Variety’s 2023 Young Hollywood Impact Report: Lily Rose-Depp, Ice Spice, Jenna Ortega and More

Alcock, 23, describes playing young Rhaenyra Targaryen in “House of the Dragon” as an “incredibly terrifying, exciting, wonderful and weird” experience. Known previously for roles in Australian series “Upright” or horror film “The School,” Alcock was eager to take on the “fun and complex” Targaryen princess. “I enjoyed playing her coming into her power and strength — and overcoming the hurdle of being a child and being given a seat at the table.” In December, she received a Critics’ Choice Television Award nom for supporting actress in a drama, and recently made her professional stage debut at London’s National Theatre playing Abigail Williams in “The Crucible.”

Amarteifio, 21, reveled in the opportunity to play young Queen Charlotte in Netflix’s “Bridgerton” prequel, “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” embodying the character’s headstrong nature and love for King George (Corey Mylchreest) as he struggled with mental health issues. She researched the historic character played by Golda Rosheuvel as the more mature queen in “Bridgerton” — “needed to nerd out a bit,” she says — “but then I forgot what I read straight away as the script became bible.” Lessons she hopes viewers learned from the Shonda Rhimes production: “unconditional love is real and that a problem shared is a problem halved … most of the time.” Mylchreest played a challenging role with great sensitivity, showing young King George’s attraction to his wife and private struggles with mental health — all with the eyes of a nation upon him. It was the first leading role for Mylchreest, who appeared in an episode of “The Sandman” before his performance opposite India Amarteifio in the “Bridgerton” prequel, which juxtaposes his younger King George with glimpses of the elder royal (James Fleet). “The series in itself is like a different beast,” he says. “It feels like ‘Bridgerton’ but it has maybe darker moments to it, and it’s a little bit grittier.”   

Bizarrap, born Gonzalo Julián Conde in Argentina, is the 24-year-old EDM producer behind the staggeringly popular YouTube music series, “BZRP Music Sessions.” Those sessions, filmed and recorded in Biza’s home studio in Spain, have become prestigious benchmarks for rising Latin trap artists and have gone on to attract huge stars such as Shakira, Rauw Alejandro and Skrillex, as well as rising star Peso Pluma. In 2023, Biza and Shakira’s “Session #53” hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, marking Bizarrap’s first major radio hit in the United States, and the two performed it live on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Cain may have started off as a singer-songwriter, but the 25-year-old wants to do it all: make a film, write a book and, of course, keep making music. Growing up in a Southern Baptist family, Christian songs and horror films equally influenced Cain, and it shows. Her ethereal debut album, “Preacher’s Daughter,” set her on a straight shot to indie stardom. Though her aspirations are big, Cain likens her current perch to a “nice little encampment across the moat outside the castle walls of the music industry. Until I can figure out how to manage Level 2, let’s hold off on heading to Level 3.”  

The irrepressible younger sister in Netflix’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy got a spinoff series, “XO, Kitty,” from author-turned-showrunner Jenny Han, and to make things even more challenging for the actor that plays her, it was set far from home in South Korea and filmed amid COVID restrictions. “I have been acting since I was a kid, but this project required me to relearn many aspects of the industry,” says Cathcart, 20. “It proved to me that I’m more capable than I might realize.” Among her hopes for Season 2: “A musical episode because, c’mon, how great would that be?” 

“When I figured out that acting was a job where I didn’t have to play a sport, I thought, ‘This is a no-brainer,’” says 18-year-old Champion, who “never had the motivation to catch a ball or run into an end zone.” But after landing the role of Spider in three “Avatar” movies at age 12, he was told, “‘You need to have  more muscles.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, shit,’” the “Avatar: The Way of Water” actors laughs. Teen fans who made his “Scream VI” a hit aren’t complaining. Up next: two ’80s-set indies, “Freaky Tales” and “Everything’s Going to Be Great,” plus the actioner “Retribution.” His motto? “Just pursue what you love.”

The 19-year-old DannyLux brought a new wave of Mexican music to the Coachella stage earlier this year, a major milestone for the singer-songwriter, a Desert Hot Springs native. “After the year I’ve had, I’m not going to lie — I do feel a bit of pressure when it comes to evolving my sound because I always want to be better,” he says. “I want to make sure that every song I make is better than the last.” He is expected to release his first full-length album soon (“we’re almost finished with it — it’s been so emotional”) and hopes to one day start a record label.   

