Birth Dates: November 7, 1996 (Age: 19)

Last Year's Rank: No. 3

Why They're Hot: It's been three years since the release of Lorde's debut album, and it's a testament to the impact of the record that the follow-up is still highly anticipated. Since conquering the charts with "Royals" (nine weeks at No. 1, and Platinum-certified many times over), Lorde has countered the modern emphasis on relentless productivity by ignoring it completely — she hasn't put out an EP, mixtape, or SoundCloud loosie. Instead she contributed to The Hunger Games soundtrack in 2014, collaborated with Disclosure on "Magnets" last year, and co-wrote "Heartlines" with Broods, which arrived this summer. Other than that, if you want your Lorde fix, you have to return to Pure Heroine or listen to other singers influenced by Lorde's slick merger of pop melody and minimal electronic production, like Kiiara. Hints from Lorde's social media accounts — mentions of Jack Antonoff and Flume — offer only tantalizing clues about what she might do next.