5 SXSW 2026 Artistas to Add to Your Playlist
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting some fierce female performers who performed at South by Southwest and should be on your playlists.
Música from across Latin America as well as U.S.-based Latina artists made unforgettable splashes at South by Southwest this year, ensuring that whether they are rocking the accordion or bringing soulful R&B melodies to the forefront these mujeres shine a light on the historias our comunidades need to hear right now.
Throughout the festival we saw the continued star power of música regional with bands like Fuerza Regida packing the ACL Live theater and showcases featuring cumbia from across the country and beyond. International artistas like Colombia’s Ruido Selecto and local Latin acts like Fuego Santo could rock on the same showcase allowing music lovers to explore all aspects of diverse Latin music.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting the mujeres who rocked at SXSW and should be on your playlist.
Fresh off of a Vive Latino music festival performance in Mexico City, where La Coreañera rocked her accordion with legendary rockers Maldita Vecindad, this musical phenom is more than a viral social media sensation. At 13, she debuted as a pianist performing classical music before teaching herself the accordion and percussion.
Originally from San Antonio, the Korean American musician expressed nostalgia for being back in Texas and playing for Tejanos at SXSW and expressed gratitude to her friends who surprised her with her favorite Flamin’ Hot Cheeto puffs – a snack she said was hard to find in Mexico City. When not touring and performing the cumbia sonideras that have catapulted the artist to new musical heights, she’s a linguistics student at Dartmouth College. SXSW crowds flocked to her popular set, where she got the crowd dancing to her own versions of “La Cumbia Sampuesana” as well as Selena Quintanilla’s “Si Una Vez” and debuted her original song “Mariposas,” which will be a part of her first album release later this year.
For música that heals the soul, brings joy and fills the spirit, there’s nothing better than Afro-Cuban artists OKAN. Their band name means “heart” in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santería and couldn’t be more fitting. They spent several years in Canada, where they became a Juno award-winning project and gained a global audience. Their second time at SXSW brought almost seven shows in seven days. If OKAN needed a break, they didn’t show it. They uplifted audiences with much-needed reminders in their songs: “Rie, goza, la vida es hermosa.”
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French Dominican artist Lena Dardelet brings the breezy Caribbean island vibes that help put life in perspective. And that’s essential nowadays. Self-care for me now includes putting this artist with multicultural influences on my playlist. Do yourself a favor and do the same and listen on especially crummy days. With songs like “Y Qué?,” things suddenly feel like they’re going to be okay.
“Se nos fue la luz, ¿y qué?
No sonó la alarma, ¿y qué?
Me dejó la guagua, ¿y qué?”
Raised in Cabarete, Dominican Republic, to French parents, the trilingual vocalist (Spanish, French and English) also shines as a multi-instrumentalist rocking both the trumpet and guitar during her SXSW set.
There’s an urgency in the music of Vivir Quintana. The Coahuila, Mexico, artist not only breaks barriers as a female in a male-dominated regional Mexican music genre, but she’s blazing trails as a women’s rights activist through her poignant and commanding lyrics.
Often described as one of Mexico’s most powerful voices, Vivir Quintana helps amplify the voices of others. Her second album “Cosas Que Sorprenden a la Audiencia” takes the tradition of the corrido to the next level with masterful storytelling. The album features songs telling the true stories of 10 women who were jailed for defending themselves against gender-based violence and their abusers.
Keep your eyes on Vivir Quintana as she continues her global rise.
Belonging. Anxiety. Intense love. Folk-pop artist Arroba Nat of Mexico City takes listeners on a vulnerable musical journey that touches on all of life’s emotions with sharp insight and introspective clarity. She wears her heart on her sleeve and SXSW audiences could feel it all. It’s not a surprise to learn that the legendary Chavela Vargas is among the artist’s inspirations as, she too, leaves it all on the stage. Fans of artists such as Natalia Lafourcade and Carla Morrison will likely be drawn to Arroba Nat’s personal style of sweet melancholy.
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