This is the sound of world domination in 2017. Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall’s debut album comes after quite the storied introduction to their sound: two monster EPs and a summer-owning single (“Closer”) they were confident enough to leave off here. Memories… takes the band’s dynamite blueprint (retro synths and minor-key piano that softens up their explosive EDM) and adds some maturity. Opener “The One” feels like “Closer”’s broken-hearted sequel; Emily Warren’s two stately contributions add class; and the mellow “Wake Up Alone” features Jhené Aiko in masterly, seductive form.

Coming on the scene with vibrant rhymes and jazzy retro beats, Chicago’s Chance the Rapper broke through with the 2013 mixtape Acid Rap. Having considered a career in music throughout his high school years, Chancelor Bennett, aka Chance the Rapper, used a ten-day suspension during his senior year to record his debut mixtape, 10 Day. Uploaded immediately to the Internet in 2012, the tape grabbed the attention of Forbes magazine, which featured it in the publication’s Cheap Tunes column, as well as Childish Gambino, who asked Chance to join his 2012 tour of America as opening act. Gambino would land on the Acid Rap mixtape along with Ab-Soul and Action Bronson. With nothing but mixtapes in his discography, he was still popular enough to be a featured artist at Lollapalooza 2013. In 2016, Chance dropped a surprise mixtape titled Coloring Book, which debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart. The mixtape featured guest appearances from Kanye West, Justin Bieber, and Future; the single “No Problem,” featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, placed inside the Top 40. Coloring Book earned high praise from critics, and helped Chance earn seven Grammy nominations. ~ David Jeffries

Maren Morris is a singer and songwriter whose music bridges the gap between hard country, classic rock, and hip-hop-influenced pop, and has enjoyed success both as a tunesmith and as a performer. Maren Morris was born in Dallas, Texas on April 10, 1990, and she grew up with a love of music, saying she was always willing to belt out a tune on the family’s karaoke machine by age ten. By the time Morris was 14, she had learned to play guitar and began playing professionally, self-releasing a debut album,…

When the U.K. press began dubbing Adele “the next Amy Winehouse” in late 2007, the hype didn’t touch upon the singer/songwriter influence found in the Londoner’s music. Influenced by Roberta Flack and Suzanne Vega as much as Jill Scott, Adele soon became a phenomenon in her own right; her second album, 21, eventually sold an estimated 30 million copies worldwide, making her one of the few sales successes in an age of digital streaming. Adele first made an impression in 2006 when her demo landed…

Fifth Harmony are an all-female contemporary R&B vocal group who formed in 2012 while competing on the second season of Fox’s The X Factor. Featured in Fifth Harmony are vocalists Camila Cabello, Normani Kordei Hamilton, Lauren Jauregui, Allyson Brooke Hernandez, and Dinah Jane Hansen. Originally, the members of the band entered The X Factor competition individually as solo artists and were then placed together by judge Simon Cowell to compete in the “groups” category. Ultimately, Fifth Harmony finished…

Meghan Trainor ditches doe-eyed doo-wop for fierce, funky, radio-ready pop hits and proves she’s more than a one-hit wonder. On Thank You, the “All About That Bass” star trades her retro-R&B style for Bruno Mars-esque vocal flexing and hip-hop-level bravado, flaunting her success on “Watch Me Do” (“I’m the–shhh, be quiet, I been on the no-hater diet”) and sending up sleaze-balls on the power-anthem “NO”. The standout track, a trop-pop smash titled “I Won’t Let You Down”, was written, fittingly, for herself: “I’ve made my mistakes, probably more than I can count”, she sings, ”so from this day on, I won’t let you down”.