Alina Baraz is an American singer and songwriter born in 1993. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up listening to music from the 1990s as well as Adele and Amy Winehouse. She sang in a gospel choir and once she graduated high school, Baraz pursued a music career in Los Angeles. She soon connected with producer Galimatias online and dropped the song “Drift” in 2013.

They then started a partnership that led to the Urban Flora EP in 2015, which garnered much critical acclaim for Baraz. The next year she signed with Mom + Pop Music and started touring festivals across the globe. Baraz’s first solo single dropped in 2017 and featured singer Khalid. She would then drop her next project, The Color of You, in 2018 and go on an accompanying tour. She would also appear in the Coachella lineup that year.

Alina Baraz’s Urban Flora EP with Galimatias peaked at #111 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the US Electronic charts. The song “fantasy” would be certified Gold and peak at #36 on the US Electronic charts. She would release “Buzzin” in 2017 and that would peak at #10 on the US Electronic charts. Baraz’s second project, The Color of You, peaked at #59 on the Billboard 200.

Alina Baraz continues to work on her debut album and recently released the first single “To Me” on streaming platforms.

The singer and producer known as Alex Aiono was born Martin Alexander Aiono in 1996. Aiono was born in Arizona and grew up in the Phoenix area of the state, where he learned to play multiple instruments as a young child, including drums, piano, and guitar. Alex harbored dreams of becoming a professional musician, and the support from his family was so great that they uprooted themselves and moved to Los Angeles to five Alex a better chance at his big breakthrough.

While living with his family in a one bedroom apartment, Alex launched a YouTube channel to further promote his endeavors, and he quickly became known as an online media personality. By 2013, Aiono had released the debut single, “Doesn’t Get Better,” followed by his first EP, Young & Foolish, featuring a title track co-written by John Legend, who found himself enamored by the young artist’s talent.

By 2017, Alex’s musical gifts had garnered the attention of Interscope Records, which signed him to their label early in the year. Since that time, Alex Aiono has released the major label debut EP, Does It Feel Like Falling, featuring the singles “Does It Feel Like Falling” (featuring Trinidad Cardona) and “One At a Time” (featuring T-Pain.) Alex has also appeared on the Feder single, “Lordy,” and toured alongside William Singe on The Changes Tour.

Most recently, Alex Aiono completed his first headlining tour, The After Party Tour, in late 2017. The Feels Like Tour will follow in 2018. Aiono is clearly a young star on the rise and one to watch in the coming year; his YouTube channel followers have now risen to over five million, with more than six hundred million views of his videos.

The Canadian singer and songwriter Alessia Cara was born in Ontario. Alessia grew up in the Brampton area, where she began writing lyrics and playing guitar when she was still in elementary school. By the time she was a young teenager, she had started performing covers of popular songs and posting videos of her performances to YouTube.

In 2015, Cara signed a recording deal with EP Entertainment and released her debut single. The song, “Here,” was an international hit, rising into the top twenty in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, and reaching into the top ten in the United States. A live performance of the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in the summer followed, further boosting Alessia’s popularity in the United States and leading to a successful full-length album debut.

Alessia Cara’s major label album debut, Know It All, arrived in late 2015, and was just as successful as Alessia’s debut single. The album earned Cara a Breakthrough Artist of the Year Juno Award and significant worldwide commercial success. Additional singles include the song “Wild Things,” “Stay,” and the smash hit “Scars to Your Beautiful,” which to date is her most successful single. In addition to her Juno win, Cara also earned award nominations from the Kids’ Choice Award, MTV Music Awards, American Music Awards, and People’s Choice Awards.

In 2016, Alessia went on the road as the opening act for Coldplay’s European and North American tours, and later that year Cara’s single “How Far I’ll Go” was featured in the Disney film Moana. Alessia Cara is definitely a star on the rise and one to watch in the coming years.

Spanish musician and composer Alejandro Sanz was born in 1968 in Madrid. Sanz spent his formative years in the Moratalaz neighborhood, where he learned to sing and play the guitar at the age of seven. By the time he was barely a teenager, he was playing constantly, driving his mother to occasional frustration as her son kept the family up with his music nearly all night.

After signing with the Spanish label Hispavox, Alejandro released his debut album, Los Chulos Son Pa’ Ciudarlos. The album did not garner Sanz the commercial or critical success he was seeking, but he continued to play and send his demos to record companies, eventually sparking the interest of Warner Music Latina. Under the Warner label, Alejandro released Viviendo Deprisa in 1991, and this time the album was a hit. On the strength of the singles “Se le Apago la Luz” and “Pisando Fuerte,” the album became a number two Spanish hit, rising to multi-platinum status and setting the stage for the additional number one albums: 3 (1995), Mas (1997), El Alma al Aire (2000), No El lo Mismo (2003), El Tren de los Momentos (2006), Paraiso Express (2009), La Musica No Se Toca (2012), and Sirope (2015), in addition to a dozen live and compilation albums.

