The talents on Variety’s annual Young Hollywood Impact Report have all made an impact on showbiz in the past year. They may be singers, actors or YouTube stars, but they share one thing in common: show-stopping creativity. This year’s list includes several actors nominated for Emmys, like Jharrel Jerome for Netflix’s “When They See Us;” Joey King for “The Act” on Hulu; and Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams for the final season of “Game of Thrones” on HBO. YouTubers like David Dobrik, Makenna Kelly and JoJo Siwa, each boasting millions of loyal subscribers, have made their way onto the list. Music acts like the all-female K-Pop group Blackpink, rapper Juice WRLD and singer Billie Eilish also made the list this year.
Variety also honors the adults that help them shine, be they agents or content execs. Finally, our Up Next section puts the spotlight on talent poised for a breakthrough. Actors like Julia Butters, from Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Angourie Rice from “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and Diana Silvers from indie films “Booksmart” and “Ma” are a few of Variety’s Up Next honorees. Viral country singer Mason Ramsey and Zhavia from the “Aladdin” soundtrack are also featured on the list.
— Profiles by A.D. Amorosi, Michele Angermiller, Jem Aswad, BreAnna Bell, Iain Blair, Randee Dawn, Anna Marie de la Fuente, Chris Evans, Diane Garrett, Todd Gilchrist, James Patrick Herman, Carole Horst, Steven J. Horowitz, Ilana Kaplan, Jae-Ha Kim, Todd Longwell, Tom McLean, Addie Morfoot, Dano Nissan, Lise Pedersen, Anna Tingley and Chris Willman
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Asher Angel
Image Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock Singer-Actor
On the list last year with two of his “Andi Mack” castmates, Angel became a teen superhero with “Shazam!” What’s more, his debut single, “One Thought Away,” featuring Wiz Khalifa, garnered 1.7 million views in 24 hours. “Everything was so much bigger on the set of ‘Shazam!,’ ” he says of the transition from “Andi Mack.” “So there were definitely nerves, but I didn’t let them get to me.” Looking ahead: “I want to do as much as possible,” the 16-year-old says. “Acting, singing. I’d love to direct. Broadway has always been another dream of mine.”
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Yalitza Aparicio
Image Credit: Ramona Rosales Actor
The first indigenous Latina thespian to garner an Oscar nomination, Aparicio, 25, is mining her worldwide fame from Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” to lead social-awareness campaigns and is fielding film offers while learning as much as she can about the medium. Given her superstar status, especially in Mexico, what keeps her grounded? “My family and the values they instilled in me.”
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Iain Armitage
Image Credit: Laura Coppelman Actor
Armitage is back on the list after pulling double duty on-screen this past year: The star of CBS’ “Young Sheldon” returned to HBO’s “Big Little Lies” for an emotional storyline. With “Young Sheldon” picked up for seasons 3 and 4, and a role voicing Young Shaggy in “Scoob,” Armitage looks to be busy for the foreseeable future. “Maybe if you do something you enjoy and that makes other people happy, then it’s easy to have an impact,” says the 11-year-old. But don’t look for him on social media — he’s still “too young” to use it himself. “I like to look at the world more than looking at a phone.”
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Bad Bunny
Image Credit: Alejandro Pedrosa Musician
At just 25, Bad Bunny is not only one of the most popular stars of the recent Latin music renaissance, but also arguably its most innovative. Born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio in Puerto Rico, he’s best- known for his guest appearance on Cardi B’s summertime smash “I Like It.” But his solo work is mind-bogglingly diverse and polycultural: His “X 100pre” album ranges from reggaeton and trap to ballads and even alt-rock. In June he surprise-dropped “Oasis,” a collaborative album with friend and fellow renaissance man J Balvin. “If tomorrow I want to release a rock album or a bachata album,” Bunny asked the New York Times rhetorically, “why can’t I?”
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Halle Bailey
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety/Shutterstock Singer-Actor
Accustomed to sharing the spotlight with sister Chloe as part of their Grammy-nominated R&B duo as well as co-stars on Freeform’s “Grown-ish,” Bailey is going solo sooner than expected thanks to her upcoming role as Ariel in Disney’s live-action reboot of “The Little Mermaid.” “It is definitely a little bit nerve-racking because I am the little sister,” Bailey says. “I am so used to [us] always going through these challenging moments in our career together, [but] I am beginning to understand that this film is so much bigger than me.”
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Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Ben Ritter Musician
Ballerini’s most recent single, “Miss Me More,” hit No. 1 on the Mediabase country chart in June — the first chart-topper from a solo female since 2017, when another single by Ballerini accomplished that feat. Has the country genre found a successor for Taylor Swift’s short but commercially advantageous reign? Ballerini has brought the same spunk, sensitivity and sense of rapidly maturing songwriting to her first two albums that Swift brought to her first early country/pop crossover material. The 25-year-old spent her mid-summer listening to mixes for her third album (due in 2020) and making a video for its first single (due any time now), which, given her personal track record, will likely reflect her newlywed status.
