50 Artists We're Excited to See at SXSW 2023

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.

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.

Pop / Alternative | Berlin, GERMANY | Listen to: The Girls

Spoken-word post-punk musings on feminist theory, bisexuality, gender stereotypes, depression, and mental health.

Rock / Avant / Experimental | Atlanta, GA | Listen to: Irreversible Damage

“Dystopian soul” exploring the intersection of rock, electronic, and hip-hop.

Rock / Alternative | Los Angeles, CA | Listen to: UP

Former hardcore performer known for “unhinged stage presence and high octane vocals.”

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.”

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

Rock / Indie Rock | Brooklyn, NY | Listen to: Kids 1995

Melodic shoegaze and indie rock that feels simultaneously nostalgic and new.

Dance / Lo-Fi | Seoul, SOUTH KOREA | Listen to: RING ma Bell (what a wonderful world)

Buzzzy, genre-bending Japanese-Korean girl group.

Singer-Songwriter / Indie Rock | Los Angeles, CA | Listen to: Cartoon Earthquake

Wistful and confessional “loud-quiet excavations.”

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.”

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.

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.

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.

Rock / Alternative | Glasgow, UK-SCOTLAND | Listen to: 23, Never Me

Glaswegian rock trio crafting “battle ready choruses.”

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.

Pop / Electronic | Parañque, PHILIPPINES | Listen to: VIVID

Japanese-Filipino singer-songwriter creating bright, bold tunes “in vigorous defense of pop musicmaking.”

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.

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.

R & B / Alternative | Mexico City, MEXICO | Listen to: Punk

Pop-tinged R&B drawing from late 90’s nostalgia and modern day musical sensibilities.

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.

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.

Singer-Songwriter / Alternative | Yokohama, JAPAN | Listen to: narashite

Frenetic and impassioned “poetry rap” oscillating between sweetness and intensity.

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.

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.

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).

Pop / Pop | Providence, RI | Listen to: golden hour

Soaring and introspective ballads which found a solid audience (including Charlie Puth) on TikTok during lockdown.

Hip-Hop / Rap / Folk | Kyiv, UKRAINE | Listen to: Stefania

Eurovision 2022 winners combining elements of traditional Ukrainian folk with modern hip-hop and rap.

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.

Pop / None | Miami, FL | Listen to: Sauce

Modern pop with an international swagger courtesy of a childhood spent in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Singer-Songwriter / Folk | Portland, OR | Listen to: Raining in June

Deeply introspective and confessional storytelling-centric songwriting.

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.”

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.

Americana / Rock | Liverpool, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Eleanor

Indie sextet crafting “catchy songs with western-inspired undertones.”

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.

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.

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.

R & B / Alternative | Birmingham, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: BEADY EYES Confessional, soulful tunes exploring themes of hyper-masculinity and Black male identity.

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)

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.”

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.

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.

Pop / UK Garage | Chatham, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: messy in heaven

Drum & bass tinged introspective pop tunes.

Singer-Songwriter / Folk | London, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Second

Quietly contemplative songwriting that counts Coldplay’s Chris Martin among its fans.

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.”

Rock / Alternative | London, UK-ENGLAND | Listen to: Midnight Dipper

Post-punk meets garage rock meets electronic brimming with personality and swagger.