Musically-Inclined Opinon: Billboards Hottest 21 Under 21 of 2013

This year has been a great year for music. It seemed as though almost every minute, a new artist was emerging into the buzzing industry, and then automatically moving to the top of the music charts. I thought it would be interesting to go through the list of the 21 new artists of Billboard, and give my opinion on the list. 2013's list includes familiar names including One Direction, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.
I hope you enjoy and possibly agree with my opinions on these potential and for some, already successful artists. I will also be including the opinions of my mom and dad who know a little bit about the current music scene.
In case you aren't familiar with this yearly list, go to Billboard to read all about it. There are a few artists that I did leave out due to my limited knowledge on their music and careers.

1. One Direction
One Direction is a British boy-band consisting of 1 Irish and 4 English boys. Their hit songs include What Makes You Beautiful, Kiss You, Story of My Life and several others. I honestly think that One Direction is a great band. I'm not just saying this because they are handsome and have English accents, (though that is admittedly, one factor to my Directioner spirit...) but I also believe that they are quite down-to-earth.
Sure, 4 of the 5 members have tattoos they'll one day regret, but they haven't been peeing in buckets and cursing at the paparazzi, either. Even with their success throughout the globe, there have hardly been any news of bad decisions or stupid mistakes from the boys.
"For being in the spotlight and having as much fame and money as they have, they seem to be pretty level-headed." My mom, Gaylene, comments.  "I love their new song [Story of My Life], and that they sing about and honor their past and where they came from--I think it's touching." And indeed, One Direction's new single, Story of My Life is quite a difference in their previous pop-tuned songs.
Overall, I think that One Direction is still going to be showing up constantly on the charts in the 2014 year.

2. Justin Bieber
I have several mixed feelings about young, Mr. Bieber. Here's what I think. I think, that Justin Bieber has a lot of raw talent. He has a pretty incredible voice and I admire how he does play the guitar but, he seems to lack parental guidance.
I have been very unimpressed with his immature, inappropriate, and reckless behavior, and I do believe that even though his mother says she is there for him, she isn't. I hope that with the amount of young followers that Bieber has, he will recognize how stupid his actions are and how they may be negatively effecting his young fans. 
"Oh, gosh." This was the first thing that came out of my mom's mouth when I asked for her comments on Bieber. "Train wreck. I think that he is just headed in a really wrong direction. His music may be fine, though I don't care for his person."
I completely agree with my mom's opinion of Bieber and I desperately hope he cleans up his act before his reputation is ruined forever.

3. Miley Cyrus
I'm going to make this short and blunt. I really dislike Miley. I get what she's trying to say, and even though she's getting a lot of attention from it, I really think that it is completely unnecessary.
I also hate the word "twerk" too, especially considering how inappropriate Cyrus makes the move, and how it is pushed towards a young audience of followers.
"I think that Miley Cyrus is trying to break away from her Hannah Montana image." My dad says about Cyrus. " I think that she is trying to establish herself as an independent artist. I think that she is trying to do everything she can to stay in the spotlight, and it may or may not help her in the long-run. It's not leaving the right impression."
I do agree with my dad on everything he says about Cyrus though, either way, I don't think I'll ever be or become a fan of her person. I don't mind her song, Wrecking Ball, though I do mind the way that she is taking the attention of the press, and making it into things like Draco Malfoy hair and "twerking".

Then and now.

4. Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande is literally one of the prettiest celebrities out there today. She has big, pretty eyes, nice lips and teeth, and flawless hair. She has experienced a large amount of haters about her body image and so I hate to hate on her about anything.
 My opinions of Ariana Grande is that she is very talented but in a way she seems to be so fake. Have you seen her selfies?

Regardless of this, Grande has an amazing voice though she seems to be trying a bit too hard to sound like the legendary, Mariah Carey. Regardless, I do enjoy listening to her The Way and Popular Song.
"She has a nice voice, but she's just a little too pop for me..." My dad comments on hearing the 2 songs.
Even with the negativity she gets from people like me, I believe that Grande will keep her balance and hopefully do nothing too over-the-top. She has a great load of talent and her fans seem amazingly loyal and supportive of her music and actions.

5. Earl Sweatshirt
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6. Lorde
Lorde's Royals is undeniably the most overplayed song on popular radio. Even though this may be the hard truth, my whole family is still a huge fan of her alternative tune.
From the start, I was extremely impressed with her unique voice and the fact that she is only 16.
Recently, I heard that Selena Gomez isn't the biggest fan of Lorde, and my initial reaction was,"Lay of Selena!" Don't get me wrong. I love Selena though, let's just say this, vocal wise, I enjoy Lorde more.
"In comparison to Ariana Grande, there is something unique about her presentation and music. With Ariana Grande, she has an excellent voice, but there is nothing new or original." My dad says about Lorde.

She has such raw talent that Royals is getting recognized world-wide. This past weekend she was nominted for 4 Grammy's and it came to her with very positive feedback from the fans and audience.
"I like it, I like her voice." My mom comments on Royals. You can find my mom singing off-tune to Lorde's hit on a regular basis.

