If anyone tells you they can predict the future, they are lying. Here at LiFTED, each year we take a look back at our music and news coverage, as well as what’s going on globally, and take a shot at what we think will be big in 2026. For 2025, we were hit and miss. We predicted correctly that Indian Hip Hop’s success will be spreading to other places in the region like Pakistan and that R&B and Baile Funk are taking over. What we missed was that snakes would be popular all year round [when in reality, after Lunar New Year, snakes went into hibernation], and that a US label will sign an Asian-based artist. We still think that will happen, even though it hasn’t yet.

As we race into the Year of the horse, here are LIFTED’s predictions for 2026.

Anyone who has been to Thailand has had to ride around in a tuk tuk at least once. These three-wheeled motorized vehicles are usually decked out with gaudy designs and too many LED lights, but the feeling of bumping around the traffic in Bangkok is the feeling of being young, wild, and free in Asia.

Recently, RAMENGVRL and Jarvis were rapping about the yappers on ‘B4COT!,’ RayRay was singing in a TukTuk as promo for her Currently on Earth EP, and TukTuk Radio is the hottest thing on the streets in Thailand. MILLI even did her full album while riding around in traffic.

Hyperpop is an internet-borne genre that lets producers push Pop conventions to extremes frequently using high or low BPMs in Hip Hop and Dance music. While Hyperpop hasn’t quite hit the mainstream yet, some rappers like Lil Asian Thiccie and Bryn have been experimenting with it in their sounds. With the Baile Funk sound entrenched now, 2026 is the year Hyperpop finds a home in Asian Hip Hop.

Major labels have always had trouble getting talent from zero to 10,000. With their reach and distribution, they specialize in taking artists who already have some proven skills and sending them to the Moon. Nowadays, majors don’t even talk to artists who haven’t had some virality and an active fanbase. This is great for independent record labels who can personalize their artist development and focus on niche genres. Smaller Indies can also sense what's happening on the streets and react accordingly by leading the way in adapting to trends.

The Big Three, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group are now focused on actively engaging with AI through startups, licensing deals, and partnerships to protect their big artists and create new commercial opportunities in the future.

While the Word of the Year was Rage Bait, it felt like 2025 was definitely the year of AI slop. Not only did so many pictures, flyers, and album covers look the same, but now AI slop is making its way to museums. AI slop is being used for so many things that even Boomers are starting to be able to tell what’s real and what’s not. While AI slop will persist and get worse, there is hope…

The opposite of AI slop is analog rebellion. Have you noticed kids at events with Old School digital cameras that don’t take 4D pictures. Did you know that a lot of artists are making a lot more money from vinyl albums than from Spotify? This is the analog rebellion and it’s more than just music.

For art, A$AP Rocky’s latest album cover for his oft-delayed Don’t Be Dumb album was made by movie director Tim Burton. It looks like someone could have cooked it up in 30 minutes with its flat sketches and Canva graphic design. But that’s the point. People are into messy authenticity over fake perfection. AI can’t do imperfection well. YET.

2025 changed a lot for India. Besides having Rolling Loud India and Lollapalooza India, the festival and club infrastructure continues to improve. Big ticketing and promotion platforms like Book My Show are enabling big and mid-level acts to tour the country and sell out shows and get paid properly.

Asian R&B will continue to get bigger, adding scope to the hot Hip Hop scene. Singing and rapping crossovers are being dropped on the daily. Everything is coming around to Y2K baby!

More info coming soon…