With the power of Shazam’s predictive data and the expertise of Apple Music’s global editorial team combined, Fast Forward is a uniquely reliable pulse-check on the most exciting artists across the globe. Last year, Shazam’s Fast Forward 2025 class saw a 67% average increase in Shazam discoveries year-over-year, and collectively, their radio spins increased by 70% compared to the year prior. Moreover, 12 of those artists more than doubled their total number of Shazam discoveries last year, while 14 artists celebrated their all-time daily peak in Shazam discoveries.

 

On Apple Music, those same artists saw their collective Apple Music plays rise by over 100% year-over-year, with 80% of the 2025 class increasing their total plays. In addition, 46% of last year’s picks saw a year-over-year increase of more than 100% on Apple Music. 

 

This year, we have a diverse and eclectic mix of artists hailing from countries all over the globe—including Norway, Cuba, and India—and delivering sounds across genres like música mexicana, French pop, and Afrobeats.

 

Read on for an in-depth breakdown of seven of this year’s picks—and head to Shazam to see the full list of 65. Listen to the Shazam Fast Forward 2026 playlist on Apple Music.

 

The Travis Mills Show will also spotlight the class of 2026 with exclusive interviews airing throughout the week. First up is Alessi Rose, who joins Travis to discuss her career and what it means to be part of Shazam Fast Forward 2026—key quotes are available below (credit: Apple Music). Listen to the full interview HERE, and tune in to The Travis Mills Show daily on Apple Music 1 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET for more conversations with this year's class.

 

 

 

Derby, UK

 

A catchy, shape-shifting sound that runs the gamut of pop styles and eras.

 

“First Original Thought”

 

After making her initial splash on Shazam with her debut EP rumination as ritual in 2024, Alessi returned in 2025 with her latest EP, Voyeur. Propelled by the standout single “First Original Thought,” which climbed up to No. 22 on the UK Shazam charts, Alessi’s year was capped off with an all-time peak on Shazam. 

 

Thanks to an initial wave of momentum from her 2024 single “oh my,” Alessi has been on an upward trend and hasn’t looked back since. Along with a 120% surge in plays between May 16 and 22 that followed the release of her single “Same Mouth,” Alessi went on to have her best year yet on Apple Music in 2025, with her total plays growing 440% year-over-year.

 

I feel very honored, it's super fun. I always love being on these lists because to me everything feels so fresh and new. I mean, I just had a crazy year in 2025 and I'm still at home right now, but I'm kind of getting buzzed for the next year. And I feel like when people have hope and promise in you, it's nice because I have that faith in myself, but it's always fun when people are excited for you.

 

I'm really excited for new things this year. I mean, the last year I just had was constant touring, opening for Dua Lipa and Tate [McRae] and I did two headline tours last year, which is kind of a crazy, everyone's like, where do you have time? When do you sleep? And I'm like, I don't need to sleep yet. 

This next year, it's kind of nice to get into a studio and write, which I will be in the next few days, for the first time in honestly months. I write loads on my own in my room, but to actually be in with the synths as it were, it's kind of nice to just have access to a person and be able to say, let's make something cool. 

 

It was a very tongue-in-cheek, literal song, which is quite funny. I was in like a last-minute session with Blake [Slatkin] and Amy [Allen] and I'd walked in, I'd had a text from a guy that I'd been dating like a year before that and just like silence, crickets. And this one day I got this text seeking some form of closure being like, can we meet? Can we chat? I was like, I walked into the session like reading the text and I was like, it's so weird. It's been like 11 months. He should have a new girlfriend by now. I was being really melodramatic about it. And I'd said this like offhand phrase like, his first original thought ever and it was that he missed me and he should have realized that honestly like eight months ago. And we all laughed and Amy was like, no, that's the song. That's it. That's what we need to do. And we wrote the chorus first and it was this idea of him literally gaining sentience for the first time, gaining autonomy, being like, wow, I am a man that has thoughts and I've had my first original thought like a caveman, and it's that I miss Alessi and it was just a funny, it was we were laughing the whole time we were writing that song, which is why it brings me so much joy that it's resonated with people and people enjoy it, because it was just us having a funny little time.

 

Some people look at an arena tour and it's such an operation that some people are like, whoa, this is like a lot. Bring back the kind of like intimacy you get with a smaller show. And for me, I'm like, make it bigger. I think the nice thing I'm like, no, let's roll out the arenas and the stadiums. I think there is something really special about an artist like Tate who manages to even while she's playing to a completely full arena and she's looking like a pop star and she's dancing and she's singing, she still manages to have these moments of connection with her fans and her audience that make it feel like at that moment in time, it could be a tiny room where she's just like with you. I think that's a really special thing that an artist can do and that's what I've always wanted to be able to do. And it's those kind of shows that you look at and it's like a huge pop show. It’s artful, but it's also a really amazing experience for those fans who are so invested in that person. So I guess I'm just really excited for the prospect of that for me in the future and that's what I'm always going to be aiming towards. But it's also nice to be around an artist who's so hard-working and really puts her all into everything because that's what I've always wanted to be and that's how I always kind of tend to put myself forward like that. So it's nice to be around her who is so clearly like giving it everything she has.

