SXSW 2025 – New Music Discovery
by Christina Zamudio
A perk of living in the Austin area is having your spring break collide with SXSW. Over the years, I’ve attended many music showcases and did so without a badge or wristband. It’s a great opportunity to discover new music from all corners of the world. My advice for anyone attending SXSW is to be open-minded – you just might find an artist you didn’t know you needed in your life. And my little secret is that some of the coolest discoveries I’ve made happened adjacent to SXSW official.
This year, I once again ventured downtown and caught some fun events, and a delightfully mixed bag of musicians. They all brought their A-game to the Live Music Capital of the World. Here are some highlights from my SXSW 2025 experience:
East by Eastside BANZAI
The first event I attended was a weird one; it featured a couple of music acts… and sumos. East by Eastside BANZAI brought sumo wrestlers from Japan who dueled in a makeshift ring set up in a parking lot just off the bustling Interstate-35. Aside from the spectacle of big, sweaty men fighting, my discovery was the woman-fronted Austin quartet, Grocery Bag. Their punk-rock sound featuring the moody, indie vocals of Bella Martinez was a dynamic combination. Martinez and the lead guitarist ended their set with their own guitar wrestling match, and absolutely shredded.
SXSW Radio Day Stage
At the SXSW Radio Day Stage across from the Austin Convention Center, I caught Honeyglaze. The London-based, female-led trio has a unique sound that fuses rock, rap, and pop. Frontwoman Anouska Sokolow delivered powerful emotion through delicate vocals paired with spoken word that intensified to more unhinged shouting at moments. Their song “Movies” was a highlight for me; it indeed felt cinematic in its slow build to a frantic climax that decrescendoed to end on a light note. They closed with “Don’t,” which rocked hard to Sokolow’s raw delivery and lyrics with a message to leave her alone. If you even think of wasting her time and energy, “don’t.”
All the Vibes Showcase
At the Coconut Club Rooftop Bar, I caught an eclectic showcase of music from around the world, including acts from Austin, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Trinidad & Tobago. UK drill/grime/reggae fusion artist, Vital Powers had incredible stage presence and commanded the crowd to bounce and sing along to his music, which they obliged. He had much variety in his style. He started his set with a fast, Andre 3000-type flow over an industrial rap beat, and ended his performance with a fun dancehall track featuring island grooves.
After a run of male artists, British R&B and rap artist, DEJA, was my highlight of the showcase. She vowed to make her set one “for the ladies.” She showcased her buttery vocals and provided a vibe for everyone in the audience from fun rap tracks to sultry R&B. One of her songs was dedicated to her female genitalia and another, “White Boy,” told the story of her new romance. The man next to me got hyped and exclaimed “White Boy” was about him and danced hard to the song’s sultry lyrics and catchy chorus: “Once he goes Black, he ain’t ever going back.”
Politics House Showcase
On my last night out at SXSW, Cheer Up Charlie’s brought some high-energy bangers. Mexican born, New York City-based artist Pieri opened the showcase rapping in Spanish and occasional English over reggaeton beats. She jumped all over the place and got the crowd hopping early into the night to her electronic sounds and, at times, industrial flavor.
Next up was Houston hip-hop artist SunniThaRapper. She was introduced by her hype emcee, MC Peanut, who got the crowd chanting “Sunni with an ‘I’ not a ‘Y’.” She mixed some clever raunchiness into her fun, LGBTQ+ friendly setlist. She oozed personality and worked the crowd as she donned cow print-covered attire and yellow hair. Midway through her set, she held a twerk contest where she brought up audience members to show off their skills. It was a fun moment that brought on loud applauses and whistles. Before performing her track “Thickkk,” Sunni described that in everything she does she wants to have a “thickkk” mentality where she fills any space she enters. She certainly delivered on that with her high-energy set.
The showcase ended on a high with the self-proclaimed “queen diva of bounce” Big Freedia. Freedia’s set had all the bells and whistles. It featured a DJ, backup choir singers, and dancers. They were all there to get the audience on their feet and bouncing to the music. Showing off his New Orleans roots, Freedia’s set felt like it was straight off Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. His style of command-like delivery, whether instructing the audience to bounce, or shake, or dance was blended uniquely with samples of popular songs. Some samples derived from Michael Jackson’s 1979 hit “Rock With You,” to Bill Haley & His Comets 1955 song “Rock Around The Clock.” Freedia proved the bounce groove can have a presence in the most unexpected places.
After getting the audience to bounce in yet another on-stage twerk contest, Freedia highlighted his impact on popular music, performing songs he has been featured on, such as Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” and “Formation,” and Drake’s “Nice For What.” While he’s made a name in pop music, Freedia has an even stronger impact on the LGBTQ+ community as a beloved voice and artist. Freedia left the audience with the message that “at a Big Freedia show, you get to be free.” Standing in the midst of this diverse international gathering, it was good to be reminded of that.
See you at SXSW 2026 for more great music discovery!
