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Wondering which artist will be your next craze this year? Looking for the next big thing? Don’t worry, Wonderland Features Editor Ben Tibbits has got you covered with Wonders to Watch 2025.
As the new year kicks into gear, the music industry once again appears from behind its alluring cloud of WHAM bandwagons and stale mince pies. 2025 looks set to be another monumental and highly significant year in popular music, what with the swiftly shifting consensus of what is cutting-edge and what is affable. Scores of major artists are set to drop defining work, and new hopefuls will join the zeitgeist’s vanguard. Who will come out on top? Who will be the big breakthroughs? Only time will tell, but below we gives our most thoughtful forecast on who to watch out for. From intoxicating globe-trotters Glass Beams to Boygenius-backed jasmine.4.t, from the frenzied majesty of Saya Gray to the soulful delight of Nia Smith, here are Wonderland’s 16 Wonders to Watch for 2025.
Saya Gray
Who Are They: Chameleonic singer-songwriter amalgamating folk, pop and experimental electronica with daring and devouring presence.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: There’s something about Saya Gray that’s reminiscent of Fiona Apple. Born in Toronto to a Japanese mother and Scottish-Canadian father, the multi-dimensional shape-shifter plucks from far corners of the cultural and sonic stratosphere, pushing the boundaries of what is traditionally conceptualised as pop music. Following a triad of peerless EP’s shared in the past few years, Gray’s long-awaited first full-length album SAYA arrives on 21st February, and if the singles are anything to go by, the record will be one of the best debuts of 2025.
Wonders to Watch
Jim Legxacy
Who Are They: Lewisham-based multi-disciplinarian rewriting the rules of UK rap and lurking in the shadows from the sample police.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Across the past few years, Jim Legxacy has metamorphosed from a raw musical maverick into a haven of peerless creativity. An effortless blend of savvy (and not always cleared, see the removal “candy reign (!)” from DSPs) sampling, multi-genre rhythmic nuance and enthralling vocal performances has been chiselled and consistently progressed, as shown on 2024’s sole single “aggressive”. Recently signed to cherished imprint XL Recordings and with a new mixtape “Black British Music” on the way, 2025 is Legxacy’s to lose.
Glass Beams
Who Are They: Glorious globe-trotting trio whose thrilling compositions take influence from east to west.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: Melbourne-based trio Glass Beams enjoyed a stellar breakout year in 2024. Their debut EP “Mirage” from 2021 saw them gain fans in prolific cult label Ninja Tune, whom they signed to last spring and shared a follow-up EP, “Mahal”, via. Influenced by childhood memories of founding member Rajan Silva relating to his father, who emigrated from India to Australia in the late 70s, Beams’ sound is wholly unique; broadly homaged without a flicker of pastiche, the compositional work is mind-bending, and they are one of the best new live acts on the festival circuit. Get to know.
Nia Smith
Who Are They: Brixton riser whose cascading voice illuminates rich and soulful soundscapes.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: Only emerging in 2024’s spring, within less than a year South London singer-songwriter Nia Smith has quickly cemented herself as one of UK soul’s most exciting artists. She’s supported SZA, Jordan Rakei and Tems, bagged herself a Popcaan feature on major viral release “Personal”, and unveiled her stunning statement debut EP “Give Up The Fear”. It feels inevitable that in 2025 Smith will follow in the footsteps of the likes of namesake Jorja, Celeste and Cleo Sol to international and home turf adoration.
Rian Brazil
Who Are They: Free-flowing Brightonian innovator finding his feet in the unexpected.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: A member of extraordinarily slept on alt rap trio Nokia Mansion, Brighton polymath Rian Brazil finds originality wherever he reaches. Under his newly developed alias, Brazil shared four singles in 2024, all scintillating and forward-fronted works in their own right, and signed to Room Two. A debut EP is set to land sharpish, which will aid in cementing the inaugural bricks of Brazil’s avant-garde sonic dynasty.
