SXSW is the ultimate exercise in tradeoffs. Do you sleep in after a night of venue-hopping or wake up early to catch a mid-morning set? Do you queue for the A-List popstar playing an intimate venue or venture out in search of the industry’s next big thing? Do you take the time to listen to the entire SXSW lineup in preparation, or wing it in the hopes of serendipitously stumbling into greatness?
Fortunately for you, we’ve already taken care of that last item on your list. After painstakingly listening through the entire SXSW lineup (roughly 1300 artists at time of this writing), here are 50 artists we’re excited to see at SXSW 2023.
SXSW 2023 will run from March 10 - March 19 in Austin, TX.
AJ Smith
Pop / Rock | Nashville, TN | Listen to: We're All Gonna Die
Feel good pop anthems by a former NYU student of The Eagles’ Glenn Frey.
Albertine Sarges
Pop / Alternative | Berlin, GERMANY | Listen to: The Girls
Spoken-word post-punk musings on feminist theory, bisexuality, gender stereotypes, depression, and mental health.
Algiers
Rock / Avant / Experimental | Atlanta, GA | Listen to: Irreversible Damage
“Dystopian soul” exploring the intersection of rock, electronic, and hip-hop.
Annabel Lee
Rock / Alternative | Los Angeles, CA | Listen to: UP
Former hardcore performer known for "unhinged stage presence and high octane vocals."
Augustine
Pop / Alternative | Stockholm, SWEDEN | Listen to: Sweet Love
Rising Swedish multi-instrumentalist known for playful soundscapes, a soulful falsetto and a sound “born out of a love of 70s melodies and contemporary chillwave."
Ava Maybee
Pop / Indie Pop | Los Angeles, CA | Listen to: Colors
Former American Idol contestant performing spirited, soulful pop; daughter of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Chad Smith.
Baby Rose
R & B / Alternative | Atlanta, GA | Listen to: I Won't Tell
Grammy nominated chanteuse whose deep, sultry voice crafts “healing music for the aimless and heartbroken."
Balming Tiger
Pop / K-Pop | Seoul, SOUTH KOREA | Listen to: Armadillo
South Korean art collective and “multi-national alternative K-pop group”; teaming up with entertainment company Jaded to create the "Tiger Den" showcase at SXSW, featuring Asian artists from around the world.
Bartees Strange
Rock / Indie Rock | Washington, DC | Listen to: Wretched
Distinctive, yet familiar, songwriting drawing on everything from a past life in post-harcore group ‘Stay Inside’ to formal music training with his opera singer mother.
Beatenberg
Pop / Alternative | Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA | Listen to: Ithaca
Calm, atmospheric, soundscapes that blend indie pop, jazz, and South African mbaqanga music; frontman M Field is performing solo sets at SXSW as well.
Been Stellar
Rock / Indie Rock | Brooklyn, NY | Listen to: Kids 1995
Melodic shoegaze and indie rock that feels simultaneously nostalgic and new.
Billlie
Dance / Lo-Fi | Seoul, SOUTH KOREA | Listen to: RING ma Bell (what a wonderful world)
Buzzzy, genre-bending Japanese-Korean girl group.
Blondshell
Singer-Songwriter / Indie Rock | Los Angeles, CA | Listen to: Cartoon Earthquake
Wistful and confessional "loud-quiet excavations."
Brekky Boy
Jazz / Electronic | Sydney, AUSTRALIA | Listen to: Setsuko
Their bio says it best - "blends instrumental electronic jazz to evoke the emotions felt when watching a Studio Ghibli Film."
Cafuné
Rock / Alternative | Brooklyn, NY | Listen to: Tek It
Dreamy indie pop duo whose breakout single “Tek It” went viral on TikTok.
CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE
Pop / Dance | Tokyo, JAPAN | Listen to: Whoopie is a Punkrocker
Quirky genre-bending trio consisting of frontwoman Chi- and anonymous bandmates Whoopies 1 and 2.
Cheekface
Rock / Indie Rock | Los Angeles, CA | Listen to: Dry Heat/Nice Town
Lyric-driven talk/singing outfit exploring anxiety and sociopolitical unease with characteristic wit and dry humor.
Crawlers
Punk / Pop Punk | Liverpool, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Come Over Again
Alt-rock quartet whose emotion-strewn anthems have built up a loyal fanbase, in part through their efforts on TikTok.
Dead Pony
Rock / Alternative | Glasgow, UK-SCOTLAND | Listen to: 23, Never Me
Glaswegian rock trio crafting “battle ready choruses.”
EKKSTACY
Rock / Alternative | Vancouver, CANADA | Listen to: i walk this earth all by myself
Introspective and cathartic tunes channeling a love of Soundcloud rap and moody indie rock through a lens of PTSD and anxiety.
ena mori
Pop / Electronic | Parañque, PHILIPPINES | Listen to: VIVID
Japanese-Filipino singer-songwriter creating bright, bold tunes “in vigorous defense of pop musicmaking.”
Genesis Owusu
Hip-Hop / Rap / Alternative | Canberra, AUSTRALIA | Listen to: Get Inspired
Genre-bending Ghanaian-Australian combining hip-hop, pop and indie rock with a decidedly punk swagger.
