America's 40 Hottest New Music Stars

Twenty-five-year-old singer and songwriter Ava Max reached the top of Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart in January 2019 on the strength of her single “Sweet But Psycho,” which peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100. While she hasn’t yet released a full-length record, that single has accumulated more than 600 million plays on streaming service Spotify.

Memphis-based rapper BlocBoy JB had a successful 2018, during which he released the single “Look Alive,” featuring Drake, which hit No. 5 on the Hot 100. He also released two mixtapes — “Simi” and “Don’t Think That.” The rapper has faced harder times this year, having been arrested on drug and gun charges.

Twenty-year old rapper Lil Skies has had multiple singles chart on the Hot 100, beginning with his song “Red Roses.” His most recent single, “I,” is also his best-performing, peaking at No. 39. His 2018 album “Life of a Dark Rose” was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Music is in Dylan Scott’s DNA. The Louisiana-born country singer, who infuses his songs with elements of rhythm and blues, is the son of guitarist Scotty Robinson, who performed with noted country singer Freddy Fender. Dylan Scott’s self-titled debut album was released in 2016 and rose to No. 46 in the Billboard 200, and to No. 5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. His single “My Girl” climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Country singer and songwriter Jordan Davis has had two singles cross over to the Hot 100 pop music chart — “Take It From Me” and “Singles You Up.” Davis also reached the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart in April 2018, following the release of his debut album “Home State.”

Jacquees is a singer-songwriter from Atlanta, who grew up appreciating legends such as Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, and Barry White. He’s had four songs crack the Billboard Hot 100, and his latest, “You,” reached No. 58 in January.

Dean Lewis is an Australian singer-songwriter who broke through into the Billboard Hot 100 with the song “Be Alright,” which rose to No. 23 in March of this year. Among the artists who have influenced Lewis is the British group Oasis.

Rapper Rich the Kid has become part of the vibrant Atlanta music scene. His roots, however, are in New York City. He was born Dimitri Roger to a family originally from Haiti and grew up speaking Creole. He moved to Atlanta as a youth and soon gravitated to music, collaborating with Migos and Young Thug among others. Interscope Records signed him in 2017, and he released his first record, “The World is Yours,” a year later. The record climbed to No. 13 on the Billboard 200.

Morgan Wallen is country singer-songwriter from Tennessee who first gained attention for his performance on the television talent show “The Voice” in 2014. He collaborated with country stars Florida Georgia Line for the hit “Up Down” in 2017. That song was included in his debut album “If I Know Me” that was released last year. His song “Whiskey Glasses” reached No. 1 in the week ending May 18 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Chicago-born rapper and songwriter Famous Dex, also known as Black Migo Dex, is known for two mixtapes: “Never Seen It Coming” and “Dexter’s Laboratory.” He’s known for pop-rap, drill, and trap-rap styles of music. Dex was the first artist signed by the record label Rich Forever Music started by rapper Rich the Kid.

Dominican-Puerto Rican singer Ozuna was the most-watched artist on YouTube for all of 2018. While he’s only released two albums at this point, he’s released or appeared on 11 songs that have made the Hot 100 chart and 62 songs that have appeared on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. Ozuna recently told Billboard that he wants to help “Latino culture to truly break into the United States.”

Sheck Wes, born Khadimou Fall in New York City, raps about the hardscrabble life in his hometown of Harlem. His debut full-length album “Mudboy” features verses of some songs rapped in English and Wolof, in a nod to his Senegalese heritage.

KYLE is Kyle Harvey, a rapper from Ventura, California. His single “iSpy,” featuring fellow rapper Lil Yachty, ascended to No. 4 on the Billboard 100 in 2017 and eventually reached multi-platinum status. KYLE’s debut album for Atlantic Records, “Light of Mine,” reached No. 29 on the Billboard 200 in 2018.

Latinx rapper Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Ocasio, is from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has become a well-known voice in Latin trap and contemporary Latin urban music. Among his influences are Héctor Lavoe, Vico C, Daddy Yankee, and Marc Anthony. In 2018, he appeared in or released five hit singles, including in Cardi B’s Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping “I Like It.” He released his debut album “X 100PRE” in December 2018, which surged to No. 1 on the Latin Rhythm Albums chart and stayed there for 23 weeks.

