The end of another year is not just a time to reflect, but also an opportunity to look ahead to the 12 shiny new months that lie ahead of us.
And the good news is, it looks like there’s plenty to get excited about in 2023 – including some impressive new talent that looks set to take over in the next year.
From your new musical obsessions to the actors who’ll be dominating your favourite new shows, here are 12 rising stars we’re predicting big things from in 2023...
Flo
Let’s be honest, the British pop scene is a brighter place when we’ve got a girl band to get behind. And to anyone who’s been feeling the absence of a female-led vocal group since Little Mix went their separate ways in 2021, the arrival of Flo will be – quite literally – music to your ears.
Although they may mix the tight harmonies of Destiny’s Child and effortless cool of Sugababes, all while retaining the down-to-earth relatability of Mis-Teeq, don’t go thinking this three-piece are a pastiche of the girl groups who’ve come before them. They may wear their throwback influences proudly on their collective sleeve, but Flo’s feet are very much planted in the here and now.
And after spending the past year gifting us with earworm after earworm like Cardboard Box, Immature and Losing You (all produced by the unmistakeable chart-topper MNEK) we reckon we’re going to be hearing a lot more of Stella, Jorja and Renée in the next 12 months – kicking off with their performance at the Brits next month.
Leo Woodall
There was no faulting the terrific ensemble cast of The White Lotus’ second season in 2021, but we definitely felt the show moving in a new direction when Leo Woodall reared his head around the midway point.
As the dreadfully charming – or charmingly dreadful depending on who you ask – Essex boy Jack, Leo took us all (not to mention Portia) on a ride, and was immediately hailed as a stand-out from what was undeniably one of the biggest shows of the year.
Leo has already got his next high-profile gig booked in the form of Netflix’s new adaptation of David Nicholls’ One Day, playing the lead role of Dexter, while he’s also been nabbed for an Amazon Prime miniseries.
Dominique Thorne
We can’t imagine it was an easy task to jump into an established and popular franchise like Black Panther and find a way to slot into an ensemble cast that people already know and love – particularly given the sensitivity surrounding the sequel Wakanda Forever, following the death of leading man Chadwick Boseman.
Not only did Dominique Thorne manage it as newcomer Riri Williams, she made it look effortless, holding her own even next to screen legends like Angela Bassett and Lupita Nyong’o.
Clearly sensing the potential in her, Disney has already given Dominique – whose existing credits include If Beale Street Could Talk and Judas And The Black Messiah – a leading role in their new original Marvel series Ironheart, reprising her Wakanda Forever role.
She’s also set to share the screen with Pedro Pascal, Euphoria’s Angus Cloud and pop darling Normani in the new drama Freaky Tales.
Daryl McCormack
Daryl McCormack had two huge projects that were well-received in 2022, first sharing scenes with little-known indie actor Emma Thompson in the two-header Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, where he won praise for his portrayal of the titular sex worker.
Following this, he appeared in Sharon Horgan’s enthralling family crime dramedy Bad Sisters, as the increasingly-desperate insurance worker Matt Claflin.
With two lauded performance under his belt in the space of a year, we’ll be curious to see what comes next for the former Peaky Blinders star.
Doechii
Although she’s been making music since she was in her teens, it was only in 2020 that Doechii made the decision to quit the day job that was making her unhappy and, per her recent interview with DIY, “invest everything into [myself]”.
In the years that followed, the rapper and singer has released three critically-lauded EPs, had the seal of approval from the likes of all-round queen Missy Elliott, R&B legend Babyface and SZA, who she’s opened for on tour.
And while 2022 cuts like Stressed and her breakthrough moment Persuasive have been snapped up by music fans, there’s a real sense that her big moment is still to come, with the much-anticipated release of her debut album in the year ahead.
Omar Apollo
Omar Apollo’s brand of crooning ballads and heartfelt love songs have helped him steadily build up a fanbase for the past few years, but things blew up for him in 2022 when the release of his debut album Ivory bagged him a whole new audience.
The singer is heading into 2023 having scored his first Grammy nomination in the Best New Artist category (alongside Eurovision rockers Måneskin, rapper Latto, British indie duo Wet Leg and Brazillian superstar Anitta) and performances at huge festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, not to mention the rave reviews for his first album, which has drawn comparisons to everyone from Frank Ocean and SZA to Justin Bieber and Troye Sivan.
