2017 Freshman Class: 27 Artists You Need To Be Listening To

Freshman Class

It is officially Back To School season as students everywhere are getting back into the swing of the classroom life. Whether you're a freshman this year, or your new to the class, we bet you might share something in common with this new class of musicians.

We've put together a genre-spanning 2017 Freshman Class; a group of talented emerging artists that absolutely need to be on your radar this year, whether you're into pop, hip hop, R&B, country, rock, or all of the above. Take a look below.

Khalid

The American Teen himself. Khalid is a 19-year-old singer and songwriter, born in Fort Stewart Georgia, but eventually ended up in El Paso, Texas after moving around with his family, as his mother was in the military. You may have already heard his hit song "Location," but recently, Khalid released his very first full-length album called American Teen, which debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 -- not bad for your first album. Khalid's talent became quickly recognized by his peers, and has also been featured on collabs with artist like Logic and Alessia Cara ("1-800-273-8255"), and most recently, Marshmello ("Silence").

Earlier this year, Khalid (who is set to perform during the Daytime Village at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas) told iHeartRadio in an exclusive interview of his album, "I told myself when the album comes out, my life would change forever, and so far, my life has been changing rapidly. I can't even keep up with it sometimes, but it's dope. It's a really good experience."

Khalid

Noah Cyrus

You may know her as Miley Cyrus' little sister, but Noah Cyrus is so much more than that. With a voice of her own, the 17-year-old is preparing to release her debut album, NC-17, which features an eclectic group of songs with previously released tracks including "Make Me (Cry)," "Stay Together," and more.

Noah (who is set to perform during the Daytime Village at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas) told iHeartRadio earlier this year, "I started writing three years ago in 2014, so it's definitely changed a lot since then. I've definitely grown as a person, and I'm definitely more experienced with [writing] now. So, the feeling of making your own music, and writing it, and hearing it in the studio, and then seeing it up on iTunes, and then actually hearing it on the radio, that's insane."

Noah Cyrus

Julia Michaels

You may know Julia Michaels for her hit single "Issues" she released at the very beginning of this year, her latest single "Uh Huh," or even her new "mini album" Nervous System, but you've undoubtedly heard her work plenty of times before. In fact, she has 12 hits on the Billboard Top 100! Julia has been a songwriter for a long time, and has penned hits like Justin Bieber's "Sorry," helped write several songs for Selena Gomezas well as written songs for artists like Britney SpearsDemi LovatoGwen Stefani, and a long impressive list more over the last four years. She was also recently featured on Kygo's "Carry Me," from his 2016 Cloud Nine album. 

Now, Julia (who is set to perform during the Daytime Village at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas) is making the transition from star songwriter to budding popstar. Earlier this year, she told iHeartRadio, "The process has been a bunch of adjectives rolled into one. I've been a songwriter for a really long time, so the transition has been so different for me. But I've got a lot of really supportive friends, and family, and fans, and it helps make everything go really smooth and less chaotic."

Julia Michaels

Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa has had an amazing year. We were hooked with "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)," continued to fangirl over her collaborations with Sean Paul ("No Lie") and Martin Garrix ("Scared To Be Lonely"), as well as her collaboration with Wale on his SHINE album called "My Love," which also features Major Lazer and WizKid. Now, after much anticipation, Dua has released her debut self-titled album. The album features 12 new songs, including singles like "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)," "Be The One," and her collaboration with Miguel called "Lost In Your Light" -- which is her album's only feature. Writing credits on the record also include artists like Coldplay's Chris Martin ("Homesick") and Emily Warren ("New Rules"), among others.

Dua recently told iHeartRadio of this past year, "I'm still kind of flying at the moment." And on her debut self-titled album, she said, "Everything about making the album's been so much fun. Definitely seeing it all come to life, seeing the different stages, the emotions that I went through, feeling like I was ready to release the album, and then having different opportunities and writing some more, and finding myself in different ways, and finding different things to write about. Everything's just been so crazy."

