Contemporary dance and electronic music has dramatically changed from its origins. Major cities around the world — including Belgium, Miami, Las Vegas and Chicago — have capitalized on the genre’s popularity within the last decade to hold large electronic music festivals like Tomorrowland, Spring Awakening, Electric Daisy Carnival and Ultra Music Festival, each of which gather  tens of thousands of fans.

But while electronic music continues to serve as a destination experience for many young listeners, electronic music’s origins actually begin within the Black community. Evolving in the 1980s from the cultural decline of disco (another Black genre of music), electronic genres like house (born in Chicago) and techno (born in Detroit) gained footing with a multicultural collection of fans interested in progressing the sounds of the dance floor. 

Although some of the biggest contemporary stars in dance music may be young white men, some of the genre’s most interesting — and diverse — performers are only just emerging right now.

Black artists have continued to push the sound forward, incorporating other genres and elements while staying true to dance music’s roots. In celebration of Black Music Appreciation Month, here are five emerging artists pushing electronic and dance music forward. 

Moore Kismet

Born Omar Davis, Southern California native Moore Kismet is a non-binary and pansexual superstar in-the-making with a progressive sound and message. A musical prodigy, Kismet’s artistic journey began at just 7 years old with a family laptop, a copy of the production software Fruity Loops and a self-taught practice.

Since then, Kismet has released multiple singles and EPs, including "Character" in 2019 and Vendetta for Cupid and Flourish) in 2021. Kismet has racked up major festival appearances, including Lollapalooza and Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, making them the youngest performer at both events. Earlier this year, Kismet collaborated with celebrated singer/songer Tate McRae on the downtempo pseudo-ballad "Parallel Heartbreak." Featuring vocals by singer Pauline Herr, the track is illustrative of Kismet’s unique, pop-leaning sound. Now, at 17 years old, Kismet is set to release their debut album, UNIVERSE, on June 24. 

TSHA

A lot can change in four years. Just look at London-based DJ and producer TSHA (aka Teisha Matthews), who has grown from fledgling musician to celebrated artist since her debut EP, 2018’s Dawn, was released. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise to most listeners.

Matthews’ love of electronic music (and creative drive) began at a young age, with a mother who loved Carl Cox and Skrillex and an older brother who DJed house, garage and jungle. 

As she got older, TSHA began to experiment on her own, eventually creating the moniker TSHA for her charismatic blend of '90s deep house and techno. 

It’s only been up since then, with shoutouts from media darlings like Annie Mac and Zane Lowe, and fellow electronic artists like Bonobo. Last month, Matthews released fabric presents TSHA, a 25-track, house-leaning DJ mix featuring fellow emerging and established artists. Her new single "Boyz," included on the mix is a pleasant tune sure to please most listeners. 

PinkPantheress

PinkPantheress is unafraid to blend genres as disparate as house, garage, R&B and pop. The London-based musician has made a name for herself, especially on social media, among young fans who’ve taken to using her surprisingly hefty and heartfelt songs as the perfect soundtrack to the minutiae of their lives. Early singles "Just a Waste," "Break it Off," and "Pain" went viral on TikTok, with the latter crossing over to the UK Singles Chart, reaching  No. 35. That’s no small feat for a then-unsigned artist.

Since that early success, PinkPantheress has also released her super-short debut mixtape, To Hell With It, which has garnered critical acclaim for its abundance of memorable melodies and her singular, breathy vocals. As an artist on the rise, PinkPantheress is not afraid to stand out from her fellow artists, mixing moods, harmonies and genres with an ease that illuminates her love of electronic music. 

Shygirl

Few artists can "do it all" quite like Shygirl. Born Blane Muise, this English rapper, DJ, singer/songwriter and Nuxxe record label head has quietly worked in the underground, experimental electronic music world establishing her singular brand of music.

Blending elements of house, grime, club and hyperpop, Muise first gained recognition for collaborations with artists such as Arca, Sega Bodega and the late genius Sophie. Since then, she has released two EPs, 2018’s Cruel Practice and 2020’s Alias. This September, she’ll drop her first full-length, Nymph. "Firefly," the first single from the album, is a glitchy yet catchy wonder, perfectly capturing Shygirl’s enduring appeal and a perfect complement for those dreamy long days of summer. 

Doechii

It can take a lot for a musician to break through amongst the glut of distractions, stimuli and content available online. And yet Tampa-born Doechii (a.k.a. Jaylah Hickmon) — who raps and sings — did just that earlier this year with her provocative, groundbreaking music video for the frenetic yet brilliant single "Crazy."

The 3-minute stunner, filled with nudity and violence was a perfect introduction to Doechii’s music, which crosses genres and boundaries with ease. Immediately garnering controversy, the video was banned by YouTube from trending and monetization. "Crazy is about un-contained power, creativity and confidence. People call you crazy when they fear you or they don’t understand you," she said about the track and video on Instagram. "So when I use it in the song, I’m reflecting that energy back on them to show them themselves." 

However, not all of the Top Dawg Entertainment (home of Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Isaiah Rashad) artist’s music is so controversial. Another 2022 single, "Persuasive," has gone viral on TikTok for its uplifting, empowering message. Although she’s already independently released two collections of music, Doechii didn’t garner mainstream attention until the last two years or so, making her forthcoming debut record all the more exciting. 

