A new year means a whole lot of talent to keep an eye out for across the worlds of music, TV and film, and there are already a whole lot of stars we’re predicting big things for in the next 12 months.
Here are just 12 of them, and why we think you should be watching them closely in 2019...
1. L Devine
L Devine (a stage name she came up with after discovering she shared her real name with a popular porn star) is one of the pop singers that’s made us most excited in the last year, and 2019 looks set to be even bigger.
Originally hailing from the North East, she manages to mix the nostalgic teenage innocence of Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Emotion’ with the high drama of Lorde’s ‘Melodrama’, while her most recent EP addressed themes like loneliness, homophobia and, of course, romance.
Want to see more? Check out the video for ‘Peer Pressure’ here.
2. Stephan James
Already an award-winner in his native Canada, Stephan has starred in the historical dramas ‘Race’ and ‘Selma’, which led to him being cast as the male lead in Barry Jenkins’ follow-up to his 2016 Best Picture Oscar recipient, ‘Moonlight’.
Given what that film did for Mahershala Ali’s career, and the high praise he’s already received for his ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’, we’re expecting big things for Stephan in the coming year.
Want to see more? Check out the trailer for ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ here.
3. Mahalia
There’s been buzz around Mahalia for some time now, having first signed to a record label when she was just 13, and was still a teenager when she released her debut album ‘Diary of Me’.
After her 2018 singles ‘I Wish I Missed My Ex’ and the Kojey Radical collaboration ‘One Night Only’ have attracted even more attention, all signs point to next year being a big one for the talented singer/songwriter.
Want to see more? Check out our exclusive interview with Mahalia here.
4. Cody Fern
This year we’ve been blessed enough to see Cody in action in three completely different dramas, playing a victim of serial killer Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s ‘The Assassination Of Gianni Versace’, the ambitious and manipulative Duncan Shepherd in the last series of ‘House Of Cards’ and, perhaps most memorably, the spawn of Satan in ‘American Horror Story: Apocalypse’.
With a number of supporting roles now under his belt, it’s not tough to imagine that 2019 will be the year the Aussie actor steps into the lead, either in the upcoming ninth series of ‘American Horror Story’ (after wowing in two completely different Ryan Murphy roles, we can’t imagine him stepping away from the franchise any time soon), or another separate project altogether.
Want to see more? Check out Cody in action in ‘American Horror Story: Apocalypse’ here.
5. Sasha Lane
Sasha caught our eye this year as one of the three young leads in ‘The Miseducation Of Cameron Post’, in which she played Jane, a young lesbian woman who is being subjected to conversion therapy.
Her portrayal of the rebellious and jaded Jane was a joy, even in the film’s more heavy and dark moments, and with big roles coming up in the ‘Hellboy’ reboot and the thriller ‘Daniel Isn’t Real’, there’ll be plenty of chances to catch her on the big screen in 2019.
Want to see more? Check out the trailer for ‘The Miseducation Of Cameron Post’ here.
6. Slowthai
British rapper Slowthai has managed to make a name for himself not just for his anything-goes live shows, but his unique musical stylings, which have seen him address all manner of contemporary issues including toxic masculinity and the UK political system.
Pair this with the creativity shown in his music videos, which have already garnered a lot of conversation online, and we reckon there’s going to be a lot of conversation around Slowthai in the next year.
Want to see more? Check out the music video for ‘Rainbow’ here.
7. Ms Banks
Already bagging endorsement from huge names in the rap world like Nicki Minaj (who hand-picked her to support her upcoming tour) and Skepta (her sold-out London show in 2018 featured a guest performance from the grime star, as well as peers Krept & Konan), Ms Banks also won praise with her mixtape ‘The Coldest Winter’, released in April.
With her high-energy performance style and undeniable charm, not to mention a recent feature on a remix of Anne-Marie’s ’2002′, this could easily be the year Ms Banks crosses over into the mainstream.
Want to see more? Check out the video for ‘Clap’ here.
8. Chance Perdomo
You wouldn’t think it from his scene-stealing turn as Ambrose Spellman in Netflix’s ‘Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina’, but actor Chance Perdomo is still early on in his acting career, with just a handful of credits to his name (including an obligatory ‘Midsomer Murders’ appearance).
‘Chilling Adventures’ isn’t going anywhere for the time being, but given how popular Chance’s character has been among fans, we imagine the offers will have already started flooding in, and we’re curious to see what the British actor winds up choosing to do next.
Want to see more? Check out Chance in action in ‘Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina’ here.
9. Rosalía
Her impressive visuals and flamenco-inspired musical output has already made Rosalía a favourite in music circles, but thanks to her recent awards wins for her ‘Malamente’ music video and collaborations with the likes of Pharrell Williams, 2019 could hopefully be the year she crosses over to the mainstream.
Her scene-stealing performance at the MTV EMAs introduced her to a whole wave of new fans, and having already topped the charts in Spain, it hopefully won’t be too long before the rest of the world catches up.
Want to see more? Check out the video for ‘Malamente’ here.
10. Holland
If 2018 taught us anything, it’s that K-pop is going absolutely nowhere, and Holland is one of the genre’s most intriguing and endearing up-and-comers.
He’s already topped the Dazed100 list (a feat previously achieved by Troye Sivan, Kendall Jenner and Finn Wolfhard of ‘Stranger Things’), which is intended to show the popular figures “shaping youth culture”.
Holland is also the first openly LGBT+ K-pop singer, and his debut music video ‘Neverland’ sparked huge conversation – and, regrettably, some backlash in his home country – for its portrayal of a happy same-sex romance.
A crowd-funder to release a follow-up album raised nearly £20,000 from fans in its first 24 hours, and we can’t wait to see what delivers in the New Year.
Want to see more? Check out the video for ‘Neverland’ here.
11. Yalitza Aparicio
You might not know her name just yet, but Yalitza is almost certainly someone you’re definitely going to want to remember around awards season in 2019.
She plays the lead in ‘Roma’, Netflix’s most critically-lauded original feature-length offering yet, which won big at the Venice Film Festival over the summer.
The film is currently her sole credit on IMDB, but with plenty of buzz around both ‘Roma’ and Yalitza herself, we don’t think that’s going to be the case for long.
Want to see more? Check out the trailer for ‘Roma’ here.
12. Alex Wolff
Critically lauded but more divisive among cinema-goers, ‘Hereditary’ was the horror film everybody had an opinion on in 2018.
Personally, we’re still feeling relatively traumatised by the whole experience, but while Toni Colette and her on-screen daughter Milly Shapiro rightfully received the lion’s share of the praise, we were equally impressed by Alex Wolff as Peter.
His journey from a regular rebellious teen to a devastated grieving brother to a beaten-up host for the demonic king Paimon, all in the space of two hours, took us through basically every emotion under the sun,
Want to see more? Check out the trailer for ‘Hereditary’ here.