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Bazzi
Image Credit: Amanda Charchian Musician
The 21-year-old Lebanese-American singer-rapper enjoyed two of the biggest hits of last year with “Mine” and “Beautiful” — both of which had the Coachella crowd singing along during his high-profile slot at the festival — and not insignificantly, he was the only artist to have written a song by himself on last year’s Variety Hitmakers chart. His debut album is nearly platinum, he was a best new artist nominee at both the MTV VMAs and Billboard Music Awards, and he’s toured with both Camila Cabello and Justin Timberlake. “I’m not a nervous guy because I don’t think too far ahead,” he says. “Fear is just thinking about what’s going to happen next, right? So if you’re not thinking, you can’t be scared of anything.”
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Blackpink
Image Credit: YG Entertainment Music Group
2019 is shaping up to be Blackpink’s breakthrough year. The all-girl Korean quartet kicked off the U.S. leg of a world tour with a concert at Coachella that was livestreamed in New York’s Times Square. “It was an honor to be the very first K-Pop female artists to perform there,” said the group. In April the girls topped Ariana Grande’s record for the most-viewed YouTube video premiere ever, with 979,000 peak concurrents for their “Kill This Love” clip. Ranging in age from 22 to 24, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa have harnessed the power of social media to communicate with fans. “It’s not like we can be with them all the time. [Social media’s] global reach fits very well with our needs, since we want to reach out around the world.”
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Jenna Boyd
Image Credit: Stephanie Girard Director of Kids and Family Live-Action Comedy Series, Netflix
Boyd has been ramping up comedies for families and the younger set for Netflix since joining the streamer in 2017, when it launched “Alexa & Katie,” honored by the Television Academy this year for inspiring social change. More recently her team launched “No Good Nick,” starring Melissa Joan Hart and Sean Astin, plus “Family Reunion,” a multi-generational African-American sitcom set in the South. The biggest surprise for the Nickelodeon vet: How quickly “Alexa & Katie,” about a teen with cancer and her pal, gained traction with viewers. “The show is proving the appetite for authentic storytelling for preteen kids,” she says. Coming soon: A series based on the “The Baby-Sitters Club,” among many more.
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Rob Fishman and Darren Lachtman
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brat Studios Brat Studios Co-Founders
Brat’s co-founders know the tween crowd doesn’t have time for TV. Since 2017, the shingle has produced a dozen original, bite-sized series for YouTube with high production values that have drawn millions of eyeballs from around the world. “We’re where these kids are,” says Fishman. “So few media companies have a strategy for where their audience is.” In the past 18 months, Brat has raised nearly $50 million, which in turn has fueled more original series and movies. Brat produces, creates and shoots its content at its two L.A. studios, and has employed more than 150 actors under the age of 25. Hits such as “Chicken Girls,” which stars YouTube superstar Annie LeBlanc; “Zoe Valentine,” starring Anna Cathcart (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”); and “Total Eclipse” with Mackenzie Ziegler (“Dance Moms”) keep the 3.3 million subscribers happy. Brat recently launched a record label, and is branching out into custom advertising, featuring the digital influencer stars of its series and movies.
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Asa Butterfield
Image Credit: Courtesy of Asa Butterfield Actor
The “Sex Education” star beguiled as the awkward Otis, a teen who dispenses advice of the carnal kind to his peers in the U.K.-set Netflix series. He is now shooting season two. Butterfield is gratified by the response to the series: “A lot of people have messaged me and my cast mates saying how much it’s helped them,” Butterfield says. “We hoped it would, but we never expected such an overwhelmingly positive response.” He admits he brought quite a bit of himself to the role: “I’m a huge geek. Some of Otis’ geekiness, like his fondness for gaming, are things I suggested for the character.”
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Noah Centineo
Image Credit: Ben Duggan Actor
Centineo amassed a decade of credits, including Freeform’s “The Fosters,” before breaking through to stardom in Netflix rom-com “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The streamer quickly unleashed more rom-coms with the mop-top actor: “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser,” “Swiped” and “The Perfect Date.” There’s a “Boys” sequel planned for 2020, and he hits the big screen in 2019’s “Charlie’s Angels” and 2021’s “Masters of the Universe,” in which he’ll play He-Man. The 23-year-old, who switched reps to CAA before the debut of “Boys,” is poised for his next big, superheroic career leap.
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Lana Condor
Image Credit: JSquared Photography Actor
One year after Netflix began streaming “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” Condor still hasn’t gotten used to the fame that has come with her breakthrough performance. “It’s been the craziest year of my life,” says Condor, who has already wrapped work on the rom-com sequel based on Jenny Han’s YA novel, once again opposite heartthrob Noah Centineo. Proud to play an Asian-American character that isn’t treated as a stereotype, she differs from Lara Jean in one key way: “She has much better style than I do.”
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Esme Creed-Miles
Image Credit: Jordan Strauss/January Images/Shutterstock Actor
The titular star of Amazon Prime Video’s “Hanna” grew up on film and TV sets, playing Shirley Temple in Harmony Korine’s “Mister Lonely” at age 7. Still, “Hanna” was a big challenge for Creed-Miles. “It’s a really tough role both physically and emotionally,” she says. “I had to do a lot of training and stunt rehearsals because the action is so inherent in the role, but at the same time I wanted to imbue the fight sequences with her character.” The 19-year-old also directed a short film, “Jamie,” currently in post. That transition was easier. “I’ve got a bank of experience being on sets,” she concludes. Next up: season two of “Hanna.”
