Take Justin Bieber: He’s 17, has released three platinum efforts, earned Grammy nominations, released a top-selling movie and has sold out arenas around the world, putting him in the elite echelon of pop superstars.
But Bieber isn’t the only young singer blazing the charts and outdoing his elders. Scotty McCreery was crowned “American Idol” champion this year and last month, the now 18-year-old became the youngest male to have his debut album open at No. 1 on Billboard’s 200 albums chart.
Eleven-year-old Jackie Evancho has sold more than 1.5 million copies of her Christmas EP and her debut album, and has another Christmas project on the way; Willow Smith had grown people dancing in the clubs with her song “Whip My Hair”; and even 14-year-old Rebecca Black, though heavily ridiculed, had a viral hit with her song and music video “Friday.”
Taylor Swift was only 16 when she released her 2006 self-titled, now multiplatinum debut. The country star believes young performers shouldn’t be boxed into a “kids” category.
“I think an artist represents a certain thing that is all their own, and their age doesn’t really have too much to do with it, in my opinion,” the 21-year-old said.
Bieber, who came on the scene in 2009, knows fame can be fleeting, so he advises newcomers to “make sure you hold on to it and make sure you remember why you’re in this position and not get lost in yourself.”
Here’s a look at three emerging acts poised to follow in Bieber and Swift’s footsteps.
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