Dua Lipa

Camila Cabello

This is shaping up to be a great year for Camila Cabello. As you already know, Camila got her start with Fifth Harmony, but has now set her fights on a solo career and has already given fans quite a few bops to enjoy. The world got their first taste of solo Camila with her "I Know What You Did Last Summer" collab with Shawn Mendes, and since then, as collaborated with artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Pitbull and J Balvin, and Major Lazer. But she's also released four solo singles, "Crying in the Club," "I Have Questions," "Havana" (featuring Young Thug), and "OMG" (featuring Quavo) -- all to be featured on her upcoming solo debut album The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving., due out in the fall.

Camila Cabello

PRETTYMUCH

Simon Cowell has done it again. With One Direction now disbanded, there is a brand new boyband to fill that big hole in your heart -- say hello to PRETTYMUCH. People are already calling these guys the next 1D. The five-member band consists of Austin Porter, Nick Mara, Brandon Arreaga, Edwin Honoret, and Zion Kuwonu, and after covering artists like Drake, Michael Jackson, and Ed Sheeran, the guys have released their debut single together called "Would You Mind?"

PRETTYMUCH

Why Don't We

Speaking of boybands ... Why Don't We is sure to become one of your favorites. Members Daniel Seavey, Zach Herron, Corbyn Besson, Jonah Marais, and Jack Avery came together last year in September 2016 to form what is now Why Don't We. Their debut single "Taking You" was released a month later, and since then, the guys have released three EPs, Only the Beginning, Something Different, and their latest Why Don't We Just, which features their newest single of the same name.

Why Don't We

Cheat Codes

Either Cheat Codes has the cheat codes to making awesome music, or they're just genuinely talented. But we're gonna go with the latter. The producer/DJ trio from Los Angeles, comprised of Matthew Russell, Trevor Dahl, and Kevin Ford, has been releasing music over the last few years, including their singles "Sex" (their Salt-N-Peppa remake) and "Let Me Hold You (Turn Me On)" (their Kevin Lyttle remake). But this year, the guys released their hit single "No Promises," which features pop star Demi Lovato.

Early this year, Cheat Codes (who is set to perform during the Daytime Village at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas), said to iHeartRadio of their hit song, "I think what we're most excited about for our fans to hear is, when we first started as a group, we did everything ourselves. We wrote everything, recorded everything, we sang everything, whether it was my [Matthew] voice, Trevor's vocals, Kevin's vocals, so now that we're getting into collaborations, we really wanted to work with a female vocalist for the very first time. And the fact that our first time ever doing that is with a huge superstar like Demi Lovato, and she really just took the song and made it her own, and we love that."

Cheat Codes

LAUV

Speaking of "No Promises," LAUV co-wrote and co-produced the song with Cheat Codes. In 2015, the 22-year-old singer/songwriter released his hit single "The Other," gaining fans from all around the world. Fast forward two years later, and he's helped pen a few hit songs for some friends of his, conquered his first headlining tour, and recently released a new summer playlist worthy single himself called "I Like Me Better," a song inspired by moving to New York City for the first time, and falling in love with someone only two months into being in the Big Apple. 

LAUV

Jorge Blanco 

This year, actor/singer/songwriter Jorge Blanco delivered his soulful, funky summer pop song "Summer Soul." The 25-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico, starred in High School Musical: El Desafio Mexico, as well as Disney TV series Violetta (alongside Martina "Tini" Stoessel), and is now working on his own solo music and debut solo album after landing a recording contract with Hollywood Records. 

Jorge previously told iHeartRadio of focusing on making music, "It's always been my dream to do my own music. So, I feel grateful after all these 10 years doing acting, which I love to do. Getting the opportunity to do my own thing, it just happened. It kind of connected one thing after the other. Thanks to all the Disney stuff I did, I got the connection with Hollywood records, and opportunity came, and I'm happy."

Jorge Blanco

Jessie Reyez

There have been a lot of amazing artists to come out of Toronto, the latest being singer/songwriter Jessie Reyez. The 26-year-old picked up the guitar early on and began songwriting while in high school. And after graduating, Jessie decided she wanted to pursue a career in music. 

This year, Reyez was featured on Calvin Harris' Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 album on a song called "Hard To Love," and released her debut EP Kiddo, which features her single "Figures," a song inspired by a breakup she went through. "Figures was a time capsule of a breakup that I went through," she explains to iHeartRadio. "I was just going through it, and crying, and sad, and happy to be away from home, because I was across the pond in Europe at the time. And I was given the opportunity to just let it out on the mic."

