Inside Live Nation’s Ones To Watch and how it’s opening doors for emerging artists

Live Nation’s Ones To Watch has become a key launchpad for emerging artists across Aotearoa and Australia, giving new acts a shot at bigger crowds, stronger industry ties, and a place on the radar of major promoters. Since landing in New Zealand in 2020, the showcase series has helped dozens of artists take early steps toward support slots, festival bookings, and wider tours. Ahead of its latest Wellington event at San Fran, we caught up with Live Nation’s Product & Experience Manager Camila Roa Nunez and Booker Caitlin Gosling to dig into how the programme works, what they look for in an artist, and where it could lead next.

Can you tell us a bit about Ones To Watch and how it came about?

Camila: Ones To Watch is a destination for music fans to not only discover their favourite new artists, but also gain exclusive access to their careers as they unfold.The program gives emerging artists a platform to reach audiences across New Zealand and Australia.

Ones To Watch started as a program in LA and launched in New Zealand in 2020. Since then, the program has featured around 53 artists, with 17 showcases in New Zealand.

Could the showcase provide a pathway of sorts for artists to be considered for larger events?

Camila: Yes, Live Nation’s Ones to Watch program is all about providing artists with a foot in the door. The aim is to create opportunities for support slots, festival support's, and potentially their own club shows with Live Nation.

Recent Ones to Watch artists have gone on to open for major tours and perform at larger industry events. Jude Kelly opened for Lewis Capaldi, while Borderline previously showcased in Auckland, went on to perform at Bigsound, and are now touring with Live Nation. We've also had several artists featured on the Rhythm and Vines lineup in recent years. 

Caitlin: We're not running these shows in isolation. When an international tour comes through and we're looking at local support slots, we already have a picture of who's ready for that step up. Ones To Watch is part of that pipeline. It's not a guarantee, but it puts artists in front of the right eyes at the right time.

What are you most excited for at the upcoming event at San Fran on June 25th?

Camila: The Wellington music scene is a strong and unified community that really supports local artists. We're looking forward to seeing these artists perform in their hometown and showcase the very best of their talents.

We're also excited to share their performances across our social channels and help amplify the incredible artists we have here in Wellington.

Who are the artists performing this time?

Camila: We've got talented artists First Reserve, six-piece indie/folk-rock band Debt Club, and female-fronted queer four-piece band Dillon Jo.

Each artist brings their own unique sound, making for a diverse and exciting lineup.

Is there a level of intentional curation - one event more rock-centric, another more R&B/Soul?

Caitlin: Definitely. We try to put together line-ups where the artists feel like a natural fit - people you'd genuinely expect to share a bill. It's not about boxing artists into genres so much as thinking about energy and audience. If you're coming to one of these shows, the whole night should feel cohesive. 

What makes an artist stand out when they're being considered for a showcase?

Caitlin: Chemistry, songs, and connection - in that order, honestly. A band can have a lot of hype online but if they don't have the live chemistry to back it up, audiences can tell. What really gets our attention is when an artist has clearly done the work in their own community - they've built something real with a local audience before they've looked beyond it. That grounded-ness comes through on stage.

What's around the corner for the showcase?

Caitlin: We're still figuring that out - which is part of the fun. The format is working and the appetite is there, so we'll keep going. Watch this space.