2015 was a great year for music. Artists revamped themselves, new trends were made, and many artists took the next step in their career. The way music went down in 2015 has us amped up for what may come in 2016. Here’s a list of artists that we will be watching closely next year.

Sam Gellaitry had a massive year in 2015. His Short Stories and Escapism EPs featured some of the best production skills displayed this year. During the year he also switched management teams which helped see him release his Escapism on XL Recordings, the same record company that signed Adele. With a major label now backing his music it’s going to be interesting who he is going to be collaborating with next year. Expect to see him tour all over the world as his popularity steadily increases.





Dr. Fresch is primed to explode in 2016. 2015 saw his release music on OWSLA, play all over the country, and start his own mix series featuring some of the hottest producers in the game. His ability to masterfully produce different genres has fans constantly thirsty for new music from this up and coming producer. Expect him to be playing festivals all year long in 2016.





Oshi exploded onto the scene in 2015 catapulting from a few hundred Soundcloud followers to over 75k and becoming the youngest person to ever play a Boiler Room set. This 17 year old prodigy is a straight wizard on the keys and could easily skyrocket into stardom next year. This kid is truly in a league of his own and is destined for a huge 2016.





Moving Castle member Mark Johns made quite the splash in 2015. She collaborated with artists like The Glitch Mob, Sweater Beats, Bearson and more for numerous hits. She also officially signed a deal with OWSLA which will put her beautiful voice in front of even more amazing artists. Expect an EP and plenty of more music from her next year.





KRNE is another one of those amazing beat producers that blew up in 2015. Each one of his tracks gets hundreds of thousands of plays on his Soundcloud. Expect him to hit the road next year as he furthers his sound and reaches new audiences.





Nina Las Vegas made a major career move in 2015. She left her job at Triple J and decided it would be best to move to the U.S. and start her own record label. Known for being a taste maker, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with and what NLV Records will be putting out in 2016.





Illenium had a breakout year in 2015 and expect his rise to fame to continue next year. His remixes have received millions of plays on his Soundcloud and he played at festivals all over the U.S. Expect him to keep up his beautiful production and become more of a household name in 2016.





If you’re not, you need to get acquainted with MOONZz. Her beautiful voice is as catchy as they come and artists are able to make amazing music to dance around her vocals. I imagine she’s going to be working with some bigger artists and releasing an EP in 2016 that will invade your speakers all year.





After not releasing music for 3 years, Stephen burst back onto the scene this year. His infectious sound and wonderful voice make his success inevitable. His mainstream appeal is there so expect your friends to be showing you new Stephen tracks as soon as they drop.





Khai jumped into everyone’s Soundcloud feed 4 months ago with the majestic Do You Go Up and hasn’t looked back since. His ability to tow the line between electronic and indie music sees his tracks appeal to a wide audience that have grabbed onto it. Expect his music to be charting Hypem throughout 2016 and beyond.





Hotel Garuda were all over the place in 2015. They put out more amazing remixes and mixes for their fans to enjoy. The combination of Manila Killa and Candle Weather are primed to take over 2016 and who knows, we might even hear an original track from them next year. 😉





Mothica’s soulful voice jumped into our lives this year and we are thrilled by it. She has a few stellar collaborations and just released a fantastic EP this past month. I imagine she will be working with more artists in 2016 as well as releasing more of her own music which will help propel her into the limelight.





Quix is another one of those rising trap producers that is moving the genre forward. His innovative style has garnered him millions of plays this year on his Soundcloud including. Expect more of the same from Quix in 2016 as he looks to invade your speakers.





Rezz is about to take over 2016. She’s been featured on many artists to watch in 2016 lists and for good reason. The OWSLA signee has a killer grimy sound that people in the club crave. Make sure you keep an eye on this rising star as she’s sure to make an impact next year.





EXSSV is an artist that we here are Run The Trap have worked with closely this year. His killer trap productions will leave your jaw on the floor and your sub woofer bumping. He is definitely going to be touring around next year so don’t sleep and be sure to see his music first hand to feel the force he puts behind his tracks.





Haywyre went viral in 2014 with his amazing work on Michael Jackson’s Thriller only to see him slow things down 2015. After only releasing a couple of tracks this year, his portfolio has to be stacked and ready to be released for the world to enjoy.





Blu J have an amazing ability to combine future bass and deep house elements to formulate amazing tracks. Their Twista remix has been played out by A-Trak and their Rihanna remix has been all over the internet. These guys are currently hard at work in the studio to make 2016 a big year so make sure you keep an eye on them.





What a year for Brasstracks. They collaborated with tons of artists, went on tour with Lido, and overall crushed it. Their ability to incorporate trumpets and other live instruments into their music is something that everyone can appreciate. They will certainly be making more big moves in 2016.





Tennyson’s Like What EP was easily one of my favorite releases of the year. Their chill beats using innovative samples make for unique music that people gravitate towards. They even dropped a surprise remix with Skrillex at the end of the year cementing them as an artist you have to watch out for in 2016.







Nebbra is another one of those producers that we are in love with here at Run The Trap. His songs rack up millions of plays on his Soundcloud and always chart near the top of hypem. I imagine that next year when he releases more original music and hopefully goes on tour that you will start seeing his name pop up everywhere.





Elohim has emerged from the shadows to become one of my favorite discoveries of 2015. Her ability to mix pop, electronic, and indie music ignite’s peoples emotions and latches listeners on to her music. She flirts with the top of hypem every time she puts out a song and I believe that the sky is the limit for this up and coming producer.





XYLO absolutely broke out in 2015. You can find remixes of their hits all over Soundcloud while their originals have gathered millions of plays on their own. Similar to Elohim, this duo’s ability to flirt the line between pop, electronic, and indie music has people craving their sound. Expect big big things from XYLO in 2016.





Kiiara immediately injected herself into the scene when she dropped her single Gold that has already reached 7 million plays in a few months. Her infectious voice is something that is needed in pop music today and it wouldn’t surprise me to start hearing her music on the radio in 2016.





Jerreau Vandal is making some of the hottest beats in the game right now. The Soulection memeber’s crisp production sets up perfectly to vibe out to. I expect him to get some artists to hop on his beats next year putting his dope production skills in front of more people.





We’ve been a big supporter of VenessaMichaels’ music this year because we can’t get enough of her sound. Her ability to make stellar club tracks is second to none and her #2090 series is about to skyrocket her into the spotlight.







Felix Snow has been in the background of music for awhile now. This year he finally decided to put out music under his own name. He’s produced tracks from Kiiara, Selena Gomez and more, but it’s exciting that he has decided to put out his own music. Hopefully he continues to do this in 2015 as people would catch onto it right away.





25 Artists To Watch In 2016