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David Dobrik
Image Credit: Jack Dytrych YouTuber-Actor
Hanging with friends has earned a huge following for Dobrik, whose three-year-old vlog has racked up more than 13 million subscribers and a handful of Streamy and Shorty awards thanks to pranks, stunts and everyday hijinks, including marrying his best friend’s mom (for a month). “What makes everything work is that at the end of the day it’s my friends and I having fun and trying to figure out what to do,” he says. “It’s like being a part of this family, I guess.” Dobrik, 23, sees late-night talk-show host in his future, but a part in the upcoming “Angry Birds 2” has turned him on to voice acting.
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Billie Eilish
Image Credit: Kenneth Cappello Musician
Now all of 17, Eilish earned a return spot on the list with another standout year: After sharing singles “Bury a Friend” and “Wish You Were Gay” at the top of the year, she released her debut album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” via major label Interscope in March. And she’s remained busy on a world tour, which will continue into the fall. The singer has come a long way since her first single, “Ocean Eyes,” was uploaded onto SoundCloud in 2016. And, like most teenagers, she has mixed emotions about it. “It’s great … and it’s horrible,” she told Variety a few months before her superstar lift-off. She’s already being hailed as one of the most important artists of her generation, to which she modestly responds, “I think that’ll be up to everyone else to decide.”
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Karena Evans
Image Credit: Jason Szenes/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Actor-Director
Evans has acting credits in the Lifetime series “Mary Kills People” and the indie feature “Firecracker,” and is also making a name for herself as a director. She helmed the pilot for Starz strip club drama “P-Valley” in addition to four music videos for Drake (including “God’s Plan,” named BET’s Video of the Year), plus SZA’s “Garden,” starring Donald Glover. “When you’re acting, you get to embody other voices, and when you’re directing you have the bigger responsibility of channeling those voices and putting them on the screen,” says the 23-year-old Toronto native.
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Kristine Froseth
Image Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Actor
Froseth played a mean girl in “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” and raised her profile considerably with Netflix’s teen sci-fi series “The Society.” Next up: the Paramount TV/Hulu limited series “Looking for Alaska,” based on the John Green book of the same name. “Alaska” is something of a flashback for the 22-year-old, who revealed her “first audition” years ago was for a feature film version of the project that never got made.
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Martin Garrix
Image Credit: RCA Records DJ-Producer
At 23, the Dutch Tiesto protege is one of the world’s highest-paid DJs. But Garrix is more excited about making music than money, and that innocence isn’t lost in his progressive house tracks — in fact, it’s an integral part of his signature sound. Highlights from the past year include the song “Summer Days” — “collaborating with Macklemore and Patrick Stump showed a different side to my music,” he says — and his “Anima” tour. “We’re taking this production all over the world and I’m super-proud,” he tells Variety. “I worked on the show for nine months and to see it come alive was so special.”
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Mckenna Grace
Image Credit: Lilly K Photography Actor-Producer
Grace, 13, became one of Hollywood’s youngest film producers in the past year, easily earning a repeat slot on the list. She will star and produce “Rabbit Cake” for Amazon. Beyond that, she’s shooting the next “Ghostbusters” while voicing “Scoob” (both for 2020). The “Designated Survivor” and “Captain Marvel” vet tries to keep a cool head about her skyrocketing career. “You can have an impact on the industry just by your interactions with people,” she says. To that end, she’s careful about how she uses social media. “It can be a great tool to inspire people,” she says. “I try really hard to be thoughtful about what I do share.”
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Greta Van Fleet
Image Credit: Travis Shinn Music Group
Carrying the torch for rock ’n’ roll, and wearing their unapologetic worship of Led Zeppelin on their sleeves, Michigan’s Kiszka brothers — Josh, Jake and Sam (ages between 20 and 23) and 20-year-old drummer Danny Wagner — scored a rock album Grammy Award this year for their EP, “From the Fires.” How do you top the biggest accolade in music? Enlist another Grammy alum, producer Greg Kurstin (Adele, Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney), for your follow-up album. “Rock and roll is a universal language,” Sam tells Variety. “On stage, you’ll be looking out at different people and different ages, it makes a certain amount of magic at the show, that all those people have come together for one event.”
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Maya Hawke
Image Credit: Zoey Grossman/Netflix Actor
Hawke made her acting debut as Jo March in the BBC adaptation of “Little Women,” which aired on PBS last year, and she gained even more attention for her buzzy role in the third season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” As the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, she’s used to being in the public eye, but now “it’s much more intense,” she admits. Just turned 21, she’s relieved that her character Robin, who came out as gay midway through the season, was well-received by the show’s devoted fans. Going forward: “I want to work with passionate people on projects they’re passionate about,” Hawke says. “I want to play and experiment and try things.”
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H.E.R.
