By Colin Joyce, Will Schube, Brandon Ousley, Vrinda Jagota, and Kemet High of Third Bridge Creative
2hollis
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 4,537
Genre: Hyperpop
Country: U.S.
Chicago-born, LA-based electro-rap experimenter 2hollis has become a bit of a polarizing figure over the last few years. Even as he’s graduated from self-released Soundcloud experiments to a major label record deal, many praises of him are couched in apologies: a recent Pitchfork piece about him in March was titled “In Defense of 2hollis.” Blending lurching EDM, neon pop, and underground internet rap is an unpalatable combo to some, but addictive to others. His most recent single, “style,” is an infectious slice of pop-rap that plays like Drake headlining a Minecraft rave. It’s captured the attention of fans and critics alike, garnering over 4.9M streams on Spotify alone since its late February release, as well as placements on prominent editorial playlists like RAGE and Internet People. His major label debut, star, seems poised to capitalize on all his building buzz.
Cameron Winter
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 64,109
Genre: Indie
Country: U.S.
This 22-year-old New York singer-songwriter has done a bit of myth-making around his debut solo album, Heavy Metal, which was released last December. As a recent piece in GQ recounted, Cameron Winter told various tall tales about the making of the record—including that it was made in Guitar Centers across New York City and that its bass player is five years old. This likely entirely fictional world building, however, is now of little concern as Heavy Metal has made its way across the music internet: the songs themselves—which recall classically literary singer-songwriters like Arthur Russell, Leonard Cohen, and Randy Newman—are winning the attention of fans and critics alike. After a Best New Music review on Pitchfork, Winter’s Spotify monthly listeners surged upwards of 345K, eclipsing the count of the buzzy psych-jam band that he fronts, Geese. This month, he sold out a pair of big shows in his hometown and announced a slot on NYC’s coveted SummerStage series, a sign that he’s quickly vaulted into the air of the city’s rarefied singer-songwriter scene.
Mei Semones
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 13,679
Genre: Skramz
Country: U.S.
Boston’s Berklee College of Music has a reputation for producing graduating classes full of virtuosic players and genuine nerds, but it’s rare for any school to produce a songwriter as singular as Mei Semones. Bridging gaps between jazz, bossa nova, and bubbly ‘90s indie pop, Semones’ music is challenging and emotionally complicated, but still retains the immediacy and authenticity that’s characteristic of all the acts signed to her home label, Bayonet Records. Her highly anticipated debut full-length, Animaru, was released last week–which seamlessly blends Japanese and English lyrics nodding to her cultural backgrounds. She now has 541K monthly listeners on Spotify and landed coveted editorial playlist placements like Lorem and All New Indie. And Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea is a fan, which always helps.
kwn
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 3,645
Genre: R&B
Country: U.K.
The United Kingdom’s R&B scene is active and vibrant right now with a number of acts making waves and crossing currents. And kwn is raising her hand as new leader of the movement. A combination of buttery vocals, lyrics that emphasize the player mentality and spirited personality that jumps out in her content are reasons why fans have so far been drawn to her talent. She’s been releasing music officially since 2022, but it was two recent collaborations with Kehlani that took her up to 2.65M monthly listeners on Spotify. “Clothes Off” was featured on Kehlani’s While We Wait 2 (2024). And the single “worst behaviour” (2025) went viral by way of the steamy visuals, which drew in 10M viewers on YouTube. Both tracks set the tone for a warm reception on “do what i say,” a recent release with 4.8M Spotify streams that emphasizes her position as a singer, songwriter, and producer triple threat.
Obongjayar
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 4,414
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: U.K.
For nearly a decade, Nigeria-born England-raised singer-songwriter Obongjayar has been a cause célèbre for forward-thinking listeners of pop music. His mid-2010s output on SoundCloud caught the ear of XL label head Richard Russell, who invited him to be a part of his critically acclaimed ultra-collaborative project Everything Is Recorded. From there, he’s released a string of EPs and singles that have further established him as one of pop music’s great experimenters, touching on the worlds of dance music, afrobeat, and rap in the process. His biggest breakout moment came when his song “I Wish It Was Me” was sampled on Fred Again’s 2023 single “adore u,” which peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart and #16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Later this month, he’ll release Paradise Now, his first full-length since that smash success—a record that’s poised to garner more attention than ever before. In advance of its release, “adore u” and other Obongjayar hits sit with prominent placements on huge editorial playlists like Spotify’s Summer Dance Hits 2025, Serotonin, and The New Alt—an ecosystem that’ll no doubt boost his new tracks even further.
Portions of this are included in Sound Signal, a bi-weekly newsletter from Third Bridge Creative. Sign up here.
Visualizations by Alejandra Arevalo and cover image by Crasianne Tirado; data as of May 7, 2025.