Hot For 2026: International Acts To Watch This Year

Rhumba Club

The alter ego of Jersey-born producer and synth-pop singer Tom Falle, the Rhumba Club blends influences such as Talking Heads and Blood Orange to create a sound that is both reassuringly catchy yet also thoroughly modern. It is also an expression of Falle’s queer identity: he has described his mission as providing “a space where social norms and personal demons are left at the door, whilst queerness and beautiful weirdos hold fort within.”

Hear: ‘Animal Lover’ is a giddy team-up with Patrick Wolfe.

Watch: A blistering live version of ‘Talk Me Into It' from Walthamswold Trade Hall is full of zingingly good vibrations – and confirms the whomping power of Falle’s falsetto.

The Clumps

The spirit of early Nirvana crackles through this Norwegian four-piece, who also cite (pre-jazz noodling) Radiohead as an influence. They’ve already ripped it up at home and in 2026 have turned their attention to global conquest. It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper head-banging young rock band – for frustrated moshers, The Clumps could be the chums you didn’t know you needed.

Hear: Everything that is great about this blistering indie band is set out in their bulldozing new single, ‘*** (Save Us)’.

Watch: A soundcheck recording of ‘Worthless’ sees the quartet somehow rock an empty tent

Cody Frost

A former tattoo artist and the child of an Abba cover singer, Frost has hit the ground running with a hunting and sometimes feral mixtape, Teeth. Frost competed in the Voice UK, delivering an extraordinary take on Duran Duran’s ‘Ordinary World’ and, as a solo artist, blends pop chops with grungy riffs.

Hear: ‘Violence’ is pummelling hyper-pop think Bambie Thug meets Charlie XCX with an unlikely detour into Ed Sheeran-style rap-pop.

Watch: It’s Pink Floyd as you’ve never heard it before as Frost performs ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ on The Voice.

Girl Tones

Working with the same management company that brought us The Last Dinner Party, Girl Tones are post-grunge sisters, Kenzie and Laila Crowe, and their sound is a pedal-to-the-floor mix of the barnstorming blues of The White Stripes and the bugglegum-grunge of Veruca Salt – spiced up with hints of ‘80s air metal. The Kentucky siblings have raised a ruckus on and off stage – their single ‘I Know You Know’ was produced by Cage the Elephant’s Brad Shultz, and they’ve toured with LA indie quartet Silversun Pickups.

Hear: ‘Again’ is Veruca Salt’s ‘Seether’ filtered through Black Album-era Metallica – in the best way possible.

Watch: The video to ‘Burnout’ finds the duo performing against the backdrop of a burning Cadillac and then robbing a bank – memorable even with the sound turned down.

Rose Gray

Rose Gray introduced herself to Irish audiences when opening for Sugababes at 3Arena in 2025 – while her debut album, Louder, Please, was a riffing mix of high-NRG pop, classic rock, and dance grooves. A deluxe reissue of the LP attested to her all-star fanbase, with Spice Girl Mel C and Mercury nominee, Shygirl, among those duetting with the London-born artist.

Hear: Electronic producer Daniel Avery’s banging mix of ‘April’ sees Gray pulverising the dancefloor.

Watch: The video to ‘I Don’t Speak French’ is a mini-noir movie, with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop.

The Guest List

Manchester indie-rockers The Guest List steer an intriguing course between early My Bloody Valentine and peak Arctic Monkeys – and are eager not to be categorised as another group of north of England ragamuffins taking on the world. “We want to steer away from being a Manchester band,” lead Cai Alty told interviews – a point the band underscored when travelling to Norway to work with folk producer Matias Tellez.

Hear: ‘When the Lights Are Out’ is a jangling wonder that features Moz levels of wit and angst from Alty.

Watch: A live performance of ‘Weatherman’ from Absolute Studios sounds like Durutti Column covering Oasis – a good thing in this case.

Erin LeCount

A one-time finalist on the kids’ edition of the BBC’s The Voice, Chelmsford singer-songwriter LeCount went viral in 2023 with a TikTok mash-up of her favourite Frank Ocean and Phoebe Bridgers tunes. LeCount’s inspirations run from mainstream artists such as Adele and Duffy to edgier icons such as Kate Bush and Fiona Apple, and she is signed to Good As Gold, the label set up by producer Kurtis McKenzie— best known for co-writing the Iggy Azealea/Charlie XCX hit, ‘Fancy’.

Hear: Florence and the Machine goth-pop meets the dance-floor on the brilliantly spooky, ‘Machine Ghost’.

Watch: Her official live video for 'I BELIEVE'.

Chloe Qisha

Born in Malaysia, based in London, Qisha has toured with Coldplay, while Kelly Clarkson has covered her ballad, ‘I Lied I’m Sorry’. She was discovered by producer Rob Milton (The 1975) on TikTok – their latest collaboration, ‘So Sad So Hot’, is a blistering electro-pop banger.

Hear: ‘So Sad So Hot’ showcases her expressive singing style and talent for big pop moments.

Watch: The video to ‘Modern Romance’ is a minimalist window into Qisha’s 1975-meets-Taylor Swift sound.

Alessi Rose

The biggest thing to come out of Derby since legendary Cork Celtic goalkeeper Alec Ludzic, Rose announced herself to the world when she performed on the main stage at Glastonbury this summer. A former poetry student, her music brims with early Taylor Swift-esque tales of everyday heartache, and she has worked with Amy Allen – the songwriter who co-authored Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Espresso’. Support slots for Dua Lipa and Tate McRae have elevated her to the big time – she is already being described as “Derbyshire’s Olivia Rodrigo”.

Hear: Single ‘First Original Thought’ is an old-school bopper.

Watch: Hear her tingling cover of Fontaines DC’s ‘Favourite’, recorded for Sirius XM.

Manuel Turizo

Colombian singer Turizo mixes pop, the bass-heavy hip-hop subgenre of trap, and Colombian folk music – a melting pot to which he gives voice with his expressively deep and rich voice. He announced himself to the world in 2022 with the single ‘Bachata’, a blend of folk guitar and R&B vocals, which propelled him to the higher reaches of the international streaming charts.

Hear: His Marshmello collaboration, ‘El Merengue’, packs a punch.

Watch: See him bring the grooves while romping on the back of a monster Hummer in the video for ‘Bachata’.

Storefront Church

Championed by Perfume Genius and the Last Dinner Party and a childhood friend of Phoebe Bridgers, baroque LA songwriter Lukas Frank has been quietly creating a buzz for several years now. His influences run deep – when Low’s Mimi Parker passed away, he and Bridgers covered her song ‘Words’. His own music finds a way to be both quiet and intimate yet fuelled by a maximalist grandeur.

Hear: ‘Coal’ starts with an onslaught of piano, followed by melodramatic strings and Frank intoning like a demonically possessed choir boy – all positives!

Watch: The video to ‘Us Against Us’ is full of sad dude melancholy worthy of The National.

Nectar Woode

This Ghanian-English singer has a beautifully soulful voice and a talent for dreamy, jazz-infused ballads. Elton John has compared her to Nina Simone – alright Elton, calm down – and she hosts a monthly “women in jazz” hour on an independent London radio station. Her EPs Nothing To Lose and Head Above Water fuse tales of Gen Z angst with a celebration of her Ghanian heritage.

Hear: Her single ‘Stick Fight’ is both powerfully groovy and gossamer-light.

Watch: She brings a brilliantly soulful touch to her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’, as filmed for the Living Room Sessions.

Have a look at our 'Hot For 2026' Irish picks here

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