Image Credit: Hanna Hillier Musician
Gabi Wilson — the 22-year-old R&B singer and master guitarist known as H.E.R. — was a quiet storm in the industry until she won a pair of Grammys earlier this year for her self-titled debut album. “Being on the Grammy stage, performing, I had the opportunity to truly prove myself,” she tells Variety. “I’m still proving myself, but now, people are anticipating what’s next. They are witnessing the elevation.” The Bay Area native keeps a relatively low profile, often wearing dark glasses and eschewing most interviews, in order to keep the focus on her work. “I’m happy with my career and aesthetics because it is true to who I am and my story,” she says. “I didn’t know what that would look like because I was growing and finding myself, but, now that I’m here, it’s exactly what I wanted and even more than I imagined.”
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Tom Holland
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety/Shutterstock Actor
It’s almost impossible to not like Holland, who brought an endearing humility and humor to Spider-Man in two of the year’s top-grossing films, with at least two more outings as Peter Parker to come under his current Marvel deal. But Holland, 23, is perhaps even more charming off-screen: He’s visited children’s hospitals in character and his musical-theater background — he got his start playing the lead in the West End production of “Billy Elliot” — helped him beat co-star Zendaya in a spectacular episode of “Lip Sync Battle.” Up next: his first starring voice role in Blue Sky Studios’ animated feature “Spies in Disguise.”
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Olivia Holt
Image Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Actor-Singer
At 21 an all-around achiever, Holt got her start as a Disney kid (“Kickin’ It,” “Didn’t Do It”), and graduated to a starring role in Marvel/Freeform’s “Cloak & Dagger” last year. She plans to release music via Hollywood Records later this year. “Dagger’s” hard-hitting storylines, which address topics such as racism and abuse, have opened Holt’s eyes to societal issues. She credits the show with giving her “so much perspective and I am finally seeing a paradigm shift in the industry.”
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Jharrel Jerome
Image Credit: Micaiah Carter/Netflix Actor
Emmy-nominated for his performance in Ava DuVernay-directed miniseries “When They See Us,” Jerome plays the teenage and adult versions of Korey Wise, one of the five young men wrongfully convicted of the rape and assault of a female jogger in 1989. The 21-year-old, who drew strong notices as young Kevin in Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight,” believes the four-part Netflix series should be “required viewing” for anyone attempting to fully understand problems with the U.S justice system. Says Jerome: “The biggest takeaway I hope people get from the show is that we have to start speaking up and not just about police brutality and racism but the criminal and justice system.”
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Juice WRLD
Image Credit: Universal Music Group Musician
Chicago’s Juice Wrld waved the flag for emo boys everywhere with his SoundCloud-originating hit “Lucid Dreams” in 2018. It served as an introduction to the introspective hip-hop artist — 20-year-old Jarad Higgins — who is known for pairing singsong missives about heartbreak and relationships with floating, trap-light beats. His vision crystallized with the May 2018 release of his debut, “Goodbye & Good Riddance,” that set off a string of subsequent projects including his “Wrld on Drugs” collaboration with rapper Future and his sophomore album, “Death Race for Love.” He’s also become a performance machine, opening for Nicki Minaj on her world tour and securing slots at Made in America and the iHeartRadio Music Festival.
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Makenna Kelly
Image Credit: Andrew Nguyen YouTuber
The 13-year-old YouTuber has chewed on everything from Gucci heels to rusty tools for the 1.5 million subscribers who follow “Life With MaK,” catered toward lovers of ASMR, otherwise known as autonomous sensory meridian response. Since posting her first video a year ago, Kelly has developed a huge fan base that loves the euphoric tingling sensation caused by whispers, accents, and crackles. Lucrative sponsorships and advertising revenue have followed, which Kelly says was never the goal. “You’ve gotta not give up and have patience because nothing comes quick,” she says.
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Joey King
Image Credit: Hudson Taylor Actor
King went from teen rom-com “The Kissing Booth,” which landed her on the list last year, to her most challenging role yet: Munchausen by proxy victim Gyspy Rose Blanchard in “The Act.” Her reward: an Emmy nom for her work in the Hulu limited series. “It takes so much energy and time and effort to transform yourself into a completely different person,” she says. “I was afraid of failing. I was really excited to feel that way because it made me feel like I was alive.” The keys to her success: “research, spontaneity and trust your instincts.” Next up: “Zeroville” for James Franco and “The Kissing Booth 2.”
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Peyton Elizabeth Lee
Image Credit: Hudson Taylor Actor
Lee, on the list last year with “Andi Mack” castmates, said goodbye to her titular role on the Disney Channel show and moved on with the lead role in the upcoming “Secret Society of Second Born Royals” for Disney Plus. Her character Sam is a contemporary, rebellious princess who, like Andi, is strong-willed. “The goal is to portray influential women characters that inspire people,” Lee says. “I wouldn’t say every character I play has to be a super strong role model, but hopefully they have something that audiences can learn from and connect with.”
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Lil Nas X
Image Credit: imageSPACE/Shutterstock Musician
At age 20, Lil Nas X went from allegedly running a Nicki Minaj fan account to facing sudden, stratospheric stardom after releasing ubiquitous smash “Old Town Road” in December. The hip-hop-inflected contender for song of summer initially gained traction on video app TikTok, raising eyebrows for its country leanings before going full cowboy with its remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. The Atlanta native kept the ball rolling with his debut EP “7” in June, dropping yet another “Road” remix with Young Thug and Mason Ramsey the following month. “My proudest moments were waking up every day with the plan to keep pushing ‘Old Town Road,’” says X, “and actually sticking to it — not ever saying, ‘OK, I’m done. Let’s move on to the next song.’”
