Young Hollywood Report 2024: Musicians Making an Impact

In the 12 months leading up to Starr’s second album, “The Year I Turned 21” (Mavin-Republic Records), the 22-year-old Nigerian-Beninese artist embarked on her first world tour, racked up a billion streams on Spotify, earned a Grammy nomination and became the first Nigerian artist to chart on the Billboard 200. Perhaps most surprisingly, she also found a fan in Rihanna: “You never thought you’d meet her one day and become one of her favorite artists.”

At age 21, NLE Choppa’s accomplishments include over 8.3 billion streams and 17 RIAA-certified plates, with his second album, “Cottonwood 2” (No Love Entertainment/Warner) peaking at No. 9 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 2023. The Memphis native has also been active in supporting his hometown, launching the NLE Reading Challenge, which motivated at-risk elementary school students to read 40 million words, and leading the peaceful “Skate for Tire” protest following the death of Tyre Nichols.

After releasing a string of singles with Brent Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy label, the 24-year-old Richman dropped a trailer for “Million Dollar Baby” on TikTok in April — a move that landed it at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 two weeks later. As the dance challenges that helped make the song go viral continue to spread, the pop-rap artist finds himself spending 10 weeks at No. 1 on the TikTok Top 50 chart.

Hongjoong, Seunghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Minji, Wooyoung, Jongho

The eight — Hongjoong (25), Seonghwa (26), Yoonho (25), Yeosang (25), San (25), Minji (24), Wooyoung (24) and Jungho (23) — are the first Korean boy band to perform at Coachella. KQ Entertainment hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart in December 2023 with their album “The World EP.Fin: Will,” and hit No. 2 with their mini album “Golden Hour: Part1” in June, the biggest sales week for any K-pop album in 2024. They played to sold-out stadiums on their Towards the Light: Will to Power tour in North America, fueled by a loyal fanbase dubbed “Atiny.”

The Arizona native, who caught the attention of Interscope executives on social media, kicked off 2024 with his hit single “La Diabla,” which became the No. 1 song on the Spotify Global 200. The 20-year-old, who blends R&B, pop, urban and Mexican music, says the highlight of his year was his Poco a Poco tour. “The name shows how we’re chasing our dreams little by little,” he says — dreams that would soon find him finishing his first album and helping his family open a restaurant.

Minji, Hani, Daniel, Heeren, and Heen

Since their debut in July 2022, NewJeans—a K-pop girl group consisting of members Minji (20), Hani (19), Danielle (19), Haerin (18), and Haein (16)—has topped the Billboard Global 200 chart for 37 consecutive weeks (the longest of any K-pop girl group), racked up over 4.3 billion streams, and secured brand partnerships with Coca-Cola, Apple, and (appropriately) Levi’s. In other words, they’re K-pop fans who, with the release of new tracks “Bubble Gum” and “How Sweet” last May, are gearing up for a massive world tour in 2025.

After her hit song “Ceilings” became a viral hit on TikTok in 2023, McAlpine, 24, returned to Pasadena to hone the minimalist sound that permeates “Older” (RCA), her third album, which was released in April. “I realized I just wanted to focus on the art,” the singer-songwriter told Variety , a realization that has since led to a string of sold-out shows across North America, including two nights at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and two nights at Radio City Music Hall.

Turizo, 24, cemented his status as a major force in the Latin music world with his smash hit single “La Bachata,” which became the most-streamed Latin single in Spotify history and went U.S. platinum and 26x Latin platinum in 2023. In the lead-up to his fourth album, “201,” which is due out this fall, the Miami-based Colombian artist has found himself a fixture at Paris Fashion Week with front-row seats at Fendi, Dior, and Balmain.

Born in Reykjavik to an Icelandic father and a Chinese classical violinist mother, Lovi (pronounced LY-fay) kicked off 2024 with a Grammy win for “Bewitched” (AWAL), her sophomore effort that fuses jazz, classical and contemporary pop. “One of the things I’ve been thinking about in the last few months is how much I’ve become the musician I needed to be when I was younger,” says the Berklee College of Music graduate, whose August show at the Hollywood Bowl sold out.

Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renee Downer

Brit Award winners Douglas, 22, Quaresma, 22, and Donner, 21, have just released their single “Check” and are working on their debut album. The singers have gained plenty of experience on the road, including their first performance at Coachella in the US in April. “When we were young, Coachella was the highlight. To be a part of it so early in our careers is definitely a highlight,” they told Variety. It was also good preparation for the tour they will embark on to support Kehlani.

With 1.43 billion on-demand audio streams worldwide, Boone’s “Beautiful Things” became the most-streamed song of 2024, earning the 22-year-old singer a spot in Spotify’s “Billions” club. “When I sit back and look at what’s happening, it really blows my mind,” the singer-songwriter said. diverseIn addition to a fully-ticketed world tour for his debut full-length album “Fireworks & Rollerblades” (Night Street/Warner), Boone was selected to open Taylor Swift’s Era Tour in London.

When the 20-year-old Dallas native dropped his first single in 2023, he quickly gained traction—and kept it. In less than six months, the R&B artist had racked up over 2.5 million streams on Spotify, and earned co-signs from SZA and Drake—the latter of whom appeared on a remix of “act ii: date @ 8” last March. Two months later, his debut mixtape reached No. 2 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and featured a remix by another heavy hitter: Ye.