When Lifeguard sent a 12-minute “maxi-single”, ‘Ultra Violence’/‘Appetite’ to their label, they expected some resistance. Instead, they got "the exact response" they wanted: "The algorithm's really going to dislike this"
Lifeguard are on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/li...
After breaking out beyond their Stockholm roots with their soaring guitar anthems, Girl Scout’s debut album ‘Brink’ served as a much-needed life “catch-up”
Girl Scout are on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/gi...
Los Angeles-based rapper Samara Cyn has entered what she dubs her “try new things era”, and that adventurousness is spilling over into her music, too. The idea behind her new EP ‘Detour’? “To do something that you maybe might not expect from me,” Cyn explains.
Samara Cyn is on The Cover.
Authenticity and community are everything to Naïka, the French-Haitian singer-songwriter and third-culture kid making sensuous, multilingual 'world pop'. Read #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/na...
‘Galvanising’ is a word that keeps coming up throughout NME's interview with Mandy, Indiana – it's fitting, as it’s the intended effect of the French/Mancunian band's music.
Mandy, Indiana are on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/ma...
When Chalk sat down to begin work on their debut album ‘Crystalpunk,’ they wrote a manifesto for how they wanted to proceed. At the top of the list was a rule to create by: ‘This is the only Chalk album that will ever exist.’
Read #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/ch...
When Kidwild was 17, it seemed like he’d already hit the jackpot, landing a deal with Atlantic Records. But soon, he was dropped. Instead of letting it hold him back, he went all in on himself.
Kidwild is on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/ki...
For Westside Cowboy, 2025 was a breakthrough year. Their momentum continues to snowball, with a record deal and milestone gigs, but they’re maintaining a humble sense of caution as the pace picks up.
Westside Cowboy are on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/we...
NME has been dedicated to breaking what's new and what's next since 1952. The NME 100 is our essential list of emerging artists with the potential to shape the future of music. We’re proud to unveil the NME 100 of 2026. If they're on our radar – they should be on yours.
www.nme.com/lists/nme-10...
It’s that time again. The NME 100 returns tomorrow, only at nme.com
#NME100
Waterbaby’s debut album ‘Memory Be A Blade’ is potent yet delicate, her vocals on it serene, almost angelic. As its title suggests, it’s foremost a meditation on memory, a self-confessed nod to the artist’s preoccupation with the past.
Waterbaby is on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/wa...
COBRAH has made a name for herself as a boundary-pushing star. While her artistry has been an endeavour in the celebration of female pleasure, she’s recently been thinking about what it would mean to operate with a softer touch.
COBRAH is on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/co...
Sophie May's debut album ‘Stars And Teeth’ is a natural accumulation of her work to this point. There’s the Carole King-like melodies and Joni Mitchell-esque lyricism of her earlier releases, but its dynamism is in its lyrical and sonic textures.
Read her #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/so...
Elmiene’s voice is all about that slow-burn intimacy, where the ache sits in the spaces between notes. The soul singer is ready to unleash his debut album ‘Sounds For Someone’, one that strikes the perfect balance between lightness and depth.
Elmiene is on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/el...
Cardinals’ upcoming debut album ‘Masquerade’ isn’t short on songs that are emotive and incisive. Euan Manning’s granular storytelling and stark imagery stand out on nuanced, adventurous indie-rock songs that steer clear of easy answers.
Cardinals are on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/ca...
Mon Rovîa makes ‘Afro Appalachian’ folk music rooted in resilience and love. Born in Liberia amid civil war and adopted into an American upbringing, the musician is synthesising his identity and journey into purposeful storytelling.
Mon Rovîa is on The Cover: www.nme.com/the-cover/mo...
Sassy 009’s debut album ‘Dreamer+’ has been a product of Sunniva Lindgård’s internal dialogue for a long time. She views it as a score to a fictional tale of a protagonist who loses her soulmate in a dream state.
Read the full #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/sa...
At the beginning of 2025, Rose Gray only had three shows booked in her diary. But, after the release of her debut album, ‘Louder, Please’, things picked up speed, and fast.
Rose Gray is on #NMETheCover. Read the full story here: www.nme.com/the-cover/ro...
Nell Mescal has always believed in the power of manifesting, but recently, it’s as though she has tapped into the universe’s direct line.
Read the full #NMETheCover story here: www.nme.com/the-cover/ne...
Sekou’s stunning baritone voice can stop you in your tracks. With his debut mixtape out in the world, the 21-year-old is realising the full scope of his ambitions: “I want to be an artist who has quality and passion in my music and my image.”
Sekou is on The Cover: www.nme.com/the-cover/se...
Rising pop singer Jae Stephens has never been one to wait around for permission to make her mark. Coming off several well-recieved EPs, she is now aiming for the stars: “I want to be, hashtag, main pop girl.”
Jae Stephens is on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/ja...
Alemeda’s story might only just be beginning, but in other ways, it already spans generations. Her space in pop-punk and alt-rock – genres rarely associated with Black artists – is informed by where she comes from and her family’s struggles.
Read the full #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/al...
There’s no other word for it: the Belair Lip Bombs are just fucking cool. Their music is the type of tasty rock that’s rarely done well these days, and it’s made them one of the most promising bands in recent years.
Read the full #NMETheCover story: www.nme.com/the-cover/th...
Ever since BOYNEXTDOOR stepped into the K-pop scene in May 2023, they've stood out for their sincerity. The first group to debut from Zico’s HYBE sublabel KOZ Entertainment, they set out to express universal emotions in the most honest way possible.
Read #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/bo...
Channelling the guerrilla spirit of the UK's most iconic girl groups, Say Now are "super-ready for a major girl band renaissance", setting the stage for what's to come as they ready themselves for the big leagues.
Say Now are on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/sa...
To keep some mystery around her, goth-glam alt-pop star Luvcat has adopted a “two truths, one lie” approach to sharing her story. “I'm drawn to artists that I don't know everything about; there's more intrigue there,” she explains.
Luvcat is on #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/lu...
Breaking out from Vancouver’s DIY scene, genre-bending musician Sophia Stel beckons you to live in the moment and “treat everything as a big deal” amid the fleeting chaos of life.
Sophia Stel is on #NMETheCover. Read the full story here: www.nme.com/the-cover/so...
Ena Mori made a loud, colourful entrance with her debut album, 2022's ‘Don’t Blame The Wild One!’. Now, she’s finding new ways to pursue her artistic mission: “show up, be vulnerable and be bold”.
Ena Mori is on #NMETheCover. Read the full story: www.nme.com/the-cover/en...
Drawing on their shared love of ’90s pop, rock, and alternative music, Crushed are making postmodern, emotive alt-pop – and “just going for it”.
Crushed are on #NMETheCover. Read the full story here: www.nme.com/the-cover/cr...
Last year, ‘Sailor Song’ took Gigi Perez to a new heights – an experience that’s shown her what “the community around [the song] can be for others”. “I’m a fan of music before I’m a songwriter, so I know what those songs feel like in my life.”
Read #NMETheCover: www.nme.com/the-cover/ni...