It would be hard to find a buzzier British act than RAYE, who swept this year’s BRIT Awards with a record-breaking six wins and has ticked off further major successes globally. After splitting from her major-label deal, she hit #2 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart with her independently released (and long-awaited) 2023 debut, My 21st Century Blues. That followed a #1 and Ivor Novello Award-winning single, “Escapism.” (feat/070 Shake), the biggest-selling track by a British female artist in 2023.

Later in the year, RAYE featured on “Prada” by cässo and D-Block Europe, which peaked at #2 and reached Top 10 in multiple European markets. This year’s busy live schedule has seen her headline BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, play a sold-out O2 Arena show (17k seats), and perform at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Global Citizen and Reading & Leeds, not to mention opening for Taylor Swift at London’s Wembley Stadium in August.

Jonelle Ahiligwo, Head of Product at RAYE’s distributor, Human Re Sources, credits her success to date to talent, storytelling and a strong team. “It starts with her talent and dedication to her music and artistry. But beyond that, her story is what’s really powerful. She draws from her own raw experiences and makes a connection with her fans in that way. She’s super-eloquent not only with lyrics but in interviews and in live performances. It’s very special. Also, we have an incredible team built around her that works together with RAYE at the helm.”

That team includes her managers, parents Paul and Sarah Keen. They look after their wildly talented brood, which also includes Abby, who performs under the artist moniker of Absolutely, and songwriter Lauren, under S1bling mgmt. “What Paul and Sarah are building, from a management perspective, is groundbreaking,” says Human Re Sources founder J. Erving. “They’re building a real legacy.”

In September, RAYE made an appearance on The Daily Show and she released “Moi” with Central Cee early that same month.

She’ll be in the studio writing her next album at the end of the year. The strategy for her career going forward is to “continue making another amazing body of work, continue to plant the seeds of who she is as an artist and continue to build an audience,” says Erving. “The most important thing for her is integrity in her art, and I think she’s okay with wherever that lands in terms of what people would consider tentpoles for success. Her success starts with being true to herself, being true to the art and really standing for something that she believes in.”

Erving has solid faith in RAYE’s longevity. “‘Escapism.’ was a big hit two years ago,” he adds, “and we’re still talking about RAYE in a very real and current way. That’s a testament to her artist proposition and the fact that she’s bigger than any one song or album.”

Alt-rock four-piece The K’s burst onto the U.K. music scene with a bang this year thanks to their debut album, I Wonder If The World Knows?, which hit #3 on the Official Albums Chart. To date, it’s the best-selling debut album of the year, having shifted 25.5k in sales. The band have followed up this chart success in the live arena, selling more than 20k tickets for their U.K. shows in April and May and drawing a crowd of 12k at Glastonbury, according to Mark Orr, director of their label, LAB Records.

The K’s, who hail from the Northwest of England, trade in melodic, impassioned guitar anthems. It’s their “work ethic, electric live show and one of the most loyal and committed fan bases we’ve seen in 15 years of our label” that makes them special, according to Orr.

Alongside Glastonbury, this summer they played the main stages at Reading & Leeds and the Isle of Wight Festival. They also started to make in-roads in mainland Europe, playing shows and festivals across France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. In October, a limited edition 12” live album, recorded at Manchester venue Victoria Warehouse, sold out in one day. That precedes a special edition re-pressing of their debut later in the year. Album two is slated for summer 2025.

The next step, says Orr, is getting The K’s to the U.S. (he says they did have an offer for SXSW last year but it clashed with promo around the debut album). There, the band will be supported by a “fully committed” team at the label’s distributor, ADA, as well as Scott Brothman, LAB’s New York-based MD,. “When the time is right, we absolutely have ambition to grow the band internationally,” says Orr. “Our social and streaming data show extremely positive signs in the market, so it’s top of mind. For any U.K. act, the acid test of their global appeal is whether they can make inroads into the U.S.”

The ultimate ambition is for The K’s to be a festival headliner in “A-markets across the U.K., mainland Europe and beyond,” concludes Orr. “Ultimately, we are in the business of releasing records that are still meaningful three, five or 10 years into their life.”

British hip-hop duo D-Block Europe have been on an incredibly impressive trajectory. They’ve achieved eight U.K. Top 10 albums in less than five years, including January’s #1, Rolling Stone, 30 Top 40 hits and sold out London’s O2 Arena a record-breaking seven times (more than any other U.K. rap act). As Ali Neale, GM of EGA,the group’s distributor, says, “D-Block Europe is a phenomenon. They are like nothing that’s come before them, and I can’t imagine anything like them coming again any time soon. They’ve pioneered the wave genre in the U.K, always stayed true to themselves and done everything in their own time and way.”

“It’s also their fans who set them apart,” he continues. “They have a diehard, loyal and dedicated fan base which is unrivaled. Not only can they accumulate hundreds of millions of streams, but they can also sell hundreds of thousands of tickets. Not many can do both.” After playing four O2 Arena dates earlier this year, DBE completed a Europe tour in spring and have visited a number of festivals, including Splash! in Germany and Glastonbury. They also brought their DBE Fest to Ibiza Rocks and and Neale promises new music later in the year, following “Gold Mine” f/Aitch, which landed in August.

After taking the U.K. by storm, DBE have their sights set on the U.S. They’ve already got a footprint over there, having been originally co-signed by Jadakiss and releasing collaborations with acts including Offset, Lil Baby, Kodak Black and Rich the Kid. Playing a tour and festivals stateside is the next step, says Neale.

“Having their boots on the ground will further cement the foundations already built and provide more opportunities to collaborate with artists and for people to see and feel their star power. This, accompanied by their look and lifestyle, is something that sets them apart from other U.K. artists and is what we feel can resonate with the U.S. audience.” The ultimate ambition, adds Neale, is for DBE to be “the biggest rap group in the world.”