“M3GAN,” the hit horror movie about a murderous AI robot was a sensation earlier this year, and the two actors that portrayed her each brought their own talents to the character. New Zealand native Donald, 13, drew on her extensive dance background while creating the robot’s distinctive moves. “I was able to make use of my flexibility in some scenes and, of course, with the M3GAN dance,” says Donald, who can also be seen in Netflix’s “Sweet Tooth” as Maya. “It’s not every day you get to play an AI killer doll.” Davis, 19, meanwhile, lent M3GAN her voice. “I didn’t want to portray a traditional monotone robot, as I was afraid that would be boring to the ear,” says the actor-singer-YouTube star. “Therefore, I decided to make her an AI with dry humor, sass and personality.” Her debut single, titled “DiCaprio,” from her upcoming EP will drop Aug. 11 and is co-written by Walker Hayes and Kelsea Ballerini and produced by Ross Copperman.  

No matter how much the rest of “The Idol” may have divided viewers, they understood the febrile talent of Depp early on: in one unbroken take, the 24-year-old actor cycles through a panorama of emotions as effortlessly as her pop-star character does costume changes. Star-making in more ways than one, the role capitalizes on the versatility she’s already demonstrated thus far in horror and romantic comedies (“Yoga Hosers,” “A Faithful Man”), period pieces (“The King”) and sci-fi films (“Voyagers”) — soon to be followed by Robert Eggers’ upcoming remake of F.W. Murnau’s German Expressionist classic “Nosferatu.”

Needing songs to soundtrack streaming clips, budding gamer d4vd — pronounced “David” — decided to record his own. Armed with an iPhone and headphones, the 18-year-old decamped to his sister’s closet and got to work. “I never went to studios, recorded on a real microphone or had an engineer,” he says. The Texan’s DIY tunes soon gained traction online and he landed hits with “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me.” The full breadth of his artistry is captured on 2023’s “Petals to Thorns” EP, which documents the cycle of a relationship. Up next: “I’m working on a jazz project, a rock project and maybe even a rap project.”   

The Netflix hit “Ginny & Georgia,” starring Gentry and Mallard, both 25, has been hailed for tackling mental health issues. “There is a character for everyone to relate to,” says Gentry. “It also encourages real conversations between friends and family about mental health, sexuality and social issues prevalent in real life.” Mallard was drawn to the character by sharp dialogue and storytelling “utilizing traditional character tropes, i.e., ‘New girl at school meets bad boy next door,’ and subverting them in a way that creates space for a very honest dialogue about such issues as mental health, race, sexuality and toxic masculinity.” Beyond upcoming projects “The Upside of Falling Down” and “Time Cut,” Gentry would “love to write my own material or direct someday.” Mallard has a role in the film adaptation of John Green’s “Turtles All the Way Down” on tap.  

Memphis rapper GloRilla catapulted to TikTok stardom in 2022 with the raucous party anthem “F.N.F. (Let’s Go).” That linkup with rising producer Hitkidd crossed over to radio, hit platinum sales and earned the 23-year-old her first Grammy nomination for rap performance. And it was only the beginning. The hits continued to pile up in 2023 — among them the Cardi B-assisted “Tomorrow 2,” which cracked the Top 10 — as GloRilla rolled out her debut major-label project “Anyway, Life’s Great” to critical acclaim. Collaborations with Moneybagg Yo and Lil Durk followed, underlining her esteem in rap’s female hierarchy.  

With a pivotal role in the blockbuster “Barbie,” Greenblatt’s career is really taking off. Earlier this year, the 15-year-old, who’s been acting since she was 7, starred opposite Adam Driver in sci-fi feature “65,” and has another potential global hit on deck in “Borderlands,” the adaptation of the video game from Eli Roth and Crag Mazin. In “Barbie,” Greenblatt’s Sasha, daughter of the film’s America Ferrera, goes from surly teen with anti-capitalist, post-feminist principles to hero teen with principles intact. “I didn’t know much about what it would actually be, but I just knew Greta [Gerwig] was involved with it, and that’s the only thing I needed to hear to put my life into the audition,” she told WWD earlier this year.

The 21-year-old, who previously starred as the title character in “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway, connected with the introverted Percy in this summer’s “No Hard Feelings.” “I was laughing my butt off reading the script,” the native New Yorker says. “And the opportunity to work with Jennifer Lawrence is nothing to scoff at.” A musician, he did the arrangement of “Maneater” in the film, and up next is a concert of “Rent” with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., which he calls “a bucket list moment.” He’s also finishing up an album. “I don’t know why anyone gets into this business unless it’s to tell and share stories,” he says.  