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Editor's note: This article was updated to include the latest information about Kendrick Lamar's 2024 album release 'GNX,' and up-to-date GRAMMY wins and nominations with additional reporting by Nina Frazier.

When the world crowns you the king of a genre as competitive as rap, your presence — and lack thereof — is palpable. After a five-year hiatus, Kendrick Lamar declaratively stomped back on stage with his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, to explain why the crown no longer fits him.

Two years later, Lamar circles back to celebrate the west on 2024's GNX, a 12-track release that revels in the root of his love for hip-hop and California culture, from the lowriders to the rappers that laid claim to the golden state.

“My baby boo, you either heal n—s or you kill n—s/ Both is true, it take some tough skin just to deal with you” Lamar raps on "gloria" featuring SZA, a track that opines on his relationship with the genre.

The Compton-born rapper (who was born Kendrick Lamar Duckworth) wasn't always championed as King Kendrick. In hip-hop, artists have to earn that moniker, and Lamar's enthroning occurred in 2013 when he delivered a now-infamous verse on Big Sean's "Control."

"I'm Makaveli's offspring, I'm the King of New York, King of the Coast; one hand I juggle 'em both," Lamar raps before name-dropping some of the top rappers of the time, from Drake to J.Cole.

Whether you've been a fan of Lamar since before his crown-snatching verse or you find yourself in need of a crash course on the 37-year-old rapper's illustrious career, GRAMMY.com answers nine questions that will paint the picture of Lamar's more than decade-long reign.

Who Discovered Kendrick Lamar?

Due to the breakthrough success of his Aftermath Entertainment debut (good kid, m.A.A.d city), most people attribute Kendrick Lamar's discovery to fellow Compton legend Dr. Dre. But seven years before Dre's label came calling, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith saw potential in a 16-year-old rapper by the name of K.Dot.

Lamar's first mixtape in 2004 was enough for Tiffith's Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) to offer the aspiring rapper a deal with the label in 2005. However, Lamar would later learn that Tiffith's impact on his life dates back to multiple encounters between his father and the TDE founder, which Lamar raps about in his 2017 track "DUCKWORTH."

How Many Albums Has Kendrick Lamar Released?

Kendrick Lamar has released six studio albums: Section.80 (2011), Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City (2012), To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) DAMN. (2017),Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), and GNX (2024). Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN. received both Rap Album Of The Year and Album Of The Year GRAMMY nominations. 

What Is Kendrick Lamar's Most Popular Song?

Across the board, it's "HUMBLE." The 2017 track is Lamar's only solo No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (he also reached No. 1 status with Taylor Swift on their remix of her 1989 hit "Bad Blood"), and as of press time, "HUMBLE." is also his most-streamed song on Spotify and YouTube.

How Many GRAMMYs Has Kendrick Lamar Won?

As of November 2024, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 57 GRAMMY nominations overall, solidifying his place as one of the most nominated artists in GRAMMY history and the second-most nominated rapper of all time, behind Jay-Z. Five of Lamar's 17 GRAMMY wins are tied to DAMN., which also earned Lamar the status of becoming the first rapper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize.

His most recent wins include three awards at the 2023 GRAMMYs, which included two for his album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and Best Rap Performance for "The Hillbillies" with Baby Keem. 

Does Kendrick Lamar Have Any Famous Relatives?

He has two: Rapper Baby Keem and former Los Angeles Lakers star Nick Young are both cousins of his.

Lamar appeared on three tracks — "family ties," "range brothers" and "vent" — from Keem's debut album, The Melodic Blue. Keem then returned the favor for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, featuring on "Savior (Interlude)" and "Savior" as well as receiving production and writing credits on "N95" and "Die Hard."

Read More: Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Baby Keem On Inspiring Rap's Next Generation, Why "Producer Artists" Are The Best & The Likelihood Of A Kendrick Lamar Collab Album

Why Did Kendrick Lamar Wear A Crown Of Thorns?

Lamar can be seen sporting a crown of thorns on the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album cover. He has sported the look for multiple performances since the project's release.

Dave Free described the striking headgear as, "a godly representation of hood philosophies told from a digestible youthful lens."

Holy symbolism and the blurred line between kings and gods are themes Lamar revisits often on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. He uses lines like "Kendrick made you think about it, but he is not your savior" and songs like "Mirror" to reject the unforeseen, God-like expectations that came with his King of Hip-Hop status.

According to Vogue, the Tiffany & Co. designed crown features 8,000 cobblestone micro pave diamonds and took over 1,300 hours of work by four craftsmen to construct.

Why Did Kendrick Lamar Leave TDE?

After five albums, four mixtapes, one compilation project, an EP, and a GRAMMY-nominated Black Panther: The Album, Kendrick Lamar and Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) confirmed that Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers was the Compton rapper's last project under the iconic West Coast label. 

According to Lamar, his departure was about growth as opposed to any internal troubles. "May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life's calling," Lamar wrote on his website in August 2021. "There's beauty in completion."

TDE president Punch expressed a similar sentiment in an interview with Mic. "We watched him grow from a teenager up into an established grown man, a businessman, and one of the greatest artists of all time," he said. "So it's time to move on and try new things and venture out."

