Young music artists have always brought excitement to the music biz, and today as much as ever, they’re “all that.” With so many artists on the rise, it’s not so easy keeping up.
Update: Check out our 2019 version of 25 artists under 25!
Not to worry! We’ve got you covered with our list of 25 artists under the age of 25. We’ve been keeping an eye (and ear) on these hugely talented individuals, and often include them in our FanLabel contests, including samples of their music.
So, here they are, 25 under 25:
1. Louis the Child: Robbie Hauldren (21) and Freddie Kennett (20)
DJ duo, Louis the Child was created by members Robbie Hauldren and Freddie Kennett. Soon after they started working together and gained popularity with their song “It’s Strange” (feat. K.Flay).
STREAM: “Shake Something” (feat. Joey Purp)
2. Hailee Steinfeld (21)
Singer and actress, Hailee Steinfeld had her musical breakthrough for her role in Pitch Perfect 2. This role helped her gain popularity, but her record deal with Republic Records happened before the film was released to the public.
STREAM: “Let Me Go” (feat. Florida Georgia Line & watt)
3. Khalid (20)
Khalid Donnell Robinson or Khalid began writing songs in high school and posting them on SoundCloud. Eventually, he made a connection to Syk Sense, who invited him to work in his studio in Atlanta. People went crazy over his debut album “American Teen.”
STREAM: “Young Dumb & Broke”
4. Martin Garrix (22)
Martin Garrix is a Dutch DJ born Martijn Gerard Garritsen. His interest in music began at age 8, yes, 8, with him learning to play the guitar and seeing Tiesto perform on TV at the 2004 Olympic Games. He produced his first hit track, “Animals” when he was only 17. Garrix signed with Sony Records in 2015, after leaving Spinnin’ Records due to a music ownership dispute. STREAM: “Ocean” (feat. Khalid)
5. Shawn Mendes (19)
Canadian singer Shawn Mendes came to fame through the internet, building a large fanbase on Vine (RIP Vine), Twitter and YouTube. His presence on social media became known to Andrew Gertler, a former Warner Music Group employee, who arranged for Mendes to meet with Island Records A&R in 2014. His debut song “Stitches” quickly made the top 10 songs on Billboard, making him one of five artists to EVER debut at No. 1 before the age of 18.
STREAM: “In My Blood”
6. Zendaya (21)
Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, or Zendaya, grew up in Oakland, California. Her widespread popularity stems from her role as Rocky in Disney Channel TV series “Shake It Up” at age 14. She began independently producing music in 2011 and signed a deal with Hollywood Records in 2012.
STREAM: “Something New” (feat. Chris Brown)
7. Post Malone (22)
Austin Richard Post, known by his stage name, Post Malone, rose to fame in 2010 after the release of the debut single “White Iverson.” He chose the name Post Malone as a young teen using a rap name generator. Try it out here…the results are pretty funny.
STREAM: “rockstar” (feat. 21 Savage)
8. Camila Cabello (21)
Camila Cabello, or Karla Cambila Cabello Estraboa, is a Cuban-American singer and songwriter. Cabello was a contestant on the TV show “The X Factor” where she became part of the girl group Fifth Harmony. She eventually left the group and her single “Havana” hit the top of the charts.
STREAM: “Havana”
9. Dua Lipa (22)
Dua Lipa is an English singer, songwriter and model. Music has always been a big part of Lipa’s life – growing up listening to her father, singer Dukagjin Lipa. Her career began when she started covering songs as a teenagers and in 2015 she signed with Warner Music Group.
STREAM: “One Kiss” (feat. Calvin Harris) — one of our picks for Songs of the Summer
10. Ella Mai (23)
London native, Ella Mai started her musical career in season 11 of “The X-Factor.” She never made it beyond the initial audition (Simon Cowell clearly doesn’t know everything) but gained unexpected popularity with her song “Boo’d Up.” The single reached number 6 of Billboards top 100.
STREAM: “Boo’d Up”
11. Bazzi (20)
Andrew Bazzi began making music and posting on Vine (RIP Vine). His popularity quickly rose as he gained 1.5 million followers in two years. Ultimately, Bazzi’s fame began in 2018 when his single “Mine” was played over a snapchat filter. It hit No. 11 on the Billboard rankings.
STREAM: “Beautiful”
12. Halsey (23)
Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, or Halsey, got her stage name from Halsey Street subway station in Brooklyn…I guess she really liked that station. She signed with Astralwerks and became known from the song “Closer” that she worked on with The Chainsmokers.