You might have seen Hacker on Netflix’s reality series “Hype House,” chronicling the lives of digital creators in a TikTok content house, but Hacker — who has 15.5 million followers on TikTok alone — is seeking to redefine himself. He’s released music, modeled for brands like Ami and has his eye on acting. Though he doesn’t mind when people refer to him as an influencer or digital creator, the 21-year-old tells Variety that he wants to “push past” that label: “I do want to move away from just being like an influencer. I want to be something more than that, because it feels like that’s not something that can stay there forever.”

Hawke has an enthusiasm that’s contagious, and for good reason. This year she sang a cover of Samia’s “Honey” in addition to acting in “Asteroid City” and upcoming biopic “Maestro.” The daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, now 25, got into Juilliard, but left after her first job ran over schedule. Yet she has kept learning: Wes Anderson showed her “how to make radical, beautiful art and take care of everyone while you do it,” and her “Stranger Things” directors the Duffer brothers taught her about humor, though she “never saw myself as being funny.” She nabbed rights to Flannery O’Connor’s stories and life to star in, then brought her dad Toronto premiere “Wildcat” to direct, and soon stars with her mom in “The Kill Room.”

Ice Spice, 23, skyrocketed to stardom following the release of her debut EP, “Like..?,” in 2023. Her highly quotable bars and princess persona have left a heavy imprint on the New York rap scene. Since arriving with her viral hit “Munch” and “Bikini Bottom” in 2022, Ice Spice has gone on to collaborate with superstars like Nicki Minaj and even Taylor Swift. Her latest and second collaboration with Minaj appears on the “Barbie” movie soundtrack and she’s also set to open for Doja Cat’s North American tour this fall.  

To say that music runs in Joy’s veins is no understatement: Her grandparents founded gospel group the Savettes, while her father toured with gospel great Andraé Crouch. But Joy, 23, discovered an affinity for jazz. “What speaks to me most about jazz is its authenticity,” she says. “The authenticity of those who established the genre and relentlessly poured their creative genius into every musical endeavor.” That respect shone through on Joy’s standards-filled debut album, “Linger Awhile,” which netted her Grammys for new artist and jazz album. Since then, she has gone viral with Beyoncé and Adele covers. But don’t expect her to make a crossover any time soon. “I don’t think I ever will, but who knows?”   

With its quasi-rapped verses and booming, piano-driven chorus, Jvke’s “Golden Hour” ranks as one of 2023’s unlikeliest top 10 hits. The genre-blurring artist has been working toward this moment his whole life. “I’ve been playing music since I started piano lessons at 3 years old,” the Rhode Island native says. “It’s taken me 20 years to get here, most people only saw the tail end of that.” TikTok has been key to Jvke’s ascent, but it comes with its own set of challenges. “The time of artists just being able to think like artists is over,” he says. “We now have to be marketing experts, business-oriented, content creators, technology minded and proficient.”   

Kaliii, 23, suddenly found herself at the forefront of female rap movement after her empowerment anthem “Area Codes” blew up on TikTok. She insists it wasn’t intentional — “When I’m in the studio, I’m not thinking about going viral,” she says. “I’m having fun.” However, when it took off, she cleverly promoted it with a series of remixes featuring rappers from — fittingly enough — different area codes. “Everybody is lit in their own city,” the Atlanta hitmaker says. “I just wanted to help the song grow.” Her star rose far and fast enough to land her a spot on the “Barbie” soundtrack as a featured guest on Fifty Fifty’s song “Barbie Dreams.” “It’s crazy,” Kaliii says. “I played with Barbies growing up. She never had to wear anything twice.”  

Vancouver native LaBelle, who played Steven Spielberg’s alter ego in “The Fabelmans,” learned from fellow Canadian and co-star Seth Rogen. “‘You don’t have to do a fucking thing that guy says,’” Rogen advised when a photographer asked him to do something strange. “It taught me to stand up for myself [and] protected me from a lot of potential bullshit and stress.” He also learned from Spielberg (“an incredible role model”), Jon Bernthal (helping him get into the role they shared on “American Gigolo”) and his actor dad, Rob, who “showed me set etiquette and normalized the vocation for me.” Up next: coming-of-age comedy “The Snack Shack” and maybe writing-directing, but no social media: “It’s bad for you. Delete your accounts!”

