Billboard's 21 Under 21 2015: Music's Hottest Young Stars
Billboard's 21 Under 21 2015
This year's 21 Under 21 list -- our annual look at the hottest artists in all genres who can't yet legally purchase alcohol -- includes bubblegum divas, punky boy bands, plucky country pairs, two types of rap duos, and one very large K-pop ensemble. And that's just the beginning. The 21 creators celebrated below all make different types of tunes, but they've all achieved great things in their relatively short time on this planet.
Another thing many share in common is an industrious use of social media. The list is filled with young hopefuls who've parlayed YouTube and Vine stardom into much, much more. Of course, the Internet will only get you so far. The minors on this list have major talent, and that's what ultimately got them where they are.
1. 5 Seconds of Summer
Birth Dates: Michael Clifford: November 20, 1995 (Age: 19); Luke Hemmings: July 16, 1996 (Age: 19); Calum Hood: January 25, 1996 (Age: 19); Ashton Irwin: July 7, 1994 (Age: 21)
Last Year's Rank: No. 2
Why They're Hot: Anyone who still thinks 5 Seconds of Summer is a passing fad hasn't been paying attention in 2015. From May through September, Australia's finest pop-punk boy band literally rocked the world with its Rock Out With Your Socks Out tour -- the foursome's inaugural headlining trek -- and on Oct. 23, they made waves with their sophomore effort, Sounds Good Feels Good. The album features the lead single "She's Kinda Hot,” yet another irresistible blend of Backstreet Boys and Blink-182. The equally catchy second single "Hey Everybody” includes a nod to Duran Duran -- just the sort of pop icons 5SOS should emulate if they want to go from pretty boys with guitars to enduring artists who stand the test of time.
Greatest of All Time
When it comes to music, there's no objective right or wrong, good or bad – but that never stops passionate music fans from sharing and defending their favorites. From pop hooks to album covers to beats, we're rounding up some of the greatest of all time in music on Billboard. We spent months discussing, researching and reflecting on music from artists old and new, considering everything from sales to impact to innovation to longevity. The results won't please everyone – and that's as it should be. Everyone has their own takes on the greatest in music – this is ours.
Check it out.
2. Fifth Harmony
Birth Dates: Allyson Brooke Hernandez, July 7, 1993 (Age: 22); Normani Kordei Hamilton, May 31, 1996 (Age: 19); Lauren Michelle Jauregui, June 27, 1996 (Age: 19); Karla Camila Cabello, March 3, 1997 (Age: 18); Dinah Jane Hansen, June 22, 1997 (Age: 18)
Last Year's Rank: No. 5
Why They're Hot: After heavy touring in 2014, the ladies of Fifth Harmony finally dropped their debut, Reflection, in 2015. The wait was totally "Worth It,” to quote the title of the LP's smash third single, featuring rapper Kid Ink. The tune climbed to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album cracked the top five of the Billboard 200, proving once again that these former X Factor contestants are a real-deal girl group, not some relic of a bygone reality show. In September, the quintet quickened the pulses of Harmonizers -- the name given to its legions of superfans -- by announcing that work had begun on album No. 2. "You'll have music to soothe your soul soon, everything will be fine, we love you to death and we're not going anywhere. I promise,” member Lauren Jauregui told Billboard, looking ahead to another big year.
3. Lorde
Birth Date: November 7, 1996 (Age: 18)
Last Year's Rank: No. 6
Why She's Hot: It's been two years since the release of Heroine -- the mega-selling debut that made her a 16-year-old global sensation and the de facto spokeswoman for a new generation of smart, strong-minded, innovative female pop artists -- and yet Lorde continues to captivate. The New Zealand phenom hasn't released any solo material since "Yellow Flicker Beat," her contribution to last year's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1 soundtrack, but earlier this year, she returned as an enigmatic dance diva on Disclosure's "Magnets.” A far cry from "Royals" -- the minimalist pop jam that made her a star -- "Magnets" has led to speculation that Lorde might go the EDM route on her eagerly anticipated sophomore album. Either way, fans should expect something "totally different," as she recently told the BBC.
