New Music: OK Alva

This weekend’s alt-pop banger comes courtesy of Sweden-based newcomer OK Alva and her brilliant new single, ‘Yet’.

Starting minimal, the production evolves with intensity to mirror the song’s heart-wrenching lyrics that tell of the moments when we struggle with emotional closure. It’s never easy to let go of someone you love, and this track perfectly encapsulates those emotions.

“‘Yet’ is about leaving everything unsaid, hoping that means it isn’t really over. Trying to move on with one foot in the door seems easier but us humans were never made like that, we need closure. This song almost wrote itself during a time when I was experiencing a situation like that. Kind of proves my point, trying to not think of something, someone, ultimately leads to thinking about them even more.”

We still don’t know much about this promising artist, but if their upcoming releases are as finessed as ‘Yet’, then we’ll have a new Scandi favourite to fall in love with!

OK Alva

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: Longing Louisa

Photo / Anu Leppäharju

Longing Louisa is a new musical project created by Finnish artist Reetta Hotti. ‘Hatchet’ only came across our radars a few days ago, but we were instantly captivated by its ethereal tones. It delivers an indie production that is intriguing and distinctive, yet easy to listen to. On the song, Hotti says:

“The production is quite fun and light, but actually the lyrics are far from fun. There’s a big contrast between the two, and for me that’s ‘The Thing’ with this song. Even though the title is Hatchet, the song serves also as an apology. Especially the end part breaks my heart a bit every time I listen to it.”

The track is taken from Hotti’s new ‘Waterphile’ EP, which is out today. The collection of songs was created by the musician as an ‘ode to water’ and, as you’d expect, is full of organic, soft sounds that draw you into a soundscape that reminds you of nature.

“I’ve always been prone to the feeling of longing. I think I’ve spent most of my life living someplace else than the present. I’ve longed for the past, the future or an alternative reality. It’s probably a way to escape anything uneasy happening in real life. Melancholic feeling, or the Japanese idiom ‘mono no aware’ to be more precise, is what Longing Louisa is about. The music has all the shades of blue, there’s fog, blurriness, some city lights, hollow and dull-like sounds, but also slowly growing intensity, small changes that every now and then lead to a massive gathering of clouds.”

Longing Louisa

🎵 Ones To Watch Playlist 🎵Scandinavia Sound Playlist 

New Music: Soane

There’s a really exciting newcomer emerging from France going by the name of Soane, and we can’t wait to share her work with you.

Sultry new single ‘Fountains’ treats listeners to a perfected R&B sound that is crafted meticulously. The production feels classic and luxurious, while Soane’s soulful vocals draw you into her innermost thoughts.

“Can you feel the rush, keeping you awake, longing for my touch, addicted to the taste.”

The song highlights the sheer talent that this French and Moroccan musician has to show, and we can’t wait to see how her career evolves over the next twelve months.

Soane

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Andr – FACES

Already a prominent newcomer in her native Taiwan, Andr looks set to now conquer the rest of the world through the release of her new single, ‘FACES’.

Showcasing an eccentric yet dreamy approach to alternative pop, this track feels whimsical but also enchanting to experience as a listener. Lyrically, the song looks at the changes that we experience as we grow from young people to adults, and reminds us to consider who we think we are and how people perceive us to be.

For those unfamiliar with Andr, this is an artist to watch. Her work has been showcased at SXSW in both its Austin and Sydney editions, while also selling out a concert that was attended by over a thousand fans in Taiwan.

Andr

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Holly Humberstone – Die Happy

“I wrote ‘Die Happy’ thinking about a fairytale at night, somewhere between driving fast with the windows down and wandering through a crumbling old house. I took inspiration from The Bloody Chamber and Dracula and I wanted to show the feeling of throwing yourself into love fully and recklessly. There is danger in love.”

Holly Humberstone

Carrie Baxter – Loved You Before

London-based Irish starlet Carrie Baxter is back today with a sublime new release to soothe your midweek blues away.

‘Loved You Before’ is a classic R&B love song, served to listeners in the most finessed way imaginable. The production is sleek yet intimate, while the lyrics describe the emotions that you experience when you realise that you’ve fallen in love.

In recent years Carrie has risen to become one of Ireland’s most prominent R&B talents. She currently commands more than 500k listeners on Spotify, and her solo songs have amassed millions of streams. Alongside that, her collaboration with acclaimed DJ NOTION has racked up 63 million streams alone.

Carrie Baxter

Claire Brooks – MORTAL HIDE

Rising US artist Claire Brooks returns with one of her boldest releases to date – the mighty ‘MORTAL HIDE’.

This powerful track makes an instant impact, deeply immersing the listener into the artist’s thoughts. Its raw, unfiltered blend of alt-pop and rock contrasts with lyricism that tells of personal growth and introspection.

To date, Brooks has amassed more than two million career streams on Spotify alone. We’ve loved this talent for quite some time, and it’s so brilliant to see the rest of the world waking up to her incredible artistry.

Claire Brooks

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: woody

Photo / Lizzie Wood

woody is one of those artists who is steadily making a name for himself as one of the UK’s most promising indie-pop newcomers.

New single ‘over n’ out’ has been on repeat all evening here, and the more we listen, the more we love. The track is sincere and vulnerable in tone and serves as a perfect introduction to new listeners.

