2023 is quickly drawing to a close, and what a year it was. The music industry has seen quite a few changes, and several artists have been propelled into the mainstream. Some have worked in the industry for years and finally had their music blow up while others gained popularity seemingly overnight.
With an array of new artists on the scene, here is a list of artists that blew up this year:
Ice Spice
The 23-year-old Bronx native made 2023 her year. Her relaxed, easy-going rap style has struck a chord with fans everywhere. After appearing on the mainstream music scene with "Munch (Feelin' U)" in August 2022, she gained some serious traction. In January, she released "In Ha Mood," and it charted at No. 58 on the U.S. and U.K. singles charts. Since then, she also released her album "Like..?," which proved to be a hit. On top of it all, she collaborated with several popular artists, including PinkPantheress, Nicki Minaj, Lil Tjay and Taylor Swift.
d4vd
d4vd (pronounced David) has recently made his way onto the scene. First gaining some traction in 2022 with his song "Romantic Homicide," his music career really took off in 2023. Since the start of the year, he has released several singles and two EPs. His music is moody in nature, much more than many of his other bedroom pop and R&B counterparts, which allowed him to connect with a much larger audience of young people who find his music incredibly relatable.
Noah Kahan
Noah Kahan first released music in 2017 and remained a relatively small artist until recently. With the release of "Stick Season" in 2022, he gained an impressive audience. However, his fame skyrocketed this year with the release of "Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever)," charting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, which is rare for a folk singer. Since then, he has collaborated with Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves, Hozier and Post Malone. On top of this, his 2024 tour is nearly sold out, even though many of the venues he will be playing can seat well over 20,000.
Fred again..
Fred Gibson initially worked with other artists as a producer. He collaborated with artists like Ed Sheeran on "Bad Habits" and George Ezra on "Shotgun." However, he recently began work on Fred again.., his solo project. While he has been producing music under the "Fred again.." name since 2020, he gained quite a bit of traction on TikTok this year with songs like "Marea: (we've lost dancing)." His name has exploded on the dance music scene, overtaking and collaborating with other famous EDM artists such as Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia.
Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams has been releasing music since 2019, but in 2023, she carved her niche with her album "Good Riddance." Since then, she has gained listeners all around the world, with her often somber, melancholy songs setting the perfect mood for a sad day. However, Abrams has also gained quite a bit of attention as a live artist. After performing on Olivia Rodrigo's "Sour Tour," she secured a spot as an opening act on Taylor Swift's "Era's Tour." These performances ultimately cemented her as an artist to watch in the future and one that left her mark in 2023.
Laufey
Icelandic singer Laufey is a unique case. Like many other artists on this list, she started making music a few years ago and gained traction this year. However, she did it in a completely different way. Rather than taking a pop, hip-hop, R&B or rock-oriented route, she returned to old easy-listening-style pop, classical music, and jazz. This ultimately worked in her favor, as 2023 was a great year for her. Her latest albums, "Bewitched" and "A Night At The Symphony," exploded. Her music's diverse array of sounds has left an imprint on the modern era, connecting older music and modern music in a new way that can appeal to her listeners everywhere.
Doechii
Doechii owned 2023. First rising to fame on TikTok in 2020 with "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake," she really grew as an artist this past year. She blew up again on TikTok with her song, "What It Is (Block Boy)," quickly generating thousands of videos among users. As a result, Doechii has not only gained thousands of new fans but has also truly cemented herself as one of the best-growing artists of the year. Now, she has left fans excited to see what she does next.
