Top 10 Breakthrough Artists of 2017

By:  Starr Brown

Khalid - It’s no secret that the recent high school graduate has had one of the biggest 2017's hits in pop music. The 19-year-old released his debut album American Teen in early March and is ending the year with five Grammy nominations, including his feature on Logic’s "1-800-273-8255" is nominated for Song of the Year. Khalid will headline his first tour in 2018 in the US and Europe.

Sleep On It - The little band from Chicago has had a massive year with the release of their debut album Overexposed in November. After heading out on Waterparks’ "Made In America" Tour (where I saw them perform, and let me tell you they’re pretty great), the band now has quite a following and is gearing up for an even bigger 2018.

Dua Lipa - If you somehow missed Dua Lipa’s leap to fame and radio play with “New Rules,” welcome to 2017. After opening for Troye Sivan in late 2016 and a headlining US tour last winter, Dua’s debut self-titled album hit streaming services with nothing but positive reviews. This queen crushes every track and is even better live.

Sigrid - This Norwegian pop star is a must watch for 2018. After a huge year with her singles “Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “Strangers” (which even Lorde was talking about), Sigrid is hopefully gearing up and writing for her debut album.

Billie Eilish - For just turning 16, Billie Eilish’s talent is far beyond her age. She is pushing the boundaries of pop music with a perfect lyrical analysis that opens up her teenage feelings in her debut EP dont smile at me.

Charli XCX – Charli XCX has been circling pop music for years since her collab on Icona Pop’s “I Love It” and “Bomb Clap.” However, Charli truly dominated 2017 when her music video for “Boys” was the only thing on my Twitter timeline for two days straight. Now just having released her Pop2 EP with epic features with Carley Rae Jepson and MØ, Charli is truly breaking through the 2017 charts.

Greta Van Fleet - Since launching onto the scene earlier this year, the four boys that makeup Greta Van Fleet have been relentlessly compared to Led Zeppelin. While their sound may have a striking resemblance, brothers Josh, Jake and Sam Kizka along with family friend Danny Wagne have found their own sounds forged between the 60s and 70s rock influences. If you’ve ever liked rock music in any capacity, you’ll quickly become captivated by their sound for only being in their 20s.

LANY – Another group merging pop and rock together in a way that no one has before, LANY are everything you missed in 2017. Their self-titled debut brings new depth with their signature synth-filled sound bringing listeners through an entire romance, not just typical breakup tracks like several other artists (*cough* Taylor Swift) depend on.

Hey Violet – If you have missed the Hey Violet train, this is your last chance to get on before they truly make it big in 2018. The release of their debut album, From The Outside, shows how the group has matured since their beginnings as the Cherri Bombs. It’s hard to miss the pop-rock-punk fused sounds what “Hoodie” and “Break My Heart” had a few weeks of radio play this year.

The Wrecks – This band only has three tracks out but they’re all so good. The Wrecks joined the epic line up that was All Time Low’s summer US tour and introduced themselves to the world. Besides their three songs on their EP, We Are The Wrecks, they put on a high energy performance. I cannot wait to see them breakthrough even further in 2018.

CHECK OUT OUR PLAYLIST WITH STARR'S TOP BREAKTHROUGH ARTISTS OF 2017 BELOW!  BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL, AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.  DID YOUR FAVORITE BREAKTHROUGH ARTISTS MAKE THE CUT?  WHO WERE YOUR NEW FAVORITE ARTIST OF 2017?