Introducing Ascending: SoundCloud's Global Program to Develop and Propel Breakthrough Artists

Emerging artists understand that timing is everything – when the right song connects with the right audience at the perfect moment, it can unlock a new fanbase and fast-track their path to a major breakthrough.

Introducing Ascending

Today, SoundCloud is excited to pull back the curtain and formally introduce Ascending, SoundCloud’s global artist development program that’s been quietly making waves over the past year. Ascending is designed to give emerging artists the momentum they need right before their big break. The program has already delivered impressive results, and we’re thrilled to introduce it to the world—beginning with our September artist, Laila!.

Initially launched as a pilot in the UK with artist Kenya Grace in March 2023 and expanded to the US with Odetari in August 2023, Ascending highlights and accelerates the journeys of artists who have gained organic traction on the platform and are on the brink of a breakthrough. On average, artists in Ascending see a ~60% increase in followers during their month in the program, a growth rate that's ~40% higher than in the previous month. Additionally, their streams nearly double during their time in the program. 

September Ascending Artist, Laila!

To celebrate the official launch of Ascending, we're spotlighting our September Ascending artist, Laila! Discovered by SoundCloud’s A&R Talent Identification team last year, Laila! quickly signed with our Joint Venture alongside Sickamore’s IIIXL Studio and has taken the music world by storm with her distinctive sound and undeniable talent. Since April 2024, Laila!’s global weekly streams have surged from 1.6 million to 6 million, and her latest single, "Not My Problem," has racked up over 44 million streams, globally, across all streaming platforms since its June 2024 release. In just the last 90 days, Laila!’s SoundCloud followers have grown by 102%, with her global streams up by 104% across all streaming platforms.

“I’m excited to be a part of Ascending’s inaugural program,” states Laila. “The support from SoundCloud has been amazing and with my release of my first album Gap Year on the 6th! This is gearing up to be a September I will always remember!”

IIIXL Studio’s Sickamore adds, “I have been involved in the music industry for over 20 years, and Laila is the type of talent that comes along once in a generation. She’s a producer, songwriter, and creator, making her the perfect ambassador for everything that IIIXL, SoundCloud, and Ascending represents.”

About Ascending

Ascending provides selected artists a tailored month-long support package aimed at maximizing their visibility and impact at just the right moment. The package includes billboards in key locations such as New York City, London, and Los Angeles, curated playlists, engaging social media content, premiere on-platform exposure, and strategic growth marketing efforts. The program is customized to each artist, ensuring they receive optimal support to maximize their release, amplify their reach, and connect with new audiences.

To qualify as an Ascending artist, you must be a Next Pro subscriber, a signed artist releasing new music during the promotion month, and demonstrate rising engagement or stream growth on the platform. Previous Ascending artists include Mochakk, Good Neighbors, Cassö, Shaboozey, Barry Can’t Swim, Hannah Laing, TiaCorine, Sammy Virji, Teezo Touchdown, Issey Cross, Odetari, Essosa, Jazzy, Sam Girling, Strandz, and Kenya Grace. 

SoundCloud is dedicated to helping artists get heard, get fans, and get paid. Ascending embodies this commitment, using our platform's unique capabilities to support artists like Laila! in reaching their full potential. By leading and innovating in music discovery, we're making sure the next generation of talent is not only heard but celebrated.

About Laila!:

Brooklyn-born Laila! aka "Baby Genius" is a one girl band. The 18-year-old polymath writes, produces, and sings, and has already crafted an oeuvre that is at once nostalgic and refreshing. 

A lifelong listener of R&B greats from Whitney Houston to Aaliyah and Brandy, Laila! has been composing her own songs for as long as she can remember, but it wasn’t until an extended stint visiting family in St. Thomas—at the height of the pandemic and when Laila! had just started high school—that she began creating her own beats. Later, she would release “Like That!,” a buoyant but soulful ballad that locates her sound in the company of experimental voices such as SZA and Brent Faiyaz.

Energized by the enthusiasm that ensued, she followed with beats on TikTok and a mixtape, “IN CTRL!,” with songs like “SOFT SERVE” and “80 in a 55” showing off her proclivity for combining vocals and working with ambient instrumentals while reflecting on life, love, and the bittersweet musings of adolescence. In a world where access to technology makes it easier than ever for artists to reinterpret, and even reinvent, the genres they hold dear—Laila!—whose first album is in the works—hungers to make an R&B all her own, and to show other young women that it is indeed possible to do it all, on your own terms.

About SoundCloud:

SoundCloud empowers artists and fans to connect and share through music. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud is an artist-first platform empowering artists to build and grow their careers by providing them with the most progressive tools, services, and resources. With over 400 million tracks from 40 million artists, the future of music is SoundCloud.