Major Highlights and Innovative Talent: 160 New Artists Join the SXSW 2025 Lineup

New additions to SXSW lineup

Big Special and Master Peace are among the most thrilling new names added in the second round of Showcasing Artists for the SXSW 2025 lineup.

Event details and highlights

SXSW will commemorate its 39th anniversary next year, taking place in Austin, Texas from March 10-15.

Punk duo Big Special and London-based indie-slime revivalist Master Peace will embark on a UK tour alongside Manchester’s jasmine.4.t, the first Brit to sign with Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory label, along with singer and multi-instrumentalist Freak Slug.

Another significant new addition is Sam Ryder, who achieved the UK’s best Eurovision result since 1998. Liverpool indie punk bands Gen and Degenerates are also notable mentions.

Coming soon are Big Freedia, a New Orleans rap pioneer famously sampled by Beyoncé, Tokyo’s future-pop duo Tamanaramen, Barcelona indie rockers HEAL, and Czech Republic’s Eurovision 2024 entrant Aiko. This showcase features more than 160 artists from various countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Ukraine. A complete list of second wave artists can be found here.

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James Minor, Vice President of SXSW Music Festival, stated: “SXSW Music Festival offers a unique chance to discover artists from all around the globe. The magic lies in a diverse and thoughtfully curated program designed to help you uncover your next favorite performance. In our second wave, we will continue along this path with a selection of inspiring musicians heading to Austin next March.”

The festival unveiled its first wave of artists in October, which included Irish acts Gurriers and Soda Blonde, who boycotted the previous year’s event due to its sponsorship by the US military and the defense contractor RTX Corporation, both reportedly linked to Israel as arms suppliers. The festival has opted to part ways with these sponsors for 2025.

Also announced at that time were Australian indie rockers Delivery, Irish punks M(h)aol, and popular acts like The Ting Tings, Dune Rats, and Twin Shadow.