The Five Artists You Need to See at NOS Alive Festival 2025

It's almost time for the latest instalment of the beloved NOS Alive Festival to return to Lisbon, Portugal, with the genre-blending extravaganza taking place across July 10th - 12th.

Once again, there are a dizzying array of top-tier artists set to perform across the three-day celebration, with a number of stellar country and folk trailblazers due to hit the stage.

With the set-times confirmed and a sprawling roster of performers from EDM, pop, rock and more to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start when compiling your day-to-day schedule. But don't fret, those of you looking to dive into the country-leaning and folk-tinged portions of NOS Alive 2025 - we've got you covered.

To save you from feeling overwhelmed by the choice on offer, we've given you a starting-point by compiling a list of five must-see artists performing at NOS Alive Festival 2025.

We're still reeling from Noah Kahan's spectacular BST Hyde Park 2025 performance in London, UK, with the folk megastar rattling through the hits, bringing out a range of special guests and treating the packed-out audience to slew of unreleased gems.

If that setlist is any indication as to what we can look forward to in Lisbon, it's safe to say we're in for a treat. Kahan has been a respected figure in the folk-pop space for a number of years, but ever since he dropped his momentous Stick Season record in 2022, his popularity has completely - and deservingly - exploded out of control.

His vulnerable, introspective penmanship combines with his ear for a killer melody to produce a multitude of soaring, evocative anthems, with some of our favourites including ‘Northern Attitude’, ‘She Calls Me Back’ ’Dial Drunk’ and - of course - ‘Stick Season’.

While his uptempo smashes will have the crowd singing along and raising their hands jubilantly towards the sky, keep an eye out for Kahan's heart-rending, stripped-back offerings. ‘Call Your Mom’ and ‘Growing Sideways’ are beautifully crafted and deeply emotional numbers, while ‘Orange Juice’ is a storytelling masterclass.

With Noah Kahan and the Friday night headliner, Olivia Rodrigo, being long-standing friends and having previously covered one another's songs, we're keeping our fingers crossed Kahan might return to the stage during Rodrigo's set for a spellbinding duet.

Either way, the Vermont native's performance on Friday evening is a must-see event, with NOS Alive 2025 giving fans the chance to witness contemporary folk music's leading light.

For Fans Of: Hozier

Songs to Listen Out For: ‘Stick Season’, ‘Orange Juice’ & ‘Northern Attitude’

Where and When:

• Thursday, July 10th - NOS Stage - 9:10pm

After storming onto the scene with his 2024 battle-cry, ‘Beautiful Things’, Benson Boone has blossomed into one of the biggest names in the modern pop landscape.

‘Beautiful Things’ finds the charismatic crooner reflecting on all the gifts that he feels most grateful for his life, ranging from his girlfriend to his family, with the track capturing Boone's refreshingly hopeful, rose-tinted and joyful perspective on life.

Nonetheless, there is an edge that underpins the track, which we see elsewhere across his brand new album, American Heart, with Boone movingly admitting he often feels anxious about losing all these ‘Beautiful Things’ that he holds so dear.

Following 2024's widely lauded Fireworks & Rollerblades with another wildly popular project, American Heart, in 2025, Boone's meteoric ascent is showing no signs of losing speed.

‘Beautiful Things’ remains his most iconic hit to date, but Benson Boone is far from a one-hit-wonder, with Boone possessing a plethora of other global earworms, including ‘Slow It Down’, ‘Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else’ and the recent ‘Mystical Magical’.

For a while, we were wondering when the guys would come up with their response to the captivating and playful “Pop Girlies” movement, consisting of phenoms such as Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and more. Well, it looks like we have our answer.

For Fans Of: Harry Styles

Songs to Listen Out For: ‘Beautiful Things’, ‘Mystical Magical’ & ‘Slow It Down’

Where and When:

• Thursday, July 10th - NOS Stage - 7:30pm

CMAT has been a Holler favourite since her stunning 2022 debut, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, but now, the Irish singer-songwriter is finally getting the recognition she deserves.

With the irresistible - and immensely viral - ‘Take A Sexy Picture Of Me’ taking off in 2025, CMAT is quickly establishing herself as one of the break-out stars of the past two years.

Delivering a sumptuous blend of country and pop, this is arguably the perfect time to see CMAT (the stage-name for Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson), with the ‘I Don't Really Care For You’ hitmaker gearing up to release an eagerly awaited new album, EURO-COUNTRY. We're hoping the genre-blurring powerhouse will serenade us with some new tracks from her third project when she takes the stage at NOS Alive 2025.

For Fans Of: Phoebe Bridgers

Songs to Listen Out For: ‘Take A Sexy Picture Of Me’, ‘Stay For Something’ & ‘Running/Planning’

Where and When:

• Saturday, July 12th - NOS Stage - 6:00pm

Armed with rich, emotive vocals that call to mind modern greats such as Chris Stapleton and Leon Bridges, The Teskey Brothers remind us that soul is very much alive in 2025.

The Australian duo have been touring the world since they lit up the genre with their 2017 debut, Half Mile Harvest, and have kept the momentum going strong over their two subsequent releases, 2019's stirring Run Home Slow and 2023's vibrant The Winding Way.

Make sure to catch The Teskey Brothers on the Heineken Stage on Friday, and prepare for some serious goosebumps as they dust off delightful odes such as ‘Take My Heart’ and ‘Rain’.

For Fans Of: Chris Stapleton

Songs to Listen Out For: ‘Take My Heart’, ‘Hold Me’ & ‘Rain’

Where and When:

• Friday, July 11th - Heineken Stage - 9:15pm

There's a charming innocence and joie-de-vivre that permeates Mark Ambor's burgeoning discography, with the New York up-and-comer soundtracking thousands of heartwarming TikToks last year with his endearing tribute to his partner, ‘Belong Together’.

Ambor is bringing his uplifting, glass-half-full spirit to the NOS stage on the opening day of the festival, and we can't wait to raise up our cups and gleefully roar back the lyrics to feel-good hits such as ‘Belong Together’, ‘Our Way’ and ‘I Hope It All Works Out’.

With a penchant for bright, breezy and folk-inspired instrumentals, Mark Ambor regularly leans on the wonderfully cheerful strum of his ukulele for his galvanising live shows. What better way to kick off the evening's main-stage performances on the first night of NOS Alive Festival 2025 than with some euphoric Ambor staples.

For Fans Of: Alex Warren

Songs to Listen Out For: ‘Belong Together’, ‘Good to Be’ & ‘I Hope It All Works Out’

Where and When:

• Thursday, July 10th - NOS Stage - 6:00pm

NOS Alive Festival 2025 takes place across Thursday, July 10th to Saturday, July 12th in Lisbon Portugal.