WHAT IT IS: With 175m+ career streams since his debut in fall 2023, Houston-born alt-R&B singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bryant Barnes has become one of this year’s breakout artists. His viral hit “I’d Rather Pretend” captivated fans this past summer, hitting #7 on the Hot R&B Songs chart, Top 5 Shazam Global R&B Soul chart, Top 100 Shazam U.S. and Spotify Top 200 across Southeast Asia. Simultaneously, it’s gained nearly 90m global streams, as the debut EP VANITY peaked #13 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and Top 10 Apple Music R&B Albums chart.
ALBUM: VANITY EP
RELEASE DATE: 7/19
SINGLE: “I’d Rather Pretend”
LIVE: Debut headline shows sold out in three minutes, shows include L.A.’s Echo, NY’s Mercury Lounge and Houston’s White Oak
INTERNET: 356m+ TikTok views on “I’d Rather Pretend”; rise in social followings since releasing VANITY, +850k Instagram followers, +800k TikTok followers, +4m monthly Spotify listeners and +300k followers
PRESS: Genius Verified, Colors, PAPER, On the Radar, From the Block
BOOKING: Olivia Mirabella/CAA
MANAGEMENT: Jeffrey Azoff, Shawn Holiday & Daniel Byrnes/Full Stop Management
WHAT IT IS: Waylon Wyatt, a 17-year-old folk/country artist from Hackett, Arkansas, draws from the rich traditions of Americana. Inspired by contemporary red-dirt musicians, he began writing songs at a young age, often workshopping ideas during long summer days on construction sites with his father. True to his DIY ethos, Wyatt recorded and produced his debut EP, Til the Sun Goes Down, in his parents’ rec room; it quickly gained traction, amassing 100m+ combined streams on various platforms within a few months.
ALBUM: Til the Sun Goes Down Deluxe (EP)
RELEASE DATE: 11/15
SINGLE: “O.D”
LIVE: Toured with Dwight Yoakam earlier this year; direct support on Dylan Gossett’s The Back 40 Tour, along with his own string of headlining shows, including his AmericanaFest debut; making his Stagecoach debut in 2025
INTERNET: 100m+ global streams to date; 20m+ TikTok views; 2.6m+ monthly Spotify listeners
PRESS: Country Now, The Ward Guenther Show, HITS
BOOKING: Jonathan Levine, Keith Levy & Yitzi Peetluk/Wasserman
MANAGEMENT: Marc Caceres/Pretty Sweet Management
WHAT IT IS: Chicago’s DJ BLUPRNT is making waves in house music with his high-energy fusion of tech and bass house. His tracks have been signed to Hood Politics and Force of Habit Records, with support from the likes of Diplo, Dr. Fresch and Matroda. After his festival debut at North Coast Music Festival in 2023, EDM Identity named him a “must-watch artist.” With sets at top Chicago clubs like Prysm and Soundbar, plus more releases on the way, BLUPRNT is quickly gaining momentum in the scene.
SINGLE: “Drama”
RELEASE DATE: 8/9
TV: Tracks featured in the upcoming season of Summer House on Bravo
LIVE: North Coast Music Festival ’23; Marquee NYC, EOS, NOVA, Superior Ingredients, PourHouse, NOTO, more; Halloween Takeover at Schwartz & Sandy’s
INTERNET: Hundreds of thousands of TikTok views from #DramaDanceChallenge
RADIO: Mixer (including originals) on SiriusXM, featured on Pitfalls Globalization, Chainsmokers’ Electro, Steve Aoki’s DJ Nurotic, 103.5 KISS-FM’s “DJs You Should Know,” Vibe 99.7, C895, more
PRESS: Pandora (“New House + House Rules”), Beatport (“Best New Indie Artist”), SoundCloud (“Level Up”); EDM.com, DJ Life Magazine, EDM House Network, EDM Identity, Music Breakr, NEXUS Dance Radio, more
BOOKING: Steff Agathis/Vitalize Projects
MANAGEMENT: Steff Agathis/Vitalize Projects
