This year’s 21 Under 21 package features the next generation of superstars who are breaking online and busting down genre barriers.
The latter is something that Jessie Murph has done from day one, exploring new sounds and defining her identity on her “unexpected” debut album due out this year. The 19-year-old has collaborations with Diplo and Polo G, Maren Morris and Jelly Roll already under her belt, proving her ability to hopscotch across a variety of sounds.
Being raised in Athens, Ala. Murph is thrilled with the mainstream moment country music is enjoying — yet she’s contemplating just how much she wants to lean in. “I’m trying to decide that for myself because I feel like everybody’s doing it now,” she tells Billboard in her magazine feature that opens this year’s 21 Under 21 package.
Murph is just one of two artists included in this year’s roundup who explore the genre — the other being Mason Ramsey, who made his return with new music and a matured sound earlier this year. In addition to Murph, the 2024 list includes a slew of new entries including rising folk-pop artist Brenn!, Chilean breakout Floyymenor, K-pop girl group NewJeans, elusive R&B act 4batz, Nigerian singer-songwriter Qing Madi and many more. Such names are featured alongside more familiar chart-toppers (and 21 Under 21 veterans) like Tate McRae and The Kid LAROI, both of whom are on tour supporting their latest albums.
Despite featuring artists across genres and at various stages in their careers, there is one thing each artist on this year’s list has in common; Not only are they set for a stellar year ahead but, given their early start in the industry, their success stories are just getting started.
Methodology:Billboard editors and reporters weighed a variety of factors in determining the 2024 21 Under 21 list, including, but not limited to, impact on consumer behavior, measured by metrics such as album and track sales, streaming volume, social media impressions and radio/TV audiences reached; career trajectory; and overall impact in the industry, specifically during the past 12 months. Unless otherwise noted, Luminate is the source for sales/streaming data.
AGE 20 LABEL Machin Records PUBLISHER Solitaria Music MANAGEMENT Machin
Ángela has remained a fixture in the male-dominated genre of regional Mexican music thanks to her take on ranchera and mariachi. Part of the Aguilar musical dynasty — her father is Mexican music icon Pepe Aguilar and her legendary grandparents are Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre — Ángela is focused on showcasing the variety of sounds that comprise música mexicana with her latest album, Bolero, while also inspiring a new generation of musicians. “I’m proud to be a woman in the ranchero/regional Mexican music genre,” she says. “Showing the new generations, my generation, classical ranchera/bolero music will always make me proud — you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you come from.”
Brenn!
Image Credit: Jacob Ruth
AGE 20 LABEL Darkroom Records/Westward Recordings PUBLISHER Sony Music Publishing MANAGEMENT Fourward Music
After the viral success of “4runner,” a folk-pop debut single that fits well within the genre’s recent resurgence, Brenn! scored a management deal in 2022 and record deal early last year, joining Darkroom’s roster of young talent like superstar Billie Eilish and alternative R&B breakout d4vd. Despite scoring his first smash, assembling such a well-equipped team is what Brenn! feels most proud of so far. “They have helped me keep my head on my shoulders and stay grounded in what I believe in. They have not let any of this define who I am.”
Chino Pacas
Image Credit: Jordan Pérez
AGE 17 LABEL Street Mob Records/PFL/Geffen Records PUBLISHER Street Mob Publishing MANAGEMENT Luis López (Street Mob Records)
When a then-16-year-old Pacas uploaded his original hit “El Gordo Trae el Mando” to TikTok last year, he had no idea what would follow. The viral track not only scored him a record deal — Fuerza Regida’s Jesús “JOP” Ortiz Paz signed the Mexican artist to his Street Mob Records — but also his first Billboard chart entry. He has since scored two more, with “Dijeron Que No la Iba a Lograr” (featuring Fuerza Regida) and “Que Onda” (with Calle 24 and Fuerza Regida). At the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Pacas was a finalist for best new artist. “I am very proud of how the fans have received my music,” he says, “and of the progress I have made in myself by doing what I love.”
d4vd
Image Credit: Nick Walker
AGE 19 LABEL Darkroom/Interscope Records PUBLISHER Sony Music Publishing MANAGEMENT Mogul Vision
After breaking through with the aching “Romantic Homicide” in 2022, d4vd released his debut EP, Petals to Thorns, in May 2023 and quickly followed up with companion EP The Lost Petals in September. So far this year, he’s keeping the same pace: He has already released four tracks, including the funk-pop “Feel It” for the Amazon Prime Video animated series Invincible, which became his third Hot 100 entry in April. It’s all part of his plan to maintain momentum as a young artist, he says. “With all the ways music can be discovered, it is easier than ever to gain traction but even harder to sustain a fan base. The quick fame rarely ever turns into a sustainable career.”