Before Lamar's official exit from TDE, he launched a new venture called pgLang — a multi-disciplinary service company for creators, co-founded with longtime collaborator Dave Free — in 2020. The young company has already collaborated with Cash App, Converse and Louis Vuitton.

Has Kendrick Lamar Ever Performed at The Super Bowl?

Yes, Kendrick Lamar performed in the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles in 2022, alongside fellow rap legends Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem, as well as R&B icon Mary J. Blige. Anderson .Paak and 50 Cent also made special appearances during the star-studded performance. As if performing at the Super Bowl in your home city wasn't enough, the Compton rapper also got to watch his home team, the Los Angeles Rams, hoist the Lombardi trophy at the end of the night.

Three years after his first Super Bowl halftime performance, Lamar will return to headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on Feb. 9, 2025 — just one week after the 2025 GRAMMYs — at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. 

Is Kendrick Lamar On Tour?

Yes. Kendrick Lamar is currently scheduled to hit the road with SZA on the Grand National Tour beginning in May 2025. Lamar concluded The Big Steppers Tour in 2022, where he was joined by pgLang artists Baby Keem and Tanna Leone. The tour included a four-show homecoming at L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena in September 2022, followed by performances in Europe,Australia, and New Zealand through late 2022. 

Currently, there are no upcoming tour dates scheduled, but fans should check back for updates following the release of GNX.

Every year, the GRAMMYs' Best New Artist category acknowledges rising stars who are shaping the future of music through their own artistry. 

Little does it matter if they have just a few singles or 10 studio albums under their belts. The Best New Artist Category is all about highlighting how an act pushes creative boundaries and challenges a saturated industry with outstanding — and sometimes surprising — music.

The Best New Artist nominees for the 2025 GRAMMYs are Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Khruangbin, RAYE, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, and Teddy Swims. Though only one of them will claim the golden gramophone on Feb. 2, 2025, each of these artists are forging bold, inspiring careers ahead. With this well-deserved nomination, the Recording Academy recognizes their efforts and celebrates their success.

Check out the nominees below and read the full 2025 GRAMMYs nominations list ahead of Music's Biggest Night on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. 

Benson Boone

"I feel like things have taken off for me like a firework tied to a rollerblade, all very quickly," Benson Boone told GRAMMY.com upon releasing his debut LP, aptly titled Fireworks & Rollerblades, in April. While it may be a metaphor for his career in 2024, Boone's swift ascent is the result of a promising last few years.

Hailing from Monroe, Washington, he first caught the public's attention during a short stint on season 19 of "American Idol" in 2021. As the 22-year-old built momentum via TikTok, Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds also saw his potential, and promptly signed Benson to his label, Night Street Records, in partnership with Warner Records.

Boone's first hit single, 2021's "Ghost Town," foreshadowed his talent for vulnerable songwriting and catchy piano lines, followed by the release of two EPs in 2022 and 2023. However, his bonafide breakthrough came only in January of this year, with the soaring "Beautiful Things" — a global smash that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and surpassed 1.5 billion streams on Spotify as of press time. Second single "Slow It Down" went similarly viral in March, followed by a sold-out global tour and opening for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in London.

Hence, the release of Fireworks & Rollerblades only cemented what many already knew: Boone is one 2024's definite stars. 

Read more: Benson Boone Declares "Beautiful Things" Is No Fluke: "I've Tapped Into How I'll Write For The Rest Of My Life"

Sabrina Carpenter

"I never had the plan B, and it wasn't even a thought in my mind that it wouldn't work out," Sabrina Carpenter told Rolling Stone back in June. "I just always knew it was about not if it would happen but when it would happen."

The 25-year-old singer was right. 2024 was the year that took Carpenter to the superstardom stratosphere, with three chart-smashing, defining hits — "Espresso," "Please, Please, Please," and "Taste" — a dazzling debut at Coachella, and a tenure opening Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Latin America, Australia and Asia.

But Carpenter's success is hard-earned. A former Disney star, she spent the last decade relentlessly developing her singing and songwriting style. It wasn't until her fifth studio album, 2022's emails i can't send, that she took full creative control over her work and, in turn, found her own artistry; with standout singles "Nonsense" and "Feather," she displayed the witty lyricism and catchy hooks that would become her signature.

When Carpenter's sixth LP, Short n' Sweet, arrived in August, she solidified her status as pop's newest queen. Co-produced by pop savant Jack Antonoff, the album bursts with confidence and charisma, channeling her sassy persona and velvety vocals into timeless earworms.

The album went on to become Carpenter's first No. 1 project in the U.S., and also earned her first Platinum certification. And now, she adds her first GRAMMY nominations to her 2024 feats, and seven at that — hinting that her pop reign will be anything but short n' sweet.

Read more: How Sabrina Carpenter Became A Pop Queen: Tracing Her Journey To 'Short N' Sweet'

Doechii

"Overly cocky, I'm hyper-ambitious/ Me, me, me, me, bitch I'm narcin-assistic/ I am a Black girl who beat the statistics," says Doechii on her first viral single, 2020's "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake." It's a banging introduction to the rapper, who has since signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (home to Isaiah Rashad, SZA and more), released two EPs and three mixtapes, collaborated with the likes of Kodak Black and Katy Perry, supported Doja Cat on tour, and has now earned her first GRAMMY nominations.