Girl Scout
Rock / Indie Pop | Stockholm, SWEDEN | Listen to: Do You Remember Sally Moore
Yearning, confessional indie pop quartet who met while studying Jazz at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Girl Ultra
R & B / Alternative | Mexico City, MEXICO | Listen to: Punk
Pop-tinged R&B drawing from late 90’s nostalgia and modern day musical sensibilities.
GIRLI
Pop / Alternative | London, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: More Than a Friend
Electronic, bubblegum pop, punk, and rap folded together in a high-energy exploration of feminism, sexuality, queer culture, and mental health.
Hans Pucket
Rock / Indie Rock | Wellington, NEW ZEALAND | Listen to: No Drama
"Nervy but effortlessly danceable rock songs about feeling bad" created by twin brothers Oliver and Callum Devlin.
HARU NEMURI
Singer-Songwriter / Alternative | Yokohama, JAPAN | Listen to: narashite
Frenetic and impassioned “poetry rap” oscillating between sweetness and intensity.
Hope D
Rock / Pop | Brisbane, AUSTRALIA | Listen to: Second
Confessional coming-of-age anthems that have come a long way since Hope Defteros’ started posting YouTube songs from her childhood bedroom.
Jaguar Jonze
Rock / Indie Pop | Brisbane, AUSTRALIA | Listen to: Kill Me With Your Love
"Portishead meets Last Shadow Puppets"; empowered anthems from an artist sparking very real social change within the Australian music industry.
Jockstrap
Avant / Experimental / Pop | London, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Glasgow
String flourishes and effortlessly sweet vocals paired with dissonant electronic production for an intriguing, genre agnostic sound; side project of Georgia Ellery (Black Country, New Road).
JVKE
Pop / Pop | Providence, RI | Listen to: golden hour
Soaring and introspective ballads which found a solid audience (including Charlie Puth) on TikTok during lockdown.
Kalush Orchestra
Hip-Hop / Rap / Folk | Kyiv, UKRAINE | Listen to: Stefania
Eurovision 2022 winners combining elements of traditional Ukrainian folk with modern hip-hop and rap.
LUCY
Rock / Indie Rock | Seoul, SOUTH KOREA | Listen to: Flowering
Big K-Pop anthems with violin flourishes; this group was formed on the talent show television program JTBC SuperBand.
Naïka
Pop / None | Miami, FL | Listen to: Sauce
Modern pop with an international swagger courtesy of a childhood spent in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Olive Klug
Singer-Songwriter / Folk | Portland, OR | Listen to: Raining in June
Deeply introspective and confessional storytelling-centric songwriting.
Oracle Sisters
Folk / Indie Rock | Paris, FRANCE | Listen to: Asc. Scorpio
Quirky in the best way, with “larger than life ballads, intimate folk songs, table thumping rousers and a vision of the world suspended in a timeless place.”
Peach Luffe
Pop / Indie Pop | Toronto, CANADA | Listen to: Sunflower
Sweet, airy, and effortless dream pop named in honour of the happy-go-lucky protagonist of One Piece.
Red Rum Club
Americana / Rock | Liverpool, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Eleanor
Indie sextet crafting “catchy songs with western-inspired undertones.”
Rett Madison
Americana / Progressive | Los Angeles, CA | Listen to: God is a Woman
Emotionally raw, confessional indie-folk from a former backing vocalist for Lorde and Kate Nash.
Ric Wilson
Funk / Hip-Hop / Rap | Chicago, IL | Listen to: Move Like This
“Electrified motivational funka hop pop poet” crafted by a graduate of Young Chicago Authors, which counts Change the Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Jamila Woods among its alumni.
Robocobra Quartet
Rock / Jazz | Belfast, UK-N. IRELAND | Listen to: Wellness
Jazz informed post-punk or post-punk informed jazz, this (despite their name) sextet has found an audience in both worlds.
SIPHO.
R & B / Alternative | Birmingham, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: BEADY EYES Confessional, soulful tunes exploring themes of hyper-masculinity and Black male identity.
Softcult
Punk / Alternative | Toronto, CANADA | Listen to: Take It Off
Grungey indie dreampop tunes “for mall goths” from twin sisters Mercedes and Pheonix Arn-Horn (you may recognize their previous rock outfit, Courage My Love)
TALK
Rock / Alternative | Ottawa, CANADA | Listen to: Run Away to Mars
Soulful vocals and vulnerable songwriting culminating in “a mass of positive energy, colour and enthusiasm.”
Tamzene
Singer-Songwriter / Neo Soul | Cromarty, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Called You out
Emotive songwriting and performance influenced by a childhood love of Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.
Tommy Lefroy
Rock / Indie Rock | Los Angeles, CA | Listen to: Worst Case Kid
Self-produced duo crafting cinematic and brooding musical dreamscapes; recently nominated for the 2023 Juno Breakout Group of the Year.
Venbee
Pop / UK Garage | Chatham, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: messy in heaven
Drum & bass tinged introspective pop tunes.
Victoria Canal
Singer-Songwriter / Folk | London, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Second
Quietly contemplative songwriting that counts Coldplay’s Chris Martin among its fans.
Vox Rea
Folk / Dream Pop | Vancouver, CANADA | Listen to: Damn (Unstuck)
Lush noir pop soundscapes that encapsulate “both the intoxicating night roaming and the guilty morning after.”
Warmduscher
Rock / Alternative | London, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Midnight Dipper
Post-punk meets garage rock meets electronic brimming with personality and swagger.
Written by Katrina Lat.
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