Each month, the BandLab curation team combs through thousands of uploads, artist pages, and new releases. Every now and then, someone makes us stop and take another listen.
This August, four BandLab creators caught our attention. Different scenes, different parts of the world, but each with a sound that feels unmistakably their own.
Want to find your next favorite artist before they break through? Start here.
Past spotlights:
BandLab artists worth following – August 2026
Skip ahead:
1. Jana-Klaire
Pop | Reading, Pennysylvania
Jana-Klaire has been singing for as long as she can remember. Both her parents attended college on music scholarships, so music was always part of her family’s daily rhythm. She learned bass guitar at eight before picking up acoustic guitar, piano, and ukulele. For years, she filled notebooks and voice memos with unfinished lyric ideas, until discovering GarageBand at 13 and creating her first complete song. She hasn’t stopped writing since.
Her upcoming single Some Would Say It’s Poetic is a metaphor-heavy pop track inspired by a text message. We caught up with her to hear the story behind it.
Q: The song started as a text. Can you tell us more?
A: “Yes, this song is inspired by a text sent to me from someone I thought was very special and cool. The exact phrase they used was ‘Some would say poetic’. I slightly changed the wording in the final version of the song.”
Q: We noticed some literary references in the lyrics. Do books or poetry shape your songwriting?
“There isn’t a specific work or author that influences me, but I am a big reader. I love the way language is used to describe feelings in books and poetry – tangible and strong. That’s how I want the lyrics of my songs to be.”
Q: Do lyrics or melody usually come first?
“Usually, the lyrics come first for me. There’s typically a sentence, a word, an experience, or a feeling that I want to explore more deeply, and that’s what helps me to write and complete a song.”
Q: What’s something people assume about you based on your music that’s completely off?
A: “Because my music can be emotional and metaphor-heavy, people might assume I’m serious, sad, or heartbroken. Music is where I process those emotions, but if you met me in person, you’d quickly discover I have a silly and happy personality which stems from the joy of the Lord.”
Q: How does BandLab fit into your workflow?
A: “BandLab is especially helpful when it comes to layering vocals. I’m no talented producer, but I love creating three-part harmonies. The recording and editing tools in the app make it easy to build those layers. I also love the Mastering feature. It’s helped my songs sound crisper and more polished overall.”
Q: If we opened your BandLab library right now, what would we find?
A: “A mix of unreleased and unfinished songs, plus a few new versions of tracks I’m hoping to drop very soon.”
Q: What was the most challenging part of finishing this song?
A: “Getting the language exactly right. From the time I wrote it last August until now, I’ve constantly tweaked individual words and even rewritten entire lines just to nail the vibe. This song means a lot to me, so I had to get it just right.
Q: Any advice for other creators?
A: “Some songs are finished in a day, while others take months or longer. That’s something I’ve had to remind myself of. Good things take work. Keep writing, keep practicing, and make music that you love. That’s how to make sure you’ll feel proud of your music no matter what happens.”
Q: What’s next?
A: “I’m planning to release a new EP soon, with Some Would Say It’s Poetic as the first track. After that, my plan is to keep making sweet little acoustic songs. I’d also love to learn how to produce, or have someone help me produce my songs, so that everyone can experience my lyrics and sound in new ways.”
Listen to Some Would Say It’s Poetic:
2. cullxn
R&B | Based in Marietta, Georgia
cullxn writes music that feels like an entry torn from a diary. Raised in a family of musicians, he first started experimenting with GarageBand alongside a friend. Now, he’s working on a debut album featuring real instruments and collaborators. His track cry comes with one of the most candid stories we’ve heard in a while.
Q: Where does cry come from?
A: “It’s a personal story, but I’ll share it because music is about pouring yourself out and being emotional. There was this girl I was dating, and we were really close, but I found out she was moving away permanently. After crying about it, I hit the studio and made cry. Honestly, it’s not my favorite song now because I feel I’ve improved so much since then.
Q: Who inspired that track specifically? And what about the album you’re working on?