Lillis, 21, admits she had a bit of an edge over her castmates in “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” after having played D&D in high school. The star of movies such as “It” and “I Am Not Okay With This” was excited to play Tiefling druid Doric. “Doing stunts with horns, elf ears and a corset was also a fun challenge,” says Lillis, who also appears in Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” The young actor names Olivia Colman and Sally Hawkins as thesps she admires. “They bring so much to their roles whether it’s the principal role or they’re on screen for five minutes,” Lillis says.

When TikTok star Martinez-Reid joined the platform in 2019, “it was not cool. I was dating someone on the app, and that was a red flag. I thought, ‘You have to break up with this guy!’” Instead, the aspiring actor from Toronto became the “Bomanizer,” making TikTok cool by enlisting friends and family to reenact mundane situations as reality show parodies. Today he’s garnered two million followers, signed with CAA and is working with Canadian broadcaster Bell Media on an upcoming original series. “One day I want to be an actor, the next day a rapper,” says Martinez-Reid, 25, citing Donald Glover as a role model. “I want to play characters that are beyond myself and tell stories in the most dramatic way.”

Maxwell, 21, made her screen debut with HBO Max’s teen drama “Generation,” and has since starred on Apple TV+ series “Shrinking.” Maxwell’s goal in playing the grounded Alice, daughter to Jason Segel’s grieving therapist on the show, was to balance out the comedy from her co-stars. Easier said than done, apparently. “I think the most challenging and enjoyable moments were when I completely failed to do either of the aforementioned, and broke character because my scene partners were so damn funny. Try watching Jason Segel, Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford improv and not laugh. It’s simply not possible.” Up next for Maxwell is the Blumhouse horror film “They Listen.”

Myers captured hearts with her portrayal of Enid in Netflix’s smash success “Wednesday” opposite Jenna Ortega. Now the actor, who will appear alongside Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms and Rita Moreno in the movie “Family Leave” this winter, has her sights set on her next role: teen detective Pippa Fitz-Amobi in BBC Three’s upcoming series “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” based on the young adult novel by Holly Jackson. “Pip is such a strong person and her character arc throughout the book has lots of depth,” the 21-year-old actor says. “I’m really excited to portray that on screen. I want to do her justice.”

Nahapetian will never forget his time in a moving coffin, at age 7, watching Lady Gaga. “It was so cool seeing her perform,” he says of the “American Horror Story: Hotel” teaser shoot, his first professional job. It may have prepared the 16-year-old Huntington Beach native to play a young version of Joaquin Phoenix’s shell-shocked character in the nightmarish “Beau Is Afraid.” “I watched ‘Parenthood’ to get a feel for him as a child but based it a lot on me — I’m very serious and pretty anxious,” he says. “Joaquin told me my self-tapes inspired a lot of his version of Beau.” Nahapetian hopes to study acting at NYU, write, direct, help clean the ocean “and if I could die an actor, that’d be amazing.”

The buzzy Showtime hit “Yellowjackets” offers some of the juiciest roles for young actors around, and Nélisse and Thatcher were standouts in Season 2, handling complex characters and explosive storylines. Nélisse, 23, loves the fact that the Emmy-nominated drama explores womanhood in ways “that we don’t tend to see that much on TV,” noting that it shows “sides that aren’t so pretty, that aren’t perfect — that women can get mad and can be jealous and do terrible things.” Thatcher, 22, applauds recent projects that “explore the nuances of a woman’s experience and point of view,” but maintains that more gains are needed for women in Hollywood. “What concerns me more is the lack of representation behind the camera,” she says. “I think the number was like 14% of movies distributed in 2022 were directed by women. 14%! That number makes me question how far we’ve really come as an industry.” Both actors would like to write and direct. “I’ve written a few scripts now, and once I have a little break, I can’t wait to dig into them and get them on their feet,” says Thatcher. Nélisse, who also wants to create her own projects, is pursuing rights to a book to produce a screen adaptation.

“Wednesday” earned Ortega her first Emmy nomination, but her resume includes upcoming projects “Finestkind” directed by Brian Helgeland, “Miller’s Girl” opposite Martin Freeman, Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice” reboot and A24 film “Death of a Unicorn” opposite Paul Rudd. Busy as she has been, the 20-year-old has still faced challenges: “Being a young woman in the industry, people don’t take you as seriously,” she says. “I’ve had insane conversations where I stay in my place because I’m just an actor. You become a puppet. But the most beautiful experiences that I’ve had have always been the ones where everyone’s voice is heard.” That’s why she’s taking matters into her own hands in “Wednesday” Season 2. In the credits, you’ll see the name “Jenna Ortega” listed not only in the title role, but as executive producer.