4. Shawn Mendes
Birth Date: Aug. 8, 1998 (Age: 17)
Last Year's Rank: No. 8
Why He's Hot: If his backstory sounds a little familiar -- young Canadian heartthrob goes from Internet celebrity to bona fide pop titan -- Shawn Mendes is very much his own artist. In April 2015, Mendes moved beyond the "next Justin Bieber” thing and scored big with his debut album, Handwritten, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The former Vine sensation also notched his first top-five hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Stitches,” a song he's sung to huge stadium crowds thanks to his gig opening for buddy Taylor Swift on her 1989 World Tour. Mendes is still crushing it on social media (4.3 million Vine followers, 5 million-plus Instagram followers and 4.4 million Twitter followers), but even if the Internet went down tomorrow, this guitar-toting singer-songwriter would command an audience.
5. Rae Sremmurd
Birth Dates: Khalif "Swae Lee” Brown: June 7, 1995 (Age: 20); Aaquil "Slim Jimmy” Brown: Dec. 29, 1993 (Age: 21)
Last year's rank: No. 18
Why They're Hot: The year began on a high note for this Mississippi hip-hop duo -- who ruled the Top R&B/Hip-Hip Albums chart in January with their debut, SremmLife -- and if what brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy say is true, it might end with a similar bang. In August, the sibling MCs behind the hits "No Flex Zone” and "No Type” announced plans to release SremmLife 2 in December -- a claim that producer Mike Will Made-It seemingly verified via Twitter. Whether Rae Sremmurd (pronounced Ray Shreh-murd) actually drop that sequel before the ball drops in Times Square, 2015 will go down as a banner year for these charismatic young rhymers.
6. Troye Sivan
Birth Date: June 5, 1995 (Age: 20)
Last Year's Rank: No. 17
Why He's Hot: Having already reached millions via YouTube -- where he's been uploading videos since he was 12 -- this singer, songwriter, actor, and Internet star is making a play for the pop charts. On the heels of two top-five EPs on the Billboard 200, TRXYE (2014) and Wild (2015), the South Africa-born, Australia-raised multi-talent returns December 4 with Blue Neighbourhood, his anticipated full-length debut. Featuring collaborations with such heavy hitters as Bleachers leader Jack Antonoff and producer Emile Haynie (Eminem, Lana Del Rey), the album promises "shimmering electro-pop textures and disarmingly intimate lyrics,” according to Mikael Wood of the L.A. Times. And that's only part of the appeal. Sivian is an openly gay everydude who sings straight from the heart, and he's already made fans of Taylor Swift and Sam Smith. When he doesn't make this list next year, it'll only be because he's 21.
7. Martin Garrix
Birth Date: May 14, 1996 (Age: 19)
Last Year's Rank: No. 4
Why He's Hot: The key words in 2015 for the Dutch DJ and producer born Martijn Garritsen were "Don't Look Down.” That's the name of the single he and Usher released in March, and it sums up the continued success of this international EDM phenom. Ranked No. 3 on DJ Magazine's list of the Top 100 DJs, Garrix kept it banging in 2015, playing to stadium crowds, dropping the Break Through the Silence EP, and building buzz for his forthcoming debut album, +x, with such singles as "The Only Way Is Up,” featuring fellow Dutch master Tiesto. Two years after the international smash "Animals” made him a star, Garrix is still on the rise.
8. Maddie and Tae
Birth Dates: Madison Kay Marlow: July 7, 1995 (Age: 20); Taylor Elizabeth Dye: September 18, 1995 (20)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why They're Hot: In 2014, this country duo kicked up all kinds of trouble with the single "Girl In a Country Song,” a clever, critically celebrated takedown of the "bro country” tropes that had come to dominate the genre. The tune appears on Maddie & Tae's debut, Start Here, which arrived in August and shot to No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Dye and Marlow co-wrote all 11 tracks, and while there's nothing else as biting as "Girl In a Country Song,” the pair earned plenty of high marks and spent the summer touring with Dierks Bentley. They also continued their ascent with the single "Fly,” a No. 9 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart.
9. Joey Bada$$
Birth Date: January 20, 1995 (Age: 20)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why He's Hot: Born and raised in Brooklyn, this'90-style boom-bap rapper came on the scene in 2010, when his YouTube videos earned him a management deal with Cinematic Music Group. Bada$$ continued to gain heat during 2012, when he released the acclaimed 1999 mixtape, and 2013, when he made XXL Magazine's Freshman Class list. After a string of additional mixtapes, Bada$$ released his debut album, B4.Da.$$, on January 20, 2015 -- his 20th birthday. The LP shot to No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Independent Albums charts, and it snuck into the upper reaches of Billboard 200, peaking at No. 5. By the end of '15, Bada$$ had also collaborated with Korean rapper Tablo on the single "Hood” and U.K. indie rockers Glass Animals on the track "Lose Control,” further justifying the name of the World Domination Tour he launched in May.
