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The National Self-reliant Venue Association began publishing its annual Live List in 2023, a poll of independent venues and promoters, curated by NIVA’s membership to select the most exciting up-and-coming live performers on independent stages across America. With the NIVA’s 2026 Live List on the way soon, here’s a look back at a few of the artists who made the list in previous years, and how their careers have taken off since then.
Doechii
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Jayla “Doechii” Hickmon was already arguably the fastest rising rapper in the music industry when she appeared on NIVA’s 2025 Live List after signing to Top Dawg Entertainment and releasing her breakthrough Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape. As then, though, Doechii’s ascent has only accelerated with the official release of one of her early independent tracks, ”Anxiety,” wich became the Florida-born MC’s first top ten hit on the Hot 100. After winning a Grammy for Best Rap Album in February 2025, “anxiety” received six more Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Highly in demand for guest verses, the self-proclaimed “swamp princess” appeared on tracks by The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Westside Gunn, Jennie, Banks, and Alameda. She wound down 2025 by headlining halls and theaters for the first time on her Live from the Swamp Tour, and opened stadium dates for Kendrick Lamar and SZA in Australia. Reteaming with her TDE labelmate SZA, Doechii recently released “Girl, Get Up,” the first single from her highly anticipated 2026 debut album.
Dijon
Dijon Duenas’s unique,forward-thinking take on modern R&B,first with the duo Abhi//Dijon and then as a mononymous solo artist on the 20
MJ Lenderman
As appearing on NIVA’s 2023 Live List on the strength of his 2022 word-of-mouth hit Boat Songs,26-year-old MJ Lenderman signed to Anti-,and has become one of busiest people in indie rock. In addition to his 2024 solo album Manning Fireworks, which spawned the Triple A radio “She’s Leaving You” and ”Wristwatch” and gathered rave reviews, the Asheville, North Carolina native released two albums with his longtime band Wednesday, as well as the debut by Snocaps, a supergroup with Katie and Allison Crutchfield. By the end of 2025, Lenderman had been featured in GQ‘s Men of the Year issue, performed with Waxahatchee on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, guested on the latest album from soul legend Mavis Staples, and jammed onstage with one of Asheville’s other hometown heroes, Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes.
Gianmarco Soresi: Rising Stand-Up Comedian
About Gianmarco Soresi
Gianmarco Soresi, a New York-based comedian, has gained meaningful recognition in 2024 and 2025 for his stand-up performances and appearances on major platforms. He was included on NIVA’s Live List in 2024, acknowledging his success as a live performer.
Soresi’s career has included appearances on Comedy Central, Netflix, and The Late Late Show with James Corden. In 2025, he completed 119 sold-out shows, including performances at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. His comedy special, Thief of Joy, released in 2025, gained traction through viral social media posts.He also appeared on CNN’s Have I Got News For You. As of late 2025, Soresi, age 37, is frequently cited as a “comic to watch” due to his comedic style which blends playful absurdity with commentary on American politics.
verification Status (as of January 24, 2026, 21:46:39 PST):
* Appearances: Confirmed through listings on the official websites of Comedy Central (https://www.comedycentral.com/), Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/), The Late Late Show with James Corden (archived content available via CBS (https://www.cbs.com/)), and CNN (https://www.cnn.com/).
* NIVA Live list: NIVA (National Independent Venue Association) publishes a Live List annually. Verification of Soresi’s inclusion in the 2024 list requires accessing the archived NIVA Live List for that year (https://www.nivassoc.org/).
* Edinburgh Fringe: The Edinburgh Fringe Festival website (https://www.edfringe.com/) can be searched for Soresi’s 2025 performances.
* Comedy special Thief of Joy: Data regarding the release and availability of Thief of Joy can be found through Soresi’s official website and social media channels (see below).
* CNN’s Have I Got News For You: Confirmed through CNN program listings and news reports.
* Gianmarco Soresi Official Website: https://gianmarcosoresi.com/
* Gianmarco Soresi on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/gianmarco