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Ella Mai
Image Credit: George Jeff Musician
Chasing the success of her 2018 breakthrough single “Boo’d Up” wasn’t much of an obstacle for English singer-songwriter Ella Mai, on the list for a second consecutive year. Her track, a five-time platinum summertime bop with its inimitable scat-driven chorus, set the foundation for the 24-year-old, who followed with a chart-busting “Trip” in the lead-up to her eponymous debut in October. She’s hit a series of milestones since, performing on “Saturday Night Live,” headlining a solo tour and opening for Ariana Grande on the European leg of her Sweetener trek this fall. But it was a pair of Grammy nominations — and a win for best R&B song for “Boo’d Up” in February — that meant the most. “I dreamed of that moment ever since I was a little girl,” recalls Mai, who recently began plotting her second album. “It was a dream come true to experience it.”
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Maluma
Image Credit: Courtesy of Maluma Musician
Colombian singer and rapper Maluma, who appears alongside Madonna on her 2019 track “Medellin,” wants you to know that, despite that larger-than-life co-sign, he’s no overnight success. “The American industry was not paying attention to Latin music before,” says the 25-year-old, whose aspirations, beyond making it big in the U.S., include becoming a global brand. “That is my No. 1 goal,” he says. “But I don’t want to look like Justin Timberlake or Justin Bieber — I want to sing in Spanish and make you fall in love with my essence and my culture. I’m no one’s American pop-culture competition. I feel like I can conquer the world just being who I am.”
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Jaeden Martell
Image Credit: MJ Photos/Deadline/Shutterstock Actor
The young star of “It” returns next month in the horror sequel and booked a high-profile role as the titular star of Apple’s limited drama series “Defending Jacob.” Martell, who performed under the surname Lieberher earlier in his young career, made friends with his fellow member of the Losers Club on the first “It” and reteamed with them for “It Chapter Two,” coming out next month. He will also appear in A24’s “Low Tide,” indie horror movie “The Lodge” and Rian Johnson’s crime drama “Knives Out.” For all his work on high-profile horror movies, Martell has a confession: “I’m kind of a scaredy cat.” The 16-year-old doesn’t prefer a specific genre: it just has to be “a good story.”
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Marsai Martin
Image Credit: Jabari Jacobs Actor-Producer
“Black-ish” catapulted Martin to the spotlight, but the 14-year-old actor is making waves behind the scenes as well. She created and starred in the 2019 comedy “Little” opposite Issa Rae and Regina Hall, serving as executive producer through her Genius Prods. shingle. “I didn’t know I would be able to do it,” Martin says about becoming one of the youngest producers in Hollywood. Representation is very important to her: “When I was younger I didn’t get to see any young black girls be in TV or anything that I aspired to be in,” she tells Variety. “So it’s about showing people that we get to play in these roles and still be accessible.”
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Ava Max
Image Credit: Lauren Dunn Musician
“I believe in destiny — this was mine,” says Albanian-American pop star Ava Max. “I also believe that manifestation is real. What I did for over 10 consecutive years was manifest and work.” How else to explain the fact that the 25-year-old “Sweet but Psycho” singer has performed for 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium but still hasn’t released her debut album? Max, who’s clearly in touch with her inner Gaga, has stepped in to fill a void for millions of “little monsters” now that their outcast icon has gone Hollywood. Like her idol, Max embraces her misfit identity. Case in point: the outcast anthem “So Am I” and her signature lopsided haircut. Indeed, the only place she wants to fit in is the pop charts.
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JD McCrary
Image Credit: Nick Spanos Singer-Actor-Dancer
On the Up Next list last year, 12-year-old McCrary made history as the youngest artist ever signed to a recording contract at Disney’s Hollywood label, releasing his Jermaine Dupri/Bryan-Michael Cox produced debut EP, “Shine,” in April. Starring as young Simba in Disney’s Jon Favreau-directed update of “The Lion King,” McCrary is also featured on the soundtrack alongside Donald Glover and Beyonce, whom he met at the film’s L.A. premiere. (“I’m still smiling,” he gushes.) His solo turn on the song “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” is nearing 5 million streams on Spotify. McCrary can’t wait for an opportunity to star in another Disney franchise: Marvel. He says: “Miles Morales would be epic.”
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Shawn Mendes
Image Credit: Marion Curtis/Starpix/Shutterstock Musician
One of last year’s cover stars, Mendes continues to win over audiences worldwide with his brand of guitar-based singalong pop. But this year, the 20-year-old Canadian took his career to the next level, headlining an arena tour, baring — and baiting — more than his soul with a Calvin Klein underwear campaign and dueting on the sexy “Senorita” with Camila Cabello, his maybe-non-platonic friend. Indeed, Mendes likes to keep the populace guessing and it seems to be working — his career has reached stratospheric heights in just five years. Additionally, he’s now committed to saving the planet by partnering with Flow water. Not bad for a guy who isn’t even old enough to drink a shot.