10. Hailee Steinfeld
Birth Date: December 11, 1996 (Age: 18)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why She's Hot: Rare is the pop star who earns an Academy Award nomination before trying music, and rarer still is the female singer who climbs the charts with a song rumored to be about masturbation. Hailee Steinfeld is both. The L.A. native first found fame in 2010, when her role as Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers' Western True Grit got her an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to appear in films such as Ender's Game and Pitch Perfect 2 before signing with Republic Records in 2015 and dropping "Love Myself,” a dance-pop single in which she sings, "I'm gonna put my body first / and love me so hard 'til it hurts.” Steinfeld has said the tune is about self-empowerment, not necessarily self-love, but either way, the track reached No. 30 on the Hot 100, building anticipation for the debut album she's crafted with producers like Mattman & Robin, known for their work with Taylor Swift. Speaking of Swizzy, Steinfeld appears in Taylor's blockbuster "Bad Blood” video and counts herself as a member of her "squad,” an affiliation that's sure to serve her well.
11. Alessia Cara
Birth Date: July 11, 1996 (Age: 19)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why She's Hot: Back in June, when Billboard compiled its "20 Pop Songs You Need for Your Summer Playlist,” the debut single from this refreshingly anti-glam Canadian popster landed right at No. 7. It's called "Here,” and while a song about feeling uncomfortable at parties might not be the most obvious summer jam, the tune reached No. 3 on the R&B Songs chart and No. 23 on the Hot 100. Cara included the hit single on her Four Pink Walls EP, released in August, and on Nov. 13, she'll drop her full-length debut, Know-It-All, via Def Jam. News of the album came days after the self-styled "antisocial pessimist” performed alongside superstars Jay Z, Beyonce, and Nicki Minaj at the TIDAL X concert in Brooklyn, and it shows just how far she's come since 2013, when she got her start uploading cover songs on YouTube. "It's the coolest fluke ever," Cara said of her fame in an August interview with Billboard. "Now I get to do all these crazy things. It's like jumping off a cliff."
12. Becky G
Birth Date: March 2, 1997 (Age: 18)
Last Year's Rank: No. 9
Why She's Hot: When Donald Trump made his now-infamous anti-immigrant remarks in June 2015 campaign speech, he probably didn't count on a challenge from Becky G. His mistake. The singer, rapper, and actress born Rebecca Marie Gomez is a force to be reckoned with, and as she made clear with "We Are Mexico” -- released in the wake of Trump's comments -- she's proud of her Latin heritage. Born in Inglewood, Calif., to parents of Mexican descent, Becky G has incorporated Latin sounds throughout her career, and in 2014, she rose to fame with the singles "Can't Get Enough” (a Latin Rhythm Airplay chart-topper featuring Pitbull) and "Shower.” As she continues to prep her debut album -- a hotly tipped set she's prefaced with the 2015 singles "Lovin' So Hard” and "Break a Sweat” -- she's also found success on TV, playing Valentina Galindo on the Fox series Empire. She also models, which makes her a triple threat. Trump better watch out.
13. Zendaya
Birth Date: September 1, 1996 (Age: 19)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why She's Hot: In Taylor Swfit's "Bad Blood” video, Zendaya plays a character called Cutthroat -- a name that's totally appropriate, yet also not, for describing this up-and-comer's career. Born Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman in Oakland, where she got her start as a dancer and actress, Zendaya first broke big as the star of the Disney series Shake It Up. The show gave her ample opportunities to perform and release pop tunes, and by 2013, she'd dropped a self-titled debut and scored a hit with the slick futuristic R&B jam "Replay,” which reached No. 3 on the Dance Club Songs chart and No. 40 on the Hot 100. Zendaya is driven, clearly, but cutthroat? In 2015, as she began her second Disney tour of duty as star of the series K.C. Undercover, Zendaya used her power for good, inspiring young girls with an Oscar red-carpet look that earned Zendaya her very own Barbie doll and, most recently, putting the fashion mag Modeliste on blast for retouching a photo to make her look slimmer. ""These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have,” Zendaya said via Instragram. Somehow, she still finds time for making music, and she's working with the likes of Timbaland and Babyface on her sophomore album. "I've been in the studio a lot," she told Billboard earlier this year, "just trying to create and make something that I'm really, really proud of -- I don't like to rush the process."
