Pushing pop boundaries and flying high on our radar: introducing elsas, Déyyess, Maddie Ashman and Tsatsamis.

Nowadays, ‘pop’ means nothing. Or does it mean everything? It touches all margins of music, entangled at the very core of all that is good and all that is bad. 

‘Good’ pop music is mercurial, magnetic, magnanimous. It pushes boundaries, pulls from influence far and wide, yet feels sonically sociable, like that friend who you haven’t seen for a while, but you pick up familiarity with from the opening eye-lock. And that’s what these four rising artists offer – something fresh but known, bold yet comforting. 

Below, we shine a light on a quartet of the finest bubbling voices in the left-field of pop: Barcelona-born bohemian elsas, arena-primed anthem queen Déyyess, London’s latest dancefloor-filler Tsatsamis, and the tender and tenacious talents of Maddie Ashman. Keep scrolling…

elsas

Combining the intricacy and elegance of her Barcelona foundations with a fearless experimentation and elusiveness of the city she’s called home since 19, London’s underground heartbeat, elsas is a singer-songwriter, producer and composer whose complexity compels and complements. For years, she’s been an essential collaborator for a plethora of artistic leaders – from Sampha to Florence and the Machine, Jordan Rakei to Little Simz – and is now pushing her unique sonic agenda more distinctly and daringly than ever before.

Her breathtaking new EP “APORIAMOR” is symptomatic of elsas’ increasingly realised musical philosophy. It’s a mesmerising five-track, deeply atmospheric, generically loose, fiercely individual, a thrilling avant-pop masterpiece that illustrates an artist unafraid of boundary or expectation. 

You’re Barcelona-born and now London-based. How do the two cities’ music scenes compare?

I’ve experienced each place at very different stages of my life, so I can only speak from my very skewed personal experience. I grew up in the sitting-down-auditorium concert culture of Barcelona. I moved into the vastness of London when I was nineteen with – in hindsight- a very slim idea of what I actually wanted from music. There’s so much happening at once here, which forces you to learn how to tap into the frequency that’s meant for you. I credit a lot of my growth to this city.

Barcelona is way smaller, more compact, and everything’s more intertwined. There’s a strong sense of musical tradition and a thriving jazz-leaning scene with a big female presence, which I find very inspiring. There’s less industry there, which creates a purity and immediacy in how people make and experience music – it’s something I sometimes miss in London.

Your style spans from classical contemporary practice to the left-field field of pop. How did you carve out this distinctive sonic space for yourself?

I would say experimentation and a sense of play have been crucial in finding my sound. I try to stay true to the feeling, which usually guides me to incorporate elements of sonic familiarity. I’m a bit of a vocal freak, so vocal exploration sits at the core of my musical expression; everything else follows. I grew up singing choral music, then turned to improvisation when I “studied jazz”, and in recent years I’ve been reconnecting with my Mediterranean heritage through the Idrîsî Ensemble. It all spills into my music.

Learning to produce really happened out of necessity (and impatience). The immediacy of realising sonic ideas on a laptop is powerful, and I enjoy the independence and freedom that comes with it. That said, I learned music on acoustic instruments, which I always include in my sound and in the community. Human collaboration is essential to my process – it gives the music the air it needs. Since music is an emotive puzzle and its counterpoint a conversation, it only makes sense to involve more than one mind in its making.

As a collaborator/session musician, you’ve worked with everyone from Little Simz to Jockstrap and Florence & The Machine. But what musician has stood out to you? Who were you blown away by their ability and humility? 

I worked closely with Sampha over the last three years and he is an absolute force of nature. He possesses a source which is unique and powerful. He’s been hugely inspiring to me on many levels, and a big source of encouragement when it comes to me pursuing my artistic project.

Your new EP “APORIAMOR” is absolutely stunning. How do you feel now that it’s out in the world? What does the project mean to you?

Thank you! I feel fulfilled and grounded. It’s been a hugely cathartic process. This project was a major stepping stone – putting music out that feels closer to my true essence as an artist. It’s taken me some time but I’m finding my voice. This body of work is a testament to that journey, reckoning with parts of myself and of my twenties. It’s a heart-shaped compass frozen in time.

We think you’re incredibly slept on as an artist – what’s the next step for you in broadening your acclaim?

I am very flattered (EVERYONE WAKE UP!). I plan to keep releasing more and more music that feels true and hopefully makes people feel. I’m also excited to realise all the live music experiments I have in my head and turn my shows into memorable experiences.

Tsatsamis

London’s new queer electro pop renegade Tsatsamis is a stick of dynamite to dance floor convention. His sound is uncontainable and unadulterated, a borderless hedonism that pumps until the early hours with only growing energy.

There’s a mixtape – peculiarly named “Tsycophant” – on the way on 24th April via Listen Generously, and for now we’ve had a couple of singles that burst with a suave and sexy vitality. The latest of which, “Recreational”, is emblematic of everything that works about Tsatsamis as an artist – undeniably catchy, instinctively euphoric, and just the right amount of transgressive.

Describe your work as a musical style, a culinary dish, and a colour.

Melancholic-cynical-coming up pop, Lasagna, Yves Klein Blue.

Your music sort of sounds like an unexpectedly messy evening in Dalston. Talk us through your dream night on the town – from the kick off to the final hurrah.

A spontaneous night always hits. Start with a chic drinks at Roses of Elagabalus on a Thursday or Friday evening. Then off to Dalston Superstore or The Divine. I would say another pitstop at the Karaoke Hole, but it’s sadly closed down </3 The best recent night I had was at a “Leathering Heights” party some of my friends threw at VFDalston. A loosely-themed Wuthering Heights meets Leather party in this little underground rave-cave at the end of Dalston High Street. It doesn’t classify as unexpected, but it was definitely messy.

