Last month, we brought you our Future of Music 2025 list, featuring 25 of the most innovative artists from Australia and New Zealand we expect to achieve big things this year and beyond.
But what about the rest of the world?
Our Rolling Stone partners also compiled their own Future 25 lists as part of our global Future of Music series, including Rolling Stone Africa.
Find out more about three of their chosen artists – Gemma Griffiths, Usimamane, and Ronisia – below!
Check out Rolling Stone Africa’s full Future 25 list here.
Gemma Griffiths
Gemma Griffiths carries Zimbabwe in her voice, blending homegrown stories with global musical fluency. With her debut self-titled album on the way she is set to take over the world as one of Rolling Stone Africa’s Future of Music Cover Stars.
“This album is ten years in the making,” she said. “It’s a love letter to Harare, to the city hustle, to heartbreak, faith, joy, and every beat that has shaped me.”
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Executive produced by Manuchie and featuring voices like Feli Nandi, Nutty O, and Peruzzi, the album is both sonic memoir and cultural document. “I wanted the visuals to feel like home too, everything was shot in Zim,” she shares
Usimamane Is Set on Building His Hip-Hop Legacy
Usimamane is taking South African rap global. At 21, he is part of a growing group of young artists leading the resurgence of hip-hop in the region, following the challenge brought about by more popular genres like Amapiano.
Blending global sounds with local influences, Usimamane seems to have hit the sweet spot. With numerous accolades under his belt including a major signing to GAMMA where he released his chart-topping debut album 20th: Days Before Maud, he is poised to lead the next generation as one of Rolling Stone Africa’s Future of Music Cover Stars.
Ronisia: A New Era for Francophone and Afro-Caribbean Pop Music
Ronisia, born in Cape Verde and raised in France, has cultivated a unique musical signature blending zouk, R&B, dancehall, and Cape Verdean influences. Her growing popularity with a young, cosmopolitan audience was confirmed in 2024 when she sold out the Zénith in Paris, marking a significant milestone in her career.
Ronisia’s got the accolades to prove she’s a star: a gold record, loads of hit songs, a BET nod in 2021, and a Flamme Award for Best New Female Artist in 2023.
She continues to make her mark, shaping what pop music sounds like for her generation and putting Cape Verde on the map worldwide.
