They're young, they're on a white-hot winning streak, and most importantly, they're just getting started: These are Billboard.com's
selected not only for their tender age but also for their potential to rule the pop culture zeitgeist over the next 12 months.
Whether it's a country star whose every song lyric demands hours of analysis (Is she singing about Joe, Taylor or Kanye?!), a beloved breakout character on TV's hottest high school musical, or a newcomer who landed a record deal on the strength of one Lady Gaga cover, expect them all to to keep us watching -- and listening -- in the year to come. On to the countdown of our picks!
Why He's Hot: A rapper at heart, Sean Kingston (real name Kisean Anderson) initially charmed music fans with the reggae-pop vocals on his breakthrough hit "Beautiful Girls." The song stayed at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 2007 and also enticed Beyonce to book Kingston as her tour's opening act. The Miami native matured his sound on his dancefloor-ready top 5 2009 single "Fire Burning," and what's next will heat up the charts as well. Kingston's mixtape with Justin Bieber, "Our World," will be released later this fall, while Kingston has released two hit singles, "Letting Go (Dutty Love)" and "Dumb Love," from his upcoming album, which should hit shelves in early 2011.
Why He's Hot: If you're looking for the next teen pop heartthrob with a great haircut and international cache, Cody Simpson's your man. The 13-year-old Australian joined the fray this summer with "iYiYiYi," an ultra-catchy debut single featuring Flo Rida, and his debut album for Atlantic Records is now in the works. Comparisons to Justin Bieber are inevitable, but Simpson doesn't mind following in said star's footsteps: "Being compared to someone who's already been really successful is flattering," the singer recently told Radio Disney. How's that for showbiz smarts?
Birthday: February 8, 1994 (age 16)
Why She's Hot: Canadian jazz-pop singer Nikki Yanofsky might not be a household name yet in the U.S., but the 16-year-old up-and-comer has dazzled our northern neighbors with two successful solo albums, a no. 1 song ("I Believe") on the Canadian Hot 100 and buzzed-about performances at the 2010 Winter Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. Yanofsky's star will continue to rise when she tours the States this fall and releases her "Nikki" album overseas later this year.
No. 18: New Boyz Birthday: Ben J: October 13, 1991 (age 18); Legacy: October 12, 1991 (age 18)
Why They're Hot: The New Boyz broke onto the scene in early 2009 with their hit song "You're a Jerk," and helped front the "Jerkin'" global dance craze. The dynamic So-Cal duo is prepping the release of their sophomore album, "Too Cool to Care," due later this year, and their latest single, "Break My Bank," is currently at No. 63 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and climbing. The Boyz also recently wrapped filming a movie directed by Mario Van Peebles called "Where Da Party At?" which is getting large comparisons to the 1990's Kid 'n Play flick "House Party."
No. 17: Never Shout Never Birthday: Christofer Drew Ingle: February 11, 1990 (age 20)
Why He's Hot: Thousands of unknown musicians drop their music on the Internet, praying to get discovered. Not all of them wind up cracking the Billboard Top 20 three years later. But that's what happened to Joplin, Missouri's Christofer Drew Ingle after he christened himself Never Shout Never and began dropping his bubbly guitar pop-tunes on the MySpace. Ingle is currently being chased through malls by the masses of screaming girls that helped his new album "Harmony" debut at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 in August.
No. 16: Wonder Girls Birthdates: Sun: August 12, 1989 (age 21); Yenny: May 26, 1989 (age 21); SoHee: June 27, 1992 (age 18); YuBin: October 4, 1988 (age 21); HyeLim: September 1, 1992 (age 18)
Why They're Hot: A few of South Korea's appropriately named Wonder Girls have already reached our legal drinking age. So what? Before the group's SoHee and HyeLim celebrate their 21st b'days, the quintet -- whose 2009 debut U.S. single "Nobody" made them the first Korean group to crack the Billboard Hot 100 -- will have dropped their first English-language album (scheduled for release in Jan. 2011) and saturated our airwaves with their infectious pop harmonies. We'll drink to that.
No. 15: Diggy Simmons Birthdate: March 21, 1995 (age 15)
Why He's Hot: Aside from being the pretty boy, fashion-forward son of Run DMC's Reverend Run, Diggy Simmons is garnering attention for his formidable rapping skills. After releasing a mixtape titled "The First Flight" in December 2009, and freestyling over Drake's "Over" and Nas' "Made You Look," Diggy got signed to Atlantic Records in early 2010. He recently released his follow-up mixtape, "Airborne," and -- taking cue from his older sisters -- launched his own sneaker line, "Chivalrous Culture." Diggy's 230,000 (and counting) Twitter followers are counting the days until the release of his debut album, which he is currently recording.