FloyyMenor
Image Credit: Ignacio Cruz
AGE 18 LABEL UnitedMasters PUBLISHER Sony Music Publishing Chile MANAGEMENT Luis Isaac Arce Cancino
This year, FloyyMenor made history on the Hot Latin Songs chart when his raunchy and viral hit “Gata Only” — a collaboration with Cris MJ — became the first time a Chilean artist entered the list’s top 10 in 25 years. Weeks later, the song topped the list, earning both artists their first No. 1. “It has become a global hit, and I’m putting Chile at the top,” says FloyyMenor, who only started making music three years ago and whose moniker was inspired by boxer Floyd Mayweather. “I’m very excited about everything that’s happening and for people to hear more of my music — there’s a lot coming.”
GAYLE
Image Credit: Acacia Evans
AGE 19 LABEL Atlantic Records PUBLISHER Arthouse Entertainment/UMG MANAGEMENT Kristina Russo (KR Experiments)
GAYLE’s career kicked into high gear with her 2022 Grammy-nominated hit, “abcdefu.” The smash sustained her throughout 2023. The rising alt-pop artist snagged an opening slot on Taylor Swift’s record-breaking The Eras Tour and contributed a song, “Butterflies,” to the Barbie soundtrack. “It’s hard for me to say I’m proud of myself, but I’m the most proud of the fact that I was associated with such huge cultural moments,” GAYLE says. “I really tried to honor who I am and not let any of those things sway my artistry or who I want to be as a person.”
Ivan Cornejo
Image Credit: Osvaldo Arias
AGE 19 LABEL Interscope Records PUBLISHER Universal Music Publishing Group MANAGEMENT Pam Cornejo
Cornejo is leading a new generation of regional Mexican hit-makers that has redefined the sound and look of the decades-old genre. The 19-year-old’s signature take, powered by electric guitars and deeply emotive lyrics, has gained him a young and fervid fan base that has helped catapult him to the top of the Billboard charts and led to two consecutive sold-out U.S. tours. Cornejo says the stateside treks are among his biggest achievements to date, along with his first performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to 72,000 fans in March. And while Cornejo believes his age helps him “relate to my fans … I understand some of the difficulties of being a young adult,” the challenges he faces are age-agnostic: “[I want] to make my fans proud and create songs that are meaningful.”
Jessie Murph
Image Credit: Kathryn Boyd Brolin
AGE 19 LABEL Columbia Records PUBLISHER Sony Music Publishing MANAGEMENT Disruptor
On her forthcoming debut album due out this year, Jessie Murph — who seamlessly skips among country, hip-hop and biting pop — plans to blend them all across the tracklist. The artist has already proved her chops in each lane, appearing on Diplo’s Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 — Swamp Savant alongside Polo G and, most recently, scoring her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 entry with “Wild Ones” alongside country hit-maker Jelly Roll. “That is truly one of the best people I’ve ever met,” Murph says of Jelly. “I feel like I could go to him about anything.” She recently enlisted Shaboozey to open for her on tour and returned to her hometown of Alabama for Hangout Music Festival, saying it was “so surreal…I played there last year and the difference in crowd size makes me want to cry. There were so many people and they were singing [along] and it was so special.”
The Kid LAROI
Image Credit: Adam Kargenian
AGE 20 LABEL Columbia Records PUBLISHER Sony Music Publishing MANAGEMENT n/a
After he broke through in 2021 with top 10 smashes “Without You” and “Stay” (with Justin Bieber), The Kid LAROI released his long-teased debut studio album, The First Time, in November. “It has almost been two and a half years since I last dropped a project and I’m proud to say that this one is SO much better than anything I’ve ever released,” the artist wrote on social media of the album, which featured Future, Jungkook and Central Cee among its guests. Three months later, LAROI brought fans behind the scenes with his Prime Video documentary feature, Kids Are Growing Up: A Story About a Kid Named LAROI.
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Image Credit: Gianni Gallant
AGE 20 LABEL Island Records/Republic Records PUBLISHER Warner Chappell Music MANAGEMENT Trevor Albair
Since breaking out with her 2022 smash, “Fingers Crossed,” which became a top 20 Hot 100 hit, former American Idol contestant Spencer-Smith scored a major-label deal with Island and Republic that same year. In 2023, she released her debut album, Mirror, that included follow-up hit “Flowers.” This year, she was up for three JUNO Awards: album, pop album and artist of the year. She’s currently working on her second full-length.