 

 

Harlem, New York

 

A laid-back, genre-blurring mix of hip-hop, R&B, and indie pop.

 

“Regista Gyal” (with Opraah)

 

Sparked by the release of his debut album Liim Lasalle Loves You in September and its single “For the Both of Us,” Brooklyn-via-Harlem rapper Liim landed on Shazam’s emerging artist radar for the first time last year. Despite having his best Shazam month ever in September, his best day ever was back in June, with most fans discovering his single “Older Than Me.” 

 

After announcing his arrival in recent years with singles like “Pupils” and “Regista Gyal,” Liim also saw a significant spike and uplift on Apple Music in September, with “For The Both Of Us” serving as the catalyst. Compared to 2024, Liim saw his Apple Music plays grow by over 150% in 2025.

 

 

Bray, Ireland

 

A throwback sound steeped in ’90s grunge and alt-rock. 

 

“Goodnight” 

 

While their 2022 single “Another Seventeen” garnered them buzz in their native Ireland, indie pop quartet Florence Road began generating global buzz in 2025 after releasing an EP and a string of singles. The band now count the US, UK, and Australia as their Top 3 countries for Shazam discoveries. 

 

Opening for the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, sombr, and Wolf Alice on their respective world tours has helped Florence Road’s fanbase blossom in 2025. In particular, the release of standout singles like “Heavy,” “Goodnight,” and the Daniel Nigro-produced “Caterpillar” were a big reason why their year-over-year plays on Apple Music skyrocketed by more than 1600% in 2025. 

 

 

Alexander City, Alabama

 

A potent Southern blend of country, soul, blues, folk, and rock. 

 

“Sexbomb (from the Film ‘The Wrong Paris’)”

 

First popping up on Shazam’s radar in 2024 with his singles “After Me?” and “Who Hurt You,” Kashus Culpepper took a big leap forward in 2025 when his song “Sexbomb” was featured on the soundtrack for the rom-com The Wrong Paris and became the singer-songwriter’s first entry on Shazam’s US country chart at No. 69. 

 

Following the release of singles like “Man of his Word,” and “Jenni,” Kashus watched his Apple Music plays swell in late February and early March, riding that wave of momentum through the rest of 2025. Compared to 2024, Kashus has increased his Apple Music plays by more 210% in 2025, boosted by a 32% surge between August 22 and 28 when he released his single “Believe.”

 

 

Lagos, Nigeria

 

A smoldering Afrobeats sound that delivers smooth rhythms and lyrical depth in equal measure. 

 

“Calculate”

 

Although he made his first moves on Shazam in 2022 with his single “Mindset,” Kidd Carder leveled up in 2025 with his hit “Calculate.” Not only did it reach No. 2 on the Nigeria Shazam chart (and spend over a month in the Top 10), the song has landed on the Shazam charts in seven African nations and cracked Shazam’s Global Top 200 in June. 

 

Among this year’s Fast Forward class, Kidd is one of the fastest-rising artists on Apple Music. The Afrobeats artist gained traction early in the year when plays of his single “Call My Name” spiked by nearly 350% between March 21 and 27, and in 2025, his total plays have skyrocketed by more than 2350% year-over-year. But he’s also made his presence felt on the charts, with “Calculate” charting in 14 different African countries and breaking through to the Top 50 of Nigeria’s Daily Top 100 in July. 

 

 

Seoul, South Korea

 

A next-gen K-pop sound with elements of hip-hop, indie rock, and electronic. 

 

“GO!” 

 

CORTIS’ rapid climb up the Shazam charts was about as close to overnight success as it gets, with the boy band debuting in August, reaching No. 1 on the South Korea chart in September (“GO!”), and landing two songs in the Top 10 of the Global K-Pop chart in October (“GO!” and “FaSHioN”). 

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

A sleek, trap-infused spin on urbano. 

 

“IA”

 

After making a splash across Latin America in 2024 with songs like “Sport+” and “Casamigos,” Clarent had an even bigger year in 2025. Not only did he reach No. 41 on the Shazam Latin chart with the Omar Courtz-assisted “Scatpack,” he also signaled his global appeal, with “LOVE” entering the Top 10 of Spain’s national Shazam chart.

 

Following the late-2024 success of his single “IA”—which landed in the Top 10 in the Dominican Republic and Panama and reached No. 1 in Spain—Clarent returned to the charts with “Scatpack” in August and rode its success to his best-ever month on Apple Music. He also significantly grew his audience in 2025, more than doubling his total plays on Apple Music year-over-year.