Pandora Reveals Artists to Watch 2026: The Pandora Ten

Streaming platform unveils its lineup of rising stars expected to dominate the music scene in 2026

NEW YORK, NY – December 11, 2025 – Pandora today revealed its highly-anticipated annual list, Artists to Watch 2026: The Pandora Ten. For the past decade, the streaming platform has identified a group of ten emerging artists across all genres that it believes will break through in the coming year and shape the sound of 2026 and beyond. Pandora continues to put its support behind the next generation of rising stars and remains dedicated to discovering and amplifying artists throughout their musical journey. This year’s Pandora Ten showcases the artists whose voices embody the creativity, innovation and passion of the future of music.

By leveraging a combination of advanced listening data analysis, along with human curation and insight by Pandora programmers, the platform was able to accurately predict artists’ launch to stardom and lasting impact. Over the years, Pandora’s predictions have included Post Malone in 2016; Lizzo and Dua Lipa in 2017; H.E.R. and Ashley McBryde in 2018; Summer Walker and Rauw Alejandro in 2019; Doja Cat, Roddy Ricch, and Tones & I in 2020; The Kid LAROI and Tate McRae in 2021; PinkPantheress in 2022; Kim Petras and Coco Jones in 2023; Tyla and Reneé Rapp in 2024, Alex Warren and Zach Top in 2025.

“Pandora has long been a destination for music discovery, and we’re proud to continue elevating the next wave of breakthrough artists,” said Steve Blatter, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Music Programming at SiriusXM and Pandora. “Powered by human tastemakers and data-driven listener insights, this year’s selections feature a variety of artists we believe are ready to break out and resonate in a big way.”

Along with the Pandora Ten, Pandora highlights emerging artists across various genres such as Country and Latin.

Here is the next Pandora Ten, the artists to watch in 2026 and beyond. Listen to all of them HERE.

The 2026 Pandora Ten:

Cil- Singing with the kind of soul you can’t teach, Cil isn’t afraid to pour her heart out on a track as she untangles messy relationships, the turbulence of mental health, feelings of betrayal, premonitions of lust, and life-changing epiphanies without filter or apology. The Colorado-born and Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter has unassumingly emerged as a phenomenon on her own terms with a hard-hitting, yet hypnotic R&B Pop sound. Following support slots for the likes of Stevie Nicks and Dua Lipa, Cil is "on the cusp of Pop stardom" (V Magazine) and ready to take center stage. Cil has connected strongly with the Pandora audience on multiple songs from her latest EP, don’t hold me accountable.

CORTIS- CORTIS is the first boy band in six years to debut under BIGHIT MUSIC, the powerhouse label behind global groups like BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and is bringing a fresh new take to the K-Pop genre. Their debut album, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, is a dynamic five-track body of work that showcases their versatility and bold artistic vision, reflecting their commitment to defy expectations and create music on their own terms. Their first official single, “What You Want,” was released on August 18th of this year and since the album's release, Pandora has seen almost all of their songs, especially “GO!,” perform very well across the platform and resonate with listeners.

EJ Jones- Memphis-based soul singer EJ Jones is the next rapidly emerging artist to enter the Southern Soul genre, which has exploded throughout 2025 with viral moments, and he has gained popularity since releasing his captivating single “Too Good.” EJ's unique sound blends a powerful, passionate voice with a timeless old-soul feel, showcasing a sound that resonates across generations. His new original single “Gas Station Love” is a heavy hitting emotional ride through EJ’s mind and soul and is getting dedicated support and spins on Pandora’s R&B stations like PLATINUM and R&B/Soul.

Florence Road- What makes Florence Road so instantly magnetizing isn’t just frontwoman’s Lily Aron rich, oaky vocals, but the dynamic she shares with her best friends, guitarist Emma Brandon, bassist Ailbhe Barry and drummer Hannah Kelly. Shortly after the four of them became alternative music’s most thrilling new band, they garnered a strong social media following with the mixture of silly videos that displayed their friendship and cover songs performances. Since opening for Olivia Rodrigo in their homeland of Ireland, Florence Road has seen strong momentum with their songs “Break the Girl,” “Goodnight” and “Miss” resonating with Pandora listeners across stations like Alt XL, New Alt, The Stack and Alt Pop.

