By Peter A. Berry, Michelle Hyun Kim, Brandon Ousley, Vrinda Jagota, and Jaelani Turner-Williams of Third Bridge Creative

In this week’s column of emerging artists, we’re exploring a mysterious Mexican rapper, a Y2K-obsessed Danish songstress, a Texas TikTok R&B prodigy, an innovative Tampa rap collective, and a British R&B crooner creating audio love letters. 

Yeyo

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 4,647
Genre: Latin Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: Mexico

Yeyo is riding a serious wave of momentum three months after appearing on El Malilla's "B De Bellako." With its irresistible reggaeton strings, pulsing percussion, and anthemic hook, the track is a playful call to the dance floor; a bop designed for impulse and late-night thrills. Thus far, it's collected over 21 million Spotify streams and has a strong presence on TikTok. Both factors have helped Yeyo land into Chartmetric's explosive growth stage, which tracks with his Spotify monthly listeners jumping up by around 3 million since the song’s release. With tracks like “MAMI CHAKALOSA” also picking up steam, he’s cemented himself as an artist to watch in 2024 and beyond. 

Erika de Casier

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 2,391
Genre: R&B/Soul
Country: Denmark

For her avant-garde take on R&B, Danish singer/songwriter Erika de Casier blends Y2K nostalgia with hushed bedroom pop vocals and club sounds. After garnering blog buzz with her 2019 debut album Essentials and catching global attention last year for her co-writing credit on NewJeans’ mega-hit “Super Shy,'' she's now making international waves with her new album Still. Since the project’s February 21 release, its most streamed single, “Lucky”, has charted within the top 50 of the Apple Music charts in Kosovo, Sweden, and Denmark and she is set to appear at Coachella next month. Her Spotify monthly listenership of 564k listeners, which has increased by 143% in the past three months, is also made up of a large contingent of fans in the U.S. (32.8%), Germany (11.9%), and the U.K. (9%).

Bryant Barnes

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 9,669
Genre: R&B/Soul
Country: U.S.

First discovered as a TikTok sensation, Bryant Barnes’ viral piano covers of hits from Kanye West, Nas, and Billie Eilish earned him a robust 2.1 million followers. The Texas-born prodigy capped off 2023 by signing a deal with Mercury Records and releasing debut singles, “Adore You” and “Losing You,” garnering 1.6 million and 526k Spotify streams, respectively. He’s continued this stride with “Don’t Want a Love Song,” an acoustic ballad wrestling with the complexities of a one-sided romance. Since its February 16 release, the lovelorn song has racked up 736k Spotify spins, thanks to the original and sped-up versions gaining traction on TikTok. Securing 155.6k Spotify monthly listeners with playlist support from All the Feels and Music You Should Know, Bryant Barnes is primed to lead the new wave of emerging alt-R&B acts.

They Hate Change

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 5,563
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: U.S.

Florida duo They Hate Change make playful, avant-garde rap that pulls from British dance music like jungle, drum-n-bass, and Chicago footwork. They signed to Jagjaguwar (home to indie legends like Bon Iver and Angel Olsen) in 2021 and released their debut, Finally, New, on the label in 2022, to critical acclaim. For the last few years, they have been lauded as rising innovators by Rolling Stone, The Quietus, Line of Best Fit, and more. With the January release of their latest EP, Wish You Were Here…, and a feature on R&B singer Erika de Casier’s recent track “ice,” they are experiencing significant growth: with over 15k Spotify monthly listeners, their Chartmetric artist rank has increased by over 100k since the start of the year.

Shaé Universe

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 6,657
Genre: R&B/Soul
Country: U.K.

Nigerian-born neo-soul artist, Shaé Universe, released her blissful new album, Love’s Letter, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The British singer-songwriter’s project tackles more than relationships, opting for self-love anthems on “Love Self” and the Lalah Hathaway-assisted “More Than Enough.” An R&B notable on TikTok, where she has 69.4k followers, Universe often posts song duets and covers of her favorite tracks from Beyoncé and Daniel Caesar, alongside subtle album promotion with standout cuts from Love’s Letter. Since the album’s release, she’s gained 106k Spotify monthly listeners, bringing her to a total of 481k.

Graphics by Nicki Camberg and cover image by Crasianne Tirado; data as of March 1, 2024.

Portions of this are included in Sound Signal, a bi-weekly newsletter from Third Bridge Creative. Sign up here.