YouTube Unveils Foundry’s Fall Class of 2026: Underscores, Zeina and 14 More — SkimNews
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- YouTube Music's Foundry program unveiled its Class of 2026, adding 16 artists from 8 countries to a roster of more than 250 independents the program has backed since its 2015 launch.
- Foundry artists receive a grant, dedicated YouTube partner support, access to the platform's latest products, and bespoke on- and off-platform opportunities designed to help them build sustainable careers independently.
- Takase Toya (JP) joins the cohort with the highest profile stat of the class: his signature track "Doushite feat. Emi Noda" has surpassed 1.2 billion cumulative streams across Asia.
- Mariasss (BR), a pop sister trio, formally joins the main Foundry cohort after already completing the Foundry Rising 2025 program.
- KEVIS Y MAYYKI (MX) bring recent momentum, with their acclaimed 2025 debut LOS CHICOS DEL NORTE cited in the source as a record redefining Mexican rap by blending old-school sounds with alternative rock.
- Zeina (LB, EG), a Brooklyn-born, Montreal-raised artist blending Arabic, English and French, enters with two JUNO Award nominations and a Billboard Canadian Hot 100 entry to her name.
- This is Lorelei, Nate Amos's solo project outside Water From Your Eyes, represents the US cohort with lo-fi alt-pop already endorsed by Hayley Williams and indie contemporaries.
Why it matters: Foundry's model offers independent artists concrete material support — grants, partner managers, platform features — that is normally out of reach for acts without label infrastructure. With 16 picks spanning JP, FR, DE, MX, US, BR, ES, and LB/EG across hyperpop, hypercorridos, Afro-fusion, Arabic-English pop, and more, YouTube is signaling that its indie-incubator dollars are deliberately spread across genres and geographies rather than concentrated on one sound or market.
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