The Come Up · November 2026

The Come Up: five new R&B voices “to watch now”

Elmiene, nomi., rjtheweirdo, Jai'Len Josey and kwn: why they're next.

By FIFI, Editor-in-Chief·Nov 3, 2026·3 min read

RNBEATS0 cover: The Come Up, five to watch, a strip of stills from each artist's video — Cover: RNBEATS0, using stills from Elmiene’s “Reclusive”, nomi.’s “r u?” (COLORS), rjtheweirdo’s “studio rat”, Jai’Len Josey’s “Good Soup” and kwn’s “risk it all” videos.

The Come Up is where RNBEATS0 spotlights the next voices in R&B. These five are editorial picks, chosen by the team.

01. Elmiene

BET picked him for the New Soul Honor at the Soul Train Awards, where he'll also perform (airs Nov 27 on BET and CBS). The 'Someday' singer is one of the most talked-about new voices in UK soul.

02. nomi.

Debut album this wolf may cry dropped Oct 30 on Earth Angel Records. Lead single "r u?" got a COLORS performance and topped Sound RNB's Friday Rankings, and NME put her on its Radar.

03. rjtheweirdo

Oak Cliff's own opened Spotify's first R&B festival on Sunday. His EZMNY debut EP At Least She's Beautiful (April) features Ty Dolla $ign.

04. Jai'Len Josey

Def Jam debut Serial Romantic (April, exec-produced by Tricky Stewart) got a Pitchfork review, a headline tour this autumn and a spot on Spotify's RNB X Live bill.

05. kwn

One of Complex's 10 R&B Artists To Watch in 2026, with a soft voice and blunt, sensual writing. She played Spotify's RNB X Live in Dallas this weekend.

Making R&B? Send your best record and a link to info@rnbeats0.com.

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