Rolling Stone UK’s Ones To Watch 2026
Introducing the artists who are going to rule your year...
By Nick Reilly & Will Richards
As 2026 kicks off, it’s time for Rolling Stone UK to give our definitive verdict on the artists that we think are going to dominate your year and, potentially in time, life. From white-hot guitar talent to pop giants in the making, there’s something for everyone on our list. We know that all these acts are going to make a definitive stamp on the next 12 months and, after listening to them, we’re rather confident that you’ll be of the same opinion too. Without further ado, let us present Rolling Stone UK’s Ones To Watch for 2026.
Adult DVD
The next update of British guitar music – taking the Brixton Windmill’s post-punk bluster and adding more warmth and danceability – has been swirling all around across 2025, and will firmly take hold this year. Most exciting in this new crop of bands are Leeds’ Adult DVD, who sound like a punk band scrabbling around as they excitedly discover synth plugins and drum machines for the first time. It’s a ferocious, youthful, vibrant racket.
Key song: ‘Do Something‘. Will Richards
Alessi Rose
She’s already opened for Dua Lipa and Tate McRae, but 2026 looks like Alessi Rose’s time to shine on her own and emerge as a true pop star. With lyrics that are unflinchingly honest and often deliciously cutting, she’s a bold and uncompromising new voice presented in a perfect pop package. Of her plan for domination, she told Rolling Stone UK: “With the music I’m making now, I’m wanting to push it again and cement it as pop, but it’s pushing what pop can be.”
Key song: ‘First Original Thought‘. W.R.
fakemink
Having existed under countless aliases and with only a few interviews given to date, fakemink is UK rap’s most enigmatic new star. While the specific details and background may not be there for this sensation, the songs – released by the bucketload and often on a weekly basis – show a rapper heavily influenced by electroclash and the chaotic, neon-drenched sounds of the mid-to-late 2000s in the UK. With these foundations, his supply of sugary delights shows no sign of slowing.
Key song: ‘Music And Me‘. W.R.
JayaHadADream
This UK rapper quit her job as a teacher to pursue a career in music. Next stop: winning Glastonbury’s prestigious Emerging Talent Competition in 2024 and playing a main stage at Worthy Farm. The win, and her choice, was justified too. She credits her Irish-Jamaican heritage with the rebellion and firepower in her sound, and though her flows are catchy and sometimes sweetly delivered, there’s an energy and a passion that drives it all.
Key song: ‘Bug‘. W.R.
Jim Legxacy
In 2025, there’s been few names on the lips of rap fans more than Jim Legxacy, and it’s all hugely deserved. The rapper’s third mixtape Black British Music was a masterpiece, with powerful freestyles combining against thrilling moments of alt-rock (see ‘06 Wayne Rooney’) and an overall sense that he’s one of our most exciting stars at the moment. Also, we’d like to note that ‘i just banged a snus in canada water’ is up there with the greatest song names of the year. In 2026, expect this London rapper to ascend even higher.
Key song: ‘06 Wayne Rooney‘. Nick Reilly
Keo
It would be too easy to compare a band like Keo to Wunderhorse, but it’s certainly true that there’s a shared DNA in their mutual love of distortion, fuzz and an old-school sound. The lyrics of frontman Finn Keogh reveal real depth – whether it’s raw break-ups or confronting his perfectionism head-on. The result is a sound that has given UK guitar music its biggest kick up the fretboard in years.
Key song: ‘I Lied, Amber‘. N.R.
Rose Gray
In 2025, Rose Gray’s brilliant debut album Louder, Please marked the arrival of a brilliant new voice to guide us to the dance floor. It’s the kind of irresistible dance-pop that could easily lead you into the wee hours, with Gray’s brilliant vocals paired against huge beats and songs that are, at their heart, a huge amount of fun. There’s all-out fun on ‘Hackney Wick’, while ‘Damn’ – an unsettling and somewhat darker beast – shows that Gray is capable of effortlessly evolving her sound too. In 2026, expect her party-starting presence to get even bigger.
Key song: ‘Angel of Satisfaction‘. N.R.
Sienna Spiro
Even if Sienna Spiro’s name doesn’t ring too many bells, there’s every chance you’ll have encountered ‘Die on This Hill’, after the song became a huge TikTok hit and a ubiquitous presence on the platform. It’s easy to see why – the song combines classic soul sensibilities with a voice packed with a power that stealthily belies Spiro’s 20 years on this planet. The north Londoner’s talent is huge and, with understandable comparisons to Amy Winehouse and Adele emerging, a considerable amount of hype too. You wouldn’t bet against her living up to every inch of it.
Key song: ‘Die On This Hill‘. N.R.
TTSSFU
Tasmin Stephens, aka TTSSFU – you can guess what it stands for – makes music that feels like it’s been recorded on a half-broken four-track in an early-90s basement and transported to the present day. The hooks in her songs, of which there are plenty, are obscured by layers of fuzz that make new EP Blown a delightfully immersive listen. Ending 2025 with new single ‘Upstairs’, an even sweeter slice of dream-pop, she’s on the way to take 2026 by the horns.
Key song: ‘Upstairs‘ W.R.
Westside Cowboy
These Manchester newcomers have coined a genre called Britainicana, which, they explain, combines a lyrical celebration of the mundane with 90s alt-rock guitars (similar to Pavement). The four-piece also cram in improbable flavours of folk, alt-rock and even their well-documented love of skiffle. The result is a sound that proves as wildly thrilling as it is unpredictable. Having won Glastonbury’s Rising Star contest in 2025, it feels like 2026 could be theirs for the taking.
Key song: ‘Don’t Throw Rocks‘. N.R.