The 20-year-old Ugandan Canadian actor starred in Disney+’s hit ‘Hocus Pocus 2” and HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” reboot, the latter of which featured a diverse cast. She also became the first Black woman to be the face of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle fragrance. “Initially I doubted myself, thinking, ‘Why me?’,” she admits. But learning more about the brand “made it a little easier to sit with myself and take the pressure off a bit, recognize what it is that means, and to hope that somewhere out there it might inspire someone to look further than the proverbial box they’ve been put in.”  

With 7.7 million followers on TikTok, Ponton just celebrated her second year as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, a dream since she was 12 years old. “Being around strong women who lead by example is so inspiring — it’s an opportunity I hope everyone has the chance to experience at some point during their career.” Ponton has also worked with brands such as American Eagle, Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Paco Rabanne and more. “There is indeed a new ‘generation’ of creatives that is truly redefining the norm, and I’m blessed to be a part of that grouping and to be able to influence the impact they ultimately have on the industry,” the 20-year-old says.

From their breakout role as Lyanna Mormont on “Game of Thrones” to their Emmy-nominated role on “The Last of Us,” Ramsey, 19, has proven their penchant for playing confident characters with no-nonsense attitudes — likely because Ramsey is just as self-assured in real life. Responding to backlash over queer storylines in “The Last of Us,” Ramsey told GQ UK magazine, “If you don’t want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character, that’s on you, and you’re missing out. It isn’t gonna make me afraid. I think that comes from a place of defiance.” 

Saying goodbye to Devi and “Never Have I Ever” was a challenge for Ramakrishnan, who felt pressure to stick the landing on Netflix’s coming-of-age series co-created by Mindy Kaling. “It didn’t hit me that it was the last season until maybe the last two weeks of filming,” says Ramakrishnan, 21, who had never acted professionally before landing the lead role as exuberant Devi in the series. “I know this isn’t the end for me in acting and that there are so many amazing things that await in my future,” she says. “Devi will always be an amazing beginning to my career.”

The 23-year-old Rapp launched her career playing Regina George in Broadway’s “Mean Girls.” Fast-forward four years, and Rapp has a successful Max show (“Sex Lives of College Girls,” which she’ll depart during Season 3) and EP under her belt. Next, she will reprise her role as Regina in Paramount’s “Mean Girls” movie musical and release her debut album, “Snow Angel,” on Aug. 18. “This album is a big step in my maturity as a human being and as a young woman,” she says. “It means so much to me, and I hope that it means that much to other people, too.”  

“My butt is getting too fat to be on a phone screen,” Rock tells Variety. The beauty and fashion content creator with 18.7 million followers on Instagram, Rock, 24, quickly drew an audience with his humor and charisma. He’s been on the cover of Playboy, Gay Times and Vogue Philippines, launched eyewear and makeup collections and written a book, “You’re That Bitch: & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself.” But now he has his eye on the big screen: “The Imax of it all, the 3D of it all, the TV screen… Honestly, I’m tired of being in your phones.”

The 24-year-old Spanish actor gained global fame in the Netflix blockbuster series “Elite,” garnering 11 million Instagram followers. His latest project, Pedro Almodóvar’s queer Western, “Strange Way of Life,” starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke, made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival. During production on the short film, “I spent a lot of time with Pedro,” Ríos told Variety. “It was pretty hot because we shot in the desert in the south of Spain, so it was a lot of time without doing anything and just talking. He’s a really funny guy. It was so much fun.” Next up: “Respira,” from “Elite” co-creator Carlos Montero. 

After graduating from USC and working as a private chef, Rowe found her calling with a specific niche of TikTok — doing impressions of different film tropes. Poking fun at manic pixie dream girls and female superheroes written by men has amassed Rowe over 2 million followers, while showing off her acting and writing chops. “It’s not like I’m doing it with a wink-wink sensibility,” Rowe says of her videos, which are often filmed in one take. “I’m doing it deadly seriously, as though I’m filming a self-taped audition.” Despite their tongue-in-cheek nature, Rowe’s videos have led to interactions with “some really insane directors” and culminated in her first role in a feature film, “The List.”  