Born Jaylah Hickmon in Tampa, Florida, Doechii was a theater kid who wrote poetry before adding beats to her bars. Her music is confessional, irreverent and unapologetic, sourcing her experiences as a Black woman and transmuting them into provocative, empowering anthems — see 2022's "Crazy," whose music video was banned from trending on YouTube due to its violence and nudity content.

But it didn't faze her. The scenes were not for shock value, but to express the hardships that women go through, and to challenge the sexualized gaze over them. After all, as she said in a since-deleted Instagram post, "'Crazy' is about uncontained power, creativity and confidence. People call you crazy when they fear you or they don't understand you. So when I use it in the song, I'm reflecting that energy back on them to show them themselves." 

Doechii has yet to release a debut studio album, but her latest mixtape, August's Alligator Bites Never Heal, is a strong display of her brilliant storytelling and quirky uniqueness. Coupled with the success of her previous releases, Alligator Bites's critical acclaim suggests that the "Swamp Princess" is bound to fly even higher.

Read more: 5 Emerging Artists Pushing Electronic Music Forward: Moore Kismet, TSHA, Doechii & Others

Khruangbin

Khruangbin means airplane in Thai, and there couldn't be a better word to describe the Texan trio. From Middle Eastern scales to Peruvian cumbia, the intercontinental influences within their sound transport listeners around the world. 

Formed by bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, guitarist Mark Speer, and drummer Donald "DJ" Johnson Jr., they first took inspiration in Thai funk from the '60s and '70s, and in 2015 released their debut LP, The Universe Smiles Upon You. Now four albums in, the band has crafted a lush soundscape that can be both nostalgic and avant-garde, familiar and strange. They've entranced fans from Barack Obama to Jay-Z, played at festivals like Coachella and sold out several tours (including two nights at New York's Radio City Music Hall), and collaborated with icons such as Paul McCartney.

For the past four years, Khruangbin focused on their aggregating nature: they put out two EPs with soul singer Leon Bridges (2020's Texas Sun and 2022's Texas Moon), 2022's Ali with Vieux Farka Touré, and a series of 2023 live recordings in partnership with Toro y Moi, Nubya Garcia, and Men I Trust. It was time the trio turned down outside noise, and focused on their own synergy. Khruangbin's latest album, A La Sala ("to the room," in Spanish), arrived in April as a core example of their essence — for the first time, they had no additional collaborators, resulting in a rebirth of their original magic. 

With this return to their roots and their rising popularity, a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist stands as an invite for even more people to dive into their ethereal, exceptional work.

Read more: 5 Songs To Get Into Khruangbin Ahead Of Their New Album 'A La Sala'

RAYE

For seven years, South London singer/songwriter RAYE was kept in the talent basement of Polydor Records, unable to release her debut LP. During that time, she co-penned songs for acts like Beyoncé and Rihanna, released five EPs and a handful of singles, including collaborations with David Guetta and Martin Solveig, but she knew it wasn't half of what she had to offer.

"Imagine this pain. I have been signed to a major label since 2014...and I have had albums on albums of music sat in folders collecting dust," she shared on Twitter back in 2021, reflecting on her situation. "Songs I am now giving away to A-list artists because I am still awaiting confirmation that I am good enough to release an album."

Shortly after that confession, RAYE (whose birth name is Rachel Keen) parted ways with Polydor and became an independent artist. Slowly, she pieced together the riveting songs that formed her hard-fought 2023 debut, My 21st Century Blues. Her resonant voice and raw lyricism earned raving reviews, and the album's lead single, "Escapism" took off — going viral on TikTok, topping the UK Singles Chart, and becoming her first Billboard Hot 100 entry. 

It was a pivotal moment for the now 27-year-old, proving that her intuition and belief in herself paid off. Since then, RAYE has continued to flourish as an artist in her own right, supporting world tours by SZA, Kali Uchis, and Lewis Capaldi, opening for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, and performing at Coachella and Lollapalooza. In March 2024, she made history at the BRIT Awards by securing six trophies — the most for any artist in a single year.

RAYE's latest single, June's "Genesis.," is a seven-minute epic that she described in a statement as "a prayer and a plea and a cry for help." Its three-act structure and straightforward, relatable lyrics suggest a newfound confidence — and with RAYE's first GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist in tow, the sky's the limit for her next chapter.

Read more: Watch RAYE Open Up About Her Prized Songwriting Notebook | It Goes To 11

Chappell Roan

Credited by many for infusing pop music with a much-needed dose of fun, Missouri-born singer Chappell Roan laced 2024 with her enthusiasm, flair and unabashed sexuality. However, the path to this moment wasn't easy — and is reflected in her 2023 debut album's title, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

Roan first signed with Atlantic Records in 2015 at just 17, but the label didn't find her profitable enough; by 2020, she was dropped from their roster. Coupled with the breakup of a four-year relationship and a brief return to her parents' house, Roan found herself in a slump. Yet, she pulled herself up, moved to Los Angeles, and finally started working independently on music that she was proud of.

Born Kayleigh Amstutz, the singer describes Chappell Roan as a "larger-than-life, drag queen version of myself," who allows her to embrace her queer identity and sexuality, as well as dealing with the hardships of being a woman. Her glittery, campy world is DIY by design, all-inclusive and genuine, prompting a devoted cult fan base that was eager to spread her truth to the mainstream.

