[2026] Popular British Artists: Recommended Singer-Songwriters

Never Need MeRachel Chinouriri

Rachel Chinouriri – Never Need Me (Official Music Video)

Rachel Chinouriri, who began her career in earnest in 2018, is a rising singer-songwriter who went from posting home recordings on SoundCloud to signing with the storied British label Parlophone.

After earning acclaim with her 2019 debut EP, “Mama’s Boy,” she has built a following with a style that anchors itself in alternative pop and indie rock while contemporizing Britpop-inflected guitar sounds.

Her signature track “So My Darling” resurfaced on TikTok and drew renewed attention, and her debut album “What a Devastating Turn of Events,” released in May 2024, reached the UK Top 20.

At the 2025 BRIT Awards, she received double nominations for Artist of the Year and Best New Artist, and it was reported that Adele sent her a congratulatory bouquet.

Hailing from southwest London to Zimbabwean immigrant parents, she is known for transforming family history and formative experiences into richly narrative lyrics.

With an unvarnished voice and approachable melodies that invite empathy, she’s an artist highly recommended for fans of Britpop and UK guitar pop.

Black HoleGriff

Griff – Black Hole (Official Video)

From the late 2010s into the 2020s, the UK saw a surge of Gen Z singer-songwriters born around 2000, and Griff, born in 2001, is truly one of the movement’s standard-bearers.

After releasing her debut single “Mirror Talk” on Warner Records in 2019, she drew attention for a sound that fuses electronic textures with a soulful voice, and in 2021 she won the BRIT Awards’ Rising Star—known as a launchpad for young talent—at the age of just 20.

She has supported major artists like Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, and Coldplay on tour, and in 2024 she released her debut album Vertigo.

While grounded in R&B and pop, her music is compelling for its DIY spirit—leveraging beat-making and production skills she taught herself at home—and lyrics that sensitively capture the anxieties and shifting self-image characteristic of coming of age.

If you enjoy contemporary electropop or alternative R&B, she’s an artist you should definitely check out.

NOT THE ONEChy Cartier

Chy Cartier – NOT THE ONE

As a young rapper from Tottenham, Chy Cartier is bringing fresh energy to the UK rap scene.

Born in 2004, she’s a natural talent who learned rap by memorizing the hip-hop, dancehall, and grime her mother played when she was a child, and reportedly wrote her first lyrics at age seven.

She began pursuing music in earnest around 2018, and a snippet of “Bossed Up,” released at the end of 2023, went viral on social media and propelled her to a rapid breakthrough.

She followed up with a string of tracks featuring an aggressive yet melodic flow—such as “YO,” which racked up tens of millions of views on TikTok, and “SHUSH,” which balances street sensibilities with a taste for luxury.

In April 2025, she released her highly anticipated debut mixtape, NO BRING INS, which earned strong praise from Pitchfork.

Favoring bass-heavy beats and her signature ad-lib—“BAP!”—her sound, combined with a striking persona influenced by Foxy Brown and Nicki Minaj, has made her stand out as a new role model among women MCs in UK rap.

Aiming to become a cultural icon at the intersection of fashion and music, she’s an ideal artist for listeners who crave both hard-hitting rap and introspective storytelling.

GorillaCat Burns

Cat Burns – go (Official Video)

Singer-songwriter Cat Burns from South London first emerged from the indie scene with her self-released 2016 EP “Adolescent,” and rose to prominence during the COVID lockdown by posting regularly from her bedroom on TikTok.

Trained at the BRIT School—the alma mater of artists like Adele and Amy Winehouse—she’s known for a “soulful pop” sound that blends simple, acoustic guitar–led tracks with gospel-inspired choral work and R&B-tinged melodies.

Her 2022 viral hit “Go” reached No.

2 on the UK Singles Chart, and her 2024 debut album “Early Twenties” was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.

Speaking candidly from her perspective as a Black queer woman and about living with ADHD and autism, Cat resonates powerfully with her generation and is certain to remain a leading figure in the UK pop scene.

Highly recommended if you’re interested in themes of love, loss, and mental health.

DojaCentral Cee

Central Cee – Doja (Official Music Video)

In recent years, when it comes to the biggest young top star in the globally watched UK rap scene, it has to be London-born Central Cee.

Born in 1998, he spent his teens living a tough street life while delivering melodic rap that made heavy use of Auto-Tune.

In 2020, however, he pivoted to UK drill with his early breakthrough track “Day In The Life,” which suddenly put him in the spotlight.

What sets him apart from other artists is how he evolved UK drill—once known for its dangerous image—into a more accessible sound by skillfully incorporating elements like jazz and pop.

With striking looks and massive popularity as a fashion icon, he hit No.

2 on the UK charts with his debut mixtape Wild West in 2021, followed by 23, which reached No.

1 in 2022.

He has turned numerous bangers into viral hits and has now grown into the most famous UK-born rapper in the world.

His long-awaited debut album, Can’t Rush Greatness, finally released in 2025, topped the charts in multiple countries including the UK and made history for a British rapper by reaching No.

9 on the U.S.

charts.

All eyes are on what Central Cee will do next!

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