Pandora names Phoebe Bridgers, Kelela & more "artists to watch in 2018"

Like last year, Pandora have followed their “Top Thumb Hundred” of 2017 list with their 25 artists to watch in 2018 list. It’s mostly heavy on pop, rap, and R&B, and it includes such names as Kelela, H.E.R., Daniel Caesar, Ski Mask the Slump God, Cigarettes After Sex, wisifuneral, Cyhi the Prynce, and Jaden Smith. They also managed to sneak in one of our favorite new indie-folk artists, Phoebe Bridgers. Pretty cool!

For some insight on how this list came together, Pandora’s lead hip hop/R&B curator Justin Boland said:

From trendsetters to hit makers, we’ve been watching these hip hop & R&B artists create a buzz on Pandora. We analyzed street cred, crew love, industry insights, social data and plenty of vibe to pick our faves for 2018. Look out for these artists to make moves in the next year.

And Pandora’s lead pop curator Tiana Lewis added:

We listened to TONS of artist before we were able to arrive at the 25 artists to watch in 2018. When it comes to Pop, everything is fair game, so really understanding not only where the Pop scene currently is, but where it’s headed is key. Using our data along with industry insight, tracking an artist’s growth when it comes to live performances along with a few other key factors we were able to select our top 25. Whether you’re a fan of Demi Lovato, Calvin Harris or Beyoncé there’s something here for you!

Here’s the full list:

H.E.R.
Illenium
Ella Mai
Lauv
Daniel Caesar
$ki Mask The Slump God
FKJ
Sabrina Claudio
Kelela
Petit Biscuit
Jessie Reyez
SYM
PRETTYMUCH
Baka Not Nice
Cigarettes After Sex
Lil Baby
Phoebe Bridgers
Lil Xan
Harry Hudson
Greta Van Fleet
wifisfuneral
Cuco Latin
Cyhi The Prynce
Jaden Smith
Morgan Saint