Artists To Watch: The Next Wave Of Pop Girlies

By Kyla Lemieux

The music industry is constantly evolving and changing, and with it each year a new round of artists find their way to stardom. Here is a list of four artists to keep an eye out for in 2026.

1. Audrey Hobert

Audrey Hobert (born February 19, 1999) released her first single, “Sue Me” , on May 9, 2025, and ever since she has been climbing what she would call a “staircase to stardom.” Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Hobert was surrounded by the entertainment industry her entire life, with her father, Tim Hobert, being a Hollywood writer and producer and her brother, Malcolm Todd, a well-acclaimed singer and songwriter. Even before Hobert found personal success with her own music, she was widely known as the co-writer and close friend of pop singer Gracie Abrams, whose career skyrocketed after the release of her first album, Good Riddance, and her run of shows opening for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour in 2023. While Abrams was creating her second album, The Secret of Us, in 2024, Hobert contributed her own writing to about half the songs on the album, bringing attention to her name in the pop music community.

On August 15, 2025, Hobert released her debut album, Who’s The Clown?, which found immediate success. The mixture of her comedically-stated, meticulously thought out lyrics and her catchy, stuck-in-your-head-all-day type of melodies make for a perfect, fun, satisfying pop song. While her lyrics are often speaking to extremely specific, personal anecdotes, the way she uses her words to make each song feel like a stand-up comedy show make her lyrics almost painfully relatable.

Whether she releases her sophomore album in the new year or waits to let Who’s The Clown? find even more success, there’s no denying that 2026 will be the year of Audrey Hobert, and everyone, pop music fan or not, should make sure to remember her name before the entire world does, which seems inevitable.

2. Sienna Spiro 

British singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro (born September 25, 2005) has a voice that can only be described as a powerhouse. With the release of her EP SINK NOW, SWIM LATER on February 21, 2025, she cemented her place as possibly one of the most dynamic vocalists of the generation, and once her single “Die On This Hill”  released in October of 2025, her rise to stardom began. Despite already having two singles (“Maybe” and “You Stole The Show”) to hit the charts overseas, “Die On This Hill” marked her first hit in the United States and Canada, peaking at number 69 on the U.S. charts and number 67 on the Canadian charts. Since then, her name has been one constantly mentioned by music enthusiasts, with the release of her debut album being highly anticipated.

Though Spiro’s breakthrough didn’t come until 2025, she has had multiple viral videos on TikTok, which showcased her singing both covers and original songs. She first began writing music when she was only 10 years old, and says that music has been a huge part of her life ever since. She lists iconic jazz artists such as Etta James and Frank Sinatra as early inspirations for her, and says that this type of music helped to shape her well–established current sound which mixes jazzy music with more hip-hop influences.

With the prospect of a debut album on the horizon, Sienna Spiro shows real potential as one of the next big acts in the music industry, especially when highlighting the fact that her music does not conform to one individual genre, creating a fresh, unique sound.

3. Alessi Rose 

Over the past year, Alessi Rose (born October 27, 2002) has gone from a hardly known artist to one of the most beloved up-and-coming artists of 2025, and it seems inevitable that 2026 will be the year that she finally secures her place as one of the main pop girls. Residing in London, Rose has recently found success in not just England, but globally. She released her first single, “Say Ur Mine”, in June of 2023 and has been releasing music consistently ever since. After the release of her debut EP, Rumination as Ritual, on July 3, 2024, she began building a devoted fan base, but her second EP release, For Your Validation (January 17, 2025) is when things really got started for her. Shortly after finishing her own tour, she embarked on a string of shows supporting Dua Lipa on her UK tour, introducing an even bigger audience to her music. Then, on July 25, 2025, she released her third EP, entitled Voyeur. It was with this release that listeners realized her true destiny: pop princess status. In the late summer and fall of 2025, Rose continued her acceleration in the industry by opening for Tate McRae on the second half of the U.S. leg of the Miss Possessive Tour. When fans began to notice the arenas being almost completely filled for Rose’s opening set, it became clear that she was finally finding her way to the top. In the fall of 2025 she also landed her first high charting single, “First Original Thought”, which hit number 8 on the NZ Hot 100.

I know I’m far from the only music enthusiast who is well aware of the upcoming industry domination of Alessi Rose. Set for Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter level success, 2026 is the year that we will likely watch Alessi Rose take control of pop music.

4. Ella Red

Ella Red (born September 3, 2003) has undeniable star power. When describing an artist, people typically focus on genre, but with Ella Red, this is practically impossible. While many categorize her in an alternative or indie genre, her music pulls inspiration from pop, rock, and electronic styles. While artists are often compared to others, Red is one whose songs can only be compared to her own work.

Red made her debut with the song “Damsel in Distress” in 2022, but success found her the next year. After releasing the single “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” in 2023, her fandom began to grow. The song began to get airplay on alternative radio stations around the US, and her social media following started rising rapidly, earning her new listeners each day.

In 2024, Red released “I Like You Best”, which has become her most known song to date. The single gained large popularity on Instagram, proving the power that social media has, especially for up-and-coming artists. Since then, she has released a few more singles for her upcoming album, It’s Not Real, which is slated for release on January 23, 2026.

Whether you’re a pop fan, an indie listener, or anything in between, the quickly approaching release of Ella Red’s debut album is absolutely worth a listen. The combination of her dark-yet-charming lyrics, her pink babydoll dresses -a visual contradiction to her sonic style- and her engaging stage presence makes Ella Red’s arrival to the music industry impossible to ignore.