Tsycophant is a gorgeously unusual title for your forthcoming mixtape. Talk us through the choice? How does the word relate to you as a person and an artist?

The word ‘sycophant’ clicked a lot of things together. The music I’ve been writing for this mixtape over the past year and a bit has explored this desire to be desired, often landing in places where this becomes an extreme at the expense of something– or someone else. I’m interested in the contrast of something ostensibly kind, but potentially toxic or self-serving underneath. Whether that is by intention, for example, because you’re looking to gain something. Or more commonly, inadvertently, because you’re missing something and need to be fulfilled; how loneliness and under-confidence can manifest in unintentionally destructive tendencies. The title feels like a starting point, with the music strung off in various directions and depths. The word actually came quite late into the finishing of the music, but it felt like it had the provocation I was looking for. Adding the “T” made it feel complete and within my world.

I think there’s something quite sycophantic about being an artist.

Is there such a thing as having too much fun?

Yes… always leave on a high.

What’s your Mount Rushmore of pop stars?

Adele, Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga, Charli xcx.

Déyyess

Imagine creating a wonderful breakthrough EP with not just your writing buddy, but your partner in crime, your unconditional lover? It’s Déyyess world, we’re all just breathing through it. 

The alt-pop diamond from Canterbury, fresh from supporting Alessi Rose on a huge UK and EU tour, has shared a deluxe edition of her EP, “Would You Go Down On A Girl”, via Polydor Records imprint boys boys boys. It’s a soaring, sensation-filled trip into queer intimacy and lost romanticism, a deeply felt and sonically dreamy collection of sharp love songs that make the listener giddy with the endless opportunities life has been known to offer.

You recently supported Alessi Rose – what’s your tour survival guide?

Omg, where to start! The most important thing is to eat and sleep properly, and bring your own pillows for the tour bus bunks!! And don’t let your guitarist fill up the kettle with the recycled bus water.

You often write alongside your partner – how do you work together creatively?

It comes down to trust, respect and just really knowing each other and we both just love music so much. Meg plays on the live side of things as well and really understands the world and that flows so nicely into the writing process. And also just writing music with another lesbian is just empowering!!!! Ahhhh, I love her! 

What’s the most challenging thing about being an artist?

I’ve been doing the artist thing for a really long time, almost eight years and to this date the most challenging thing is not giving up. There were so many times I almost walked away from it all. It’s about believing in yourself and finding those people who lift you up in the moments who believe in you too. to the outside world, it seems like things happen very quickly, almost overnight, but that just isn’t the case. It’s been eight years of rejection and failures and mistakes and having the strength and willpower to get through all that and still have the determination and ambition is the challenge but if you can do that the reward is so high.

Talk us through the decision to share a deluxe version of your EP, “Would You Go Down On A Girl”? What do the two new tracks add to the project? 

I felt like the era wasn’t over and I had more to give the fans. It was the first time I had ever been on tour and through touring the new music, all the new fans had learnt the words and even learnt the words to songs that weren’t out yet, so really it was a thank you to them. They also begged for “me oh my” and “silverlake baby” so I really couldn’t say no. The wlw yearn is real, I guess.

What are you most excited about for 2026?

Omg TOUR!!! I’m playing my first headline tour around the UK and Europe, and I can’t wait. I’m getting into the nitty-gritty bits of it now, and the fans aren’t ready !! i can’t wait to play shows every night for them

Maddie Ashman

Maddie Ashman’s new EP “Her Side” contains some of the most compelling pieces of pop composition you’ll have heard this year. There seems to be no bounds to the British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s sonic vision. It ambles through classical and contemporary practises, a tapestry of artistic flair, never losing sight of its lyrical focus that feels diaristic and observational. 

The rising polymath has found fans in some of the best in the business – from Sampha to Caroline Polachek and Bonobo, and joined the gloriously chaotic and unpredictable King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard on their EU Rave Tour, playing cello on stage with the band. It’s clear the industry is welcoming her with open arms, and with good reason – Ashman has the vision and technical aptitude to progress pop like few others.

What is your earliest memory of music?

I LOVED the recorder. Wrote a song on it called “magic star” and played it to my mum and she was so proud and gave me the hugest hug and I remember it so well. Not to brag but I was so good when I was in year one that I got to play with the year twos.

You stretch across genre and mood, with no two songs sounding the same. But what lies at the core of your essence as an artist?

In my late teens the impression I got was that I should fit in a box, like classical or pop or songwriter or composer. So for a while, I’d separate my music into those different spaces. About three years ago I was like… maybe I’ll try to actually just create the sounds that I want to create without worrying about that? Just have one project. And since then I’ve been so happy and what I make feels much more authentic and exciting! So I think at the core, just experimenting, discovering and feeling without worrying about the outcome and how it will be perceived.

You’ve spoken before about turning away from convention. What’s one musical or industry norm you wish would be left behind?

The pressure that can be put on artists to create music that suits shorter attention spans and algorithms, concentrating on a ‘30 second’ clip and not the experience of the whole song. I think if that pressure is too big and becomes the only focus, it’s a loss for both the artists and the listeners. I think making art that is designed to ‘blow up’ is dangerous! 

You joined the legendary King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard on tour last autumn, playing cello. How was that experience? Any crazy stories from the road?

So great!!! They are the most incredible guys. Every night their set was different and it was chaotic knowing they had no plan but also so inspiringly seamless. Their fanbase is lovely and playing for thousands of people every night was a dream. Had the best time jamming with them on stage during the last few shows too. Will save the crazier stories for another time.

You’ve got a lot of famous fans, from Sampha to Sudan Archives and Caroline Polachek. But who is your dream collaborator?

Ummmm … all of the above? At this moment, James Blake but the list gets longer every day!

Words – Ben Tibbits