ABOUT
JELEEL! is a Nigerian-American artist who blends high-energy alt-rap, Afrobeats, dancehall, punk, and hyperpop into a distinctive sound and explosive live show.
His 2021 breakout record, “DIVE IN!,” has surpassed 200M streams. He has built an audience of 6M social followers across platforms and nearly 2B TikTok views.
JELEEL! has performed internationally at Wireless Festival, Recessland, City Splash, and Rolling Loud across Europe, with additional shows across the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Austria, Romania, Australia and beyond.
He has received repeated BBC Radio support and coverage from The FADER, Billboard, PAPER, Complex, AltPress, HipHopDX, and Ones To Watch.
Having built much of his career independently, JELEEL! brings firsthand insight into using the internet to build a global audience, convert digital momentum into live demand, and develop a sustainable artist career.
PANELS
Artist Development Reimagined: Who Builds a Career in 2026?
Artist development was once largely associated with the traditional label model. Today, artists can emerge from virtually anywhere, audiences can develop before traditional industry infrastructure is in place, and the path from discovery to a sustainable career is increasingly nonlinear. Managers often play a central role, but labels, distributors, agencies and other partners may enter the process at very different stages. This conversation examines what artist development actually means in 2026 — how talent is discovered, audiences are identified and grown, creative and commercial strategies evolve, and early momentum is converted into lasting opportunity. As traditional roles and timelines continue to shift, who drives the process, when do different partners enter the picture, and what does meaningful artist development look like today?
Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 2:50 PM