6 British acts shaping the UK music scene of 2024

To say that the UK is a musical powerhouse would be an understatement, as the country has produced so many internationally acclaimed artists and bands. Some have shaped the history of musical genres, while others have given the world genres and sub-genres as varied as new-wave, grime and glam rock. Since 2009, Believe UK has been proud to support many of the artists and labels that contribute to the richness of modern British music every day, whether they be rock, hip-hop or electro-oriented artists.

So, to give you a taste of the current British music scene, and to celebrate Believe UK's 15th Birthday, our local teams have selected a few up-and-coming artists that have been making waves this year. As usual, we strongly advise you to turn the volume up!

Blanco is already well known in the British rap scene, having built a solid reputation as a founding member of the Harlem Spartans, the sultry London collective that pioneered the UK drill scene with tracks like “Kennington Where It Started”. As a solo artist, Blanco had already wowed the audience in 2016 with “Jason Bourne” when he was just 17.

In 2017, in the midst of his ascent, Blanco was arrested for carrying a weapon. When he was released from jail in 2018, he was radically changed, and so was his music. Signed to a major label, he released several drill singles, before publishing the English Dubbed EP in 2019, which explored new sounds, influenced by afrobeat or baile funk. This exploration continued on the 2021 album City Of God, which features Central Cee on the hit “The Great Escape” and NSG on the Afrobeat anthem “Surveillance”.

With ReBourne, released independently in 2023 via Believe Artist Services, Blanco kept exploring his Lusophone roots on Brazilian and African-sounding productions, and showed his songwriting talent when he tackled his time in prison on “Londis” or his history on “Son Of A Refugee”. The stunning “Brilliant Mind” - with its baile funk beat - has reached almost 45 million streams and has been awarded silver certification in the UK. Blanco's latest track, “Ponzi Scheme”, with its angolan semba-like guitar  and baile-funk rhythm, confirms that his musical journey is not yet over.

With her first mixtape Once Upon A Grind released in 2014, when she was just 20, MS Banks is undoubtedly the veteran on our list. The South Londoner's long career is too rich to sum up quickly: coming from a very musical family, she started rapping at age 11 and hasn't stopped since.

Her two albums The Coldest Winter Ever (2018) and The Coldest Winter Ever Part. 2 (2019) proved to everyone that she is a versatile singer capable of spitting fire over trap bars on “Bangs” or hyping up Afrobeats tracks like “Snacks”, the main singles of each album. Through the years, she toured and collaborated with the biggest names in US and UK hip-hop (Cardi B, Stormzy, Stefflon Don, Jorja Smith...), dancehall and afropop (Naïra Marley, Darkoo, Aya Nakamura...). In 2017, her verse on Stylo G's dancehall banger “Yu Zimme Rmx” even earned her a shoutout from queen Nicki Minaj herself.

MS Banks has been somewhat quiet in 2023 and 2024, releasing only a few singles and collaborations. She did, however, show off the extent of her flow in the masterful “Daily Duppy”released on the GRM Daily platform, took part in Beenie Man's track “Fitness Instructor” and recently released the afropop gem “All Mine” with Ghanaian singer SmallGod. And if we're to believe her latest Instagram posts, MS Banks is up to something seriously danceable...

Started during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wunderhorse was originally Jacob Slater's solo project. If his name sounds familiar, it may be because Slater was the frontman of London punk trio Dead Pretties, or because he played Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook in Danny Boyle's Pistols mini-series in 2022.

Wunderhorse quickly became a band when Slater teamed up with drummer Jamie Staples, guitarist Oscar Browne - now replaced by Harry Fowler - and bassist Pete Woodin. Together, they recorded their first single “Teal” released in September 2021, which earned them a signature on the Communion Music label. A year and five singles later, Wunderhorse released Cub, a debut album praised by critics for Slater's brilliant songwriting and its sound somewhere between blues, Americana, garage and indie. Cub also enabled them to tour nationally with Fontaines D.C, Pixies and Foals, before heading off on a North American tour in early 2023.

Heralded by the singles “Rain”, “Silver” and “July”, Midas was released on August 30, 2024. Produced by Craig Silvey (producer of the Rolling Stones, Portishead and Artic Monkeys, among others), Wunderhorse's 2nd album reached #6 in the UK Top 50 a week after its release, and received rave reviews from publications like Rolling Stones UK, NME and DIY.

Although he already had a bit of a reputation in his hometown of Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire) as a Youtuber and designer of a clothing line, Niko B - a moniker borrowed from GTA IV's main character - became famous almost overnight in 2019 with his song “Mary Berry” when it went viral on social media.

History repeated itself in May 2020 with “Who's That What's That”, which proved an even bigger hit. Thanks to humorous lyrics describing the life of young people in small towns and a catchy melody, the song stayed 15 weeks in the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 26. Niko B kept growing its storyteller reputation in 2021 and 2022, with singles such as “International Baby”, “Canada Goose” or “Rips in Jeans”, which was included on FIFA 2023’s game soundtrack

2024 was a big year for Niko B. His debut album, dog eat dog food world was warmly received, for its varied sounds - Niko ventures into Lofi-House, Garage, Jersey or Alt-R&B – and for its witty lyrics rooted in everyday reality. Released late August, the UK-Bassline infused "Why's this dealer?" is his last song to date and already boasts 4 million streams on Spotify.

Even if Sainté got some recognition from the Brit hip-hop scene with his singles "Envy Me" in 2019 and "Round & Round" in 2020, it was most definitely his fun and laidback song "Champagne Shots" taken from his 2021 EP Local MVP that put him on the map. Later in 2021, The Leicester-based artist cemented his credibility and style with the 7 track EP Out the Blue, that featured the acclaimed tracks "O3", "Summer in Blue" with Knucks and "No Love" with R&B singer Miraa May.

In 2022 and 2023, Sainté continued to release singles that testify to his songwriting, his steady flow and his predilection for laid-back productions with smooth melodies.  “Compare”, his track for A COLORS SHOW, is a perfect example. We also hear him with Joony on “East” and US rapper Cash Cobain, pioneer of sexy drill burgeoning sub-genre, on the song “Air4”.

In January 2024, the single “Tea Over Henny” heralded Still Local, Sainté's very first mixtape. The rapper rolled out his flow and polished lyrics on 14 chill tracks, teaming up with Draft Day, Potter Payper and American rapper Chow Lee, another pioneer of the sexy drill wave. Sainté recently released the soulful single "V" alongside Antslive, prior to his Australia, UK and Europe tour.

OK, we're cheating a bit with Sara Landry. The “High Priestess of Hard Techno” settled in Amsterdam a few years ago and was raised in New York and Austin. But her label HEKATE Records is distributed by b:electronic. It works, right?

When she was not mixing in Austin clubs, honing her characteristic industrial techno sound, she spent hours on Ableton until she mastered the music software’s deepest secrets. In 2018, “Chasm” was her first official release as a producer. Since then, she has published several highly acclaimed EPs and singles - including “Queen of The Banshees”, “Peer Pressure” and “Legacy” - and produced rave remixes of hip-hop hits such as Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana”. After releasing her work on labels such as Mau5trap, she now has her own label on which she also publishes other artists via the COVEN compilation series.

Sara Landry also made a reputation for her relentless DJ sets. She toured the biggest electronic festivals of Europe, US and Latin America, having played at Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas... But if you have to watch just one of her performances, it's undoubtedly her Boiler Room session at 2023's Teletech festival, an hour-long raw techno set that captivated over 6 million viewers. And if you’re into techno, it will definitely blow your mind. By the way, her debut album Spiritual Driveby is coming on October 4th!