Country singer Russell Dickerson released his one and so far only album “Yours,” in 2016. The record sent three singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, two of which (“Yours” and “Blue Tacoma”) crossed over to the Hot 100 pop chart. Dickerson has performed alongside artists such as Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett.

Julia Michaels, who will be 26 years old this year, got started writing songs while she was still a teenager. Among the artists she has written for are Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Shakira, and Linkin Park. The Iowa native, born Julia Carin Cavazos, broke into the Billboard 200 with her debut EP “Nervous System.” She released in 2017 her debut single “Issues,” which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has been certified mutil-platinum by the RIAA.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again — also known as NBA YoungBoy — is a 19-year old rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Despite his youthful age, the musician has sent eight songs to the Hot 100, not including tracks on which he appears as a guest artist. His debut album, “Until Death Call My Name,” hit No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

Liam Payne, no stranger to success as a member of British-Irish boy band One Dimension, became the fourth member of the English group to have a solo No. 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart in 2017 with the song “Strip That Down,” featuring Quavo. The Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart is a weekly ranking of the most shared and/or mentioned songs on Twitter in the United States, ranked by the volume of shares over a seven-day period.

Lauren Daigle grew up in the fertile music firmament of Louisiana with its myriad influences of the blues, jazz, zydeco, and Cajun music. She is a Christian music singer and songwriter who competed in various “American Idol” auditions beginning in 2010. Daigle’s debut full-length album, “How Can It Be,” opened at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart in April of 2015. She has had three albums top the Billboard’s Christian album chart. Daigle won two Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance (“You Say”) and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album (“Look Up Child”) in 2018.

R&B singer SZA, born Solana Imani Rowe in St. Louis, has had two songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Her album “Ctrl” featured collaborations with Pharrell Williams and Frank Dukes among others and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in June 2017. SZA would eventually be nominated for five Grammy Awards in 2017 and another four in 2018. She made headlines last month after she accused cosmetics retailer Sephora of racial profiling. SZA, who is a former Sephora employee, said the company accused her of stealing cosmetics at a store in California. In the wake of the incident, Sephora closed all of its stores for one day to conduct diversity training.

Ari Leff, whose stage name is Lauv (derived from the Latvian word “lauve” or lion), is an R&B-influenced pop singer. He first gained attention when his song “The Other,” co-written with songwriter-instrumentalist Michael Matosic, went viral in 2014. His biggest hit to date is “I Like Me Better,” which rose to No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Singer James Arthur got his break after winning the ninth season of the British show “X Factor” in 2012. His lone single to reach the Hot 100 — “Say You Won’t Let Go” — stayed on the chart for an exceptional 52 weeks, peaking at No. 11. The song also has over 1 billion streams on Spotify to date. The singer was sued in 2018 over the song’s similarities to Irish band The Script’s song “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.”

Originally formed in Wasilla, Alaska, indie rock outfit Portugal. The Man has been releasing music since the mid-2000s. It was not until the release of their 2017 album “Woodstock” that they had a single reach the Hot 100, however. “Feel It Still” spent 45 weeks on the pop chart, peaking at No. 4.

NF is Nate Feuerstein, a Christian hip-hop artist who used music to escape an abusive environment. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother later died from a drug overdose. To escape the grief, he recorded songs on a karaoke machine. NF’s torment is evident in his biggest hit to date, “Let You Down,” which rose to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was on NF’s biggest-selling album so far, “Perception,” which went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in October of 2017.

Working as a producer, Benny Blanco has helped craft No. 1 hits for artists, including Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and Maroon 5. He has also released numerous singles as a musician, three of which have appeared on the Hot 100 pop chart. Blanco was recently described in the New York Times as “one of the most successful producers and songwriters in contemporary music.”

Niall Horan first gained fame as a member of the British-Irish boy band One Direction, which he joined while performing on the talent show “X Factor” in Dublin, Ireland. Since striking out on his own, Horan’s album “Flicker” went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in November 2017. He’s had two songs reach the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Horan said he’s been influenced by swing music and vocalist Michael Bublé.

Rapper Offset is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the popular group Migos. He has had numerous hits as a solo artist, however, including the No. 13 single “Ric Flair Drip,” which he recorded alongside producer Metro Boomin. As a member of Migos he has had four Top 10 hits, including the No. 1 hit “Bad and Boujee.”

