU,” as well as features with Rachel Chinouriri, whose tour she opened for in the spring, and label mate and fan favorite Doechii. With her biggest year yet under her belt, we can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store for this rising voice.
Maddie Ashman
Seay Howell, Senior Staff Writer
Watch Maddie Ashman perform an acoustic live version of “I hate goodbyes.”
British avant-pop artist, producer, and composer Maddie Ashman has concocted a genre-fluid, experimental sound that’s entirely her own. Expect the unexpected: cello scrapes, unusual harmonies, and arresting audio effects juxtaposed with classical elements. Ashman’s playful microtonal compositions and voice-like-a bird trilling are unforgettable, and she’s drawn attention from the likes of Caroline Polachek, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, and NME. 2025 was a breakout debut year for Ashman, who released four singles — “Toffee,” “I hate goodbyes,” “Jaded,” and “My Heart Breaks in Autumn” — in addition to the bestselling Otherworld EP on Bandcamp that topped the platform’s folk charts. Be one of her early fans before 2026 rolls around so you can brag about your trend-setting music taste, or as early as you can be, since she’s already garnered 108k monthly Spotify listeners and over 10 million views across TikTok and Instagram.
Mini Trees
Jane Flautt, Music Extras Co-Editor
If you’re a fan of artists like Slow Pulp, Hannah Jadagu, and Indigo de Souza, run, don’t walk, to Mini Trees’ discography — you won’t be disappointed. Self-described as “living room pop,” Mini Trees’ Lexi Vega has been quietly making her way up the indie ladder since she started releasing music under that name in 2018. Her voice at times feels reminiscent of Snail Mail’s Lindsey Erin Jordan’s, and it blends well with the layers of glitchy guitar rhythms and pulsing drums that are often found in her songs. Vega’s willingness to explore different forms of electronic processing pays off on her sophomore album, Slow It Down, whose tracks are filled with plenty of distortion and lyrics perfect for angsty rumination. Coming off the release of this new album in November and headlining shows across the U.S. this fall, Mini Trees is primed for an even bigger year in 2026, and it’s only a matter of time before she becomes a go-to on indie audiophiles’ playlists everywhere.