WHAT IT IS: Combining frosty electronic textures and emotive vocals, Aurora Aksnes, better known as AURORA, is a mystifying force in the dark-pop realm. Raised among the fjords and mountains of Bergen, Norway, the 22-year old balances her sense of singularity with the deep bond to her devoted horde of fans, stretching from Berlin to Brazil, who have helped her rack up over 1b streams. Between her debut album, My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, 2018’s Step 1: Infections of a Different Kind and its follow-up, Step 2: A Different Kind of Hyman, AURORA has topped the charts in Norway and reached the Top 30 in the U.K. Set to release new music in May, she recently put her enchanting vocals to use on Frozen 2’s smash “Into the Unknown” and released her own haunting rendition of the track.
SINGLE: New music coming this May
TV: Conan, The Late Show With Steven Colbert, Oscars
LIVE: 2020 Oscar performance of Frozen 2’s “Into the Unknown”
INTERNET: 7.1m+ monthly Spotify listeners; 1.2m+ YouTube subscribers, 270m+ video views; 921k+ followers; 800k+ Instagram followers
RADIO: The Howard Stern Show, Radio Disney, more
PRESS: NME, Dork, Forbes, Idolator, more
BOOKING: Steve Goodgold & Tom Windish/Paradigm
PUBLISHING: Downtown (U.S.)
MANAGEMENT: Made Management

WHAT IT IS: Long before topping the Spotify Viral charts, 19-year-old electronic DJ/producer Powell Aguirre, a.k.a. Surf Mesa, worked on perfecting his niche sound. The talented youngster, who grew among a family of musicians, is a classically trained composer. Surf Mesa’s breezy instincts shine on his Astralwerks debut, “ily (i love you baby)” f/Emilee, which transforms Franki Valli’s classic, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” into a bouncy summer jam filled with smooth harmonious melodies. The runaway single, which began to resonate at TikTok, has zoomed up the Spotify Global chart and is the perfect introduction to Surf Mesa’s addictive brand of music.
SINGLE: “ily (i love you baby)” f/Emilee
LIVE: Proximity x Trap Nation Digital Mirage at-home concert series; Zach & Sangs Digital Prom; Virgin Radio France Electroshock
INTERNET: 60m+ global streams on single; 42.7m+ Spotify streams, 1.7m per day, 10.6m+ monthly listeners, featured on Pop Rising (cover); 6.3m+ streams on Apple Music, 60m+ YouTube streams; 230k+ TikTok videos made, 80m+ impressions; Snapchat Global Carousel
RADIO: Impacting T40 Radio on 4/28
PRESS: Rolling Stone, Idolator, EARMILK, Voyage L.A., more
BOOKING: Jay Moss/Paradigm (U.S.)
MANAGEMENT: Keel Management

WHAT IT IS: Grade-school friends John Vaughn, Matthew Alvarado and Ben Lapps have gone from playing high-school talent shows to international tours as pop/rock band PUBLIC. Shortly after their debut video aired on MTV, Kevin Jonas Sr. picked up the band for management. With their electrifying stage presence and infectious pop melodies, they’ve grown a loyal fanbase, as their single, “Make You Mine,” amassed 3m+ in activity on TikTok. The single has since charted at Top 40 with over 200m global streams, achieving RIAA gold certification. Look for their latest release, “Honey in the Summer,” to further increase the momentum of these Cincinnati natives.
SINGLE: “Honey in the Summer”
TV: Live With Kelly & Ryan, Good Day New York, Nickelodeon’s All That
LIVE: Previously toured with American Authors, Neon Trees, Walk the Moon, twenty one pilots, Andy Grammer and Jesse McCartney
INTERNET: Tripled their social following since September 2019; 6.4m+ monthly Spotify listeners; 300k+ YouTube subscribers, 23.9m+ views on “Make You Mine,” 60.2m+ overall views; 120k TikTok followers, 50k Instagram followers
RADIO: Charted at Top 40, reached Top 20 at Hot AC
PRESS: Seventeen, Cosmo, Genius, Sweety High, American Songwriter, more
BOOKING: UTA
PUBLISHING: Sony/ATV
MANAGEMENT: Kevin Jonas Sr./Jonas Group Entertainment