It was only a matter of time until that happened. She signed with Island and Amusement Records in early 2023 to release the effervescent Midwest Princess, but refused to compromise her artistic vision or creative control — and her commitment to authenticity resonated.

After starting 2024 by opening for Olivia Rodrigo on the sold-out GUTS World Tour, Roan went on to draw mind-blowing (if not record-breaking) crowds at Coachella, Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits festivals thanks to her rapidly increasing allure. Roan's follow-up single, "Good Luck, Babe!," bolstered her to even greater heights (including 2025 GRAMMY nods for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance) and helped Midwest Princess reach its biggest sales week a full year after its release — ultimately securing her place as one of pop's most promising stars.

Read more: Chappell Roan's Big Year: The 'Midwest Princess' Examines How She Became A Pop "Feminomenon"

Shaboozey

"They say it takes 10 years to have an overnight success, and it's true," Shaboozey told GRAMMY.com in May. The 29-year-old Nigerian-American born Collins Chibueze knows it firsthand: his first single, "Jeff Gordon," came out in 2014, but he's only now seeing the fruits of his hard work a full decade later.

It all started in March, with Beyoncé's trailblazing COWBOY CARTER, where Shaboozey's two guest features — "SPAGHETTII" and "SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN" — left listeners craving for more. Fortunately, there was plenty to discover. Since "Jeff Gordon," Shaboozey signed to Republic Records and released his 2018 debut, Lady Wrangler, followed by 2022's Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die, via EMPIRE. (According to Spotify, Shaboozey's catalog streams increased by 1,350 percent after the release of COWBOY CARTER.)

Just six weeks later, Shaboozey had another breakthrough moment. His single "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" dethroned Beyoncé's "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" for the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot Country chart. But that was far from where the song's success stopped. Along with topping charts around the world and helping Shaboozey become the first male Black artist to be No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts simultaneously, "A Bar Song" has notched 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 as of press time — just one week away from breaking the record for the longest run this decade.

Though "A Bar Song" undoubtedly put Shaboozey on the map as an artist in his own right, his third album Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going showed he's more than a smash hit. With his distinctive mix of country, Americana, and hip-hop, as well as lyrics that lay bare a journey through heartbreak and depression, he snagged a No. 5 debut on the Billboard 200 album chart. Now, with a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist, Shaboozey is poised to reach even wider audiences.

Read more: Shaboozey On His New Album, Beyoncé & Why He'll Never Be A "Stereotypical" Artist

Teddy Swims

"I don't want to swallow my insecurities. I don't have to wait until I feel like I'm worthy of love to put myself out there," Teddy Swims told GRAMMY.com upon the release of his 2023 debut, I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1). It's rare to find a man so emotionally open, but that's one of the factors that makes the Georgia native so special — that, and his arrestingly powerful, soulful voice.

After starting out on YouTube in 2019, Swims (born Jaten Dimsdale) signed with Warner Records and put out four EPs, gradually emerging as one of the most compelling vocalists of his generation. His true breakthrough came in June 2023 with the bellowing hit "Lose Control," which earned him a first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and a swarm of new fans who were entranced by his music.

The track featured on I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1), which expanded on the lyrical vulnerability and stirring sounds of "Lose Control" and spawned another pop hit with "The Door." Keeping his promise of a Part 2, Swims dropped a sneak peek with I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1.5) in April, and just announced that Part 2 will arrive on Jan. 24, 2025.

Will Teddy Swims be celebrating a GRAMMY win just after celebrating his next album release? Tune into the 2025 GRAMMYs on Feb. 2 to find out!

Read more: Teddy Swims Is Letting Himself Be Brutally Honest On 'I've Tried Everything But Therapy'

When TSHA was 21 and struggling with depression, she had a vivid nightmare that she fell through a frozen lake and sank to the bottom. The striking imagery and heavy emotions of the dream stuck with her over the years, even as she pulled herself out of that dark period. 

On the cover of her soon-to-be-released sophomore album, Sad Girl, TSHA revisits the frozen lake. This time, she's floating triumphantly above it, lounging like a glittering goddess atop a small iceberg. (She posed on actual ice for the stunning Theirry Mugler-inspired shot.)

Out Sept. 27, Sad Girl is the soundtrack to the in-demand British DJ/producer born Teisha Matthews' coming of age in the small, mostly-white town of Fareham. She's come a long way from her difficult teen years thinking she'd never make it out of her hometown, but the album brings her back to that bedroom, where she found solace and escape in the radio. 

In spite of its name (a wink at emo MSN screen names), the album is overall upbeat, optimistic and rich with TSHA's intricate productions. With a healthy dose of '90s and '00s dance music, R&B and pop, TSHA deftly  transmutes these formative sonic influences into modern dance pop bops, filled with reminders to her younger self that it's going to be OK.