Jessie Reyez

SZA

SZA. Just three letters, but a name you will not forget. SZA, real name Solana Imani Rowe, is the smooth songstress that has the music industry buzzing right now, and is the female face for Kendrick Lamar's record label, Top Dawg Entertainment. 

Having helped pen songs for megastars like Beyoncé and Rihanna, SZA is well on her way to becoming a star herself. Just recently, the 26-year-old released her debut studio album Ctrl via Top Dog Entertainment and RCA Records, which features hit single "Love Galore," and has already captured the hearts of celebs like Diddy, Lil Yachty, Ty Dolla $ign, Alessia Cara, Calvin Harris, and more. SZA told iHeartRadio of her album, "I guess I just started being my own therapist. Like, [I] wanted therapy really bad, and I just couldn't get any, so I just wrote an album,"

SZA

Justine Skye

Say hello to the Purple Unicorn herself (as noted on her Instagram). Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Justine Skye has been writing and releasing music over the past four years, and in that time frame, she's worked with artists like Tyga, Vic Mensa, WizKid, and Wale. Her latest single "Back For More," from her upcoming album, features singer/songwriter Jeremih

There is no doubt Justine Skye will have you coming "Back For More." On her debut album, the 21-year-old worked with Fred Ball, who helped write Rihanna's "Love on the Brain," as well as PARTYNEXTDOOR, who she tells iHeartRadio, "[He] pushed my tone up to a part that I didn't even know I could say, a part of me that I was uncomfortable with, because I didn't want to sound dumb. But he was very, very supportive and very encouraging." She adds of her collab with the producer, "It's actually one of the most popping songs on the album."

Justine Skye

Cardi B

You may already know Cardi B from becoming a regular cast member on Love & Hip Hop: New York, but at the beginning of 2017, the 24-year-old scored her first solo record deal with Atlantic Records and tore up the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with her commercial debut single "Bodak Yellow," reaching the top 10. And while the 24-year-old has found much success recently, within the timespan of only a year, she dropped two mixtapes, released a few singles, and has been featured on a number of songs, including her latest collab with D.R.A.M. for his "Cute" remix. 

Having gained all of the buzz she has over the last year, it's safe to say Cardi B is going to be making more than just "money moves" ... you can count on her making some big career moves too. 

Cardi B

H.E.R.

Who is H.E.R.? The mysterious R&B/soul singer quietly dropped her H.E.R. Vol. 1 album in September 2016, intriguing listeners to become instant fans of the anonymous vocalist. In fact, in just less than a year H.E.R. has amassed tens of thousands of fans, which include stars like Rihanna, Alicia Keys, and Bryson Tiller. Speaking of Bryson, H.E.R. is currently on the road with him on his "Set It Off Tour" through mid September.

There's something special about being an anonymous artist -- the music speaks. And for H.E.R., the music speaks volumes. H.E.R. Vol. 1 hit No. 1 on the iTunes R&B/Soul Albums chart, and since then, H.E.R. has been the R&B artist to watch. In June of this year, she followed up with new music for fans dropping H.E.R. Vol. 2. She said on Facebook of her latest EP, which consists of 8 sultry songs, "It's a release of Love, Truth, Pain Happiness, Triumph and Reflection."

H.E.R.

KYLE

"iSpy" with my little eye, a super duper rapper you need to be paying attention to, and his name is KYLE. The recording artist from Ventura, California scored a multi-platinum hit last year with his Lil Yachty collab "iSpy," which hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, as well as topped the US Rhythmic chart. The 24-year-old has been working towards his music career for years, releasing mixtapes under another moniker (K.i.D.), also dropping two albums, his latest, Smyle, in 2015. He's also collaborated with artists including G-Eazy and Kehlani. This year, however, is KYLE's year. Following the success of "iSpy," the rapper has released several other singles, his latest being "Nothing 2 Lose." 