A: “Shiloh Dynasty and Bryant Barnes inspired cry. More recently, especially for my upcoming debut album, I’ve been inspired by Dijon, Mk.gee, Justin Bieber, Steve Lacy, Frank Ocean, and Clairo.”
Q: Your lyrics are really vulnerable. Are you like that in real life too?
A: “I’d say I’m expressive in real life, and music is a safe place for me to express myself.”
Q: What’s something people assume about your music that’s wrong?
A: “Usually people assume I use a lot of auto tune, or that a song is about someone they know (or someone I know.)”
Q: How do songs come to you? Lyrics or beat first?
A: “It honestly depends. Sometimes I’ll be writing lyrics in my room and then go find or make a beat. Usually, though, the music, beat, audio, and melody come first. Once I get a feel for the song, I start writing. Song titles inspire me a lot too. Sometimes I’ll think of a cool title first and then write the song around that idea.”
Q: What’s the hardest part of putting out a song like cry out?
A: “Being vulnerable. I’ve been made fun of countless times. My advice to others is just to do it. Be yourself and express yourself, it only helps you grow as a person.”
Q: Any BandLab hacks other creators should know?
A: “Creating your own presets is one of the best things you can do. It helps you gain experience and stand out with a sound that’s uniquely yours.”
Q: If we opened your BandLab library, what would we find?
A: “Probably about 600 billion unfinished songs, haha. But seriously, you’d find my unfinished album, plus a bunch of features and collaborations I’ve completely forgotten about.”
Q: What’s the best interaction you’ve had with someone who found your music on BandLab?
A: “There are always going to be haters, but it really means a lot when someone tells me they relate to a song, and it’s helping them get through something. It’s so sweet and it means the world to me.”
Q: What’s next?
A: “This new album is my best work by far, and I’m super excited for it. Whatever people think my best song is right now, every song on this album tops it. I’m working with other people and real instruments. I don’t have a release date yet, but it’ll be worth the wait. I really think it can put me on the map.”
Listen to cry:
3. LCN!
Bedroom pop | Seattle, Washington
LCN! (pronounced “El-Cee-En”) is the project of Elsian Atienza, a 22-year-old Filipino-American artist raised on Oak Harbor. He’s building his music career while pursuing a degree in digital communications at the University of Washington.
He started with little more than curiosity and a laptop, and taught himself how to write, sing, and produce from his bedroom, documenting the process online as he went. Those early videos found an audience on TikTok, carrying him from bedroom hobbyist to a signed artist on 88rising.
LCN’s sound is warm and nostalgic. Think soft electronic and lofi rock, spacey synths, and vocals that sit close and unguarded on subjects like loneliness and growing up. He describes it as a soundtrack to your spring, and it lands that way. Inspired by anime and retro game soundtracks, particularly Serial Experiments Lain and Neon Genesis Evangelion, his songs often carry a pixelated, otherworldly quality, especially on tracks like Lovers in Space and 2 THE MOON.
His breakout single PLEASE WAIT FOR ME has surpassed 2.4 million streams on Spotify, while his 2025 EP WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE proved he could hold a full body of work. For someone whose origin story is rooted in introversion, the live side of his career is the real surprise: sold-out headline shows in Seattle, and tours across North America with Janine, The Garden, and Car.
Listen to 2 THE MOON:
4. Trxy!
Shoegaze | Martinsville, Virginia
Trxy! (pronounced “Trixie”) may sound like a band name, but the project belongs to just one creator. At just 18 years old, she’s built much of her discography entirely on a phone using BandLab. No studio, no gear, no team.
Her sound has been described as nu-gaze or grungegaze, and it earns both labels. Heavily distorted shoegaze guitars sit on top of crushing, nu-metal-inspired rhythms before opening up into melodies that are unexpectedly dreamy and catchy. My Bloody Valentine and Alice In Chains are in the DNA, filtered through the aesthetics of early-2000s video games and horror films. It’s a sound that feels both aggressive and vulnerable, and that’s exactly why it connects.
