‘Bose x NME: C24’ – what happened next?

After making a dazzling comeback in 2023, the iconic C-Series mixtape went from strength to strength with last year’s ‘Bose x NME: C24’, which featured killer tunes from Teddy Swims, Lola Young, Laufey and more. Ahead of the release of ‘Bose x NME: C25’ on September 19, here’s a guide to the rise and rise of last year’s stellar cohort.

Lola Young stormed to Number One

When Lola Young contributed a typically candid banger called ‘I Don’t Mind’ to ‘Bose x NME: C24’, she told us purposefully: “I hope people respond to what I’m talking about. I want people to think about themselves through my music.” She achieved this kind of recognition on an epic scale in January when ‘Messy’, a soulful bop that she describes as her “ADHD anthem”, climbed to Number One.

Since then, the 24-year-old South Londoner has made her Coachella debut and earned mega-praise from Elton John, who called her latest single ‘Dealer’ “the biggest smash I’ve heard in years”. With her third studio album ‘I’m Only F**king Myself’ dropping on September 19 (the same day, coincidentally, as ‘C25’), Young is rapidly establishing herself as the UK’s new queen of raw and relatable indie-pop.

Artemas went truly global

London-based singer, songwriter and producer Artemas Diamandis had plenty to celebrate in 2024. After popping off on TikTok, his hypnotic alt-pop bop ‘I Love The Way You Kiss Me’ became the 15th best-selling song of the year globally.

This year, he’s maintained his upward momentum by releasing a stream of standalone singles – including ‘Brain’, a throbbing collab with Diplo – and hitting the festival circuit hard. After making his Coachella debut in April, Artemas delivered storming sets at New York’s Governors Ball, Chicago’s Lollapalooza, Madrid’s Mad Cool, and many more. The world is his oyster and he’s shucking it like a pro.

Teddy Swims cemented his incredible breakthrough

Shortly before he joined ‘Bose x NME: C24’, this vocal powerhouse went supernova with his soulful breakthrough single ‘Lose Control’. It’s now amassed over two billion Spotify streams, but Teddy Swims hasn’t been overwhelmed by its success. He’s since sent another two songs into the Top Ten, ‘The Door’ and ‘Bad Dreams’, and released the second half of his debut studio album, ‘I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)’.

And that’s not all. Earlier this year, the Georgia-born singer-songwriter welcomed his first child, picked up Grammy and BRIT Award nominations, and completed his first UK arena tour. Life really is going swimmingly.

Laufey didn’t stop levelling up

Last month, Laufey released her third studio album, ‘A Matter of Time’, which NME hailed as “spellbinding” and ready to “accelerate her already-dizzying trajectory”. The classically trained Icelandic musician was soaring even before she underlined her jazz bona fides by covering Rodgers and Hart’s ‘Where Or When’ for ‘Bose x NME: C24’.

Then, during the 2024 festive season, she sent no fewer than three songs into the UK Top 40: her classy covers of ‘Santa Baby’ and ‘Winter Wonderland’, plus the stunning self-penned original ‘Christmas Magic’. This month, she heads to North America for her first all-arena headline tour. Long may her dizzying ascent continue.

Samara Cyn rubbed shoulders with legends

When neo-soul queen Samara Cyn contributed her bouncy bop ‘Loop’ to ‘Bose x NME: C24’, she waxed lyrical about the art of songwriting. “I really love cook-up sessions, which is basically where everybody makes everything from scratch,” the Tennessee singer-rapper enthused. “I like hearing the beat build.”

Since then, Cyn has flexed her songwriting muscles on two impressive EPs, October’s ‘The Drive Home’ and June’s ‘Backroads’, and gained co-signs from her musical heroes. She opened for Nas in London in November, then joined Lauryn Hill onstage in Miami in March. At this point, her career is building nicely like a beat in a cook-up session.

Tehya became the artist of her dreams

Rising star Tehya joined the ‘Bose x NME: C24’ cohort after entering BandLab’s initiative to land a spot on the mixtape. “Looking back on [myself] from four years ago, she would freak the fuck out right now,” the Seattle-born artist told us.

Still, there’s no doubt she used it as a springboard. Earlier this year, Tehya released her captivating debut EP ‘Sorry For The Wait’, which features seven evocative alt-pop gems including her lilting ‘Bose x NME: C24’ contribution ‘Peach Pit’. “I sat on the idea of being an artist for years and spent a complete 365 days alone in my room learning how to record myself,” she said when it dropped. “This EP reflects my own coming of age and how I’ve begun to find my footing in this industry and my life around it”.

Royel Otis turbocharged their remarkable rise

Royel Otis were already checking off career milestones when they supplied a David Lynch-inspired indie gem, ‘Nack Nostalgia’, to ‘Bose x NME: C24’. They’d recently appeared on NME’s The Cover and cracked the UK singles chart with a sparkling cover of The Cranberries‘ ‘Linger’.

But this was just the beginning. The Aussie duo – Royel Madden and Otis Pavlovic – dropped their second studio album ‘Hickey’ in August and are now prepping for an autumn tour that includes two shows at London’s iconic O2 Academy Brixton. Just last month, Madden told us hungrily: “I think an album [per] year is cool. The pressure and the drive is really good.”

Stay tuned to NME.com/C25 for more on the return of the iconic mixtape

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