Lola Young, AURORA, Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten make Forbes ’30 Under 30′ Europe 2025 list

Lola Young, AURORA and Fontaines D.C.‘s Grian Chatten have been listed in Forbes’ ’30 Under 30′ Europe 2025 list. Find out more below.

• READ MORE: Fontaines D.C. tell us about beautiful new single ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’ and what’s next

The annual list was shared by the publication in a bid to highlight the young people who are “redefining industries” and “shaping the future of Europe and the world”.

It comes as the 10th edition of the list, with previous British honourees including singer RAYE, The Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey, actor Leo Woodall, and Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown.

Among those listed for the 2025 edition is rising star and NME Cover alumni Lola Young – a 24-year-old London-based singer who recently shot to fame with her hit single ‘Messy’. Since it was shared, the track became a viral sensation on TikTok and topped the charts in three countries including the UK. She has since gone on to collaborate with Tyler, the Creator and Baby Keem, and perform at the 2025 BRIT Awards.

Grian Chatten, 29, has also made the list as frontman of the Irish rock band Fontaines D.C.. This comes after their 2020 breakthrough ‘A Hero’s Death’, and subsequent Grammy, BRIT and Ivor Novello nominations and huge festival slots.

More recently, he and his bandmates dropped the acclaimed fourth studio record ‘Romance’ last year. It peaked at Number Two in the UK, and recently landed at Number Four in the top 10 best-selling vinyl albums of 2025 so far.

Fellow Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, 29, has made the list too, following the huge success of her second record ‘Crazymad, For Me’. As well as playing huge shows, the album has also seen her nab both Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello nods, and perform at Jools Holland’s Hootenanny.

AURORA, the 28-year-old Norwegian singer, has also made the list. To date, she already boasts 14million monthly listeners on Spotify and has captivated crowds with her stunning live shows – including a set at Glastonbury 2024.

In February, AURORA celebrated the 10th anniversary of her breakthrough single ‘Runaway’ with a new documentary, Portrait Of A Song. She has more recently found herself at the centre of attention as her song ‘Through The Eyes Of A Child’ featured prominently in the final episode of Netflix’s smash hit show Adolescence. She is set to embark on a UK and European tour later this year, which includes a huge show at London’s Wembley Arena. Visit here for tickets and more information.

Other musicians who featured on the Forbes list included Myles Smith, who was recently the recipient of the 2025 BRITs Rising Star Award, and has over 20million monthly listeners, and Spanish singer Bad Gyal, who is recognised for hits like ‘Fiebre’, ‘Santa María’, and ‘Zorra’.

NME 100-listed Sudanese-Brit artist Elmiene made the list too, aged 23, as did 29-year-old Eros Gorse (head of A&R at Warner Music for ADA France), and Fallout, Yellowjackets, and Sweetpea star Ella Purnell.

Also on the list is actor Harris Dickinson, who is set to portray legendary songwriter John Lennon in the four new Beatles biopics – performing alongside Irish actors Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan, and British star Joseph Quinn.

To come to the final decision, Forbes editors worked alongside an “expert judging panel” including Sam Smith, Spotify’s head of podcasts for Central Europe Saruul Krause-Jentsch, and fashion designer Stella Jean. The final list was narrowed down from over 10,000 candidates.

Alexandra York, Forbes’ associate editor, said: “As we celebrate the 10 edition of Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe, Forbes recognises the incredible achievements of young innovators shaping the future of this region and beyond, especially during a time of rapid cultural and technological change.”

She added: “This year’s honourees are breaking boundaries and tackling new challenges with innovation, resilience and bold ideas. This milestone edition highlights both the incredible talent of today, but the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow.”

Find the full list here.

In other news about the artists, Fontaines D.C. yesterday (April 16), shared the Deluxe Edition of their latest album ‘Romance’ on digital online platforms. The collection contained three additional tracks, including a dreamy new track titled ‘Before You I Just Forget’, the standalone single ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’, and a previously unreleased, stripped-back live version of ‘Starburster’ that incorporates David Lynch’s ‘In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song)’.

For Lola Young, the singer recently battled through illness to play her first-ever show at Coachella on Friday (April 11) and spoke to NME at the BRITS about the huge response to ‘Messy’. “I think it’s the idea that you don’t have to be this thing that stereotypers want women to be,” she said.

“It’s not even just that though, because everyone can feel like they’re not enough for somebody. ‘I want to be me, is that not allowed?’ – that’s a great lyric! I’m very proud of it and it feels like it’s resonating with people on a wider scale [than I expected].”

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