Lay Bankz
Image Credit: Pablo Flores Perez
AGE 19 LABEL Artist Partner Group PUBLISHER Artist Partner Group MANAGEMENT Kenney Blake
Having harnessed the boundless power of TikTok, Bankz is now reaping the reward of a series of small viral moments, as the South Philadelphia artist has tried her hand at genres ranging from Jersey Club to bubblegum pop and R&B. In April, she made her Hot 100 debut with the spunky “Tell Ur Girlfriend,” which also entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. “A lot of people underestimate your capabilities when you’re young, especially when you’re Black and a woman,” she says. “I never let it bother me because I’m so focused and determined on what my goal is that no one can mess up what I have planned for myself.”
The Linda Lindas
Image Credit: Jessie Cowan
AGE Bela Salazar (19), Lucia de la Garza (17), Eloise Wong (16), Mila de la Garza (13) LABEL Epitaph Records PUBLISHER Warner Chappell Music MANAGEMENT Fly South Music Group
Since the Los Angeles-formed rock band delivered its debut, Growing Up, in 2022, it has followed with a handful of singles and a few covers: Most recently, the group reworked “Found a Job” for a Talking Heads tribute that celebrates its 1984 live album, Stop Making Sense. The tracklist features everyone from Miley Cyrus to Paramore, the latter of whom is a prior Linda Lindas collaborator and an act that the band has long admired. Ahead, Lucia teases the release of the band’s second album and notes that this year “we’ll be touring more than ever.” On the road, sister Mila’s hope is simple: “To be surrounded by more young artists — it can be difficult to be surrounded by people older than us all the time!”
Luh Tyler
Image Credit: Chris Allmeid
AGE 18 LABEL Motion Music/Atlantic Records PUBLISHER Sony Music Publishing MANAGEMENT Generation Now Management
After his 2023 breakout with a highly coveted spot on XXL’s Freshman Class list and debut mixtape My Vision — which reached No. 2 on the Heatseekers Albums chart — Luh Tyler is keeping up the momentum this year. The Florida rapper is enjoying “the fun” of being a young artist, he says, especially when it comes to “doing shows, traveling [and] meeting fans.” Named a 2024 R&B/Hip-Hop Artist To Watch by Billboard, Luh Tyler is taking the necessary steps to continue his graceful transition from viral star to hip-hop powerhouse. “I probably admire Kodak Black’s career the most because he’s just like me,” he says. “He started off as a young artist from Florida, and now he’s a legend on a global level.”
Mason Ramsey
Image Credit: Working Holiday
AGE 17 LABEL Atlantic Records PUBLISHER n/a MANAGEMENT Pete Olson
After selling out a spring tour and performing in Europe for the first time, yodeling sensation Ramsey returned this year with a more mature look and sound that he debuted with the twangy and soulful “Blue Over You,” which he released in February. He followed the song with “Something You Can Hold” and has since teased more new music to come. In May, it was announced he would join a star-studded lineup that includes Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert and Luke Combs on the anticipated Twisters soundtrack.
NewJeans
Image Credit: ADOR
AGE Minji (20), Hanni (19), Danielle (19), Haerin (18), Hyein (16) LABEL ADOR PUBLISHER Sony Music Publishing MANAGEMENT ADOR
NewJeans has established a singular presence in K-pop since debuting just two years ago, scoring three top 10 hits on the Billboard Global 200, four on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, five on the Hot 100 and six on World Digital Song Sales. Its highest among them was the high-energy breakout “Super Shy,” from NewJeans’ second EP, Get Up. Upon release, it bested the Barbie soundtrack for No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In February, NewJeans was named Billboard’s Women in Music Group of the Year. Hanni credits the group’s global rise in part to social media: “It has become easier to reach wider audiences regardless of language or any other type of barriers,” she says. “That is something we definitely don’t take for granted.”
Qing Madi
Image Credit: Simdy Chukwuma
AGE 17 LABEL Columbia Records/Bu Vision & Jton Music PUBLISHER Bu Vision MANAGEMENT Jton Music
Nigerian singer-songwriter Qing Madi broke out in 2023 with a debut self-titled EP and first U.S. trek (as part of fellow Nigerian artist BNXN’s Sincerely BNXNTour) and earned co-signs from Ayra Starr and Wizkid along the way. In May, she tapped Chlöe for a remix of standout track “Vision” that arrived with a self-co-directed music video. And while she credits Kendrick Lamar for shaping her style and music, noting that “he basically taught me how to write” through his songs, she’s especially grateful for Burna Boy and Wizkid, both of whom she grew up listening to and who she says are now “pushing the Afrobeats culture [and opening] the doors for me to dream and aspire to be more than my surroundings.”
