9 LGBTQ+ NextGen Artists On the Rise

A For Alpha is inspired by 90s Underground and the turns that this infamous decade took. Cutting her teeth in the Garage scene under her alias ‘A-Bee’, A For Alpha favours a raw Garage sound alongside chunky House, Techno tracks full of swing and the sounds of Hardcore, Rave and Jungle.

Having played Glastonbury last year (she'll be returning this year too), A For Alpha has a sizzling summer of festival sets, having already ticked off Gottwood and Love Saves The Day, she will also be playing NASS and The Secret Garden Party, amongst others. 

As well as releasing her own music, A For Alpha also runs Alpha's Trip Records, a vinyl and digital label focusing on re-releasing underground tracks from the 90s with remixes from fresh artists, as well as new releases inspired by the 90s sound. 

Binboss' music is fast, hard, high-pitched and energetic with exhilarating sounds. Binboss explores the grey area between sadness and recklessness and the music reflects that.

He's already released three singles and is currently using his NextGen fund to work on a debut EP as a solo producer. Expect to hear a mix of hyperpop, donk and queer nightlife influences, as well as stylings from Binboss' jazz trumpet background. 

Specialising in sound layering, post-punk and dark techno-meets-rap, HASZNAT* wants to reclaim Queer Rage and techno back to the communities it stemmed from - people of colour.

Since releasing their first single "REAL ROTTWEILER" last year, they have continue to create and release, sharing debut EP, 'HASZNATONLINE' last year. This was soon followed by the track 'PRESSURE'.

So far this year, HASZNAT* has dropped the deliciously dark single, 'MANIFESTO', and created their debut mix for DAYTIMERS.

Since graduating with a First in Creative Music Technology, Goblyn has explored sound engineering, composing, DJing, and audio-visual art. So far, she has released one single, the "wonky electronica" number, 'Pink'. 

Goblyn is releasing her debut EP, fully written, produced and published by her, this June. Inspired by IDM and Braindance genres, 'Auras' will explore Goblyn's complicated feelings for Thanet, where she grew up. The EP will be a sound journal that responds to a visual journey through Goblyn's memories, represented by experimental photography and film.

Jason Patel brings many influences such as Indian classical music, bhajans, theatre and the arts from his acting background into his music. Deeply emotional and empowering, his songs cover personal experiences as Jason sings of navigating his own life, all the while empowering others. At the core of everything, Jason's music is about love and trying to own every part of himself. 

His artistic vision is influenced by late 90s and early 00s UK pop and American R&B music, as well as the romanticism of Indian Bollywood Cinema. 

Last year, Jason was nominated for a Music Video Award at the Youth Music Awards. This year, he supported Tia Kofi at Youth Music's Give a Gig Week and is set to perform at Manchester Pride in August.

Keanan is a hip-hop artist whose hard-hitting, one-take freestyles shot him to success, reaching over two million views on TikTok. He has since been named as Gay Times' 'Rising Star' and a BBC Radio 1Xtra ‘STEP UP’ Artist.

Last summer, Keanan wowed audiences on stage at UK Black Pride and then in October at the Youth Music Awards, performing a rendition of his track "Country Boy". This May, the rising rapper performed at Birmingham Pride, and has more festival slots pending.

Keanan's Youth Music NextGen Fund supported EP, 'Exhibit Green', followed his journey of self growth and rediscovery across different genres and eras of music. 

Marz Fay is a spoken word artist and musician from South London, who openly discusses love, pain, and youth in her music. She's also a self-taught pianist, guitarist and lyricist.

Since first releasing music in 2020, Marz has released consistently, dropping an EP, 'INK' which has gained more than 40,000 streams. Her single "Straight Girl" also climbed to number three on the iTunes chart.

As well as her music career, Marz is a Reprezent Radio presenter, and has interviewed the likes of Darkoo, Ambush, Big Tobz and Poet at events such as Alter Ego and Hackney Empire.

Spent is a non-binary producer and vocalist based in Glasgow. Their avant-garde music is a mixture of experimental, electronic and hyper pop.

They have been sharing their glitchy, heavily-processed sounds since 2020, and have released an EP 'Cybernetics' as well as a plethora of singles. Spent also collaborated with fellow Youth Music NextGen LVRA on two singles.

Their NextGen Fund grant will amplify the release of their first album through sound design, artwork, promo and a launch party. The album encapsulates the reality of life as a non-binary young person navigating life in a contemporary setting.

Philly Holmes AKA sweet philly, is an Irish-born, Scotland-based queer club producer, composer, mix engineer and DJ. As a bisexual, non-binary artist, queerness sits at the forefront of all that they make, embracing the sounds of queer club, creating dancefloor soundscapes that embody all that it means to be queer.

Their 'Bitemark' EP is an experimental audiovisual record that synthesises the sounds of the queer club, experimental dance and sounds commonly heard across the Scottish club scene. It's brash, bright and often abrasive and carries fingerprints of Vogue, jungle, DnB, Jersey and Baltimore Club and Acid while reaching for something new.