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Indya Moore
Image Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock Actor
Two seasons into playing Angel on “Pose,” the transgender star uses social media to advocate for greater acceptance of the LGBTQ community. “Growing up, when I listened to the world it told me I didn’t deserve family, love, employment, shelter, safety or a healthy self-esteem because I was trans,” Moore says. “Though sometimes I still struggle with belonging, I realized that none of those things were true, I did deserve to thrive in this life. I realized the world was wrong, and that it needed to change, not me.”
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Kathryn Newton
Image Credit: Courtesy of Kathryn Newton Actor
“Big Little Lies” season two, “Detective Pikachu,” and “The Society” kept Newton busy in the past year and the actor relishes the challenge. “I get to put my whole self into whatever role I’m playing and I get to forget the reality,” says Newton, Amy March on the recent BBC/PBS adaptation of “Little Women.” “It kind of takes over your whole life.” She enjoyed working with fellow young castmates on “The Society,” renewed by Netflix for season two. “Nobody is just a teenager or somebody’s daughter or somebody’s son,” she says of the sci-fi show’s depiction of young people. She’s also learned from her high-powered actress co-stars on “Big Little Lies.” Says Newton: “They prop me up.”
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Paradigm Youth Talent Heads
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paradigm Wendi Green and Jennifer Millar (West Coast), Ellen Gilbert and Rachel Altman (East Coast)
This quartet leads Paradigm’s youth talent department, split between the agency’s New York and L.A. offices, overseeing a roster that is nearly 100 clients strong. Recent booking highlights for Gilbert and Altman include Marquis Rodriguez (key roles in Netflix’s Emmy-nominated “When They See Us” and HBO’s “Game of Throne” prequel series pilot); Sadie Sink (“Stranger Things,” shooting Fox’s “Fear Street” trilogy); and Millicent Simmonds (shooting “A Quiet Place 2).” “Streaming means so much more content and opportunity now,” the Gotham duo says. “There’s also more projects based around young talent.” Highlights for Green and Millar include Finn Little (lead in “Those Who Wish Me Dead” opposite Angelina Jolie, role in “Angel of Mine,” out in August); Lia McHugh (Marvel’s “The Eternals” opposite Jolie, forthcoming thriller “The Lodge,” “Neon” out November); Sydney Sweeney (“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” HBO’s “Euphoria”); Leah Lewis (stars in CW’s “Nancy Drew,” premiering this fall, lead of upcoming Netflix film “The Half of It”); Evan Whitten (“Mr. Robot,” forthcoming Fox series “Next,” currently filming “Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon”). “Streaming means far more kid-friendly platforms,” the L.A. pair say. “TV’s the thing to do now.”
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Florence Pugh
Image Credit: Brian Ach/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Actor
Pugh’s career has only picked up steam since she appeared on the list last year: The English actress followed “Lady Macbeth” with a role in AMC’s Chan-wook Park-directed adaptation of “The Little Drummer Girl” last November, Ari Aster’s horror hit “Midsommar” in July and Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” coming up later in the year. She also fit in a role in “Fighting With My Family” opposite Dwayne Johnson; the MGM wrestling movie debuted in February. Looking ahead: she joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Black Widow,” now filming.
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Margaret Qualley
Image Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Actor
With an Emmy nom for “Fosse/Verdon” and a buzzy role in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” Qualley, 24, has clearly emerged from the shadow of her famous mother, Andie MacDowell. But her confidence has yet to catch up with her career. “I’m one of the most insecure people on this whole planet,” insists the North Carolina-reared Qualley, who spent three seasons on the TV series “The Leftovers.” “I don’t feel safe [on a shoot] until a couple of weeks in, then I realize that they don’t have the budget to fire me.”
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Storm Reid
Image Credit: Courtesy of Storm Reid Actor
Reid went from a starring role opposite Oprah Winfrey “A Wrinkle in Time” to small-screen parts in “When They See Us,” also directed by Ava DuVernay, and the HBO series “Euphoria.” The 16-year-old from Atlanta understands her “great responsibility” as a role model for the next generation, and keeps that in mind when weighing projects. “I try to choose projects that have a purpose,” she says.
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Luke Roessler
Image Credit: Rob Gilbert Actor
The 12-year-old has been acting in front of a camera for almost half of his life, but admits he was “really nervous” when he had to belt out Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” for Netflix’s “Dead to Me.” “I had to just wing it,” he says. Roessler next appears in “It Chapter Two” and had a recurring role on the FX show “Legion.” He credits “Dead to Me” creator Liz Feldman for helping him develop his comedic chops. “She taught me how to deliver comedy in all kinds of different ways.”
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Hunter Schafer
Image Credit: Olivia Malone Actor
Schafer didn’t expect to be starring in a television show, but the trans model was urged to audition for “Euphoria,” HBO’s diverse take on high school life, with no prior acting credits. Like the actor, Schafer’s character on the show is transgender. “Keeping my character separate from my own life was hard,” she says. “Excavating memories, emotions that I didn’t even know I would find as we went further into the season, I had to continue to pull from my life and my experiences.”