Riovaz
Image Credit: Argenis Hernandez
AGE 20 LABEL Darkroom/Geffen PUBLISHER Word Collections MANAGEMENT Argenis “Henny” Hernandez
Having grown an online fan base following the 2020 release of his debut EP, alternative artist Riovaz has developed an appreciation for the instant accessibility he and his peers have today. “Everyone will get their opportunity,” he says. “Being young and knowing how to use social media to your advantage will work at least once.” But he also notes that instant exposure has led to an oversaturated industry, noting, “I don’t think everyone should be making music.” Yet the New Jersey native is continuing to stand out by keeping up a steady release of dance-influenced music this year, with collaborative EP The Heart Racers followed by the longing single “I Wonder” in May.
Tate McRae
Image Credit: Conor Cunningham
AGE 20 LABEL RCA Records PUBLISHER Sony Music Publishing MANAGEMENT Full Stop Management
While it’s hard to pinpoint just one highlight in McRae’s past year — the pop star released her celebrated second album, Think Later, and scored her first Hot 100 top 10 hit with “Greedy” (which peaked at No. 3) — her “pinch-me moment” was performing on Saturday Night Live. “It was something I’ve always dreamed of and hoped to do one day, but I could never have imagined it happening this last year.” Ahead, her global tour will hit North America in July and includes a “massive milestone” date at Madison Square Garden. “I really try to equate self-happiness with success,” she says. “While any exciting number or chart [achievement] means so much to me and is absolutely worthy of celebration, I’ve realized I feel the most successful when I am the most satisfied creatively and feel the most connected to the people who listen to my music.”
Xavi
Image Credit: Luis Hernandez
AGE 20 LABEL Interscope PUBLISHER Universal Music Publishing Group MANAGEMENT Razcon Lopez, Natalia Lopez (Smart Music Management)
Newcomer Xavi started 2024 with a resounding debut atop the Hot Latin Songs chart with “La Diabla” followed by a sold-out tour titled Poco a Poco. In May, he scored another No. 1 hit, this time on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart with “Corazón de Piedra.” Having now introduced the masses to his twist on regional Mexican music with his tumbados románticos, Xavi is hard at work on his highly anticipated debut album. “I want to put out an album for the genre [of regional Mexican music] first,” he reveals. “I don’t want to change style until we finish the first album, push it to the max and dedicate myself to corridos and regional. The next one, maybe we can evolve, go a little more versatile.” Xavi is so focused on finishing the album, he didn’t even take off for his 20th birthday. “I had a show in El Paso [Texas],” he recalls. “They gave me a crown, it was really special for me. It has rubies like my necklace. [Ruby is the name of] my mom. That was very memorable.”
4batz
Image Credit: Ralph Canono
AGE 20 LABEL n/a PUBLISHER n/a MANAGEMENT Milano
In 2023, the black balaclava-donning R&B crooner 4Batz had the internet puzzled over his paradoxical audiovisual aesthetic that contrasted his tender delivery against his tough exterior. After gaining attention online from his feature on From the Block — a popular performances series by media platform 4 Shooters Only — during which he performed debut single “act i: stickerz ’99’” and viral smash “act ii: date @ 8,” Drake hopped on a remix of the latter, earning 4Batz his first Hot 100 top 10 hit and first No. 1 on Hot R&B Songs. In May, the Dallas native self-released his debut mixtape, u made me a st4r, which debuted at No. 2 on the Top R&B Albums chart and featured the Ye remix of “act iii: on god? (she like).” The project, he says, “showed people that I’m not a one-trick pony. I’m glad people can see a little bit of what I’m capable of, and I can’t wait to show them even more.” And though 4batz has battled claims of being an industry plant and accused of being engineered with artificial intelligence, he believes it’s only because, as he says, “I’m the best — that’s how I look at it. You have to be doing something very, very special to be called something that’s not a human figure. It’s so good it can’t be true. That’s one of the biggest compliments to me.” Ahead, 4Batz is up for best new artist at the 2024 BET Awards — his first award nomination. Yet, he has a bigger goal in mind: “To become the king of R&B.”
310BABII
Image Credit: Pico Shaw
AGE 18 LABEL HIGH IQ/EMPIRE PUBLISHER EMPIRE MANAGEMENT Jentry Salvatore
Last year, 310babii scored a national hit with his West Coast-indebted hip-hop smash “Soak City (Do It),” which spent two weeks atop Billboard’s Rhythmic and Rap Airplay charts and earned co-signs from Travis Scott and NBA star Russell Westbrook. “I am proud of how far I have come within a short amount of time both as a person and an artist … all while still attending high school,” he says. The Inglewood, Calif., native is basking in the benefits of his youth: “I have full access to certain resources earlier in my career than artists before me,” he says. “Now kids like myself can be heard by recording a song in [our] bedroom and uploading it to an app.”
