From fast-paced algorithms to slow, meaningful melodies—and the right to own your art—this year’s Under 30 Music listers are the stars defining where the music industry takes next.
By Zoya Hasan, Kat Bein, Dean Sterling Jones and Charlotte Burney
Two-time Grammy nominated rapper Latto might just owe her career to social media—and we’re not talking about her 7 million followers on TikTok today. From the early to mid 2000s, the now 24-year-old was spitting out rap verses and creating content on platforms like MySpace, YouTube and Facebook. And, she recalls, the viewership went high enough for her to land a spot on reality TV show The Rap Game in 2016.
“That was my first launchpad for my career,” Latto says of her early days. “But social media wouldn’t have been a thing if I wasn’t putting in that groundwork, like hustling and networking.”
Latto isn’t, and wasn’t, one to shy away from the spotlight. Before there were performances on stadium stages with the likes of Under 30 alum Lizzo, there were pep rallies at her high school in Atlanta. She started making a name for herself by performing in local talent shows and open mics, posting flyers on stop signs and handing out mixtapes of her best raps in Walmart parking lots. And now, a single TikTok video of Latto eating Wingstop—a brand she partners with—can garner millions of views. She likes to say she “caught the tail-end of two generations.”
Over the past 13 years, Forbes has highlighted the artists, founders and industry leaders on our annual 30 Under 30 Music list, keeping an eye out for talent year-round and with the help of nominations from the public. To be considered for this year’s list, all candidates had to be 29 or younger as of December 31, 2023, and never before named to an 30 Under 30 North America, Asia or Europe list.
This year’s class was evaluated by expert judges including 2023 Under 30 alumna and singer Blu DeTiger; Michelle Jubelirer, CEO of Capitol Music Records, the label whose roster includes musicians from ABBA to Halsey; singer-songwriter and 2017 alumnus Conan Gray; and Kevin “Coach K” Lee, the cofounder of Quality Control Music who launched careers of the likes of Cardi B.
The 2024 Music class is roughly 45% Gen Z, and the trends signify the swift takeover of both younger musicians and younger audiences. The internet influence is the most prevalent: Every single musician on the list has a presence on social media, with a collective online following that tops 120 million. Many of these artists, like Latto, have built their fortunes on the web, and other listers, like TikTok music partnerships manager Alec Karageorges, 29, are making it happen.
Even Ice Spice, 23, a 2024 Grammy nominee for Best New Artist, started writing poetry and freestyle verses at just age seven, but it wasn’t until her song “Munch (Feelin’ U)” went viral on TikTok that the star was invited on stage with U30 alum Taylor Swift to debut their remix of Swift’s song “Karma” this summer. Bktherula, 21 Steve Lacy, 25 and Laura Les, 28 are other examples of musicians who indulge Gen Z’s addiction to fast-moving content.
Elsewhere, the breakout success of artists like Reneé Rapp, 23 and Lizzy McAlpine, 24, prove there’s still an audience for slower-paced, narrative songwriting. In fact, more than half the artists on this year’s music list fit neatly into the traditional singer-songwriter mold, where intimate personal songs serve as a corrective to the two-minute party anthem.
Take Boygenius, the indie-rock supergroup. Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Ducas (28, 29, 28) together have prompted the best reviews of their careers with the release of their 2023 debut album, The Record. Coming five years after their first EP, the album made them household names virtually overnight, earning six Grammy nominations and reaching No. 4 on the US billboard charts. This month, the group had their Saturday Night Live debut hosted by U30 Hollywood & Music alum Timothee Chalamet.
Another major singer-songwriter on this year’s list, 24-year-old Gracie Abrams, has been slowly collecting fans since her 2019 debut single “Mean it.” U30 alum Olivia Rodrigo even credited Abrams’ 2020 EP Minor as the inspiration for her own runaway hit, “Driver’s License.” This year, Abrams released her debut album Good Riddance, which threads together 12 intimately felt songs. Produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, the album earned Abrams an opening slot on Swift’s historic Eras Tour.
It’s hard to talk about music these days without bringing up Swift, really. In a post-Taylor’s Version world, record labels are scrambling to ensure other artists can’t exploit any contractual loopholes by simply re-recording their previously released material, circumnavigating labels’ access to future royalties. The battle for artists to own their own material is a battle as old as pop music, and the frontier of web3 has often promised to be a tool in artists’ favor.
That’s what David Greenstein, 29, is trying to achieve with his company, Sound.xyz. The web3 platform offers musicians a means to publish their songs and sounds as NFTs, which can then be sold directly to their biggest fans for 100% of the revenue. In the future, should that fan decide to sell the sonic NFT, the artist will receive 10% of every resale in perpetuity—all this without giving up their original master and publishing rights. Big-name rappers Snoop Dogg and Under 30 alum 21 Savage are investors in Sound.xyz, putting some heft (and $25 million) behind the mission.
Of course, you could always do it the old-fashioned way and self-release your songs on your own independent label. That’s what celebrated house DJ John Summit, 29, did this year with his brand-new imprint Experts Only. More than just a way to release records, Summit (née Schuster) plans to use the brand as a platform for events and other lifestyle engagements.
Guadalajara-born Peso Pluma, likewise, has cemented himself as the fastest-growing star on the Latin music scene and secured his bag by releasing his record-breaking third album via his own Double P imprint. Genesis topped the Billboard Latin charts and hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200, making it the most successful regional Mexican music album in the charts’ history. Now also a 2024 Best New Artist nominee, the 24-year-old is a prime example of not needing a record label on your back—even when you have drug lords and death threats rooting against you.
Pluma was told becoming a musician was too big a feat. The same rings true for several others on this list. To his 18-year-old self, he has a no-nonsense message: “Never stop following your dreams—it might not be easy, but you can do it.”
This year’s list was edited by Kat Bein, Dean Sterling Jones, Zoya Hasan and Charlotte Burney. For a link to our complete 2024 Under 30 Music list, click here, and for full 30 Under 30 coverage, click here.