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JoJo Siwa
Image Credit: Amy Sussman/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Singer-Dancer
Siwa shot to stardom as a breakout talent on “Dance Moms,” and subsequently signed a big overall deal with Nickelodeon. She’s on her first concert tour, which, due to demand, expanded from 25 North American dates to 80. She’s also added dates in the U.K., which are selling out. Her YouTube videos of her hit songs reach tens of millions of fans. So how does the 16-year-old phenom stay grounded? “I think the way I was raised helps a lot. I’m from Omaha, Neb., and I was never treated like a princess. My family is incredible and my friends are incredible,” says Siwa, who also presides over a consumer product empire.
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Anya Taylor-Joy
Image Credit: Nathaniel Goldberg/Viktor&Rolf Actor
The BAFTA-nominated actress plays the title role in Working Title’s “Emma,” and will soon appear in Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho” and plays the title role in “The Queen’s Gambit,” a Netflix limited series about an orphan who becomes a champion chess player. “It might be the most vulnerable role I’ve ever played,” she tells Variety. “When this TV show airs, I think I will have left a lot of blood on the stage floor.” A ballet dancer who enjoys writing lyrics, Taylor-Joy doesn’t exclude branching out to the world of music someday.
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Jacob Tremblay
Image Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock Actor
Now 12, Tremblay claimed a repeat spot on the list after switching gears to play a kid who becomes president in an episode of Jordan Peele’s “Twilight Zone,” and next appears in “Good Boys,” a comedy about a boy on a mission to have his first kiss. After that, the vet of “Room” and “Wonder” takes on the role of Flounder in Disney’s “Little Mermaid” live-action adaptation. “I like to play lots of different kinds of characters who have as different types of personalities as I can,” Tremblay says. “It’s fun to become a different person.”
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Sophie Turner
Image Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Actor
After weathering untold savagery, destruction and bloody battles on “Game of Thrones,” Turner is proud of her work as Sansa Stark in the HBO series that came to a close in May. “All my formative years were spent playing Sansa,” she says. Turner reprised her role as Jean Grey in “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” and also found time to get married to Joe Jonas in May. “I’m always drawn to strong, independent women and Sansa and Jean are both that,” Turner says. Next up: Jouri Smit’s revenge thriller “Heavy.”
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Emily Urbani
Image Credit: Courtesy of Osbrink Agency Vice President of TV & Film, Osbrink Agency
Urbani started as a receptionist at the Osbrink Agency and now heads its theatrical division, where she develops promising young talent with a long-term view toward their careers. Among her latest deals: Joshua Bassett and Sofia Wylie, the two leads in new “High School Musical” for Disney+, and Olivia Welch and Benjamin Flores, who topline Fox’s upcoming “Fear Street” trilogy, plus Asher Angel’s role on “Shazam!” “We’re kind of this tiny operation that flies under the radar, and we are competing with big places with big resources, and time and time again we have clients that are getting great jobs,” says Urbani.
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Case Walker
Image Credit: Rob Flate Actor-Singer
Art is imitating life for Walker, 16, who plays Chase Dreams, a Justin Bieber-esque social-media star in a family of struggling actors on the Comedy Central series “The Other Two.” Like his character, Walker started making online videos at age 13, leading to his casting in the series on his first audition. “There’s actually a lot more differences than similarities and that’s been interesting to discover,” Walker says of the part. With a second season on order, Walker is working on his acting chops and showing off his musical talent. “I’d love to get into some really cool films and some really impactful stuff.”
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Maisie Williams
Image Credit: Shutterstock Actor
In the final season of “Game of Thrones,” Williams appeared in her first big battle sequence and sex scene as badass assassin Arya Stark. Both were daunting for Williams, who notes that Arya was her first role. “So much of what I know about this world is in Arya,” she says. “I know where my bar is now, and I don’t feel like I ever want to go any lower than that.” There’s a lot of pressure on her new role in the X-Men spin-off “The New Mutants,” which has been heavily delayed for re-shoots, much to Williams’ frustration. She’s also due to appear in the TV series “Two Weeks to Live” and U.K. thriller “The Owners,” about a burglary that goes wrong.
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Finn Wolfhard
Image Credit: Shimon Karmel Actor-Musician
The young multi-hyphenate had another busy year, earning him a spot on the list. Back this summer for the latest season of “Stranger Things,” Wolfhard returns for “It Chapter Two” next month, and has a starring role in the big-screen adaptation of “The Goldfinch.” Beyond that, he will star in the upcoming “Ghostbusters 2020,” and performs in the band Calpurnia. “I’m really into filmmaking and directing and I always have been,” the 16-year-old says. “So I’m hoping that one day I can direct something. I’ve been watching a lot of dramedy indies right now, so I’d love to create something like that.”
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Shahadi Wright Joseph
Image Credit: Geoff Levy Actor-Singer
Wright Joseph portrayed Zora Wilson and her antithesis, Umbrae, in Jordan Peele’s hit “Us,” and voices the young Nala in the reimagined “Lion King.” “There is always a little bit of pressure playing the younger version of Beyonce’s character,” she says. “I think that overall it was just really exciting. I really got to portray the character that I’ve known my whole life,” she tells Variety. “Hopefully, maybe in the future, I’ll be playing older Nala.”
