Artists to Look Out for! 001

Written by Natasha Santana

As a new segment at Sound Stage, we want to highlight artists that deserve the attention. Artists that are still developing their sound, their musical identity, and stage presence. We can’t appreciate music without the artists that are striving to breakthrough. In this article, there are three artists that are verified but need to be seen more. Hopefully you find something that you enjoy. They are so exciting! I will be saying that a lot because as a new segment, it will be fun to see what artists we will have up our sleeves.

No gatekeeping here!

Cheem

The nu pop band from nu England has become a top tier favorite for this fall. Cheem carries this humorous, and sly distorted sound that becomes addictive the first time you listen to them. With only 26,000 followers and 96,400 monthly listeners; their sound that is so experimental and truly fun deserves much more attention. Led by Sam Nazaretian’s rich tenor, and Skye Holden's rapping - the group has this early 2000s sound that reminds one only of Panic at The Disco! And Paramore. Yet, don’t grip onto that, their brash bass and Linkin Park adlibs can only remind me of the experimental sound of Joey Valence and Brae when mixed with modern rhythms. 

Formed in Connecticut with a five piece band supported by Sam Nazaretian on vocals. Then, Skye Holden on vocals/guitar, Gabriel ‘Gabe” Weitzman on guitar/production, Nathan Porter on bass, and Sean Thomas on drums. The lineup is a group of incredibly talented people that resist being boxed into a genre and the more you listen to them, the more you understand that people from different music tastes can find a commonality with enjoying Cheem. 

Cheem has been on repeat for many great reasons, but their song Pivot from their 2025 album has transported me back into Hot Topic. In the best of ways. When that guitar drops after Sam’s voice, it’s like the satisfactory cold of touching a wallet chain from your favorite emo boy. Without blending too much to previous sounds of 2000’s emo, the sense of  circularity in this song plants the imagery that the lyrics want to convey. This ‘changing of angle’ of wanting to fix something without reciprocity. The lyrics feel close to the uniqueness that is Cheem without resorting to the choices of those that came before them in this sound. Ugh, this song is just so representative of how good they really are. 

The band has this blown out guitar, crunchy quality that makes the drums sound so energetic which brings this abrasive and alternative essence that you will fall for. The dynamics of their sound contrast doesn’t stay at one intensity. Cheem switches from melodic singing, to heavy percussions that give the perfect guide to Sam’s voice. We see their talent of sound, and their passion for the eclectic when we compare ‘Pivot’ to ‘Y on Earth.’ 

Interestingly, the band's musical evolution had already moved beyond straightforward rock before their 2022 album Guilty Pleasure (which, please listen to). Holden describes their songwriting shifting towards hip-hop, R&B, funk and pop with individual songs incorporating things such as vaporwave and dub reggae. Which, a lot of artists say that their sound is a million things and it ends up not that….

But with Cheem, you can hear it. They prove it with all of their recent drops.

Another important thing to note about Cheem is how much of the work they do themselves. The band does a lot of DIY when it comes to recording, production, mixing, and graphic design. While they are still growing and have accomplished so much, they still retain the ethos of the DIY scene. As they currently tour, they have revealed that they will continue to transition from nu-metal to 2000’s pop to hyperpop and as music becomes so monotonous - this is incredibly exciting. 

All in all, their album Power Move is a poignant record for understanding them. You can hear the band moving between different musical languages while still being Cheem. They are worth listening to!

TBALLER

In the spirit of keeping the people dancing, TBaller is right there. As a sole artist from Northern Kentucky, who has been making music for around nine years has been on my radar for the last year. On his own account TBaller said that he initially started music almost accidentally. A friend of his made a song and TBaller jokingly responded with a diss track and discovered that he actually loved making music. Let us all thank the friend, because the club is bouncing with these tracks. 

I even played his music during my halloween party, and people genuinely came up and asked what song it was that I played. It was fun to say that the song I have been replaying was “iIn This Club (Dancing)” - one of his most popular songs. A grand overview, is that you can hear the influences from Prince, P-funk, and classic 80’s artists such as Hall & Oates. There is plenty more but the emphasis on Cincinnati's funk tradition is so important in the geographic influence.

TBallers 2022 project Highland Avenue was largely made in is mothers’ basement. TBaller has said that he produced 26 of its 28 tracks himself, and the record moves through hip-hop, darker production and eventually rock/indie-pop territory. He has also worked with produce Big Jerm on “BLAST FROM THE PAST,” a producer associated with early Mac Miller.

This musical personality focuses on the emphasis of groove. Bass, rhythmic guitar, funky percussions, and dance-oriented arrangements tend to matter as much as conventional rap drums. His recent releases like “In This Club (Dancing),” “PUNK ASS BITCH,” and “PUT THE FUNK ON U” are songs you want to play when you need to feel like the baddest version of yourself. 

What makes him distinctive is that funk isn’t just an influence, but it is his musical language. TBaller also wants to entertain. Not only is that apparent in his music but you see it when he performs. Therefore, TBaller is on this important train of gravitating towards music people can physically respond to. The experimentation is part of the appeal, but right now let’s stay in the club dancing because that is what you will be doing.

Lydia Kenny

I discovered Lydia Kenny on her spam account on TikTok on a random night. Ever since then, I have reached for her music. I obviously found her song “I Knew” first. Boy, does it grab you and make you yearn for someone so lost and gone. 

The singer-songwriter Lydia Kenny is a newer independent artist, and in contrast to the other artists I have mentioned - this is not for the club. Unless you want to cry in the club which is so fair, and a valid response because her voice is truly beautiful. It’s immediately notable that she writes her own material because of the heavy emotional subjects. There isn’t much background on her, and I love that because we get to focus on the ascension that her songs put you through. 

The first song you will need to listen to is, “Without You” - her gorgeous voice cracks, and pungent lyrical choices it’s vitally intimate. Released in August 2025, the artist isn’t afraid of space and restraint rather than trying to compensate for emotional material with a huge production. Lydia’s music is what makes her voice so important because you can genuinely hear the whine, and turmoil in her voice.

“I Knew” - I definitely did, because this shifts from romantic disappointment toward someone recognizing another person's traumatic family environment and the effects it had on them. The lyrics describe a person who learned to suppress emotion, anticipate footsteps, and hide their distress. Kenny isn’t simply making slow breakup songs. She’s beginning to explore different emotional narratives that can produce different musical energy.

Not only is there a raw, and stripped essence to Kenny but there is a storytelling that isn’t just romantic heart break and that is what made me add her to this list. Kenny doesn’t seem interested in hiding emotional premise behind elaborate metaphors because who can hide behind that when it comes to harsh realizations?

Lydia Kenny is still developing, and I am excited to hear more sonic differentiation. To see the emotional identity that distincts her musicality.