SXSW Flashback: Kendrick Lamar, Cher Lloyd, The Lumineers & More Breakouts From The 2012 Fest

Carl Williott | March 6, 2013 5:30 am

Geeks of the film, music and tech variety will be descending on Austin, TX from March 8-17 for this year’s South by Southwest to officially kick off festival season 2013. Ahead of our arrival for the music portion next week, we’ve been smothering ourselves in new music from emerging acts, because like New York City’s CMJ Music Marathon, SXSW features hordes of relative unknowns looking to rise above the noise.

Sure, there are some big names thrown in every year (e.g. Green Day and — fingers crossed — Justin Timberlake this year), but SXSW belongs to the Cinderella stories. So before we prognosticate about which acts we think are raring for a breakout at SXSW 2013, we’re gonna look back at seven pop breakouts from South By’s class of ’12. Check out the gallery up top to see who made the cut.

Who do you like from SXSW’s class of 2012? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!