They are oozing talent, drive, passion and a sound like no other – they are the bands and artists to watch in 2016.

For this month’s playlist, I have handpicked some of my favourite artists who are ready to dominate the music world in 2016. Before you listen to it in full, preview six of my selections and get hyped for a new year filled with incredible new music.

Who Is Fancy

Who is Fancy, you ask? He is Jake Hagood, a 24-year-old pop singer and rapper hailing from Arkansas. In the past year, he has garnered the attention of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift’s managers and released a single with Meghan Trainor and Ariana Grande. With a debut album in the works, expect to hear a lot more from Who Is Fancy in 2016!

Check out: “Boys Like You,” featuring Meghan Trainor and Ariana Grande

DNCE

It is nearly impossible to not want to get up and dance to any one of DNCE’s catchy tunes. The new music project from Joe Jonas and friends Jack Lawless, Cole Whittle and JinJoo Lee saw great success in 2015 with a debut EP, ‘SWAAY,’ and sold-out club tour. The group has already teased a full-length album and follow-up tour for 2016 and we are SO ready!

Check out: “Cake By The Ocean”

REZZ

Canadian-born Isabelle Rezazadeh, aka REZZ, is here to deliver a dash of girl power to dance music. She has received the certified seal of approval from deadmau5 and Skrillex, performed at big-name festivals such as Toronto’s Digital Dreams and Atlanta’s TomorrowWorld, and is about to head out on tour with Justin Martin and Destructo. Look out for REZZ’s next EP due out later this month!

Check out: “Serenity”

Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots, the indie pop-rock, genre-crossing band featuring Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, has been sneakily and skilfully conquering the music industry since 2009 and now 2016 is looking to be one of their best years yet. They garnered mainstream attention in the summer of 2015 after a special performance with A$AP Rocky at the MTV VMA’s and proceeded to sell out spring and summer headlining tours for 2016. Kicking off the year on a high note, their latest release, ‘Blurryface,’ continues to hold strong at #4 on the Canadian iTunes album charts nearly a year after its release.

Check out: “Stressed Out”

KStewart

Make room on your iPod now: once you hear this artist for the first time, you will need to download every track. In 2015, London-based KStewart worked with Shift k3y and Karma Kid, became a staple on BBC Radio 1Xtra and nailed a special performance on Dancing With The Stars France with David Guetta. Looking forward, if her recent note to her fans promising some “super exciting things” in 2016 is any indication, KStewart may easily become one of 2016’s reigning pop princesses.

Check out: “Ain’t Nobody”

Frances

I trust the musical judgment of Sam Smith, so I had to check out Frances after repeated tweets from the powerhouse vocalist about her talent. To put it simply, I was not disappointed. Her soulful pop sound and beautifully honest lyrics made me an instant fan. Frances is set to have a standout 2016, having recently been in the studio with Greg Kurstin, who has co-writing credits on Adele’s “Hello,” and signing with Smith’s management. Follow her now so you can say you knew her before she was a household name.

Check out: “Let It Out”

LISTEN: 002 | Ones To Watch

Stay tuned for a new playlist in February! ♡

(Header: Screenshot of “Stressed Out” music video by Twenty One Pilots)