Luvcat
Who Are They: Spell-bending indie rock serenader with a gothic touch and a story-telling edge.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: There’s a delicious indulgence to the aura of Liverpudlian Luvcat and her music. She appeared as if from thin air around six months ago with a remarkably confident off-kilter debut track “Matador”, which was shortly followed by two raucous ensuing cuts “He’s My Man” and “Dinner @ Brasserie Zédel” respectively. These early singles have been met by near obsessive adoration in the online sphere, and it’s no secret why. This is unadulterated, sexy and contemporary indie rock, and Luvcat is bound to find scores of new year disciples with her thirst trap musical brilliance and alluring demeanour.
Yves
Who Are They: K-pop girl group alumni stepping out as a solo artist and pushing sonic boundaries in the process.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: Yves’s cross-pollination of K-pop with wide-ranging production choices from UKG to hyper pop makes her intentions clear; to push forward a sound and pioneer its next zenith. Formerly a member of successful girl group LOONA, Yves took her time to mould a solo artistic identity. And it was worth the wait, sharing two noteworthy EP’s in 2024 that flaunted her eclectic approach. Confirming her seat among Korea’s most interesting rising artists, YVES’s impact could stretch beyond her nation and natural sonic habitat in the coming year.
jasmine.4.t
Who Are They: Manchester-based Boygenius-backed singer-songwriter flourishing in focused and emotionally-resonant indie folk.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: The first UK artist signed to Phoebe Bridgers label Saddest Factory Records, trans songwriter jasmine.4.t has the foundations in place to follow in the footsteps of fellow imprint signees MUNA and Claud in breaking new ground in her genre. Jasmine is set to share her debut album, You Are The Morning, early in 2025, with Bridgers and her Boygenius counterparts Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker producing the album in its entirety.
Soft Launch
Who Are They: Journeymen instrumentalists with a shared ethos of effervescence and enjoyment.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: The group-of-white-lads-playing-indie-pop-to-screaming-fans era seemed to have petered out around the turn of the decade. But in 2024, British guitar music enjoyed a resurgence with scores of progressive bands making their play for underground and mainstream dominance (big up English Teacher and their Mercury Prize win every time). In all honesty, there’s an abundance of acts that could be highlighted as such, but Soft Launch are the pick of the bunch. A band who emerged last year with a winning formula and terrific story, the Beatles-indebted five-piece share vocal duties and swap instruments mid-set, and make seamless and saccharine anthems destined for the biggest stages.
Chy Cartier
Who Are They: Uncompromising rap talent boasting the class and charisma required to join the UK’s A-list.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Over the past 18 months, North London rapper Chy Cartier sent the internet into meltdown with a series of viral hits, securing co-signs from some of the community’s most significant figures. Cuts like “YO” and “BOSSED UP” show her unique and unfiltered approach, bursting with the promise of igniting real change in a scene that in-large plateaued in 2024. The next generation of key players are due, with Cartier at the front of the pack.
Jacob Alon
Who Are They: Fluid Scottish songsmith emerging as UK folk’s next great hope.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Fife-born, Edinburgh-based queer singer-songwriter Jacob Alon is frighteningly talented. Both of their singles to date, “Fairy in a Bottle” and “Confessions” are quietly stunning, with gorgeous Mitchellist guitar work and controlled yet heart-wrenching vocal performances. It’s early days, but Alon certainly has the ability to be a highly influential name in the folk world and further afield.
ATRIP
Who Are They: Ambitious producer with the technical nuance and stylistic diversity to intersect London’s leading pack.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: German-Polish London-based producer ATRIP has been busy over the last few years, sharing an array of cutting-edge productions, with his meticulous and free-flowing craft coming to the fore on his two “TANZPARTEI” mixtapes from 2023 and 2024 respectively. The second of these is particularly sprawling, with some great feature turns from Poté, KAM-BU and Bawo ameliorating the tone and flaunting ATRIP’s erudite curation. Prolific, progressive and on the rise, expect plenty of music from the producer in 2025.