KYLE

Sleeping with Sirens

Ready for some hot Gossip? Well, Sleeping with Sirens is about to give it you. The band, who has been writing and releasing music together over the last seven years, is about to release their new album, titled Gossip on September 22nd. Sleeping with Sirens consists of lead singer Kellin Quinn, who you will notice as a quite expansive vocal range, bassist Justin Hills, drummer Gabe Barham, lead guitarist Jack Fowler, and rhythm guitarist Nick Martin (former member of the band Underminded and previous guitarist for Cinematic Sunrise, as well as cousin to Vic and Mike Fuentes of Pierce the Veil).

You may already recognize the lead single, "Legends," from their upcoming record. The uplifting song is actually set be used as Team USA's official anthem for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongchangKorea. Sleeping with Sirens' latest single "Empire to Ashes" (released earlier this month on August 4th) is also included on the band's upcoming Gossip album. 

Sleeping with Sirens

LANY

Electronic band LANY, has been touring around the festival circuit and with bands and artists including X Ambassadors, Troye Sivan and Halsey over the last few years. Now, the trio is currently out on their own headlining tour, supporting their recently released debut self-titled album. LANY, which is an acronym for "Los Angeles New York," is comprised of Paul Klein, Charles "Les" Priest, and Jake Clifford Goss. 

The band's self-titled album dropped on June 30th of this year, and features 16 songs, including their single "ILYSB" -- which stands for "I Love You So Bad," a song inspired by a phrase Paul heard at the end of a phone call then scribbled on to a post-it and left in his car. Paul told iHeartRadio of the phrase, "I heard it, and then I immediately knew, I was like, 'I want to write a song called I Love You So Bad.'"

LANY

Brother Sundance

Music has been a part of Rylan Talerico's life for almost his entire life. The 18-year-old Florida native goes by Brother Sundance, and began drumming at the extremely young age of two. In fact, his talent caught the eye of his father, who is a professional drummer, and quickly realized that music was his destiny in life. So early on, Brother Sundance continued to learn drums, as well as taught himself to play other instruments including the guitar and piano. In fact, he says, "In my freshman year, I picked up a guitar and that was it. From that point forward, all I could do was music." And at 16, he formed a band called Wallace. 

Moving on from the band and concentrating on using the piano when songwriting, Brother Sundance came to fruition and the musician released his first EP HONEY (on August 11 of this year), which he wrote and recorded in his own bedroom. The EP consists of five songs including his single "Blind."

Brother Sundance

Greta Van Fleet

Rising rock band Greta Van Fleet have been getting a lot of buzz for their single "Highway Tune," and now the guys have officially hit the highway, spreading their tunes on their own headlining tour. The band, which consists of brothers Josh Kiszka, Jake Kiszka, and Sam Kiszka, and Danny Wagner, hail from Frankenmuth, Michigan -- the place where the woman who the band is named after also lives (and yes, she gave them the green light to use her name, which is actually Gretna Van Fleet). This year, Greta Van Fleet released their debut EP Black Smoke Rising on April 21st via Republic Records. Black Smoke Rising includes their single "Highway Tune," in addition to three other songs. 

Greta Van Fleet

VÉRITÉ

VÉRITÉ means "truth" in French. It also happens to be Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Kelsey Byrne's stage name. There's no doubt you've seen this name floating around out there. This year, VÉRITÉ released her debut album Somewhere in Between, and has been creating a lot of buzz with singles like "Phase Me Out" and "When You're Gone." 

But if you're just getting familiar with VÉRITÉ, she's been involved in music her whole life. But being the daughter of a rock musician, what do you expect? The indie pop artist began performing live while only in elementary school, and later, joined an all girls punk cover band, learning to the play the piano in between, and started writing songs at 16 years old. Fast forward to today, and the 27-year-old's debut album has arrived. That's the vérité

VÉRITÉ

Yoke Lore

The son of a director and actor/sculptor, Adrian Galvin grew up in a household bursting with creativity, which encouraged him to get into the arts at an early age. While in college he was a contributing songwriter to Walk The Moon, and then ventured off into his own musical endeavors including duo Yellerkin. Fast forward to today, and he is known as indie pop act Yoke Lore, making his rounds on the festival circuit, and playing his shows across the US. In 2016, Yoke Lore released his debut EP Far Shore via B3SCI Records, and this year (on June 16th) dropped his latest EP Goodpain, which features five songs including lead single "World Wings." 