Notable additional singles by Alejandro Sanz include the number one Spanish hits: “Si Tu Me Miras,” “La Fuerza del Corazon,” “Mi Soledad y Yo,” “Corazon Partio,” “Amiga Mia,” “Cuando Nadie Me Ve,” “Quisiera Ser,” “No Es lo Mismo,” “No Me Compares.” The international hits “Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No” (featuring Shakira) and “Looking for Paradise” (featuring Alicia Keys) have also helped Sanz to catapult to international stardom, earning three Grammy Awards and seventeen Latin Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Alejandro Sanz’s most recent release is the number one 2019 album, El Disco, featuring the singles “Back in the City” (with Nicky Jam) and “Mi Persona Favorita” (with Camila Cabello.)

Scarypoolparty is an American singer and songwriter born Alejandro Aranda in 1994. He was born and raised in Pomona, California, and did not begin playing music until adulthood. Alejandro Aranda began playing the guitar and practiced singing at the age of 20 before competing in local showcases.

Alejandro Aranda would eventually perform on the seventeenth season of the television program American Idol in 2019. He would become a fan favorite and progress to the finale of the show where he was declared the runner-up. Soon after Scarypoolparty would begin working on his debut album and ink a deal with Hollywood Records ahead of his debut album release.

Alejandro Aranda has performed at many music festivals including Life Is Beautiful and the esteemed Lollapalooza, among others. Scarypoolparty has had his music featured in major publications including The Chicago Tribune and the Daily News, among others.

Scarypoolparty recently released his debut album Exit Form which was well-received among listeners and critics alike.

The American actress, singer, and songwriter known as AJ Michalka was born Amanda Joy Michalka in 1991. AJ was born in California and grew up in the area of Torrance, where her mother was a performer in a Christian band. After her parents’ divorce, Michalka moved to Seattle and then Milwaukee, where she and her sister began studying piano and music, often participating in local and school productions as children.

AJ’s first foray into entertainment and media was as a print model. Then, in 2005, AJ and her sister Aly began performing as a musical duo. Eventually adopted the name Aly and AJ, the two sister have released three studio albums: Into the Rush (2005), Acoustic Hearts of Winter (2006), and Insomniatic (2007); the latter of the three has so far been the duo’s highest charting album to date, reaching into the top twenty on the mainstream charts in the United States and spawning their first charting singles—“Potential Breakup Song” and “Like Whoa.” The duo also recorded the song “Who You Are,” featured in the film Secretariat.

In addition to performing with her sister, AJ also appeared on a number of television shows in small roles, including: Passions, General Hospital, Six Feet Under, The Guardian, Oliver Beene, and the Disney Channel’s original film Cow Belles, in the role of “Courtney Callum.” Michalka’s big screen debut occurred in 2009, in the role of Clarissa in The Lovely Bones.

Today, AJ Michalka might be best known and most recognizable for her role as Lainey Lewis in the hit television series The Goldbergs. Michalka appeared for the first time on the series in 2013, and by the third season, had been promoted to a regular and recurring role on the show. AJ continues to act and perform with her sister. Aly & AJ’s most recent single, “Take Me,” was released in the summer of 2017. It’s the first single off their latest EP, Ten Years.

The band known as After Romeo was established in 2013, founded by members Jayk Purdy, T.C. Carter, Blake English, Devin Fox, and Drew Ryan Scott. The members each bring unique experience to the table, with some impressive resumes: Drew has written and produced music for the likes of Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and New Kids on the Block; Devin began recording and releasing his own music when he was barely a teenager; and Jayk is a classically trained pianist.

The band, which blends elements of hip-hop, pop, and R&B, began posting videos of performances to YouTube, and in 2014 After Romeo became an international sensation following the release of their music in Italy. The group got another boost after Radio Disney began incorporating After Romeo’s music into its rotation, helping to boost the popularity of singles such as: “Love on Lock,” “Save Some Snow,” “Juliet,” “Superhuman,” “Thirsty,” “Pass on You,” “On Our Side,” and “Souvenir.”

Currently, After Romeo is preparing for the band’s first album release. Definitely a star on the rise and one to watch, After Romeo has plans for performances and an upcoming tour, scheduled for the near future.

The American singer and songwriter known as Adam Levine was born in 1979 in Los Angeles. Long before Adam rose to fame as the front man for the band Maroon 5, he grew up influenced by his parents’ love of music, particularly his mother’s. His interest in music carried him through high school, where he participated in opportunities to perform, and in 1995 Levine and some of his classmates formed the band Kara’s Flowers.