No. 14: Miranda Cosgrove Birthdate: May 14, 1993 (age 17)
Why She's Hot: Miranda Cosgrove learned a lot from the "School of Rock" … and by that, we mean the 2003 Jack Black comedy where she made her film debut. After breaking out on Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh" in 2004 and starring in the network's hit comedy "iCarly," Miranda Cosgrove crashed the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with her debut album 'Sparks Fly," which peaked at No. 8 last spring. While more music is sure to come, Cosgrove is currently cashing in on her "iCarly" success -- Nickelodeon reportedly gave the starlet a seven-figure deal last March.
No. 13: Chris Colfer Birthdate: May 27, 1990 (age 20)
Why He's Hot: He portrays underdog diva Kurt Hummel on Fox's "Glee," but make no mistake -- Colvis, California's Chris Colfer is a bona fide champ in every way. Colfer's flaming falsetto helped inspire 12 million people to tune in to the season 2 premiere of "Glee" in September, and "Defying Gravity,'' his duet with Lea Michele (Rachel) remains the second most downloaded song from the show's catalog. With new Gleeks being born every day, we're confident Kurt's coming out party is just getting started.
No. 12: Taylor Momsen Birthdate: July 26, 1993 (age 17)
Why She's Hot: As the Twitter generation's resident bad girl, Taylor Momsen knows how to gin up a controversy or two. The "Gossip Girl" star steadily earned rock 'n' roll points this year by shunning the likes of Rihanna and Miley, and fronting her own band the Pretty Reckless, in which she strips down to racy lingerie in music videos and occasionally catches heat for adopting Courtney Love's grunge-goddess persona. Critics be damned, though, because between TV, music and her new gig as a spokesmodel for Material Girl, the clothing line helmed byMadonna's daughter Lourdes, Momsen's got her market cornered.
No. 11: Lex Luger Birthday: March 6, 1991 (age 19)
Why He's Hot: You may not know producer Lex Luger by name (yet), but if you've been blasting rapper Rick Ross' current album orWaka Flocka Flame's latest single, you're definitely familiar with his skills. The 19-year-old Virginia-born, Atlanta-raised studio whiz is responsible for chart bangers like Ross' "B.M.F." and "MC Hammer," and Waka's "Hard in the Paint," among others. He's also working withFabolous and Kanye West on their upcoming albums, among other top-notch artists, and is set to become one of the most sought-after producers in the game over the next 12 months. Swizz Beatz better watch his back.
No. 10: Miley Cyrus Birthdate: November 23, 1992 (age 17)
Why She's Hot: She was cast as Hannah Montana at age 12, and when the show premiered to the Disney Channel's largest audience ever, Cyrus was an instant teen idol. The "Hannah Montana" franchise has spawned four seasons, a string of hit singles, a full-length movie and enough branded merchandise to fill up a middle school gymnasium. Cyrus' ascent toward adult famedom ramped up earlier this year, when she released a more mature-sounding album, "Can't Be Tamed" in June. The album didn't quite tame the charts though, and Miley appears to be focusing more on her acting career with three films ("LOL: Laughing Outloud," "Wake" and "Wings") in the works. Still, we don't expect the unflappable Miss Cyrus to stay away from the record studio for too long.
No.09: Greyson Chance Birthdate: August 16, 1997 (age 13)
Why He's Hot: Anyone who can reinvent a hit by Lady Gaga deserves a close listen -- and when that person is just 12 years old it deserves roughy 32 million close listens, and counting. When the now-teenage Oklahoma native sang "Paparazzi" at his school talent show with the flair of someone who's been in the music game for years, he became a overnight viral phenom. A r ecord deal quickly followed, and Chance now shares managers with none other than his idol, Gaga, and her own progenitor, Madonna. Look for Chance to make another big splash this fall, when he drops his rock-inspired debut album.
No. 08: Demi Lovato Birthdate: August 20, 1992 (age 18)
Why She's Hot: Demi Lovato, who got her start on TV as one of Barney's little friends, has used her roles in Disney Channel ventures like "Sonny with a Chance" and the "Camp Rock" franchise to forge a successful singing career. The 18-year-old Dallas native went all the way to no. 1 with her sophomore disc "Here We Go Again" in 2009. Lovato is currently working on her follow-up disc, touring with her "Camp Rock 2" co-stars the Jonas Brothers, and lighting up red carpets around the globe.