Read more: 5 Emerging Artists Pushing Electronic Music Forward: Moore Kismet, TSHA, Doechii & Others

"Girls" is an electro bop celebrating the healing power of going out with your girlfriends, while the sweeping instrumentation that opens "Green" evokes the triumph of Cher's 1998 classic "Believe." On "Green," "In The Night" and “Fight” TSHA debuts her own vocals, further proof that she's really come into her own as an artist at the forefront of emotive dance music

TSHA has received countless accolades for her music, which she debuted in 2018 with the self-released Dawn EP. Since then, she's played nearly every major club and festival on the global DJ circuit, been named MusicTech's 2022 Producer of the Year and BBC Radio 1's first-ever "Future Artist" in 2021, gracing the covers of dance imprints Mixmag and DJ Mag, and winning the latter's Best of British Awards Best Album for her debut album *Capricorn Sun.

Amidst a never-ending DJ schedule, TSHA has  found more balance and presence. She makes   time to do something outside of her hotel in every city she plays and is focused on self-care and  the things she can control instead of external validation. A move from London to sunny Ibiza — where she's a regular at DC-10, Hï and other major clubs — eight months ago has also lifted her spirits. The resulting Sad Girl not only provides immersive sonic healing, but shows  TSHA standing in her artistic power as someone equally at home serving up euphoric dance pop bangers and introspective electro R&B.

GRAMMY.com sat down with TSHA to explore the nostalgic club soundscape on Sad Girl, the magic of Ellie Goulding's songwriting and voice, finding peace in an in-demand schedule, and more.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

The press release for Sad Girl says the album embraces the genres that you've always been interested in. I hear '90s rave, '00s pop and R&B — could you speak to some of the sonic inspirations on this album? 

I was thinking about stuff that was on when I was growing up; things on MTV, on "Top of the Pops," on the radio. I didn't really have a lot of CDs or anything growing up, it was more like you just got what was given to you… like Craig David, JoJo, drum and bass, Massive Attack, and a bit of house music because my brother was a DJ. Then there was Cher's "Believe" — I'll always remember that because I recorded it on tape on a ghettoblaster when I was a kid. 

It's all those little sounds and things that are very nostalgic for me and remind me of that period — an amalgamation of the bits and bobs that seeped into my consciousness growing up — and that bring me back to that place when I hear them. That is the base of the sounds of the album. 

What emotions came up for you going back to that childhood place? Was there any healing you felt in making an album dedicated to that time of your life? 

Yeah. I had quite a lot going on when I was growing up; there was so much change happening in my house. I was quite a sad girl. I still am really, at the core, a terrible emo. [The album] brings me back to moments in that time where I was going through stuff, and that's why I ended up calling it Sad Girl, because [this type of music] was the soundtrack to my younger self into my teenage angst period. These were the things that I would sing along to. 

It did bring up a lot of stuff, and it was actually a bit healing because I've come such a long way. I would have never imagined being where I am now — that seemed impossible when I was that age — [even] that I would make it out of my hometown, full stop. We weren't very well off growing up, so [I couldn't imagine] actually being able to go on holiday, to go on a plane. It was healing because I went through all these emotions and thoughts of being a sad girl thinking that I was never going to get out, but I did.

The album art is inspired by a dream you had when you were younger about being trapped in an icy lake — but in the photo you're looking iconic on top of the ice. I was thinking of that visual when you were describing getting out of your hometown; can you talk about the dream and reimagining it as triumphant in the photo? 

I had that dream when I was 21, which was the worst period of my life. I was at my lowest and everything bad that could happen had happened. I was in this dark hole and I had this very bad dream. That dream always stuck with me because it was so realistic and it felt like it actually happened. 

When I was thinking about doing the artwork and being a sad girl, I thought back to that dream. I wanted to have a positive spin of I've come out the water and I'm on the ice and I've pulled myself out. I also wanted it, obviously, to look cool. I was like, I want real ice. I will lie on this iceberg. [Chuckles.] It was freezing.

I love the energy of "Girls" with Rose Gray. What were the sonic inspirations on that track and the energy you're capturing on it?

The inspiration was 2000s electro. I was thinking about that period when I was a teenager coming into a young adult, when I could go out. That was the music that was popping off then. I wasn't club clubbing back then, but I remember seeing videos of Ibiza and that was kind of the sound; it feels like that's the last time Ibiza was really, really fun, when electro came out. [Laughs.] All the clubs were fun and phones only had s— cameras, so people didn't have their phones out, they were dancing. I wanted to make a fun electro track because I just loved that period.

Rose was perfect for it because she's kind of camp and a lot of fun. We wanted to make a sort of Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" vibes as a positive start to the album. I didn't want the album to be doom and gloom, and I wanted a positive message. So this [song represents] that coming into an adult period when you're going out, you're strutting your stuff, getting ready to go out with the girls.

I also love the album's next track, "In The Night." I feel euphoria on that one as well, and maybe more of a '90s rave sound. Can you talk about that one as well?

It's mainly inspired by trance. That was another massive sound that was around when I was a teenager, maybe a bit younger. We had DJ Sammy and loads of stuff coming out of Europe, like Euro dance. I thought night clubbing was going to be like that when I turned 18 — loads of lasers and everyone is dancing to euphoric trance. It turns out it wasn't like that, but that was where the sound [inspiration] came from.

It's one of the first tracks I'm singing on. I'm a night owl, even before I became a DJ I would be up late by myself, overthinking. When I was writing the song, I started thinking, Oh, I'm always fighting myself in the night. It turned into a bit more of a fun dance track in the end.

