The 10 Hottest New Music Acts of 2014
Music

'Fancy' raptress Iggy Azalea, singer/songwriter Meghan Trainor and Australian four-piece 5 Seconds of Summer are among the brightest rising stars of 2014.

AceShowbiz - With 2015 is fast approaching, AceShowbiz returns with its list of 10 hottest new stars who amazed the world with their talents in the past 12 months. These artists, mostly are teens and in their early 20s, managed to rule the charts and and took home prestigious awards at various prize-giving events while facing tough competitions with already-established acts in the game.

Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith, 5 Seconds of Summer and Meghan Trainor are all among the names who get highlighted for having proven themselves the hottest acts on the rise right now. Already off to a good start this year, they are expected to keep up the great work and continue to shine in the coming years.

Bobby Shmurda

Bobby Shmurda is one of the artists who started off being an internet sensation. Earlier this year, the rapper posted on YouTube a video for "Hot N***a". One part of the video sees him breaking into what he calls "Shmoney Dance" that got popular after being performed by some A-listers including Beyonce Knowles and Drake.

Thanks in part to the dance, "Hot N***a" also went viral. It reached No. 6 on Billboard Hot 100 and was remixed by Junior Reid, Mavado, Popcaan and Jah X as well as by Chris Brown, Fabolous, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes. Amid his legal troubles, Shmurda is readying his debut album that's scheduled for 2015 via Epic Records.

Tove Lo

Swedish singer Tove Lo entered the music business as a writer for fellow artists like Adam Lambert, Icona Pop and Girls Aloud before launching her own solo career. She made her breakthrough after putting out her second single "Habits" last year. The song was later re-released under the title "Habits (Stay High)" and soared to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100, making Lo the highest-charting Swedish artist on that chart since "The Sign" by Ace of Base peaked at No. 1 in 1994.

"Habits" also has an official remix by Hippie Sabotage. The version, alternatively titled "Stay High", performed even better on charts in countries across the world. It peaked at No. 13 on Swedish singles chart and reached the top 10 in Norway, the Netherlands, France, the U.K. and Australia.

Shawn Mendes

Shawn Mendes has become one of the most talked-about young musicians in the industry, thanks in huge part to a brief clip he posted on Vine a year ago. The six-second clip that changed his life is actually very simple, featuring him singing with guitar in hand. It quickly went viral and he later found himself getting signed to Island Records.

Mendes' first project with the label was his self-titled debut EP that hit No. 1 on iTunes in just 37 minutes. The set is led by the hit "Life of the Party" which also topped iTunes in only hours. Selling 100,000 copies on its first day, the track reached the top 25 on Billboard Hot 100, making 16-year-old Mendes the youngest artist to break the top 25 with a debut single.

Hozier

The success of Ireland native Andrew Hozier-Byrnes, who performs under the mononym Hozier, happened really fast. It all started in late 2013, when he caught people's attention with the music video for his breakthrough single "Take Me to Church". The black-and-white cinematic clip centering on a gay couple who's subjected to violence was released amid chaos over Russia's anti-gay legislation and quickly went viral.

Since then, Hozier's career in music industry has progressed well. He appeared at several music festivals, made his debut appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and saw "Take Me to Church" soaring high on charts including Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 2.

Jhene Aiko

Jhene Aiko has been in the industry for a while, beginning her career as an associate of group B2K in early 2000s. However, she finally began making a name for herself in 2013, following the arrival of her "Sail Out (EP)" and her appearance on Drake's "Nothing Was the Same" album. She shone brighter this year. Her debut album "Souled Out" was released in September and landed directly at No. 3 on Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Billboard's R'n'B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

To promote her releases, Aiko toured with Drake, serving as an opener on his "Would you Like a Tour?" tour before embarking on her own headlining tour with SZA, Willow Smith and The Internet serving as supporting acts. Adding feats to her list of achievements, the 26-year-old performer recently received Grammy nominations including Best R&B Song for "The Worst" and Best Urban Contemporary Album four "Sail Out".

Charli XCX

It's time for Charli XCX to become a star in her own right. Writing Icona Pop's "I Love It" and adding her vocals to it in 2012 and later singing the catchy hook on Iggy Azalea's "Fancy", the British beauty claimed her place on the charts as a featuring artist until recently, when her "Boom Clap" arrived. The track, which appears on her second album "Sucker" as well as on the soundtrack of "The Fault in Our Stars", peaked at No. 8 on Billboard Hot 100 and became Charli's first solo record to land within the chart's top 10.

For her works, Charli was nominated for Artist to Watch at MTV Video Music Awards, Best New Act at MTV Europe Music Awards and Beakthrough Artist of the Year at People's Choice Awards among others. Recently, she's honored with Hitmaker of the Year title at the Billboard Women in Music Event.

Meghan Trainor

Unique and fun are probably the best words to describe Meghan Trainor's style. First entering the music scene as a songwriter for other artists including Rascal Flatts and Common Kings, the 21-year-old singer shot to stardom after releasing her debut single "All About That Bass" earlier this year.

The upbeat and catchy song was inspired by Trainor's own body image issue. Despite being criticized for allegedly shaming skinny girls, it ruled Billboard Hot 100 for multiple weeks. It also earned Trainor nominations in Favorite Song, Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer is unarguably one of the hottest groups in the world right now. The Australian four-piece consisting of Ashton Irwin, Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood and Michael Clifford, who started gaining international fame after joining One Direction's "Take Me Home" tour last year, became a household name after they came with their worldwide debut single "She Looks So Perfect" earlier this year.

Other singles like "Don't Stop" and "Amnesia" that arrived later have been just as great. In the past few months, the dudes released an EP which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard 200 and their self-titled debut LP which did even better on the chart, landing directly at No. 1. They capped off their big year with their first live album "LIVESOS"

Sam Smith

Dubbed the male version of Adele, the incredibly talented Sam Smith first stole the hearts of millions when he's featured on Disclosure's breakthrough hit "Latch" in 2012. He then reached international success earlier this year with his smashing hit "Stay With Me". The song, which he performed when he made his debut appearance on "Saturday Night Live" back in March, topped the singles chart in the U.K. and peaked within the top 10 of U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

"Stay With Me" comes from Smith's critically-acclaimed debut album "In the Lonely Hour", which reached No. 2 on Billboard 200. The song is now being nominated for three Grammys including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Its parent album, meanwhile, is nominated for two awards including the coveted Album of the Year. Smith is additionally up for the Best New Artist title.

Iggy Azalea

This year was a big one for Iggy Azalea. As everyone has known, she's not a new face in the game, but she took the music industry by storm when her single "Fancy" became a viral success. Featuring a catchy hook by British singer Charli XCX, the track from Azalea's debut album "The New Classic" spent multiple weeks atop Billboard Hot 100. Around the same time, the Australian native also entered the chart's top 10 with her Rita Ora-asssited "Black Widow" and her collaboration with Ariana Grande, "Problem".

Following the massive success of her singles, Azalea earned a handful of nominations and won numerous trophies at several prestigious awards shows this year including the American Music Awards, where she won the title of Favorite Artist in Rap/Hip-Hop and her album was named Favorite Album in Rap/Hip-Hop. She's also nominated in multiple categories like Best New Artist and Record of the Year for "Fancy" at the upcoming Grammy Awards.

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