7. Austin Mahone
When my mom first heard Austin Mahone's version of What About Love she said it sounded like "A car alarm is going off". This may seem like a negative way to start my introduction of one of my favorite artists, though the truth is, Mahone's music features funky, pop sounds and youthful melodies.
I do dislike how people automatically think that Mahone will be another Justin Bieber just because he has long hair. Mahone hasn't done anything stupid yet that widened people's eyes, and his music isn't as boring and R&B as Bieber's.
"Oh, he's cute." Was my mom's first words when I showed her a picture of Mahone.
"He looks like he's in 1D [One Direction]." Was my dad's.

Sure, Mahone may be a little bit of a pretty-boy but he has a voice that perfectly fits the definition of a current pop-artist. 
I do hope that Mahone's music will be more recognized in the future.

8. Scotty McCreery
I am a big fan of Scotty McCreery! I think he has absolutley the sweetest love songs and he has a voice that you wouldn't expect to come out of a 20-year-old kid.
His songs may be country, but they are extremely catchy and well-written. Already, McCreery has released 3 albums, 1 of them being a holiday collection. His first single was entitled Water Tower Town and talked about his hometown of Garner, North Carolina. He also released the single, The Trouble With Girls and he has been nominated and then continued on to win an American Country Music Award for Artist of the Year: New Artist, a Academy of Country Music Award for Best New Artist, and a CMT Music Award for USA Breakthrough Video of the Year. He has also been nominated for 2 Billboard Music Awards, 1 Music Row Award, and 2 Teen Choice Awards.
"I like him--I like his voice, I like his person hood, I think he's genuine. He seems to be a REALLY down-to-earth person--someone I'd probably like." My mom comments on McCreery.
McCreery's current single, See You Tonight, is already receiving constant praise and play on country radio, and I won't be surprised if he continues having popular singles in the future.
Plus, he's the cutest guy. Just sayin'.

9. Cody Simpson
Cody Simpson is another good-looking, perfect haired, pop-singer.  I am normally a fan of these sort of singers because I am a teenage girl, but when it comes to Simpson, I wouldn't really call myself a fan.
Simpson's sound is a little bit too high and beachy for me. His songs are too stereo-typical of an Australian teen, and his music is boring and not my favorite.
I do have to praise Simpson for staying very down-to-earth though, and of course the fact that he can play an instrument.
I honestly, don't have a lot to say about Simpson, and although I do have 2 of his songs on my iPod, I'm not a fan of his true music which consistis of lots of high-pitched vocals, smooth sounds, and beachy flavors.
Who knows--maybe you'll be a fan.

10. Emblem3
 Emblem3 is currently one of my favorite musical bands. This group consists of 3 guys--2 brothers and 1 childhood friend.
Emblem3 has a very unique sound. They often describe themselves as reggae/R&B/ pop/ rap. As you can tell, that's quite a large mix of sounds, but their fans truly enjoy their unique musical vision.
They have always wanted to people to look at their band as "not a boyband," and they were always very opinionated about their label as a one. Currently though, Emblem3 says, "We're just going to chill and do our thing."Regardless of the labeling, I'm not a big fan of people labeling Emblem3 as a boy band even though they may be.
Old fans also say that Emblem3 has been straying too far away from their original roots in their debut album, Nothing to Lose, that was released earlier this year. Again, I absolutely LOVE their album and where they are with their music. They are completely unique and different than some of the common, modern-day pop music.
I hope with all of my pride of the band, that they will achieve several more hit singles in their upcoming career.

11. Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd looks like a bit of a brat when you first see her. Ironically, her fans are called "brats".

Lloyd's first single was entitled Want U Back and was labeled as the "pooping song" by a few close friends and me.
"UGHHH! It's the constipation song." My sister Lauren exclaims as I ask for the beginning explanation of the song.
Indeed, if you listen to Want U Back you will hear lots of loud and slightly obnoxious grunting for LLoyd, followed by strange lyrics and whiny vocals.
I have listened to her album and let's just say, she could've chosen a lot better of a single then the "pooping song."
LLoyd isn't the best singer, though as long as she continues releasing catchy but obnoxious music, we probably aren't done seeing her face.

12. Chief Keef
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13. Bridgit Mendler
The first word that pops into my head when I think of Bridgit Mendler is "sweet". Coincidentally, her first single, Ready of Not was everything sweet and cutesy.
I love Bridigit Mendler. I think that she is extremely talented, has a lot of potential, and down-to-earth. He music is plenty catchy and her voice has a lovely bite of vibrato. Many times, I think of Mendler as a young Demi Lovato. She is exceptionally pretty, and her voice is amazing.
You may be familiar with Mendler from the hit show, Good Luck Charlie where she stars as the humorous oldest sister, Teddy Duncan.

I hope that Mendler continues to work hard on her vocals, because just from her debut album you can tell she has a lot of future potential.

14. Miguelito
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15. JoeyBada--
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16. Tori Kelly
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17. Martin Garrix
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18. Mindless Behavior
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19. Matty B.
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20. Lee Hi
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21.  Fifth Harmony
Last but not least is Fifth Harmony. Fifth Harmony is made up of 5 very sweet, and very pretty girls. Don't be fooled by their innocent faces though, because these 5 gals have killer vocals.
Fifth Harmony was formed during the 2nd Season of the American X Factor by singer Demi Lovato.
"They're really hyper when they're together." She told Ryan Seacrest during a radio interview by phone. If you want girl-power then jam Fifth Harmony, because this band is a true replica of "girl-power."
I think that Fifth Harmony is a very talented group of girls. They definitely have potential and I do hope that they won't get lost in the talented people founded by Simon Cowell.