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Small Artist Roundup: Emerging Artists You Should Check Out

Gil'Anya Dorval Student Contributor, University of Central Florida
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Not long ago, before Chappell Roan won the Grammy for Best New Artist, she was making waves in queer spaces and opening for big artists like Olivia Rodrigo. Sabrina Carpenter has been releasing music for ages and has maintained a great fan base even before the release of “Espresso.”

There is a good chance your future favorite artist just has not made it big yet, but you do not have to wait until someone is on the Billboard Top 10 to give their music a try. Here are a few up-and-coming artists to tune into before they make it big.

Alessi Rose

Alessi Rose is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Derby, Ireland. She started out posting clips of her singing to Instagram, and in April, she will head onto the road to headline the For Your Validation tour. 

Immediately after, she will join Tate McRae as an opener for the highly anticipated Miss Possessive Tour. Rose’s biggest hit, “oh my,” has 5.2 million streams on Spotify, followed by “imsochillandcool” with 1.8 million streams.  

Thomas Day

With 768,857 monthly listeners on Spotify, Thomas Day is still working his way up to becoming the next big thing in terms of male singers. He got his start on America’s Got Talent in 2020, capturing fans with his powerful voice and Troy Bolton-esque storyline as both a singer and a football player.  

Day recently hard-launched his relationship with YouTuber Jules Leblanc, and his latest release, “Sleep When We’re Dead,” has been featured on several official Spotify playlists, including teen beats, New Music Friday, and Everyday Favorites. He just finished supporting music duo The Driver Era on their Obsession Tour, but new music is on the way.

Cameron Whitcomb

Like Day, Cameron Whitcomb also came off a competition show: American Idol. Hailing from British Columbia, Canada, Whitcomb had support from his first audition, where he had to fight for his ticket to Hollywood.

Whitcomb made it to the top 20 and has only gone up from there. He writes country music about his life and his struggles with addiction. His song “Quitter” has over 50 million streams on Spotify, and his most recent track, “Medusa,” has 63.5 million streams.

Jensen Mcrae

If you’re looking for a folk-pop songwriter to listen to, look no further than Jensen McRae. The 27-year-old’s music is deeply personal and emotional, paired with her raw, evocative vocals. She toured with Noah Kahan this summer and kicks off her headlining tour on May 3.

Her new album, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!, comes out on April 25. Three singles from the project are already out, so check out “Savannah,” “Praying for Your Downfall,” and “Massachusetts.” 

Mon RovîA

Mon Rovîa is an Afro-Appalachian folk artist rescued from Liberia during the war. He takes his name from the capital city, Monrovia, to pay homage to the community and give back. 

The standout factors of this singer-songwriter are his soft and delicate vocals and songs that bring peace. His inspirations include Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes for their unique voices and depth of writing. In February, Vevo selected Rovîa as a DSCVR artist, and he heads back on the road for his Heal With Others Tour. 

These are just a few of the millions of talented people making music and chasing their dreams. Give some of these breakout artists a chance; one day, you can say you were a fan before they blew up!

Gil'Anya (she/her) is in her final year at the University of Central Florida and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing with minors in Cinema Studies and Magazine Journalism. This is her second semester as a staff writer for Her Campus. She's passionate about stories in every form, so you can always find her in the theatre, at the movies, or somewhere with headphones on and a book in her hand.