Not many actors make as impressive a film debut as Ryder did in the 2020 drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” Fewer have her luck: after the young dancer saw “Matilda” at age 12, she nabbed her first job in the Broadway musical. “I didn’t consider it acting — the dancing and show inspired me,” Ryder, 20, says. “It was a dream to do everything at once.” Following parts in films including “West Side Story,” she’s coming full circle as a ballerina in “Joika.” She’s directed a music video, hopes to do more choreography and looks for interesting roles, like her impressionable protagonist in Cannes film “The Sweet East” and a GameStop stock buyer in “Dumb Money,” headed for Toronto. 

Shane, aka @octopusslover8, blew up on TikTok with his hilarious enactments of absurd prompts provided by his followers. Skits based on comments like “Mary telling Joseph she’s pregnant” and “the first phone call ever” have been viewed millions of times, catapulting the 23-year-old to more than 2.3 million followers on the app. In March, Shane signed with talent agency WME, and plans to pursue a career in acting and comedy. “There is nothing I love more than making people laugh and embodying different characters in front of an audience,” Shane says. And his followers love it, too — including celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, who DMed him after he came up on her feed. The two hung out the next day, posting several videos together. “I was like, ‘What the fuck is happening?’” he says.

The 22-year-old UCLA student and “Dance Moms” alumna juggles studies, advocacy and a burgeoning entertainment career. “I started voting advocacy my senior year of high school, because I was 18, and a first-time voter,” says Sioux, who has 16 million followers on social media and works with the Biden-Harris team on initiatives concerning climate change and voting rights. “And I always remembered my parents telling me how important it was to vote, that’s your biggest weapon. Our ancestors weren’t able to vote.” She executive produced and hosted Facebook Watch’s “Dancing With Nia” and starred with Sheri Shepherd in “Imperfect High.” She also appeared as the lead in the indie “Lady of the Lake.”  

The Netflix hit series “Firefly Lane,” based on the bestselling books, tells the story of the deep friendship between Tully and Kate through decades of friendship. Skovbye, 21, plays the teenage version of Katherine Heigl’s adult Tully with remarkable synchronicity. She met with Heigl before shooting began, and during production, Skovbye and Roan Curtis, 26, who plays teen Kate, watched the dailies that Heigl and Sarah Chalke (adult Kate) shot, and vice-versa. “We were able to pick up certain mannerisms or ways of saying things and be able to bring it into our storyline as well.” The young actors are friendly off-screen as well. “We still talk every single day,” Skovbye says.  

Scoring one of the biggest hits of the year would come as a surprise to most rising artists, but Toosii didn’t blink when “Favorite Song” went mega-viral. “I was prepared for this moment before I even got to this moment,” he says. “I’ve been moving like a celebrity for the longest.” Toosii, 23, certainty comes from ironclad self-belief and a willingness to leverage virality by way of sped-up and slowed-down versions as well as star-studded remixes. The first overhaul featured Khalid (“I wanted to tap into the pop world”), while Future lent a verse to the second iteration. “In 2028, I’ll be one of the biggest artists in the world.”   

Tung first broke out with her role as Belly Conklin in Season 1 of Prime Video series “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” which debuted in 2022 and is finishing Season 2 later this month. Prior to being cast in the role, Tung had never acted professionally for film or TV. “There’s definitely a new pressure given the fact that I am more of a public figure now, which is hard to navigate sometimes,” she says. “But I have an incredible family, incredible parents, incredible friends who have been there for me. … Having them on my side has made everything so easy and lovely.”

The 19-year-old Underwood broke out in 2020’s “Little Fires Everywhere” and is now starring in hit series “Cruel Summer.” “Isabella is complex and so layered, it’s rare that a role like this for a young artist comes around,” says Underwood, who has several projects in pre-production through her shingle and is writing a YA book for Scholastic. Underwood also uses her voice to advocate for issues around HIV, gun control, mental health, racism and abortion rights. “I am constantly inspired by my generation and strongly feel that if you have something you want to speak up on, use your voice.”  

With two massive hits — “Fall in Love” and “Rock and a Hard Place” — and a top 10 album, Zimmerman is the breakthrough country artist of the past year. He also belongs to the genre’s new wave of hitmakers who got their start on TikTok. “Without social media, I don’t know where I’d be,” the 23-year-old says. There’s a caveat, however. “Going viral helps kick off a song, but if you’re writing good songs and working hard, they have a much better chance” of charting. Zimmerman is open to broadening his sonic horizons. “Genre lines have become even more blurred,” he says. “I’m excited to get to explore all avenues of music.”