How did you start that track?

I took the string instrument from another song, it was either "Can't Dance" or "Fight" and I used that to start it. I did that in a few songs, where I took something from one song and used it to start the next song to kick it off and also to make it a bit more cohesive with similar sounds in each song. I watched something about someone else doing that [technique].

What did it feel like bringing your vocals onto this album? Were you nervous or just kind of feeling like Why not?

A bit of both, to be honest. Working with other singers, you kind of lose control over the lyrical content and the meaning of a song and stuff like that. I wanted to bring even more of myself into the music, so the logical path to do that would be for me to be singing and writing.

It felt good, actually. I managed to get three songs where I'm singing lyrics I wrote that have meaning to me directly. No one else has had their own influence over those words or what they mean. I hope to do more of [that]. 

When you go into a session with a vocalist, are you typically bringing a track that's more or less finished or are you just coming in with some ideas and sounds? 

I usually prefer to have a track, so I know what I want, and then I ask them to do something in that direction. With Rose [on "Girls"], I knew what I wanted and she got it, so we fell on the same page. Sometimes, I might take something someone else has written that I've come across and like how it sounds. Then I can build the track around it, rather than the other way around, which is easier for me because then it's less managing a person. Ideally, that's why I want to sing more because if I can just do it all myself, then it'll make my life easier and allow me to be more creative.

On the non-album single "Somebody" you worked with two legendary vocalists, Ellie Goulding and Gregory Porter. What did working with them feel like for you? And as a producer, how were you able to make sure that both of their voices worked together on the track?

That was a great experience. I wrote that in the studio with Ellie. It's amazing when you work with someone that's been around for a long time that's at the top of songwriting, you realize how much of a league above they are. Her ability to come up with something genius really quickly is insane. And her vocals are always flawless from the moment she opens her mouth.

We were in a session all day; we just talked for hours, completely unrelated to music, and then related to music. The song was written in the last hour. Ellie and I bonded over suffering from anxiety, so the song extended around some anxieties that she was going through at the time and I could totally relate. And it was inspired a lot by Massive Attack, those trip-hop sounds.

Gregory came on later as we were looking for a male vocalist. It was really a shame because he said he would have liked to have written a verse, but I didn't know that until the song came out. I love the song very much.  

Do you have any other dream collabs that you would love to make happen? 

I've always wanted to work with FKA twigs, I'm a big fan. The people I would collaborate with has changed; now I prefer to find new people. I find that fun and more interesting. I also like the idea of helping people by shining a light on a newer sound and singers. I guess it's the DJ in me. When I'm DJing, I want to find a song that no one else has played. 

How do you choose who to work with and how do you find them? And what parameters do you have for someone that would be a good vocalist for you to work with? 

There isn't really a parameter in terms of sound, it's more about uniqueness and tone and stuff like that. Ingrid [Witt, featured on "Azaleas" and "Drive"] emailed me from a post on Instagram [asking for singers to reach out]. Loads of really good singers came through; she just happened to have one of the quickest responses and she had the most unique voice as well. She gave me Kate Bush vibes, a little bit of Robyn, and her lyrical content was beautiful. 

I like when people send me stuff. My promo email is in my bio on Instagram, so anyone can send me music. I've gotten loads of great DJ tracks that aren't signed or no one else is playing through that. Obviously, I have to go through a lot of emails, and sometimes there's a lot of things that shouldn't be sent to me, but there's always little gems. 

We last spoke two years ago about Capricorn Sun, where you said you really just wanted to be happy and find more balance between time on the road and at home. Have you found more balance or has your life gotten crazier since then?

 I'm not sure really, because after the album, I was like, Next year I'm gonna slow down, I'm gonna be a bit more chill. It wasn't more chill, I had about the same [number of] gigs, if not more. But I feel like I changed a little bit; I don't know what happened, but my anxiety decreased, so it made these things easier. That year before the album and just after the album, I was at my wit's end, really exhausted and touring felt really difficult. After that period, touring got better and I started to enjoy it more.  

That wasn't from doing less, though, I think that was from changing my mindset a little bit and being more grateful, trying to shift away from the negative side of things and worrying less about doing well. You're always being judged when you're releasing music, so when you focus on where you're at all the time, it's really hard. I'm trying to just be happy in where I'm at. Some people will like the album, some people won't and I guess that's just life. These are things I'm not in control of. I've been trying to learn to not worry about these things because these are all decided by other people. All I could do is what I did; I made the music, I'm happy with it, and I show up at my gigs and do my best. I'm trying to focus on that.  

What have felt like the biggest career highlights for you so far? 

I used to say signing to Ninja Tune was my biggest highlight. I went on autopilot for quite a while, so anything that happened in that period I didn't really let myself acknowledge. I feel like now if something really sick happens, I'd be super happy. I'd actually celebrate it this time. I will feel them now. Bless me with something good, I'm ready.

On that note, what's something that would feel like a dream come true for you if it happened?

There're a few ones. Having a proper big club residency in Ibiza would be amazing. Winning some award — it doesn't even matter what it is — for the album would be nice. I guess you don't need awards, but it's nice when you get one because you feel people actually did take notice of your work. 

This isn't music [-related], but if I buy a house in Ibiza that's got all the cool s— I want in it; my dream house with a roof terrace, then I'll be happy. It won't matter if my music does well because I've got this house in Ibiza. [Laughs.]