Yasmin Finney
This time a year ago, you probably wouldn’t have been aware of Yasmin Finney – unless you were among her early TikTok subscribers, that is, where her videos eventually caught the eye of the team behind a new Netflix series named Heartstopper.
Fast-forward to the present, and Yasmin is known for her scene-stealing turn in one of 2022′s biggest break-out shows and her recent appearance on the cover of British Vogue.
She’s now gearing up to join the cast of Doctor Who in a landmark year for the much-loved sci-fi show, in which it will mark its 60th anniversary with a homecoming not just for former Time Lord David Tennant and assistant Catherine Tate, but showrunner Russell T Davies, fresh from all of the success his groundbreaking Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin received.
And that’s just Yasmin getting started.
Jaboukie Young-White
Let’s just talk for a second about the year that stand-up comic, actor, screenwriter and occasional social media troll Jaboukie Young-White has had.
Fresh from appearing alongside Joaquin Phoenix in A24′s acclaimed C’Mon, C’Mon, he returned for the second series of the Emmy-nominated drama Only Murders In The Building, and joined forces with Disney twice – first in the Big Hero 6 spin-off Baymax! and again in the historic Strange World, in which he voiced the animated film studio’s first openly LGBTQ+ character.
Not bad for someone who just two years earlier was suspended from Twitter for changing his screen-name to CNN and tweeting out: “BREAKING: Joe Biden is not DEAD. He just getting some dick. We’ve all been there.”
Oh, and as if he wasn’t busy enough, 2022 was also the year he branched out into music, releasing the fun tracks BBC (which stands for “bad bitch coochie, naturally) and Rockwhyler, all the while continuing to work on his comedy career. We’re knackered just writing about it all, to be honest.
Stephanie Hsu
Few films made an impression quite like Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2022, and at the heart of it all was Stephanie Hsu’s dynamic performance as Joy Wang, the on-screen daughter of Michelle Yeoh’s character.
The film required Stephanie to flex pretty much all of her acting muscles, as the role ranged from regular teenage girl grappling with her mum not understanding her to full-blown Marvel-esque super-villain, which resulted in awards buzz and even a few early nominations.
Anyone eager to see more from her will be pleased to hear that Stephanie is very much booked and busy in the year ahead, the first fruits of which will be the Rian Johnson murder-mystery Poker Face, with Natasha Lyonne in the lead role.
After that, we can look forward to her role in Adele Lim’s new film, after which she’ll reunite with Michelle Yeoh in the action-comedy series American Born Chinese.
Emma D’Arcy
They may have been a late arrival to House Of The Dragon – joining the Game Of Thrones spin-off around halfway through, and inheriting the character of Rhaenyra from Millie Alcock – but no one could say Emma D’Arcy didn’t put their stamp on the show.
As one of its brightest stars (they can go full-on viral with just seven little words about their drink of choice), with experience in film, TV and theatre, it’s a safe bet that the Golden Globe nominee will be able to take their pick of offers in 2023.
Just as well their drink order for the foreseeable future is already sorted then, eh?
Omar Rudberg
Already a big deal in his native Sweden, where he first appeared on the country’s version of Got Talent before joining the boyband FO&O, Omar Rudberg was introduced to a whole new audience in 2021 when he was cast as one of the leads in the cult Netflix series Young Royals.
In 2022, the show blew up even further with its bigger and better second season, with its leads landing appearances on international talk shows thanks to its popularity, all the while Omar continued honing his music career with the release of his debut solo album and an appearance on the Swedish TV juggernaut Melodifestivalen.
If you’ve yet to dive into Young Royals, you’ve still got time to find out what all the fuss is about before the third and final season begins streaming next year. In the meantime, Omar will also make his big-screen debut in the upcoming horror film Karusell.
Jordan Gray
When it came to getting people talking, few comics managed it quite as well in 2022 as Jordan Gray.
Most of us will know the stand-up comedian for her headline-grabbing routine on Friday Night Live back in November, but prior to that, she’d already charmed audiences with her unique mix of comedy and music at the Edinburgh festival, where her show Is It A Bird? won huge acclaim.
Following Jordan’s appearance on Friday Night Live – and the media furore that came in its wake – the former Voice UK competitor’s show at London’s Soho theatre wound up selling out for an impressive 11 consecutive nights.
Between her distinctive approach to live performance and penchant for causing a stir, it’s a fair bet that you’ll be hearing Jordan’s voice a lot more in 2023 – and we’re looking forward to hearing what she has to say.