No. 07: Willow Smith Birthdate: October 31, 2000 (age 9)
Why She's Hot: Willow Smith will never forget the summer of 2010. The nine-year-old daughter of actors/musicians Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith officially launched her music career in September when she released her contagious first single, "Whip My Hair," which immediately drew comparisons to pop diva Rihanna. Just a few days later, the fashionable pint-sized singer was signed to none other than Jay-Z's Roc Nation label and is rumored to be starting her own clothing line. She recently released a teaser to the video and is said to begin working on her debut project soon. Big brother Jaden may have the eyes of Hollywood on him, but it's Willow who is going to own your ears.
No. 06: Nick Jonas Birthdate: September 16, 1992 (age 18)
Why He's Hot: Sure, the youngest JoBro was voted Pop's Sexiest Man in our 2010 poll, but Nicholas Jerry Jonas is more than a pretty face. In February, Nick broke from his band of brothers and release the first album by his more mature side project, Nick Jonas & the Administration. This summer, he rejoined the trio to star in a hit Disney flick ('Camp Rock 2') and took the show on the road for a huge world tour. And yeah, his big brown eyes and luscious locks don't hurt to look at hurt, either.
No. 05: Soulja Boy Tell 'Em Birthdate: July 28, 1990 (age 20)
Why He's Hot: Recent Kat Stacks drama aside, Soulja Boy remains high on our list of young hitmakers. The rapper/producer shot to fame in 2007 with his single "Crank That," which sparked an accompanying dance craze and became a Hot 100 No. 1 hit. In the three years since, Soulja (aka DeAndre Cortez Way ) has notched three more top 20 singles on the Hot 100 chart and released and a pair of albums that hit no. 1 ("Souljaboytellem.com") and no. 2 ("iSouljaBoyTellEm") on the Billboard Rap Albums chart. Soulja is readying his upcoming album "The DeAndre Way," due Nov. 2, and recently signed rapper Lil B to his SODMG label.
No. 04: Charice Birthdate: May 10, 1992 (age 18)
Why She's Hot: Oprah and "Glee": they're two of TV's most powerful zeitgeist-definers, and both have fallen head over heels for Charice Pempengco. Credit the Queen of All Media for plucking the Filipina sensation from obscurity two years ago and introducing her toCeline Dion. The hype finally paid off this spring, when Charice debuted in the Billboard 200 top 10 with her first U.S. album. But its Fox's high school musical hit, on which she now plays a foreign exchange studentwith killer pipes to match Rachel Berry's, where Charice will show millions of Gleeks that she can out-sing the best of them.
No. 03: Selena Gomez Birthdate: July 22, 1992 (age 18)
Why She's Hot: Selena Gomez is best known for starring on Disney's "Wizards of Waverly Place," but her pop music prowess grows every day. The just-turned 18-year-old and her band the Scene's sophomore album, "A Year Without Rain," is poised for a top 10 arrival on the Billboard 200 next week, while the title track just debuted in the top 40 of the Hot 100. Miley Cyrus might be the apple of every paparazzo's eye, but this Disney diva -- with her ultra-catchy dance-pop and girl-next-door demeanor -- is poised for a truly bright first year of adulthood.
No. 02: Justin Bieber Birthdate: March 1, 1994 (age 16)
Why He's Hot: Bieber fever may have spread last year, but it exploded to a full-on pandemic in March, when the 16-year-old Canadian debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with "My World 2.0." The Biebs has been a top 10 mainstay on the chart ever since, and he's set to branch out with a book and 3D movie in the coming months. The Madison Square Garden stop of Bieber's sold-out arena tour, during which he brought out everyone from Usher to Miley Cyrus, only further proved his starpower. Frolicking beachside with Kim Kardashian didn't hurt, either.
No. 01: Taylor Swift Birthdate: December 13, 1989 (age 20)
Why She's Hot: Ms. Swift may have been dissed by Kanyewhile the world was watching, but she handled "Taylorgate" with the class of a woman rather than a teenager. Perhaps it's because, at the ripe old age of 20, Swift is already a veteran in the music game. At age 14, she became the youngest staff songwriter in the history of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and two years later, she landed on the charts with her first hit single, "Tim McGraw." Since then, Taylor's rise has indeed been swift; her sophomore LP "Fearless" ruled as 2009's top-selling album, and was awarded that year's Album of the Year Grammy. Now, the CMA Entertainer of the Year is set to do it all again - "Mine," the first single from her new album "Speak Now," is a Hot 100 smash and "Innocent," the song she penned about her run-in with Kanye, is already a viral sensation, thanks to its buzzed-about debut on this year's VMAs. Lots of young stars will be making waves over the next year, but Taylor is geared up to hit the music world like a tsunami. Brace for the impact.
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Source: Billboard.com
By: Billboard Staff | September 23, 2010 1:59 EDT
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