6 – Kodak Black, 20
While in jail on misdemeanor drug charges and later for a probation violation (he was freed in June), Black’s single “Tunnel Vision” reached No. 6 on the Hot 100, and its parent album, Painting Pictures, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. “I’ve had to learn some hard lessons,” says the MC (real name: Dieuson Octave). “I don’t know if I’ve handled everything well, but I’m learning from my mistakes.”
7 – Hailee Steinfeld, 20
A Hollywood star in search of a radio smash, Steinfeld finally connected with the Zedd-produced “Starving,” which became her highest-charting single to date. Along with Hot 100 hits “Most Girls” and “Let Me Go,” she spent the past year focused on acting projects like Pitch Perfect 3, due out days after her 21st birthday this December.
8 – Grace VanderWaal, 13
A year after winning America’s Got Talent, VanderWaal has a top 10 Billboard 200 entry (her Perfectly Imperfect EP), more than 81 million Spotify streams and 1 million subscribers on her YouTube channel. Her debut LP, Just the Beginning, is slated for a Nov. 3 release; she says that older audiences underestimate her, but “once people get to know me, they change their minds.”
9 – CNCO, 16-21
The victors of reality show La Banda’s inaugural season have been learning about pop stardom while on tour with Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias and Ariana Grande. International hit “Reggaetón Lento” has racked up over 300 million plays on Spotify and 1 billion YouTube views.
10 – Desiigner, 20
After scoring a Hot 100 chart-topper last year with the rambunctious “Panda,” Desiigner has been prepping new music while working with artists like Gucci Mane and Mura Masa in 2017. “Being young makes me feel like I’m growing with my success,” he says. “I have the chance to entertain the youth and inspire their lives.”
11 – Noah Cyrus, 17
This year, Cyrus displayed the audacity her older sister Miley left behind on 2013’s Bangerz. “Fuck what everybody else is saying,” she says. “You can do whatever you want — that’s how I want to influence young girls and boys.” Cyrus has practiced what she has preached by working with an array of artists (Labrinth, marshmello, XXXTentacion) ahead of her first album, NC-17.