Annahstasia
Who Are They: Multifaceted dreamer whose boundless tenderness lies central to her subtly stunning sound.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: LA-based singer-songwriter, model and Wonderland cover star Annahstasia maintains a glistening control across her growing catalogue. Her flawless voice draws you into a world of feeling, whilst her beautiful, naturalistic songwriting spellbinds you into staying. Last year’s EP “Surface Tension” is brief but bountiful, with 2025 set to bring a longer artistic manifesto.
Pretty Girl
Who Are They: Melbourne-to-London triple-threat providing emotionally-potent dance pop bliss that gets your heart racing and feet moving.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Soaring vocals, thoughtful lyricism and hazy, ethereal musical palettes? Yes please. Melbourne-born London-based talent Pretty Girl brings a concise and captivating credo, walking the line between club fillers and dreamlike introspection. She’s supported Bonobo and Fred again.., and last year’s EP “Get Back To Me” is a gloriously hazy and strongly sentimental marriage of UKG, house and pop. If she plays her cards right, one of dance music’s most promising names could enjoy a huge breakout year in 2025.
Dan Whitlam
Who Are They: Thoughtful and humanistic poet and songwriter turning his personal turmoil towards a prosperous future.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Poetic and heartfelt, spoken word crooner Dan Whitlam writes with resilience and searing introspection. He began making music following a tragic incident, using writing as a tool to process and heal from a knife attack. You can hear the pain and strength across his so-far scattered releases—from the delicate delivery to the cinematic musical backdrop. Having found his sonic identity in 2024, proven by stellar recent single “19”, expect Whitlam to be unavoidable before long.
Nieve Ella
Who Are They: West Midlands troubadour unleashing bold and bohemian guitar bangers.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Since emerging in early 2023, Midlands singer-songwriter and guitarist Nieve Ella has swiftly established herself as one of the most potent lyricists of her generation. She’s shared a handful of characterful EPs—the latest and strongest being “Watch It Ache and Bleed”—and will be taking her crowd-pleasing sonics on tour next month across the UK and EU. New music will coincide.
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Wondering which artist will be your next craze this year? Looking for the next big thing? Don’t worry, Wonderland Features Editor Ben Tibbits has got you covered with Wonders to Watch 2025.
As the new year kicks into gear, the music industry once again appears from behind its alluring cloud of WHAM bandwagons and stale mince pies. 2025 looks set to be another monumental and highly significant year in popular music, what with the swiftly shifting consensus of what is cutting-edge and what is affable. Scores of major artists are set to drop defining work, and new hopefuls will join the zeitgeist’s vanguard. Who will come out on top? Who will be the big breakthroughs? Only time will tell, but below we gives our most thoughtful forecast on who to watch out for. From intoxicating globe-trotters Glass Beams to Boygenius-backed jasmine.4.t, from the frenzied majesty of Saya Gray to the soulful delight of Nia Smith, here are Wonderland’s 16 Wonders to Watch for 2025.
Saya Gray
Who Are They: Chameleonic singer-songwriter amalgamating folk, pop and experimental electronica with daring and devouring presence.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: There’s something about Saya Gray that’s reminiscent of Fiona Apple. Born in Toronto to a Japanese mother and Scottish-Canadian father, the multi-dimensional shape-shifter plucks from far corners of the cultural and sonic stratosphere, pushing the boundaries of what is traditionally conceptualised as pop music. Following a triad of peerless EP’s shared in the past few years, Gray’s long-awaited first full-length album SAYA arrives on 21st February, and if the singles are anything to go by, the record will be one of the best debuts of 2025.
Wonders to Watch
Jim Legxacy
Who Are They: Lewisham-based multi-disciplinarian rewriting the rules of UK rap and lurking in the shadows from the sample police.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Across the past few years, Jim Legxacy has metamorphosed from a raw musical maverick into a haven of peerless creativity. An effortless blend of savvy (and not always cleared, see the removal “candy reign (!)” from DSPs) sampling, multi-genre rhythmic nuance and enthralling vocal performances has been chiselled and consistently progressed, as shown on 2024’s sole single “aggressive”. Recently signed to cherished imprint XL Recordings and with a new mixtape “Black British Music” on the way, 2025 is Legxacy’s to lose.