In the early 1990s, a bombastic new type of music was emerging in the underground Black British scene of London. Jungle was a frantic mixture of breakbeats and reggae featuring fast beats that splintered into myriad directions, interspersed with vocal samples.

Thanks to pirate radio stations, jungle saturated the streets of London’s predominantly Black, working-class neighborhoods. Jungle was a sound of escapism, celebration, community, crafted by the children of immigrants of post-war Britain.

Junglist historian Julia Toppin notes in her essay "Tech, Language and Riddim: From Jungle to UK Drill" that jungle "snatched bites from young Black Britain’s sonic palette of genres: reggae, hip-hop, pop, house, soul, RnB, groove, punk, jazz, folk, and classical," with artists like Goldie, Shy FX, A Guy Called Gerald, General Levy leading the scene. By the latter part of the decade, jungle offshoots like drum and bass gained prominence, causing the jungle scene to gradually fade into the background.

Today, a new generation of UK musicians are waking up the scene — a revival spearheaded by queer individuals and women of color. As contemporary junglist Nia Archives told GRAMMY.com, jungle is "anything over a breakbeat" — it simply refuses to conform: "The breaks have so much room to go in whatever direction you want. You can go really heavy, or you can go really light and atmospheric," she said.

It’s a flexibility that she takes full advantage of across her releases. Nia Archives layers  beats with everything from pensive, thoughtful lyrics and RnB melodies ("Cards on the Table", "So Tell Me"), to rave abandon ("Baianá", "Forbidden Feelingz", "Unfinished Business")

Nia Archives is taking her debut album, Silence is Loud on the road, stopping at summer festivals including Chicago’s Lollapalooza before touring the U.S. in the fall. She is one of many contemporary jungle artists boldly experimenting with unrestrained beats, earth-shaking basslines and intricate percussive patterns to breathe new life into the pulsating rave scene.

Here are seven other artists who are bringing jungle back.

Former Mixmag photographer SHERELLE gained widespread attention after a 2019 Boiler Room viral set, followed by the release of "JUNGLE TEKNAH" in 2021, which layers piano house chords onto jungle beats. Her latest single, "Henry’s Revenge," features ethereal synths over dramatic bass drops.

Fresh from a completely sold-out international tour, SHERELLE will play a New York Boiler Room set on July 14, alongside Afrobeats star Amaarae and UK rapper Giggs. 

One of the slickest in the game, Sully is a pioneer of today’s revival and has been on the scene since 2005. His beats are methodical, with tight percussion flawlessly mixed into hours of ecstatic jungle harmony. On 2024 single "Nights", he teams up with jazz singer Sâlo to create a dreamy and contemplative dancefloor meditation.

He continues to inject energy into the club, with massive sets featuring the likes of grime MC Flowdan and B2B’s with fellow junglist Tim Reaper, and is playing several UK festival slots over summer.   

GROVE harnesses jungle’s unmatched energy to voice political despair. "The stinking rich families, you know how they anger me," they spat on last year’s single "Stinkin Rich," where trippy beats erupt into a heavily distorted chorus.

Their 2022 breakout hit, "Feed My Desire," is sensual, with hushed whispers and soft verses underscored by blaring basslines, demonstrating GROVE's mastery of mood — ranging from rage to seduction.

PinkPantheress didn’t come up through a club or rave scene, by anonymously uploading songs to TikTok, which she made in her bedroom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her sped-up vocals and luscious hooks nodded to the heyday of 2000s UK Garage (UKG) (a jungle offshoot), quickly drumming up a viral following online.

Last year, the 23-year-old broke into the U.S. thanks to the massive UKG track "Boys A Liar pt 2" featuring Ice Spice, which now has over 200 million views on YouTube. A lover of throwback genres and a fan of jungle veterans like Shy FX, PinkPanthress combines breakbeats with pop melodies and emo guitar riffs, a delicious mix that’s made her one of Gen-Z’s fastest-rising pop stars.

Tim Reaper is a London native who has pushed the jungle revival for over a decade. His music includes reggae-influenced ragga samples (one of jungle's key influences), chill synths, and can go both hard and soft.  

In 2020, Tim Reaper launched club night Future Retro to showcase London’s budding scene. However, the pandemic lockdown led the event to morph into a new-skool jungle record label that highlights some of the genre's hottest artists, including Sully, Mantra, and Decibella.

London-based DJ Shy One has been making music since she was a teenager, coming up through the ranks as a selector on legendary Hackney-based online radio NTS Radio.  

Her music is shaped by grime, soul, house and jungle, and she’s taking her versatile sets to a handful of European festivals this summer. Her latest single, "Gyallis Spiral," combines rubbery bass lines and scattered synths, giving it a uniquely hyper-futuristic, spacey feel.

LCY is an artist and owner of the experimental label S7NS7N whose music is, by design,  indescribable. Their tracks are leftfield and surreal; the mere act of listening is an out-of-body experience.

Their 2023 EP He Hymns is a celestial exploration of club music hinged on breakbeats, heavy bass, disorientating drops and haunting vocals. You’re not sure what’s going on, but jungle is one of the many genres that form a kaleidoscope of their mind-bending sounds.