Pirate Studios latest Residency Programme: 10 Essential New Acts

Iconic music network Pirate Studios brings us their Future Headliners: Rising Acts Destined for the Main Stage. Main stage acts aren’t born at the top; so here are some of the emerging artists that we’re hedging our bets on.

Everyone has that cool uncle who allegedly saw The Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse, or Prince ‘first.’ To be fair to your cool uncle, everyone dreams of catching stars like these in their raw, unpolished glory—for a fiver. Discovering a future headliner on a small festival stage or in a pub back room is a special moment.

While it’s a tough time for festivals and independent venues, it’s an amazing time for new artists and new music. Whether you’re into punk, indie, shoegaze, pop, rock or the completely left-of-field stuff, there are thousands of live acts to be found in the smaller print that are destined to rise.

Here are 10 artists who we think will earn you your bragging rights in years to come. Don’t miss your chance to see them before they hit the main stage.

1. JayaHadADream

JayaHadADream is far from an undiscovered talent. Not only was she named a 2024 Pirate Resident, but the Cambridge-born, Nottingham-based rapper and singer also went on to win the Pirate Residency public vote, among some very stiff competition. In the same year, JayaHadADream won Glastonbury’s 2024 Emerging Talent Competition. With her Worthy Farm debut in the near pipeline, as well as other landmark gigs such as Reading & Leeds and Tramlines Festival, it’s looking like the only way is up for the young artist with a powerful flow.

2. HIEN

Coming up as a teen pop star in Hungary, the now Brooklyn-based singer, producer, and sound designer Hien has been through a few phases of reinvention to unlock her now signature sound, which has been honed in some of the coolest venues in NYC as well as her Brooklyn recording studio and showcased at South by Southwest. Experience her celestial vocals and electronic production live if you can—you may be looking at a future left-field pop star.

3. Asha Gold

One of the most exciting voices in contemporary R&B, Asha Gold has earned the praise of Rolling Stone, BBC Radio 1, The Line of Best Fit, and Colors, among an ever-expanding list of tastemakers saying you should listen to her music now. Playing regular shows in her hometown of London, as well as making regular appearances at festivals across the country, including Glastonbury three years in a row and counting, go and see what all the fuss is about.

4. spiderblush

Rising alternative artist spiderblush is based in Tampa, Florida. A debut EP earlier in 2024 and a first mini-tour going from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco mark the beginning of what’s set to be an interesting journey merging the best parts of shoegaze and indie rock sounds.

5. Phoebe Hall

Two EPs in, Manchester singer-songwriter Phoebe Hall’s modern bedroom pop style is candid yet boppy and is earning a legion of fans. The second EP, ‘Stop Before It Starts,’ arrived in the summer of 2024, following Phoebe’s performance on the Pirate Studios stage at The Great Escape in Brighton—widely considered one of the most important dates in the live music industry’s calendar—where it received rave reviews.

6. Kaisha

Rising R&B songstress Kaisha is making moves from her Brighton recording studio, amassing over 100,000 monthly listeners across four EPs: ‘Something Else’ from 2020, ‘If Not Now Then When?’ from 2021, ‘Nine Yards’ from 2023, and ‘Skin to Skin’ from 2024. Teaming up with Osquello and Raquel Martins for ‘If Not Now Then When?’, and most recently Manga Saint Hilare and Douvelle on ‘Skin to Skin’, Kaisha’s list of collaborators reads as a who’s who of some of the most exciting rising talents in London.

7. PAPAYA NOON

Having already gained A-list backing from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliot, and Fatman Scoop in just a few short years, Papaya Noon is the latest project of Greg, a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter, and Annie, a talented vocalist, producer, and lyricist. Their genre-bending sound, rooted in jazz and R&B, is the product of unconventional studio techniques being developed out of their studio in Cardiff.

8. Jack Page

London-based via Christchurch, New Zealand, Jack Page is putting out jazz, soul, and R&B-infused pop music, inspired by his work as a session musician. Though relatively new on the London gig circuit, Jack is two albums in already. His debut solo album came out in 2022, followed by his sophomore ‘Run Into the Night’ in 2023. Get to know Jack Page, and tune into his perfect pitch live when you get the chance.

9. Elizabeth Winterbourne

You’ll love this dreamy indie pop from New York. In her debut EP from 2022, ‘Christina’s World,’ and her sophomore offering ‘Lost in Headlights,’ Elizabeth Winterbourne establishes herself as an emotional singer-songwriter rooted in folk sounds. She tackles romance, identity, and more widely relatable personal struggles across her short but sweet discography.

10. An Only Child

New Orleans-raised, and NYC-based, An Only Child’s brand of alternative R&B is fast-gaining favor with international tastemakers. A trained modern dancer, their intimate and authentic musical style builds on their career as a multifaceted performing artist. A jack of all trades, and one to watch.

These ten acts are part of the latest Pirate Residency scheme, which puts emerging artists on festival stages and on the radio. This annual talent competition is organised by Pirate Studios, a network of music studios that is home to over 300,000 independent artists across the UK, Europe and the USA.
Keep an eye out for these rising stars playing shows near you, and you might just see the next big thing in music before they hit the main stage.

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