Kara’s Flowers garnered the attention of an independent producer after a performance at a Malibu beach party in 1997. The band signed to Reprise Records and released the album The Fourth World later that year, although the band never fully took off and Levine and his classmates called it quits. But Kara’s Flowers became the seed for Maroon 5, which formed in 2001, this time to great success.

Maroon 5 released the debut album Songs About Jane in 2002, and on the strength of the hit singles “This Love,” and “She Will Be Loved,” the album rose to multi-platinum status. Adam Levine has remained with Maroon 5 since it’s inception, releasing the additional albums: It Won’t Be Soon Before Long (2007), Hands All Over (2010), Overexposed (2012), and V (2014.) The albums have given fans the additional hits: “Makes Me Wonder,” “Moves like Jagger,” “Payphone,” “One More Night,” “Daylight,” and “Love Somebody.” As a member of Maroon 5, Levin has earned multiple industry awards, including three Grammy Awards and two American Music Awards.

Adam Levine continues to perform as the front man for Maroon 5, but in recent years he’s also become known for his side projects. Most notably, Levine has served as a coach on the Voice since the series began in 2011. He has also recently appeared in a recurring role on American Horror Story: Asylum, and in the film Begin Again (2012.) Levine has also launched his own guitar, the First Act 222 Guitar, inspired by the record label he founded in 2012, 222 Records.

Singer, songwriter, and actor Adam Lambert was born in 1982 in Indianapolis. Adam grew up in San Diego, California, where he began performing with a local children’s theater network when he was still in elementary school. As a child, he appeared in a number of local productions, until as a teenager he began to study theater more seriously, eventually performing locally in productions of plays such as Peter Pan, Camelot, and the Music Man, at venues such as The Lyceum.

After graduating from high school, Lambert moved to Los Angeles and accepted his first gig, performing on a cruise ship. After that, Adam performed in a European touring version of the Broadway play Hair, but his big stage breakthrough came after he was cast in The Ten Commandments: The Musical, alongside Val Kilmer, in the role of Joshua. Reviews of his performance were positive, and he received significant praise for his vocal ability. The confidence boost was enough to encourage Adam Lambert to form his own underground rock band and to pursue work as a session musician and demo singer.

In 2009, Adam Lambert auditioned for a competitive slot on American Idol’s eighth season. Not only did he make it to the show, but his performance brought him to the runner-up position, launching a career which has since made him one of the era’s most recognizable performers. After signing with RCA Records, Lambert released his debut, For Your Entertainment, and it immediately rose into the top five on the mainstream charts. Featuring the songs “If I Had You,” “Whataya Want from Me,” and “For Your Entertainment,” Lambert’s debut made him an international sensation nearly overnight.

Lambert followed his debut with Trespassing (2012), which gave audiences the additional hits “Never Close Our Eyes” and “Trespassing.” But most recently, Adam Lambert has become known for his performances with Queen, which began back in 2011 and have since resulted in the Queen + Adam Lambert series of tours, which have been well-received worldwide. He most recently also appeared as a guest judge on American Idol, the show which made him famous.

Adam Lambert’s rise to fame has transcended his musical talent; he has also become one of the most widely accepted performers to bring an uncensored gay perspective to entertainment. His work for the LGTB community has garnered him numerous awards from various organizations, and he makes frequent appearances at various events to further support the cause. Lambert also continues to perform and record; his most recent album, The Original High, arrived in 2015.

Aaron Carter was born in 1987 in Tampa, Florida. Aaron grew up influenced by his older brother, Nick Carter, who was a member of the Backstreet Boys, one of the era’s most successful “boy bands.” It was no surprise then, when Aaron began performing at the age of seven, while his brother was enjoying the most successful period the Backstreet Boys experienced during their career.

Aaron Carter released his self-titled debut album in 1997, and shortly thereafter he began touring as an opening act for the Backstreet Boys. His album was a moderate success, but even more successful was Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), released in 2000. On the strength of the song “I Want Candy,” Aaron’s Party rose to platinum status and spawned the additional hits: “Aaron’s Party,” “That’s How I Beat Shaq,” and “Bounce.” As a fledgling and rising star, Aaron Carter experienced the same support from Disney and Nickelodeon that Nick Carter and the Backstreet Boys had, and it wasn’t long before he was appearing on such Disney television shows as Lizzie McGuire.

Aaron Carter released two more albums, Oh Aaron (2001) and Another Earthquake (2002), but spent the next decade focusing on other endeavors in the entertainment industry. Aaron appeared in competition on the show Dancing with the Stars, and also in his own reality show, House of Carters, which aired on the E! network and featured his five siblings all living in the same house. Carter also appeared in the Broadway play the Fantasticks.

Most recently, Aaron Carter returned to the stage for a short Canadian tour which featured some new music. Carter is expected to release a new album in 2015; the new single “Ooh Wee” was released in late 2014.