UK music charity Youth Music has chosen 20 artists for its 2026 Ones to Watch list, as part of the organisation’s NextGen fund providing resources and opportunities to young musicians.
In a program backed by Wingstop, this year’s artists span across genres and UK regions. The cohort includes Adjua, an indie R&B artist based in Cardiff, Gabriella Bongo, a jungle and DnB producer and songwriter from London, and Rivkala, a Manchester-born experimental pop artist.
“Our Ones to Watch list showcases what the future music industries will look like if we keep investing in underrepresented talent,” said Guvna B, co-chair at Youth Music. “It’s diverse, unique and exciting, and we can’t wait to see what they go on to achieve.”
Youth Music is further supported by the National Lottery via Arts Council England, as well as partners and individual donors. The charity raises and invests £10 million every year into creative and monetising efforts for grassroots music projects.
The full list of its ‘Ones to Watch’ for 2026 is below:
Adjua
afromerm
Akam
Alika
Beastie
Damsel Elysium
Eden J Howells
Exojay
Gabriella Bongo
IBack
Jasmin Jet
Koba Sno
Leo Miyagee
May0
melba
Rivkala
Ronn
Shogun Shato
Superlate
The Yard Woman
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source musically.com ’
