21 Songs from the 21 Most Exciting Musicians of 2021

There are no borders in music. BTS tops charts in the U.S., Bad Bunny was the most streamed artist in the world on Spotify in 2020, and the Weeknd is on 21 different versions of GQ’s September cover—from the States to Japan, Brazil to Russia. (If you don’t know, now you know—GQ is worldwide.) 

In that same September issue, GQ went in search of music’s next megastars. Each of GQ’s 21 global editions nominated a local artist to show us who’s shaping the zeitgeist and defining the sounds of tomorrow. We dubbed them the “Voices of the Future.” 

Listen to them all—from the Chicago drill of Polo G to the cyberpunk pop of China’s Akini Jing; from reggaeton’s heir apparent, Puerto Rican singer Ozuna, to Gloria Groove, the trans rapper breaking boundaries in Brazil—in the playlist below. Then read about your 21 favorite new musicians here.

The Weeknd vs. Abel Tesfaye

With an instantly recognizable voice and songs that have been streamed several billion times, he’s one of the most ubiquitous pop stars in the world. But where does Abel Tesfaye end and his dark, grimy public persona begin? Mark Anthony Green finally gets the artist to explain.