Lil Pump was born Gazzy Garcia and grew up in Miami. Just 18 years old, Lil Pump broke through with a viral hit “Gucci Gang” from his self-titled debut album. The album went to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and the artists followed that up with “Harverd Dropout” that rose to No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Lil Pump has collaborated with many contemporary music stars, including Diplo, Kanye West, Gucci Mane, and Lil Yachty.

A Boogie Wit da Hoodie scored his biggest pop hit to date with “Look Back At It,” which peaked at No. 27 on the Hot 100 in May 2019. His most recent album, “Hoodie SZN,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The rapper recently appeared on Tyga’s new album and is planning a collaboration with Cardi B.

Bazzi is Andrew Bazzi, a Michigan-born singer and songwriter of Lebanese ancestry. Among his hits is the song “Beautiful,” which he released with singer Camila Cabello and that rose to No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January. Bazzi’s single “Mine” climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Tops Pop Songs Airplay Chart and is certified triple Platinum by the RIAA, with more than 350 million total plays. Bazzi is very interested in things celestial and that is reflected in the title of his album “Cosmic.”

British singer Ella Mai’s single “Boo’d Up” won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and was nominated for Song of the Year in 2018. It also reached No. 5 on the Hot 100. Despite having only released one full-length album to date, the 24-year-old has received plenty of critical praise and won the 2019 Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Artist.

Juice WRLD is an introspective Chicago-area hip-hop artist who is influenced by rock music, R&B, and performers such as Lil Durk and Chief Keef. He posted his first No. 1 album, “Death Race for Love,” on the Billboard 200 in March. Juice WRLD, born Jarad Higgins, had previously been in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 in 2018 with “WRLD on Drugs” (No. 2) and his debut studio album, “Goodbye & Good Riddance” (No. 4).

Only 17 years old, singer Billie Eilish has far more than 1 billion streams on Spotify. The artist has sent 16 songs to the Hot 100 pop chart, all but one of which (“Come Out and Play”) peaked this year. In June 2019, Eilish reached the top position on the Billboard Artist 100 chart, making her the most popular musician in the country by that measure.

Atlanta rapper Lil Baby (Dominique Jones) started his rap career in 2017, after serving time in prison for a probation violation. He earned his first top 10 song on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2018 with “Yes Indeed” — a collaboration with Drake — which rose to No. 6. “Yes, Indeed” was the second single from Lil Baby’s debut album “Harder Than Ever,” which debuted at No. 3 on Billboard 200.

6ix9ine released numerous hit singles beginning in 2017, with 2018’s “FEFE,” which featured Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz, the best performing on the charts. The young star’s career has since stalled due to legal troubles. The rapper is currently in jail and is awaiting trial following a slew of charges, including racketeering, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses.

Kodak Black is a Pompano Beach, Florida-based rapper whose his real name is Dieuson Octave. As a youth, Black, who is the son of Haitian immigrants, would read thesauruses and dictionaries to boost his vocabulary. He has had two top 10 hits — “ZEZE” (No. 2) and “Tunnel Vision” (No. 6).

Singer-songwriter Luke Combs has taken the country music genre by storm since the release of his debut studio album “This One’s for You” in 2017. He’s had 10 songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and was invited to join the prestigious Grand Ole Opry in June 2019 — a coveted in honor in country music. The North Carolina-born musician has similarly done well in mainstream pop, with seven of his tracks ranking on the Hot 100.

Marshmello, also known as Christopher Comstock, is an electronic music producer, DJ, and masked performer. He’s had nine songs in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the highest charting single, “Happier,” performed with Bastille, peaking at No. 2 in February.

Twenty-one year old R&B singer Khalid rose to fame following the release of his debut album “American Teen” in 2017. That year, he was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. Khalid’s biggest hit to date is “Talk” from his second album “Free Spirit.” The song hit No. 3 on the Hot 100 pop chart.

Cardi B has been so successful it is difficult to remember that she did not have a mainstream pop hit before her song “Bodak Yellow” — which reached No. 1 — entered the Hot 100 in 2017. The 26-year old rapper won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2018 for her “Invasion of Privacy” and has been nominated a total of seven times. That same year, she scored her second No. 1 single with “I Like It” and was featured on the Maroon 5 chart topper “Girls Like You.”