Pop music is generally criticized for lacking substance or emotional depth. Like all genres, pop has seen many incarnations and trends over the years, and what was once considered “popular music” has recently developed and branched into something new. The artists that are starting to climb the charts are still making crowd-pleasing music, as they've always done, but it's all becoming a little more interesting.

This current, rising generation of pop artists are creating a sprawling landscape of dynamic expressions within the classic pop format. Pop has a less definable sound today than in its past lives, and that’s what makes it so great. With the rise of platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and SoundCloud, the path to popularity is no longer solely dependent on radio and MTV. Instead of pop being it's cordoned-off own thing, pop is starting to sound a little more like everything else we listen to.

The current pop scene is just bubbling below the surface, in possible preparation for an all-out blowout à la the Golden Age of 2000’s pop. Stars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake were breakthrough artists for the genre, defining the sound of a generation. With all the new sounds constantly at our fingertips, we rounded up some of the most promising voices in pop right now who might do the same thing for a new kind of listener. Here are the 10 pop artists you shouldn't be sleeping on.