The song is lifted from Woody’s debut collection of songs, ‘highs, lows & stargazing’, which is out now. With backing from Warner Music, it feels almost certain that this talent’s momentum will grow immensely over the next twelve months… and it’s so well deserved!

woody

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Augustine – Fumbling

Photo / Rassmus Bjornson

We’ve featured Nordic musician and producer Augustine so many times on this site, and we still can’t get enough.

Today this hugely loved Swedish talent returns, after quite some time, with a song that has definitely been worth the wait. ‘Fumbling’ is a thoughtfully crafted indie pop song that was inspired by the desire to seek the things in life that allow us to grow and evolve.

The track serves as a preview for Augustine’s upcoming EP, which is out soon. In the meantime, you can join the other 218k listeners who enjoy this artist’s music on Spotify here.

Augustine

🎵 Follow the Scandinavia Sound Playlist 

New Music: Aubany

Emerging from Australia is the incredibly talented musician Aubany, who has mesmerised us today with the release of her intimate new single, ‘Waterworks’.

This song is just so effortlessly beautiful. Minimal in structure, the production allows for the artist to truly express herself with her haunting yet hypnotic vocals. Despite being a pop song, it feels unique and timeless in style.

To date, Aubany has only released four singles. With such a distinctive style of songwriting, it seems likely that this artist will start to garner a tonne of fans across the world very quickly.

Aubany

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Samy Sharif – Snuff the Pilot Light

So often in life we find ourselves stuck in environments and situations that make us feel locked in and hopeless. And we get so involved with what is around us that we lose sight of the fact that, at any point, we really can just stop and restart.

Samy Sharif’s ‘Snuff the Pilot Light’ is all about that. It’s a reminder that we have the power within us to switch lives and begin again:

“A song about ‘blowing up’ your old life and starting anew.”

Alongside its creative lyricism, the song’s alt-pop production is really quite captivating to listen to. If you love it as much as we do, then be sure to check out Sharif’s ‘Three Houses’ album, which is out now.

Samy Sharif

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: Cassidy Johnson

We only came across American newcomer Cassidy Johnson yesterday, but we’re already in love. This promising starlet has just released her first solo single, titled ‘The Song I Promised’, and it’s gorgeous.

The track presents Johnson’s smooth, velvety vocals over a polished soul production. Sonically, it’s a melodic slice of musical bliss, contrasting nicely with the lyrics, which focus on themes of betrayal and self-realisation.

Despite being a new name, we really have high hopes for Johnson – it’s rare to find a young soul musician with so much emotional depth. One to watch!

Cassidy Johnson

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Tsar B – Mrs. Impatience

Photo / Jan Philipzen

Acclaimed Belgian singer and composer Tsar B has impressed fans and critics alike for almost a decade, and still continues to deliver some of the most interesting pop from her home nation.

New single ‘Mrs. Impatience‘ was written as a result of an argument with a lover and tells of the artist’s tendency to love hard – and the side effects that arise from that intensity. The production mirrors this, with its frantic tempo that builds up a mysterious, tense energy.

“I’m just a really lovey dovey person in general – like I can really love, love, love people, I can really love someone I just pass by in the streets. But as a passionate lover and friend I also feel that I am very flammable, explosive and I get really intense internally and you really feel this in ‘Mrs. Impatience’. This is me when I feel injustice; I get so emotionally charged that everything gets more intense.”

Tsar B will release her new album, ‘The Writer’, on the 30th January 26 (pre-save here), and will then embark on a short tour, reaching major cities in Europe and Turkey.

Tsar B

Tsar B Live Dates 2026

  • March 11 – The Lexington (London, UK)
  • March 18 – Babylon (Istanbul, TUR)
  • April 14 – La Boule Noire (Paris, FR)
  • April 16 – Ancienne Belgique (Brussels, BE)
  • May 07 – Kantine Am Berghain (Berlin, DE)
  • May 08 – Hafenklang (Hamburg, DE)
  • May 09 – Bitterzoet (Amsterdam, NL)

Isabel – All The Lies

TRACK OF THE WEEK

Manchester-based, Spanish-born artist Isabel has unveiled one of our favourite songs of the autumn, and we genuinely can’t wait to share it with you today.

‘All The Lies’ is a powerful statement piece that blends indie-pop with soulful R&B in the most finessed, finest way imaginable. The track is lifted from Isabel’s freshly released EP, ‘It Is That Deep’, of which she says:

“I’ve always been dramatic about everything, even the small things. This EP is me owning that side of myself and turning it into something honest and a little bit funny too. It’s about feeling things deeply but learning to see the light in it.”

The song, and in fact, the entire EP, is a phenomenal piece of work that deserves to be heard by everyone. Fans can watch Isabel performing at Live at Leeds on the 15th November and in Madrid’s Sala B on the 20th November. Catch her while you can; we’re certain this artist is destined for global domination.

Isabel

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Nelly Moar – Love’s Law

“Heartbreak is complicated, and you constantly alternate between conflicting emotions such as frustration and optimism, when the sadness lies in the words, but the music still carries hope, a balance is created, where the heavy stuff finds space without becoming all-consuming.”

Nelly Moar

🎵 Ones To Watch Playlist 🎵Scandinavia Sound Playlist

Elujay – Hyundai

Photo / Nori Rasmussen – Martinez

“The track is about that person in your life that gives you that boost, you know, like keeps you going. Because they have conviction and confidence in what they do, and you can lean on that in times of self-doubt.” 

Elujay