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Zendaya
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety/Shutters Actor-Singer
From the Disney Channel’s Rocky Blue to drug-addicted Rue on HBO’s “Euphoria” — the series praised by none other than Leonardo DiCaprio as “amazing” — Zendaya has pulled off one of the more successful career transitions from child star and recording artist to serious actress. Case in point: co-starring with Tom Holland in a Marvel movie (“Spider-Man: Far From Home”) as well as a crime thriller (the upcoming “Finest Kind”), with the remake of “Dune,” opposite Timothee Chalamet, on the horizon.
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UP NEXT: Ian Alexander
Image Credit: Getty Images for Netflix Actor
The 17-year-old transgender actor doubled up for the second season of Netflix sci-fi series “The OA,” reprising the character of Buck while also playing Michelle, a version of Buck from an alternate dimension. Alexander helped shape the role, giving a deeply human and relatable face to the challenges trans individuals face, both inside and out, coming to terms with who they are.
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UP NEXT: Rhianne Barreto
Image Credit: Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Actor
The British actress won a Sundance special jury prize for her performance in “Share,” a movie about a teen whose sexual assault is captured on video; director Pippa Bianco originally intended to shoot it in New York but moved the production to Canada when Barreto was denied entry to the U.S. HBO picked it up for a late July debut. Barreto also plays a teen that the titular character befriends in Amazon’s small-screen adaptation of “Hanna.”
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UP NEXT: Julia Butters
Image Credit: Michael Buckner for Variety Actor
The series regular on “American Housewife” has drawn strong notices for her turn opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino’s ’60s Tinseltown odyssey “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” Butters plays a no-nonsense young actress imparting some much-needed encouragement as they work through a scene together. The 10-year-old, who has also worked on “Transparent” episodes, returns to “American Housewife” this fall.
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UP NEXT: Nell Tiger Free
Image Credit: Heidi Tappis Actor
Following her character’s demise on the “Game of Thrones,” the English actress joined the cast of Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Too Old to Die Young,” in which she plays Janey Carter, the teenage daughter of an overly-permissive billionaire (William Baldwin) in the dystopian drama. Next up: a role on M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV series.
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UP NEXT: Noah Jupe
Image Credit: Sundholm Magnus/Action Press/Shutterstock Actor
Since drawing attention for his nonverbal work on John Krasinski’s post-apocalyptic “A Quiet Place,” Jupe has played the younger version of Lucas Hedges’ character in “Honey Boy” and shared the screen with Christian Bale in James Mangold’s “Ford v. Ferrari.” He’s currently shooting “A Quiet Place 2.”
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UP NEXT: Nico Parker
Image Credit: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock Actor
The 14-year-old British actress made quite a splash with her acting debut in Tim Burton’s “Dumbo” remake. The youngest daughter of “Westworld” star Thandie Newton and writer-director Ol Parker, she trained as a dancer at Ballet Black Dance Academy in London and was a gymnast before landing the role in “Dumbo.”
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UP NEXT: Stephen Puth
Image Credit: Sony Music Musician
Now Puth knows just how Solange felt: It’s hard enough to make a name for yourself in the music industry, let alone when your older sibling is already a household name. Still, the co-signs don’t hurt. Like big brother Charlie, 25-year-old singer-songwriter Stephen posted songs on YouTube, and while he didn’t blow up as a viral sensation, he scored a record contract with Arista last year and is well-positioned to break in 2019.
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UP NEXT: Mason Ramsey
Image Credit: Nick Swift Musician
The 12-year-old already had clout when his yodeling cover of Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues” outside a Walmart went viral — catapulting a 70-year-old song to the No. 3 position on Spotify. It wasn’t long before Ellen DeGeneres came calling; appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and Coachella followed. He even became a featured vocalist on the remix for Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.” Now signed to Big Loud/Atlantic Records, he’s released a debut single, the appropriately themed “Famous,” and an EP (“Twang”). Ramsey’s mantra for music and life? “Being true to be who you are without people judging you,” he says. “Never change for anyone or to fit in.”
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UP NEXT: Angourie Rice
Image Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Actor
Rice proved her mettle as one of the few people worthy of knowing Spider-Man’s secret identity, playing Betty Brandt in “Far From Home.” And earlier this year she teamed up with Miley Cyrus in the “Black Mirror” finale “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” portraying a super fan who mounts an operation to rescue her favorite pop star from an overbearing manager.
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UP NEXT: Diana Silvers
Image Credit: Courtesy of Diana Silvers Actor
The 21-year-old IMG model made her movie debut in a flashy supporting role in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” earlier this year, and then fulfilled that promise with two more well-received performances; first, she played Hope in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, “Booksmart,” and then she appeared opposite Octavia Spencer in Blumhouse/Universal’s horror film “Ma.” Next, she will be seen in the Voltage Pictures thriller “Eve” opposite Jessica Chastain and Colin Farrell.
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UP NEXT: Zhavia
Image Credit: Sophiehighroller Musician
Zhavia came on the radar as a finalist on the Fox show “The Four,” but she earned major clout when former One Direction star Zayn Malik hand-picked the dreadlocked 18-year-old as his duet partner for “A Whole New World” from the “Aladdin” soundtrack. She followed the Disney track with a well-received EP, “17,” which was released through Columbia Records. It contained the autobiographical title track and fan favorite “Candlelight,” all of which has helped boost her well-rooted base.