Yoke Lore

Amy Shark

Take our word for it ... you will "Adore" Amy Shark. The indie pop singer/songwriter is from Australia's Gold Coast, where at the 2016 Queensland Music Awards won Pop Song of the Year, and toured all over her native country. Now, Shark is bringing her music stateside, and released her debut EP Night Thinker in April, which features her single "Adore," in addition to five other songs ("Blood Brothers" may even give you some Lorde vibes). In the fall, fans can catch Amy on tour with fellow Australian Vance Joy on his "Lay It On Me Tour USA."

Amy Shark

BANNERS

After listening to BANNERS, we think he'll be "Someone To You." The musician, real name Michael Joseph Nelson, is from Liverpool in the UK where he grew up singing in the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral Choir, and the Liverpool Kop, as well as concert halls across Europe. Drawing inspiration from music legends like The Beatles and indie rock band Arcade Fire, Nelson turned his attention to writing his own music.

Over the last few years, BANNERS has released several singles, and in 2016 dropped his self-titled debut EP. This year, BANNERS dropped a brand new single called "Someone To You" via Island Records. He explains of the song's meaning, "I think it's a universal sentiment. I think everybody, at some point before, they want to make something of themselves, generally in the universe, and make something, and do something, and be someone. But also you want to be someone to someone else. You want to be their universe and their world." 

You can catch BANNERS out on tour with Echosmith this fall on the "Inside A Dream Tour."

BANNERS

Luke Combs

This year, Luke Combs kicked his country music career into high gear by releasing his debut album This One's For You and toured with country star Brantley Gilbert. The 27-year-old's debut album has been years in the making, and recently told iHeartRadio that he's learned a lot from putting the record together. "Just a couple years ago I was just a country music fan and went out to buy these albums. You think, 'Oh, it's just Tim McGraw goes in and records these songs,' and you think that's all that happens, and you realize when you're in a full album campaign how much work it is, and how many people are helping you accomplish the greater goal."

Well, all of this has led to a headlining tour. Luke is currently out on his "Don't Tempt Me With A Good Time" Tour in support of his debut album, hitting major cities across the US.

Luke Combs

Dylan Scott

You could say that music is in Louisiana-born country singer/songwriter Dylan Scott's DNA. Dylan's father played guitar for artists like Freddy Fender, Freddie Hart, and other country stars, and would hear his dad's tour stories from on the road and in Nashville. So, from a young age, Music City, USA is always where he wanted to end up. After visiting Nashville for the first time at 15 years old, seeing places like Music Row and the iconic Ryman Auditorium only solidified his desire for a career in country music. 

Fast-forward to present day, Dylan signed to Curb Records and released his debut self-titled album last year. And just recently, the 26-year-old breathed some new life into the record by dropping a deluxe edition. The new version of the album includes all previously released 13 songs from the original, in addition to three more songs, "Hook," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Can't Take Her Anywhere." 

Dylan Scott

Devin Dawson

A few years ago, a video mashing up Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" and "Style" went absolutely viral. The video was from two singer/songwriters -- one of them being budding country artist Devin Dawson. The 28-year-old, originally from Orangevale, California released his debut single "All On Me" in February 2017, and then went out on the road with Maren Morris on her "Hero Tour." 

Devin's music is unique to the country genre, and he's influenced by many different types of music. Having played in and toured with metal band Shadow of Colossus after high school, he tells us that is "kind of like a foundation for influencing the music that [he] makes." However, he also grew up listening to country, soul, and R&B, which has also had an impact on him. 

Dawson has also been hard at work on his debut full-length album, which he's been writing for over the last few years, and has been in the studio with producer Jay Joyce (Eric ChurchLittle Big TownBrothers Osborne). Devin says of working with Jay, "He pulled things out of me, once we got the songs together, that I never knew I even had. And he stitched everything really well together, even though all the songs, each one stands alone on its own, they all have this really common thread because of his voice and his ear on it."

Devin Dawson

Photos: Katherine Tyler & Rachel Kaplan, Getty Images


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content