JACOB ALON

Through debut album In Limerence and spine-tingling live shows, the Scottish folk musician has been one of 2025's breakout stars. Here, they discuss their whirlwind year

- By WILL RICHARDS

Jacob Alon describes 'find ur ppl', their new collaborative song with jasmine.4.t, as like “taking a selfie with a friend at the top of a mountain”. Both Alon and their fellow Rolling Stone UK Awards 2025 nominee have released superb debut albums this year, fostered vital queer communities online and in person, and emerged as two of the scene's most essential new voices. The view from the top of the mountain looks pretty sweet.

“I just feel so certain that this is where I’m meant to be,” Scottish singer Alon told Rolling Stone UK at the end of 2024 in an interview for our Play Next series. One year later, via the release of gorgeous debut album In Limerence, a nomination for the Mercury Prize and with audiences stunned to silence across the world, winning our Play Next Award is exactly where they are meant to be yet again.

In Alon’s music is a clear love for the openhearted and sweetly sung folk songs of Nick Drake and Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker as well as the flamboyance of shape-shifting pop stars. It’s why they’ve felt equally at home on stage with Olly Alexander and Kae Tempest this year, and are setting themselves up for a limitless future.