The 24-year-old Detroit rapper built the momentum last year of her breakout single "Try" and her appearance on Eminem's "Detroit vs. Photo of DeJ Loaf performing, courtesy BET Photo of The Weeknd performing at Lollapalooza 2015, by Dan DeSloverĪbel Tesfaye finally made his big leap this year into the mainstream realm, where he both tampered down his smoky persona for the sake of making pop hits, but he managed to hold on to much of the mystery and the fans who supported him long before he signed to a record label, before he was headlining festivals and winning big awards. He is indeed pushing the boundaries of music, and while he perhaps didn't receive enough credit for it, he's got a long career ahead of him, which will give him plenty of time to continue wowing us. Mark Ronson declared at the start of the year the Scottish producer is "the future" of music, explaining that he's "bending the very fabric of what we think is a song." And when Lantern arrived, HudMo left no room for argument. Photo of Hudson Mohawke performing, by Barry Brecheisen/Invision He had one of the biggest pop stars in the world gushing over him, he won over some new fans and he pleased his existing ones all at the same damn time. Perhaps he could have been a fool for daring to go there at first, but it was an ultimately genius move. He could have enjoyed a nice year off after his acclaimed self-titled album in 2014, but instead, he ventured into some extremely risky territory-covering Taylor Swift's entire juggernaut album 1989. Not only was it our Album of the Year, it cemented the fact that Tame Impala is the best they've ever been. But his winning streak was far from over, as we learned when Currents arrived. Kevin Parker started the year strong, having contributed heavily to Mark Ronson's own standout album Uptown Special. Photo of Tame Impala performing on 'Late Show,' by Jeffrey Staab Fusing his eclectic music tastes-soul, Gospel, pop, hip-hop and R&B-into his own material, he's proving country has room for more than honky tonk and bro songs. The Georgia native, who got his start writing songs for other artists, told us earlier this year, "Country music is in a different place now." And he was right. It sure was good a time to be Drake in 2015. And if he wasn't already omnipresent enough, his collaborative mixtape with Future, What a Time to Be Alive, also debuted at No. But the Toronto transcended all of that, as his single "Hotline Bling" conquered top 40 radio (just shy of his first No. He also had the year's biggest beef thanks to Meek Mill. His "mixtape" If You're Reading This It's Too Late turned out to be the biggest-selling rap album of the year. Photo of Drake at Austin City Limits Festival 2015, by Cambria Harkey Whatever your perception of what pop is or should be, Ms. And then she kept us waiting for most of 2015 before delivering Art Angels, one of the most important and jarring pop albums of the year. Photo of Grimes performing at Made in America 2015, courtesy Live NationĬlaire Boucher had everyone thinking 2014 would be her year. While he's certainly made a mark on this year, he's just getting started. It's the fact that in 2015, he's making some of the most honest and authentic music sans fluff or gimmicks. The beauty of Bridges' music goes beyond the nostalgia factor, as his first full-length Coming Home proved. He's also closing out the year with a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album after having made his debut last week on Saturday Night Live alongside host Ryan Gosling. In just a few short months, the retro-soul singer has gone from buzz artist to becoming Oscar-eligible with his contribution to the soundtrack for Will Smith's new film Concussion. The Fort Worth, Texas, singer captured our hearts earlier this year at SXSW and we never looked back. Photo of Leon Bridges performing on 'SNL,' by Dana Edelson While it's likely some may find even greater success in 2016, they undeniably had a big 2015 and we couldn't help but take note. As our 2015 year-end coverage continues this week, we've revealed our Artists of the Year, 15 acts who either broke out this year or made a significant impact on music over the past 12 months.
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