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Rising

Profiles of the most interesting up-and-coming artists of the moment

Get to Know Arooj Aftab, the Defiant Singer Who’s Reimagining Traditional South Asian Music for Today

In this Rising interview, the boundary-breaking artist talks about growing up on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Jeff Buckley, accepting grief as part of life, and her stunning new album, Vulture Prince.

Meet KMRU, the Ambient Musician With His Ear to the World

Armed with a handheld recorder and a reverence for environmental sounds, the Kenyan artist is carving out a unique place in electronic music.

Ethel Cain Fears No Darkness

In this Rising interview, singer, songwriter, and producer Hayden Anhedönia discusses her witchy alter ego Ethel Cain, her stifling Baptist upbringing, and her desire to soothe listeners even as she unsettles them.

The Radiant Slowness of Ana Roxanne

The ambient musician on her winding path to discovering her voice, with detours into jazz and Hindustani singing.

Dry Cleaning’s Everyday Surrealism

In this Rising interview, the London art punks discuss their prosaically profound debut LP, their favorite YouTube videos, and why they read the comments.

Navy Blue Needs to Get a Few Things Off His Chest

In this Rising interview, the introspective Brooklyn rapper talks about how writing helps him work through pain, collaborating with his childhood friend Earl Sweatshirt, and his restorative new album.

Cassandra Jenkins’ Hypnotic Folk Music Turns Everyday Moments Into Monuments

In this Rising interview, the New York singer-songwriter talks about making art out of interactions with strangers and how her experiences with the late indie legend David Berman inspired her brilliant new album.

The Dream-Pop Transcendence of IAN SWEET

Jilian Medford, who records as IAN SWEET, talks about facing her trauma and making the mightiest music of her life in this Rising interview.

Get to Know Loma, Who Make Shadowy Indie Rock That Sounds Like a Séance

In this Rising interview, frontwoman Emily Cross talks about how her work as a death doula affects her art, collaborating with Brian Eno, and the ghostly wonders of new album Don’t Shy Away.

Get to Know Amaarae, Who’s Expanding the Sound of Afropop

In this Rising interview, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter based in Accra, Ghana talks about her genre-bending sound, her punk mentality, and the globalization of African music.

Mustafa’s Meditative Songs of Mourning

In this Rising interview, the Toronto poet-turned-singer-songwriter talks about getting to the heart of his community’s grief, rage, and love on his upcoming debut project, When Smoke Rises.

Lomelda’s Hannah Read Is Forever Searching for Connection

The L.A.-based, Texas-raised singer-songwriter discusses her early life in the church, loving Sufjan, Lomelda vs. Hannah, and learning to apologize.

Step Inside ML Buch’s Digitized Art-Pop Wilderness

In this Rising interview, the Danish songwriter talks about swallowing a tiny camera for art, moving to a commune in the woods, and synthesizing the melancholy with the uncanny in her modern love songs.

Tkay Maidza Is Finally Feeling It

After breaking through in her native Australia with an over-the-top pop sound, the rapper-singer stepped back, started over, and created some of the most thrillingly restless music of her career.

Ela Minus Makes Techno-Pop for Everyday Rebellion

The Colombia-born, Brooklyn-based artist talks about her emo past, communing with synthesizers, and abolishing the ego in this Rising interview.

KeiyaA’s Divine Soul

In this Rising interview, the Brooklyn-based R&B experimentalist talks about how music, spirituality, and community help her to heal.

Lily Konigsberg Wants to Write the Catchiest Songs You’ve Ever Heard

In this Rising interview, the lifelong New Yorker and member of the art-punk trio Palberta talks about building up the confidence to release her first official solo record.

Meet Kari Faux, The Clever Rapper-Singer Who Won’t Be Defined

In this Rising interview, the Little Rock and Los Angeles-based artist talks about being inspired by André 3000, the struggle to be understood, and not giving away her jokes for free.

Chicago Indie Rockers Dehd Tackle Life’s Cosmic Joke With Unpretentious Charm

In this Rising interview, the band talks about moving past their romantic drama, finding inspiration in Dolly Parton and Cocteau Twins, and not taking themselves too seriously.

London Dance Producer India Jordan Is Building Community and Club Bangers

In this Rising interview, the DJ-turned-artist discusses music-making, carving out their own space, and one very important queer period drama.

Lyra Pramuk’s Surreal Songs of the Self

In this Rising interview, the Berlin-based artist talks about twisting her voice into avant-garde shapes as a tool for self-discovery.

Medhane Doesn’t Need to Explain Himself

In this Rising interview, the Brooklyn artist talks about rapping through trauma and the beauty of speaking in code.