Everyone wants the chance to say, “I’ve been a fan since…!” and small artists encourage listeners to join their fan base before they make it big. With local artists on the rise and many new faces trying to start their music career, here’s a short list of my favorite small artists right now so you can claim your “I was here before they got famous” ticket early.
katie demartini
Katie DeMartini is a performer based in South Carolina and a student at the University of South Carolina. She has about 1,500 monthly listeners on Spotify, and her music is focused in the indie pop/rock genre. She just released her debut album, Nobody’s favorite, on March 27. If you like Olivia Rodrigo and Audrey Hobert, consider giving Katie DeMartini a listen!
A great place to start is with my personal favorites of her’s, “Him, I Guess” and “Complicated.”
Ski Team
Ski Team, the solo project of Brooklyn-based artist Lucie Lozinski, focuses on an indie-pop sound that reminds me of a female version of Briston Maroney. Her first album, Burnout/Boys, was just released in January. This album feels like of the beginning of a coming of age movie, when the main character is taking that obligatory car ride to her new town.
My favorite songs by Ski Team are “Up The Wall” and “New BF,” both from her newest album.
Second Thoughts
Second Thoughts is an English indie band that unfortunately hasn’t been active on platforms since 2023. However, they hold a special place in my heart so I had to include them.
I found this group from one of those stereotypical TikTok videos where the artist tells you to support them before fame; but this time I actually got invested in their music. With about 33,000 monthly listeners and two EPs, Second Thoughts is definitely worth a listen!
I think the best place to start with this band is “Parachute” or “How Would You Know,” from their first and second EPs, respectively.
Braxton Cook
Braxton Cook is a saxophonist and R&B singer from Boston. Braxton Cook has just over 230,000 monthly listeners on Spotify—a significant jump from our other artists on this list. If you like Leon Bridges, you would definitely enjoy listening to Braxton Cook’s music! He has a very smooth sound, and it’s great to put on in the background while driving, hanging out with your friends, or just doing work.
My favorite song of his is “My Everything” from his newest album, Not Everyone Can Go (Deluxe), but I know that “Roses” with Mac Ayres is popular too.
WINYAH
For my last spotlight, I picked South Carolina’s very own, Winyah. I would argue that they’re already pretty popular, especially if you have been around the Columbia area for a while. Winyah is an alternative rock band started in early 2023. They performed at Bonnaroo in 2024, and are currently on tour across the U.S. If you’ve gotten familiar with Congress The Band, you’d definitely like Winyah (and vice versa!).
Their whole album, Lot To Learn, is great but I would pick “Feel It All Again” or “Lovely Girl” to get a good understanding of their sound and vibe.