STREAM: “Bad at Love”
13. BROCKHAMPTON (20-24)
BROCKHAMPTON is a boy band collective consisting of members: Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, Dom McLennon, Joba (Russell Boring), Bearface (Ciaran McDonald), Romil Hemnani, Jabari Manwa, Kiko Merley, HK (Henock Sileshi), Ashlan Grey, Roberto (Robert Ontenient), and Jon Nunes. Kevin Abstract founded the group through a Kanye West forum.
STREAM: “GOLD”
14. Lil Uzi Vert (23)
Symere Woods also known as Lil Uzi Vert gained recognition after the release of his debut single “Money Longer” in addition to several other mixtapes. One of his more popular songs was done in collaboration with Migos – “Bad and Boujee” became his first number one Billboard top 100 hit.
STREAM: “You Was Right”
15. Amine (24)
Amine, or Adam Amine Daniel is best known for the debut single released in 2016, “Caroline,” which peaked at No. 11 on Billboard charts (should’ve been higher if you ask me). Following this he signed with Republic Records and was part of XXL’s 2017 Freshman Class. His debut studio album, “Good for You,” was released July 2017.
STREAM: “Yellow” (feat. Nelly)
16. Lorde (21)
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, more commonly known as Lorde, was born and raised in New Zealand. She credits the start of her career with a win at the Belmont Intermediate School’s singing competition, Belmont Idol, at age 12. Her debut single, “Royals” was released in 2013 and was internationally successful.
STREAM: “Green Light”
17. Saba (23)
Tahj Malik Chandler, or Saba, began his success as a rapper in 2013 after being featured on Chance the Rapper’s mixtape “Acid Rap.” He graduated high school at age 16…WTF! After that he began to focus more on his music. His debut album, “Bucket List Project,” dropped October 2016.
STREAM: “LIFE”
18. Taylor Bennett (22)
Younger brother of Chance the Rapper, Taylor Bennett produced his most popular mixtape “Broad Shoulders” in 2015. Bennett was heavily influenced by his brother (they sound strikingly similar) but has also been impacted by Kanye West, Nas and Kendrick Lamar. Similar to his brother, Taylor drops his music in the form of free mixtapes.
STREAM: “Broad Shoulders” (feat. Chance the Rapper)
19. Joey Bada$$ (23)
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, stage name Joey Bada$$, originally wanted to study acting but as a freshman in high school, decided that he had more of a passion for music. He founded the hip-hop collective Pro Era and later released a debut solo album “B4.DA.$$” in 2015.
STREAM: “DEVASTATED”
20. Mura Masa (22)
Mura Masa, or Alex Crossan is a young electronic music artist from Guernsey, a small island in the English Channel. Crossan got the name Mura Masa from Japanese sword-smith Muramasa Sengo. His debut album, “Mura Masa,” was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
STREAM: “Love$ick” (feat. A$AP Rocky)
21. Jaden Smith (20)
Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, started his career in entertainment as an actor. He was first involved in the music world with his feature on Justin Bieber’s song, “Never Say Never,” which was recorded when he was 11. He released his debut studio album, “Syre” in 2017.
STREAM: “Watch Me”
22. Kodak Black (21)
Dieuson Octave or Kodak Black started rapping in elementary school and went to a local trap house(!) to record. Kodak gained popularity when Drake posted a video of himself dancing to Kodak’s song “Skrt.” The rise in popularity landed him a deal with Atlantic Records in 2015.
STREAM: “Roll in Peace”
23. Kali Uchis (23)
Kali Uchis, or Karly-Marina Loaiza was born in the U.S., but raised in Colombia. Her music is influenced by hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and doo-wop. Before her music gained attention, she was literally living out of her car writing songs. She released her first mixtape, “Drunken Babble” at 18, and her first studio album, “Isolation,” in 2018.
STREAM: “After The Storm” (feat. Tyler, The Creator & Bootsy Collins)
24. Playboi Carti (21)
Jordan Terrell Carter or Playboi Carti was initially signed to Awful Records, but later switched over to A$AP Mob’s AWGE label and Interscope Records. The single “Fetti” brought him a lot of recognition on SoundCloud in 2015 and “Magnolia” brought Carti to number 29 on Billboard’s top 100.
STREAM: “Poke It Out”
25. Juice WRLD (19)
Jared Higgins or Juice WRLD began his music career in high school when he released the track “Forever” on SoundCloud in 2015. From there he produced more songs including “Lucid Dreams” which made it on the charts for Billboard’s top 100.
STREAM: “Lucid Dreams”
Check out these many of these artists today in the FanLabel app and preview their music!
Who knows, maybe there are 50 under 25 we should be listing here!