14. Austin Mahone
Birth Date: April 4, 1996 (Age: 18)
Last Year's Rank: No. 6
Why He's Hot: With "Dirty Work,” the bumping pop jam he released back in July, Austin Mahone sent a clear message: "Baby Bieber” is all grown up. The single, produced by The Monsters and the Strangerz, is the first taste of the San Antonio native's forthcoming debut album, the follow-up to last year's The Secret EP. If The Secret, which featured contributions from Pitbull (the hit "Mmm Yeah”) and reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200, suggested the young Cash Money signee was becoming a man, this yet-untitled sophomore set promises even greater evolution. Chatting with Billboard in July, Mahone repeatedly used the phrase "next-level” to describe the music; given that his previous levels have earned him millions of fans and allowed him to tour as both a headliner and an opener for the likes of Taylor Swift and Jason Derulo, he's getting ready to really blow up -- perhaps even Bieber-style.
15. Jack and Jack
Birth Date: Jack Edward Johnson: March 24, 1996 (Age: 19); Jack Finnegan Gillinsky: September 10, 1996 (Age: 19)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why They're Hot: The amazing story of this Omaha pop-rap duo goes back about 15 years, when two kids named Jack (Johnson and Gillinsky) showed up for the first day of kindergarten wearing the same shirt. They became lifelong buddies, and when high school rolled around, they started posting the six-second Vine videos that would make them sensations. Last year, they parlayed online notoriety into genuine pop success, landing the single "Wild Life” at No. 25 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 87 on the Hot 100. Proving their success was no fluke, Jack & Jack struck back in July with Calibraska, a four-song EP that peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200. The fellas have admitted that they tailor their lighthearted hip-hop jams for a young female audience, and so far, that strategy is working. They've amassed a massive social media following, appeared on TV shows like The View, and sold more than 1 million downloads, according to Nielsen Music. And people say kindergarten isn't important.
16. Luis Coronel
Birth Date: Feb. 3, 1996 (Age: 19)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why He's Hot: Already famous throughout the Latin world, Luis Coronel is getting ready to go global. Born in Tucson, the Mexican-American singer of romantic regional music is prepping album No. 3, the follow-up to last year's mega-selling Quiero ser tu dueño. That album reached No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart, making Coronel the youngest solo artist in 13 years to rule that particular tally. With his next LP, the former YouTube star is looking to continue expanding his sound and giving his millions of "Coronelas,” or diehard fans, genre-defying music that incorporates different rhythms. "We're adding more instruments and more up-tempo sounds so that people can feel good and dance,” Coronel told Billboard in August, when he debuted the single "Nada Más Por Eso.” "I know that the fans are going to love it, they're really going to enjoy it.” He's also said to be dating Becky G (No. 12 on this list), which isn't exactly hurting his celebrity.
17. Silentó
Birth Date: January 22, 1998 (Age: 17)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why He's Hot: When Richard Lamar Hawk, the Atlanta high school senior known as Silento, released "Watch Me,” he couldn't have known how intently the world would do just that -- watch him. The infectious single hit YouTube on June 25, and within a week, it had gained more than 2.5 million global views. With an assist from the digital media company DanceOn, "Watch Me” went viral, and soon, people all over the world were doing the "the whip,” the "Nae Nae,” the "stanky leg,” and the various other dances the 17-year-old rapper references in the lyrics. Many made their own videos, and the whole thing just got bigger. Thanks in part to its huge popularity on streaming services, "Watch Me” rose to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, setting the stage for Silento's most challenging move yet: the follow-up. Fortunately, he's got loads of other catchy songs on his Soundcloud page, and when his debut drops on Capitol next year, it'll offer a mix of family-friendly hip-hop, pop, and R&B. "No cursing,” Silento told Vibe, explaining his universally likeable style. "Whose parent is gonna buy a song playing a curse on it?”