Glass Beams
Who Are They: Glorious globe-trotting trio whose thrilling compositions take influence from east to west.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: Melbourne-based trio Glass Beams enjoyed a stellar breakout year in 2024. Their debut EP “Mirage” from 2021 saw them gain fans in prolific cult label Ninja Tune, whom they signed to last spring and shared a follow-up EP, “Mahal”, via. Influenced by childhood memories of founding member Rajan Silva relating to his father, who emigrated from India to Australia in the late 70s, Beams’ sound is wholly unique; broadly homaged without a flicker of pastiche, the compositional work is mind-bending, and they are one of the best new live acts on the festival circuit. Get to know.
Nia Smith
Who Are They: Brixton riser whose cascading voice illuminates rich and soulful soundscapes.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: Only emerging in 2024’s spring, within less than a year South London singer-songwriter Nia Smith has quickly cemented herself as one of UK soul’s most exciting artists. She’s supported SZA, Jordan Rakei and Tems, bagged herself a Popcaan feature on major viral release “Personal”, and unveiled her stunning statement debut EP “Give Up The Fear”. It feels inevitable that in 2025 Smith will follow in the footsteps of the likes of namesake Jorja, Celeste and Cleo Sol to international and home turf adoration.
Rian Brazil
Who Are They: Free-flowing Brightonian innovator finding his feet in the unexpected.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: A member of extraordinarily slept on alt rap trio Nokia Mansion, Brighton polymath Rian Brazil finds originality wherever he reaches. Under his newly developed alias, Brazil shared four singles in 2024, all scintillating and forward-fronted works in their own right, and signed to Room Two. A debut EP is set to land sharpish, which will aid in cementing the inaugural bricks of Brazil’s avant-garde sonic dynasty.
Luvcat
Who Are They: Spell-bending indie rock serenader with a gothic touch and a story-telling edge.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: There’s a delicious indulgence to the aura of Liverpudlian Luvcat and her music. She appeared as if from thin air around six months ago with a remarkably confident off-kilter debut track “Matador”, which was shortly followed by two raucous ensuing cuts “He’s My Man” and “Dinner @ Brasserie Zédel” respectively. These early singles have been met by near obsessive adoration in the online sphere, and it’s no secret why. This is unadulterated, sexy and contemporary indie rock, and Luvcat is bound to find scores of new year disciples with her thirst trap musical brilliance and alluring demeanour.
Yves
Who Are They: K-pop girl group alumni stepping out as a solo artist and pushing sonic boundaries in the process.
Key Track:
Wonders to Watch
Why You Should Listen: Yves’s cross-pollination of K-pop with wide-ranging production choices from UKG to hyper pop makes her intentions clear; to push forward a sound and pioneer its next zenith. Formerly a member of successful girl group LOONA, Yves took her time to mould a solo artistic identity. And it was worth the wait, sharing two noteworthy EP’s in 2024 that flaunted her eclectic approach. Confirming her seat among Korea’s most interesting rising artists, YVES’s impact could stretch beyond her nation and natural sonic habitat in the coming year.
jasmine.4.t
Who Are They: Manchester-based Boygenius-backed singer-songwriter flourishing in focused and emotionally-resonant indie folk.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: The first UK artist signed to Phoebe Bridgers label Saddest Factory Records, trans songwriter jasmine.4.t has the foundations in place to follow in the footsteps of fellow imprint signees MUNA and Claud in breaking new ground in her genre. Jasmine is set to share her debut album, You Are The Morning, early in 2025, with Bridgers and her Boygenius counterparts Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker producing the album in its entirety.
Soft Launch
Who Are They: Journeymen instrumentalists with a shared ethos of effervescence and enjoyment.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: The group-of-white-lads-playing-indie-pop-to-screaming-fans era seemed to have petered out around the turn of the decade. But in 2024, British guitar music enjoyed a resurgence with scores of progressive bands making their play for underground and mainstream dominance (big up English Teacher and their Mercury Prize win every time). In all honesty, there’s an abundance of acts that could be highlighted as such, but Soft Launch are the pick of the bunch. A band who emerged last year with a winning formula and terrific story, the Beatles-indebted five-piece share vocal duties and swap instruments mid-set, and make seamless and saccharine anthems destined for the biggest stages.