Gavin Adcock- With over 135 million streams on Pandora and dedicated support on The 615: Today’s Country and Country Grit stations, Gavin Adcock is quickly becoming the face of the Country Rock revival. SiriusXM’s The Highway also had early support of five of his songs, and his explosive momentum throughout 2025 has made him one of the genre’s fastest-rising and most talked-about new artists. Gavin was hand-selected by Morgan Wallen himself as the direct support on his 2025 and 2026 tour run and brings a bold, rebellious energy to the country scene with his mix of Southern rock grit and unapologetic lyricism. Known for his viral rise and rowdy live shows, Gavin channels the raw spirit of the South.

Ian Asher- Ian Asher has rapidly risen in the Dance music scene with his signature blend of house beats, catchy vocals, and global influences. The 24-year-old producer gained massive recognition in 2023 with his viral remix of Jain’s Makeba, which became the most-used sound on Instagram and TikTok, surpassing 3 billion plays online. Following up on his success, Ian has since worked with chart-topping DJs like Oliver Heldens on their rework of “Mas Que Nada” and Galantis on their cover of “Runaway (U&I),” as well as global hitmakers like Phantogram on their rework of “Black Out Days (Stay Away).” MIXR, Pandora’s flagship EDM station, first discovered Ian in 2023, with his collaborations now having reached 4.5 million streams on the platform.

Kami Kehoe- Kami Kehoe has never been one to wait for permission. At just 22 years old, the Los Angeles–based singer, songwriter, and drummer has blazed a fearless musical path with her chameleonic, hard-charged Rock sound. Her latest EP Kandy, out now via Atlantic Records, Coup D’Etat Recordings, and 10K Projects, showcases her continued evolution as an artist, driven by the same freedom and fearlessness that have defined her journey so far. Also, appearances with Daughtry and P.O.D. this fall have gone viral, resonating with fans everywhere. Kami has earned approximately 1.2 million streams on Pandora, driven by Hard Rock flagship station, DECIBEL!, as well as continued spins of her single “Dopamine,” on SiriusXM’s Octane.

Kane Rodriguez- Kane Rodriguez, a rising star from Houston, Texas, is one of the artists representing the new wave of Regional Mexican music, gaining the most recognition both among industry peers and within the music community. Kane has spent 19 weeks on Pandora’s Top Spins chart with his hit, “Se Volvieron Locos” and has hundreds of millions of global streams. Inspired by his roots and community, he connects with a bicultural generation through authentic and heartfelt storytelling and his music blends traditional corridos with contemporary sounds. Kane was also one of the top thumbed-up artists on Pandora’s Activados station in 2025, which highlights the next generation of artists pushing the boundaries of Música Mexicana.

Peter Burton- Peter Burton is a California-based singer-songwriter and worship leader whose music leads listeners to hope. Drawing from his own journey of overcoming mental illness, his songs reflect the tension between blessing and suffering, pointing to the faithfulness of God. Through heartfelt lyrics and melodies, Burton shares a message of hope personified in Jesus Christ—the foundation of his life and artistry. Peter has sustained strong streams on Pandora’s New Christian and Today's Christian Hits.

Pluto- Pluto, born and raised in Atlanta, started writing rhymes at 14 and began self-recording music shortly thereafter. She gained popularity from her 2025 viral single, "Whim Whamiee,” which helped land a deal with Motown Records. Additionally, Pluto has several other viral hits including “Pull Yo Skirt Up,” and “What Da Fuk,” which were all supported heavily across Pandora’s Hip-Hop stations. This past October she released her debut project, Pluto World, and her raw talent, distinct voice, and self-made style resonate with listeners and fans on Pandora.

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About Pandora

Pandora, a subsidiary of SiriusXM, is the largest ad-supported audio entertainment streaming service in the U.S. Pandora provides consumers a uniquely-personalized music and podcast listening experience with its proprietary Music Genome Project® and Podcast Genome Project® technology. Pandora is also the leading digital audio advertising platform in the U.S. Through its own Pandora service, its AdsWizz platform, and third party services, such as SoundCloud, the Company connects brands to the largest ad-supported streaming audio marketplace in the country. Pandora is available through its mobile app, the web, and integrations with more than 2,000 connected products.

Source: Pandora

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Released December 11, 2025