18. Seventeen
Birth Dates: Choi Seungcheol, aka S.coups: August 8, 1995 (Age: 20); Yoon Jeonghan, aka Jeonghan: October 4, 1995 (Age: 20); Hong Jisoo, aka Joshua: December 30, 1995 (Age: 19); Wen Junhui, aka Jun: June 10, 1996 (Age: 19); Kwon Soonyoung, aka Hoshi: June 15, 1996 (Age: 19); Jeon Wonwoo, aka Wonwoo: July 17, 1996 (Age: 19); Lee Jihoon, aka Woozi: November 22, 1996 (Age: 18); Lee Seokmin, aka DK: February 18, 1997 (Age: 18); Kim Mingyu, aka Mingyu: April 6, 1997 (Age: 18); Xu Minghao, aka The8: November 7, 1997 (Age: 17); Boo Seungkwan, aka Seungkwan: January 16, 1998 (Age: 17); Hansol Vernon Choi, aka Vernon: February 18, 1998 (Age: 17); Lee Chan, aka Dino: February 11, 1999 (Age: 16).
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why They're Hot: If Seventeen doesn't become the biggest K-pop band of all time, it may go down as the largest. The group boasts 13 members (average age: 17) hailing from South Korea, China, and the United States, and it's divided into three units: one for hip-hip, one for vocals, and one for choreography. The divide-and-conquer strategy has paid off, as Seventeen's sophomore EP, Boys Be, debuted atop the World Albums chart in September. Led by the single "Mansae” -- a chipper mix of hip-hop, funk, and pop -- the five-song set followed 17 Carat, a promising debut that reached No. 8 on the World Albums chart back in May and outlasted records by better-established rivals like EXO and BTS. Although Seventeen was formed by Pledis Entertainment and launched via a reality series called Seventeen Project: Big Debut Plan, the group's members actively contribute to the writing and production of the music -- a rarity in the K-pop scene. Seventeen is a small army whose weapons include talent and creativity. If any K-pop band stands to truly conquer America, it might be this one.
19. Echosmith
Birth Dates: Jamie Sierota: April 8, 1993 (Age: 22); Noah Sierota: January 1, 1996 (Age: 19); Sydney Sierota: April 21, 1997 (Age: 18); Graham Sierota: February 5, 1999 (Age: 16).
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why They're Hot: This four-piece family band from Chino, Calif., counts everyone from Fleetwood Mac to the Smiths as influences, and that comes across on the band's 2013 debut, Talking Dreams. Powered by the dreamy indie-pop smash "Cool Kids” (No. 13 on the Hot 100), the album topped the Heatseekers chart and reached No. 38 on the Billboard 200. The talented Sierota siblings spent 2015 touring as both a headliner and an opener for Twenty One Pilots, and they even joined Taylor Swift for a pair of surprise "Cool Kids” performances. In 2016, they'll begin work on the sophomore effort that could take Echosmith's shimmery, sweetly folky '80s dance-rock sounds to the next level.
20. Kehlani
Birth Date: April 24, 1995 (Age: 20)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why She's Hot: Back in April, Oakland native Kehlani Parrish released what Billboard deemed "the first great R&B album of 2015.” It's called You Should Be Here, and if it's technically more of a mixtape, it reached No. 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 36 on the Billboard 200. Like Kehlani's debut, 2014's Cloud 19, You Should Be Here reveals a cool, sultry young singer who's earned comparisons to everyone from Jhene Aiko and Kelala to Frank Ocean and the Weeknd. Kehlani also arrives on the pop scene with an amazing story that involves being raised by an aunt after her drug-addicted mother was incarcerated, nearly finding fame with the group Poflyfe on America's Got Talent, and living on the streets as a teenager. Finally, with some help from Nick Cannon, Kehlani landed a deal with Atlantic, and that's brought her international acclaim. She'll spend late November and December touring Europe, growing the already-sizable "Tsunami Mob” fan base that's eagerly awaiting her debut album, expected next year.
21. Shamir
Birth Date: November 7, 1994 (Age: 20)
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Why He's Hot: In some ways the ultimate millennial artist, Shamir Bailey blurs lines between genre and gender as only a 20-year-old weaned on everything from Outkast to Billie Holiday can. Born and raised in Las Vegas and blessed with a stunning countertenor voice that many mistake for female, Shamir began writing songs at the age of 9, when he got his hands on an Epiphone guitar. By his teens, he'd formed a punk band, and by high school, he'd begun making the bedroom recordings that would get him noticed by the NYC label Godmode, which released his debut EP, Northtown, in 2014. This May, following buzzworthy performances at SXSW, Shamir returned with his debut album, Ratchet -- a smart, playful mix of house, pop, hip-hop, and R&B featuring the singles "Call It Off” and "On the Regular,” both of which made the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists chart. Hip and edgy enough for critics, accessible enough for the masses, Shamir ticks all the right boxes while making it look fun.