Chy Cartier
Who Are They: Uncompromising rap talent boasting the class and charisma required to join the UK’s A-list.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Over the past 18 months, North London rapper Chy Cartier sent the internet into meltdown with a series of viral hits, securing co-signs from some of the community’s most significant figures. Cuts like “YO” and “BOSSED UP” show her unique and unfiltered approach, bursting with the promise of igniting real change in a scene that in-large plateaued in 2024. The next generation of key players are due, with Cartier at the front of the pack.
Jacob Alon
Who Are They: Fluid Scottish songsmith emerging as UK folk’s next great hope.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Fife-born, Edinburgh-based queer singer-songwriter Jacob Alon is frighteningly talented. Both of their singles to date, “Fairy in a Bottle” and “Confessions” are quietly stunning, with gorgeous Mitchellist guitar work and controlled yet heart-wrenching vocal performances. It’s early days, but Alon certainly has the ability to be a highly influential name in the folk world and further afield.
ATRIP
Who Are They: Ambitious producer with the technical nuance and stylistic diversity to intersect London’s leading pack.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: German-Polish London-based producer ATRIP has been busy over the last few years, sharing an array of cutting-edge productions, with his meticulous and free-flowing craft coming to the fore on his two “TANZPARTEI” mixtapes from 2023 and 2024 respectively. The second of these is particularly sprawling, with some great feature turns from Poté, KAM-BU and Bawo ameliorating the tone and flaunting ATRIP’s erudite curation. Prolific, progressive and on the rise, expect plenty of music from the producer in 2025.
Annahstasia
Who Are They: Multifaceted dreamer whose boundless tenderness lies central to her subtly stunning sound.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: LA-based singer-songwriter, model and Wonderland cover star Annahstasia maintains a glistening control across her growing catalogue. Her flawless voice draws you into a world of feeling, whilst her beautiful, naturalistic songwriting spellbinds you into staying. Last year’s EP “Surface Tension” is brief but bountiful, with 2025 set to bring a longer artistic manifesto.
Pretty Girl
Who Are They: Melbourne-to-London triple-threat providing emotionally-potent dance pop bliss that gets your heart racing and feet moving.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Soaring vocals, thoughtful lyricism and hazy, ethereal musical palettes? Yes please. Melbourne-born London-based talent Pretty Girl brings a concise and captivating credo, walking the line between club fillers and dreamlike introspection. She’s supported Bonobo and Fred again.., and last year’s EP “Get Back To Me” is a gloriously hazy and strongly sentimental marriage of UKG, house and pop. If she plays her cards right, one of dance music’s most promising names could enjoy a huge breakout year in 2025.
Dan Whitlam
Who Are They: Thoughtful and humanistic poet and songwriter turning his personal turmoil towards a prosperous future.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Poetic and heartfelt, spoken word crooner Dan Whitlam writes with resilience and searing introspection. He began making music following a tragic incident, using writing as a tool to process and heal from a knife attack. You can hear the pain and strength across his so-far scattered releases—from the delicate delivery to the cinematic musical backdrop. Having found his sonic identity in 2024, proven by stellar recent single “19”, expect Whitlam to be unavoidable before long.
Nieve Ella
Who Are They: West Midlands troubadour unleashing bold and bohemian guitar bangers.
Key Track:
Why You Should Listen: Since emerging in early 2023, Midlands singer-songwriter and guitarist Nieve Ella has swiftly established herself as one of the most potent lyricists of her generation. She’s shared a handful of characterful EPs—the latest and strongest being “Watch It Ache and Bleed”—and will be taking her crowd-pleasing sonics on tour next month across the UK and EU. New music will coincide.
and integrate them seamlessly into the new content without adding new tags. Ensure the new content is fashion-related, written entirely in Japanese, and approximately 1500 words. Conclude with a “結論” section and a well-formatted “よくある質問” section. Avoid including an introduction or a note explaining the process.
