The Much-Anticipated Return of See You Next Year

What happens when you assemble a team of fifteen musical powerhouses and give them absolute creative freedom?

See You Next Year, which initially launched in 2021, is a compilation album series from Pigeons & Planes and Big.Ass.Kids that features a diverse group of insanely talented emerging artists. In May 2026, the third compilation album in the series, See You Next Year 3, was released. See You Next Year 3 boasts a stacked lineup comprised of fifteen of the most exciting artists out now, many of whom you’ve probably already encountered while scrolling through your social feeds: Abby Sage, Alemeda, Graham Bright, GUINEVERE, Igwe Aka, Liim, Luke Titus, Oliver Malcolm, Ovrkast., Oxis, PUNCHING BAG, Ronshach, Samara Cyn, Seago, and Sherwyn. Elements of each artist’s unique sound and artistic persona are thoughtfully strewn throughout the project, allowing them to shine both individually and collaboratively. The album is danceable yet contemplative. It features a variety of different sounds, yet remains cohesive and well-rounded. “I’m really proud of that part – throughout all three projects, I feel like we’ve had such an unexpected mix of artists and somehow manage to put together these albums that make sense sonically, at least to my ears,” says Jacob Moore, founder of Pigeons & Planes. There is never a point on the album where it feels like an artist is trying to fit a specific mold or conform to a certain expectation. Instead, See You Next Year 3 feels fluid, expressive, authentic, and fun. It doesn’t limit itself to one thing or another, which means that there is truly something for everyone to enjoy on the album.

The See You Next Year projects are tangible manifestations of Pigeons & Planes’ early goals of venturing further into the music creation and release space. “Since the early years of Pigeons & Planes, we always wanted to get more involved with releasing music and taking on creative projects beyond content,” says Jacob. Although Pigeons & Planes had made some mixtape-like projects in the 2010s, they differed significantly from the See You Next Year projects that eventually followed. A conversation between Alex and Jacob of Pigeons & Planes and Le’Roy Benros of Big.Ass.Kids served as the starting point for the See You Next Year project. It was during this conversation that the specifics of the partnership were established. It would be a collaborative effort, in which Benros would handle artist contracts, music clearance, distribution, and other logistics, while Pigeons & Planes would handle curation, creation, packaging, and promotion. “In reality, it’s a small team that puts this together and we all do a bit of everything,” says Jacob. Since that initial conversation, a total of three stellar See You Next Year albums have been released, and their rollouts have been nothing short of spectacular. It just goes to show how big of an impact a relatively small team can make.

Although every See You Next Year project has maintained the original objective of highlighting emerging artists and giving them opportunities to experiment creatively, the means by which that objective is accomplished has only continued to evolve and expand. The goal for See You Next Year 3 wasn’t just to create and release music, but also to create and release visuals that captured the essence of each song on the tracklist. “So we had this idea to have all of the artists out to Shangri-La to make some DIY music videos, and each one would be directed by another artist on the project,” says Jacob. The artists were creators in every sense of the word, recording their own tracks and directing music videos for other artists. For instance, we see Samara Cyn directing Igwe Aka’s “Wake Up and Get Sexy” music video, and also appearing in the “Clink” music video directed by Liim. To make things more interesting, the music videos for every song on the album had to be shot in a single day. Shooting began in the morning and ended in the late afternoon, going from about 10am to 11pm. “Shooting that many music videos in one day was absolute chaos, but we had a couple of producers to help (shout out Bella and Kam), and it was an amazing day. It was cool to see the artists put on their directors’ hats, flex different creative muscles, and have fun with it,” said Jacob. The music video challenge encouraged more collaboration, motivated the artists to extend their creative boundaries, and allowed them to further integrate aspects of their unique artist personas and creative visions. Plus, the music videos make the project that much more fun.

Another aspect that has continued to evolve with each new iteration of See You Next Year is the approach to the creative process. In the first year, artists individually submitted songs and demos and were given a bit of insight and music direction. Then, the artists were connected with Mike Dean to finalize the songs. In the second year, all the artists and producers went out to Shangri-La for an eight-day recording session, during which they essentially crafted the project from scratch. Although the creative process for See You Next Year 3 incorporated elements from previous years, certain elements like the timeframe and recording sessions changed. “We set up a bunch of sessions where artists could collaborate and make new music, but that was spread out over months, so there wasn’t as much pressure to get an entire album made in a week,” says Jacob. There was a particular emphasis placed on ensuring that the project was a positive experience for all parties involved.

Through their words and actions, Pigeons & Planes and Big.Ass.Kids have continuously reinforced the importance of giving artists meaningful opportunities to explore, experiment, and create. Much of the magic of See You Next Year 3 lies within the creative freedom afforded to the artists. “So each year, we just keep trying to find ways to put them in new situations where they feel comfortable enough to take risks or create in ways they might not get to normally,” says Jacob. Throughout the project, they sought to create safe, nonjudgmental spaces where artists felt comfortable and supported taking creative risks and trying new things. The artists had opportunities to create authentically and make art that reflected their artistic vision. “The goal is always to set the artists up to make the best music possible, and that can be a balancing act. Sometimes, I think the best thing we can do is just give them freedom to explore and try things that they might not normally try,” Jacob shares. Intentionality, creative freedom, and authenticity seem to be hallmarks of the project.

Conscious efforts were made to ensure that the project was a positive experience for not only the listeners, but also the artists themselves. “Whatever we do, I just want it to be a good experience for the artists. That’s really important, and I never want it to feel like a burden,” says Jacob. The hope for See You Next Year 3 was to help make music feel like less of a taxing job, and more like an opportunity to take a break and have some fun. Pigeons & Planes and Big.Ass.Kids remained cognizant of the individual experiences and responsibilities of each artist on the album. When asked about the potential for live performances of the album, Jacob reflected on some of the challenges that emerging artists often face. “I think it’s a really stressful time to be a rising artist. There’s the constant promotion and content, the touring and live shows in a difficult market, the online judgment, marketing campaigns and all of this stuff.” Although a live performance would undoubtedly be amazing, each artist also has their own stuff happening outside of the project, so it may not be possible at the moment. Evidently, Pigeons & Planes and Big.Ass.Kids emphasize collaboration, but they also remain mindful of the independent endeavours and obligations of each artist involved.

When asked about the future of See You Next Year and the possibility of a See You Next Year 4, Jacob offers a very refreshing take. “I don’t want this to ever feel like a formula – that’s when things start to get boring. The only thing I know for sure is that whatever comes next will be different from what we did this time.” Some ideas are being floated around, but there aren’t any concrete plans for See You Next Year 4 just yet. By decentering the formulaic approach to chart dominance and instead focusing more on creative freedom, novelty, authenticity, and passion, Pigeons & Planes, Big.Ass.Kids, and all the artists involved have been able to create a one-of-a-kind project that will stand the test of time. The future of See You Next Year is not yet set in stone, but one thing is for certain, we all hope to see you next year, See You Next Year! Or at least sometime soon after!