Summer's just around the corner and we are yet to see 2026's big summer star cement themselves as the industry's one to watch. January saw the year kicking off very peculiarly to that of last year, with the reign of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' Grammy winning collaboration Die with a Smile topping the Billboard Hot 100. Instead, the industry has pivoted dramatically to reside in nostalgia, where pop culture fans have regarded 2026 as "the new 2016", reconnecting Gen Z listeners to songs resemblant of their childhood while disconnecting them from the uncertainties of today's world.
Pinkpantheress and Zara Larsson
On January 16th, Pinkpantheress unveiled the Stateside remix featuring Zara Larsson as a reworked track from her 2025 mixtape 'Fancy That', leading the pursuit of embracing the 2016 fascination. This followed Zara Larsson resurgence in pop culture following the release of her fifth studio album 'Midnight Sun' in September, spawning the title track as dominating TikTok for its associated trend, visual appeal of Larsson's ocean-aesthetic brand, and commendation for its vocal performance.
Combined with Pinkpantheress' renown as a prestigious producer, the pair created an electrifyingly different arrangement to the original song, but the accompaniment of its rise on TikTok and music video boosted the song's trajectory to landing on the Billboard Hot 100: peaking at number 6 and currently at number 13.
For two artists not typically dominating the charts, the success of Stateside lends itself to capitalising on trending topics, and the success of integrating two similar fan bases to skyrocket the duo's industry presence. With Larsson's recently released 'Girl's Trip', a similarly remixed addition to her newest album containing a collaboration with Pinkpantheress on its title track, the traction the duo are garnering is super promising for their potential as summer's big stars.
With London's All Points East Festival landing in August, where both Pinkpantheress and Zara Larsson are supporting New-Zealand star Lorde, fans can only anticipate an extension to the duo's dominance into the summer, and beyond.
Video courtesy of Pinkpantheress on Youtube
USA and its country music obsession
On the other hand, the US charts have been overrun by an invasion of country music, not just in recent weeks but for quite some time now. On observing this week's Billboard Hot 100, three songs out of the top ten are country, all in which by Ella Langley. Prior to writing this article, I personally had never heard of Langley's commercial success on the charts, yet it is evident that her music has taken the country music scene by storm.
Accompanying her sits Noah Kahan with his newly released album 'The Great Divide' which draws majorly on folk influences, equally gaining traction on the charts through its number one debut in both the UK and the US. In comparison, Kahan is much more pertinent in British pop culture, where he headlined Weekend Two of American Express' annual BST Hyde Park festival last year, with Gracie Abrams.
Although country is such a prominent feature in the US music scene, it's difficult to predict whether the presence of even the biggest country stars is potent enough to deliver the same level of hype into the UK, and internationally. In the current state of the industry, it's pretty safe to say it's not very probable we'll see a global country singer this summer who has that star appeal across multiple generations and countries, but regardless the country music obsession is here to stay, even if just in the US.
Image courtesy of @noahkahanmusic on Instagram
Charli XCX's legacy
When thinking of the latest cultural phenomenon arising from a breakthrough in the music industry, most people would cast their minds to Charli XCX's iconic 'BRAT' summer which took the world by storm in 2024. The album's tone set deep in the club, accompanied by its simplistic aesthetic, skyrocketed Charli's popularity and finally allowed for her success to reach commercial mainstream.
Alike Charli's musical landscape, Slayyyter has proven herself to assert a similar retro, club sound piercing into 2026's industry. Her new album 'Wor$t Girl in America' has been widely critically acclaimed following its string of singles garnering attention across music fans dedicated to all genres, where Pitchfork awarded it an astounding 8.2 rating.
Her performance at Coachella attracted a gigantic crowd, where TikTok erupted with seeing her performances being uploaded to the platform, further propelling her exposure in cementing herself as electropop's newest star to look out for. It is absolutely indisputable that Slayyyter's newest album is one to watch, and her upcoming tour later this year, selling out instantly, will only confirm her stardom in the industry; she has the performing skills and the insanely addictive music necessary to grade her as summer's one to look out for.
Video courtesy of SlayyyterVEVO on Youtube
A return to the music scene
In other news, many familiar faces are returning to the scene, whether that be with upcoming releases, or surrounded by speculation.
Pop powerhouse Olivia Rodrigo is set to release her third studio album 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love' on June 12th, as well as Madonna following up her iconic disco-pop 2005 album 'Confessions on a Dancefloor' with 'Confessions II' on July 3rd, and Ariana Grande's 'Petal' at the peak of summer, out July 31st. All three of these releases will undoubtedly leave their mark on shaping this year's summer, especially with the combination of veterans and newer artists returning, so mainstream fans will be more than fulfilled in the coming months.
Fans are further speculating other veterans to return just in time for the summer, drawing from artist 'hints' to sudden performances with brand new music. Beyonce is expected to release her 'Act III' of the 'Renaissance' trilogy this year, but we are yet to receive any confirmation of the project's progress or date, except that conspired by the Beyhive - predicting for the album to release on March 29th, following the release pattern of her two previous albums ('Renaissance' - 29th July 2022 and 'Cowboy Carter - 29th March 2024). If Beyonce makes a return to the industry, especially after her showstopping entrance at the Met Gala earlier this month, summer will be dominated once again with her impact on the music scene.
In the indie music scene, Phoebe Bridgers' return to music is hopefully imminent for fans who have been waiting years to even hear any update about new material. Last Friday, Bridgers performed her first live solo show in over three years in New Mexico, USA, showcasing three new songs and performing some of her biggest hits with no phones allowed. This abrupt, but very welcome, reintroduction of Phoebe Bridgers to the indie music scene is inexplicably exciting after all these years, and whilst she might not be mainstream's biggest star for the summer, I'm certain that alternative fans will be anticipating her long-awaited return, hopefully this year.
Video courtesy of PhoebeBridgersVEVO on Youtube
In conclusion...
All in all, this summer is stacked with both imminent and speculated releases, so rest assured that it will not be one of disappointment. Personally, Slayyyter's continuous hype gathering around her electrifyingly fresh music, along with a new TikTok trend centring around her song Dance..., deems her as my 2026 summer star to watch - but in no way am I less excited about any other potential star making their mark.
Album cover montage courtesy of Slayyyter / Columbia Records; Madonna / Warner Records; Zara Larsson / Sommer House and Epic Records; Noah Kahan / Mercury Records
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