’Tis the time of year when we spotlight five up-and-coming Québec beatmakers poised for what’s sure to be a busy 2026.
KÈTHE MAGANÉ
The story of Charles Lerhe, aka Kèthe Magané, is essentially one of human connections and shared experience. Born in Québec City, the producer and multi-instrumentalist began dabbling in production in the late 2000s by casually recording his rapper friends at parties. Those late-night sessions quickly sparked a desire to sharpen his skills on GarageBand.
After moving to Montréal in 2012, the political science student used the downtime created by the general strike to get acquainted with his first sequencer.
A huge punk fan in his teens, he discovered rap through artists like Tyler, The Creator and Alaclair Ensemble – especially KNLO’s instrumental side projects under the Craqnuques banner. “There was a freedom in his music that I’d never heard elsewhere,” says Magané. “There were no limits in his universe, and he championed a kind of democratization of sampling and producing.”
Things got serious in 2018, when Calamine – one of our five Québec rap rookies of 2021 – became his roommate. Magané’s signature hip-hop sound, fusing soul, jazz, and funk, played a central role in Calamine’s rise as one of the most important breakout artists in recent memory.
Today, he also runs his own label, Charivari Records. This year, he’s set to release a house-rap album with Montréal rapper Rico Rambo, along with his own debut solo album.
Access the Kèthe Magané song “Golden”
MAZE
“The apple didn’t fall far from the tree” is a saying that perfectly applies to Marion St-Germain, aka Maze. Her parents met at Musitechnic, a renowned sound engineering school, and introduced her very early on to all kinds of music – most notably alternative rock bands, like Karkwa and Radiohead. But it was hip-hop dancing that first attracted the Montréal-born producer and singer. “I took part in tons of dance competitions and was even enrolled in a dance program at school,” she says. “That was my true passion, but at some point, I developed chronic back pain and had to make the very difficult decision to give it all up…”
In 2017, just as she was leaving her teenage years behind, Maze got into music production through her then-boyfriend. “I didn’t even know you could create entire songs with just a computer,” she says. “I thought you absolutely needed instruments. It was a real revelation.”
When her father – who works in sound post-production – heard about her budding passion, he gifted her a licence for Ableton, a widely used digital audio workstation. “He helped me grow so much,” says Maze. “I was lucky to have that, and I’ve been on a roll ever since. I haven’t stopped producing in nine years.”
That’s how the prolific electro-pop artist now boasts five EPs and a bunch of singles, not to mention quite a few placements in local and international series and documentaries (Home in a Way, FEM, Love Is Blind, YG Treasures).
Her debut album is slated for release in 2026, and will feature several female artists from the local music scene, including Gabriella Olivo, La Monarque, Georgette, and Meghan Oak.
Access the Maze song “I Went Too Far”
LB66
The past 12 months have been exceptional for Leonardo Monteiro-Beauchamp, aka lb66. Alongside his younger brother, rapper Kinji00, he’s gone from being one of the best-kept secrets in the Québec hip-hop scene to one of the most prominent up-and-coming artists in the province’s music industry. His staggering success is, in large part, tied to his brother’s sovereigntist lyrics—Kinji00 having become the de facto spokesperson for the renewed independence movement embraced by Québec’s youth. But reducing his rise to that alone would be unfair to the fierce precision of his production work.
Like his brother, the Gatineau-based Portuguese producer was first drawn to rap. “I would print out the lyrics of songs I liked and try to rap along,” says the young artist, who discovered hip-hop during the prolific SoundCloud wave of the 2010s, which included major names like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Pump. After learning the ropes on FL Studio as a teenager, lb66 made a name for himself online by collaborating with novagang, a highly influential collective in digicore, a genre that blends trap and hyperpop. One of the highlights of that period was his collab with American rapper Midwxst on V20.
After a stint with another band during the pandemic – Isotope, where he dabbled in U.K. garage and house – lb66 began working seriously with his brother in 2024. “The reception to our first release took us by surprise,” he says. “We got 5,000 streams – it was insane! Things just fell into place after our project À la prochaine fois dropped in June of 2025. We got booked for a ton of shows; we collaborated with Hubert Lenoir; Kinji00 was invited on Tout le monde en parle… We even got to play in Paris!” says the producer, who performed four shows with his brother in December of 2025.
In 2026, he’ll begin working on a prod tape (a producer’s compilation), as a first step toward broadening his horizons to include more rappers, both from here and abroad.
Access the lb66-produced song “À la prochaine fois”
ASTRO PSYKEMAN
Astro Psykeman’s social life all but vanished after he discovered FL Studio in the 2010s. “It became an obsession. I was only sleeping three to five hours a night, and I even produced music during the long bus ride to cégep. I’d skip class just to make tracks,” says the producer. Psykeman first made his mark as a member of the PLAYDAYS collective, alongside Malko and Halo – each included among our Québec rap rookies to watch in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Born in the Ivory Coast, Psykeman grew up in a family environment that nurtured musical discovery. “Music was always around,” he says, mentioning his parents’ involvement in a choir, and his uncles, who played guitar. After learning the basics of audio recording with a few friends in primary school – and spending time in Chad and South Africa – he moved to Montréal’s West Island in 2012, where his passion-turned-obsession for music production truly came to life.
Inspired by star producer Lex Luger – known for his work with Rick Ross, Waka Flocka Flame, and Snoop Dogg – as well as by Michael Jackson and Charles Aznavour, Astro Psykeman’s hip-hop signature deftly blends pop, trap, and R&B. “What I love is mixing pop’s structure with the rawness of hip-hop,” he says. “What matters most to me are textures and sounds. I start by building a soundscape with a specific grain before I even think about chords or melodies. I want to create something that evolves – I hate when loops get too repetitive.”
Besides working with Malko on several new tracks, Astro Psykeman will also team up with rapper Jah Maaz (of LaF fame) to release an EP in 2026.
Access a playlist of Astro Psykeman productions
HOUSEFLY
Music was always at the very centre of Cédric Saint-Rome’s life. “My mom is in the rock band Sound Emotion, which I also play in, and my dad isn’t a musician, but he’s a walking music encyclopedia,” he says. “For example, he can tell you who played bass on any given song on any given album, and in what year!” explains the internationally renowned producer who’s worked with Demi Lovato, Kim Petras, and Chris Brown.
Housefly started playing piano when he was five. “My mom quickly realized I had perfect pitch,” he says. “After a year of lessons, my teacher suggested she send me to a music camp for kids. I’d only been there one day when the instructor told her, ‘Did you know your son also plays drums?’” recalls the young prodigy, born in 1999, who was proficient on piano, drums, and guitar by the age of eight.
One thing led to another, and he became interested in software called Mixcraft, because he wanted to record himself playing his three instruments—and he still uses it 15 years later. Inspired by his older sister, who introduced him to EDM and the music heard on MC Mario’s DJ mixes, , began producing music while studying jazz piano in cégep and university. Unsurprisingly, his academic background has played a major role in shaping his warm, organic pop and R&B sound throughout the 2020s.
Housefly, born in Baie-d’Urfé, a suburb in Montréal’s West Island, is currently putting the finishing touches on American rapper Wale’s new album, which he also produced. He’s planning to release a solo album in the first few months of 2026, that will blend progressive metal and jazz fusion.
Access a playlist of Housefly productions