Trxy!’s breakout single Realize has passed 60 million Spotify streams. And this year, her debut album Drowning in Bliss featured fourteen tracks about grief, depression, and coming out the other side. Released through UnitedMasters, it followed the Eternal EP in 2025.
Since then, Trxy! has traveled to Los Angeles to record with producer Franco Reed and Narrow Head guitarist Kora Plunkett. Her setup may be bigger now, but the emotional honesty at the center of her music is still fully intact.
Listen to Realize:
BandLab artists worth following – June 2026
Skip ahead:
1. Ivyanna
Ivyanna makes being independent look completely natural. She’s built a strong audience on her own terms, with a six-figure following on Instagram, solid engagement on TikTok, and early features with other artists starting to come in.
Her music carries a confident, lived-in energy that never chases trends. Last year, U NOT HOT set the tone for her sound. Her most recent single Back of the Party (released on April 17) takes a more reflective turn, pulling you into the scene unfolding behind the crowd. It feels like a diary entry that happens to stick in your head as a hook.
Her visual identity is just as strong. It feels polished, intentional, and character-led. You get the sense she knows exactly who she is and how she wants to be seen.
Get a taste of her sound here:
2. Zafty
Zafty is only 18, but already has a story that feels well beyond his years. Nigerian-born, raised in Western Australia, and now based in Melbourne, his writing carries that perspective through every line. You can hear influences like J. Cole and Redveil in the best way: thoughtful bars, a clear voice, and emotional weight sitting just under the surface of the flow.
In 2024, Triple J named him one of five Unearthed High finalists out of more than a thousand entries. Since then, he’s picked up regular airplay, rotation adds, and a Wildlands festival slot off the back of an Unearthed competition win.
What really stands out is his range. His catalog moves from hip hop leaning tracks like Zuperman and Prophase to a full electronic pivot on Scout’s Honor, a collaboration with Ownlife. For an 18-year-old, that level of genre fluidity could easily feel scattered, but he keeps it grounded. His BandLab videos, often shot around Australia, give you a feel for his world without overproducing the moment.
Get a taste of his sound here:
3. Karina Magallon
Karina Magallon is the kind of artist platforms tend to point to when they talk about what’s possible. Panamanian-American, raised in Houston, now based in LA, she’s a Belmont University graduate with a four-octave range that stretches into whistle notes. Karina is also a Grammy Voting Member and a finalist at the Grammy U Songwriter Showcase.
Recently, she closed a 10-song sync deal with ESPN Music, written and produced with her team in just one month. Her work has landed on Spotify editorial playlists like New Music Friday Latin and Fresh Finds Latin, and she’s also been profiled by The Fader.
What stands out is how fully she brings her world into the platform. She writes in Spanglish, moves between Latin pop and R&B, and has a catalog that stretches from airy, island-inspired moments like Divina to more bilingual experiments like SUPERNOVA earlier this year.
Her BandLab presence feels like a working artist’s diary. You see shows, sessions, and sync moments all in one place. Proof that the platform isn’t just a starting point, but a home base for someone already deep in the industry.
Get a taste of her sound here:
4. Els Hagia
Els Hagia, born Elisakh Hagia in Bogor, Indonesia, is one of the most compelling arcs on BandLab this month. She first came up as a hip-hop child prodigy, collaborating with Silentó on SLIDE at just nine years old. She later released What Els featuring Zay Hilfigerrr. In that early phase, she was a dancer, rapper, and young performer representing Indonesia at festivals in the United States.
After her initial contract ended, she made a conscious pivot into indie folk, stepping away from hip hop into a more intimate and reflective sound.
Now 18 and based in LA, her 2024 release I’ll Be Here is her most-streamed track. Written at the piano during the pandemic, it’s a song about staying through difficult seasons, carrying an emotional depth that feels unusually mature.
It’s rare to see an artist make such a clear sonic shift this early. Her neighborhood-filmed visuals echo that change: unfiltered and close to everyday life, like a personal performance captured in passing.
Get a taste of her sound here:
This is just a taste of what creators are putting out right now. New tracks are dropping daily and our curation team is always on the hunt. Find your next favorite artist this month!
