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Along with bringing trap to the masses as one-third of Migos, rapper/producer Quavo brings his triplet flows and personalized style to his solo releases and a multitude of other artists' tracks as a featured guest. His 2018 solo album Quavo Huncho rose to the number two spot on the Billboard charts, and he appeared as a guest on several songs that did time in the Top Ten, including hits from Drake, Justin Bieber, and Post Malone. Quavo frequently releases new material in the form of non-album singles, and in 2022, he teamed with Migos affiliate Takeoff for a joint album, Only Built for Infinity Links, which also cracked the Top Ten. Shortly after the release, Takeoff was shot and killed, and Quavo dedicated his 2023 sophomore album Rocket Power to his departed collaborator. Rocket Power also rose to the higher reaches of the Billboard charts, debuting within the Top 20. The following year saw a number of collaborations including the charting hit "Tough" with Lana Del Rey.

Quavo was born Quavious Marshall in 1991 and grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Alongside Offset (his cousin) and Takeoff (his nephew), he helped form Migos in 2009 and they released their first mixtapes, Juug Season in 2011 and No Label in 2012. (No Label went on to receive a sequel in 2014.) However, it wasn't until the release of the track "Versace" from their 2013 mixtape, Young Rich N*ggas, that they came to full prominence. The song was a breakout hit, receiving further exposure when Drake produced a remix. In 2014, Quavo was named "most influential rapper" by the online hip-hop community Complex Music. In subsequent years, he appeared on further releases with Migos, most notably their full-length albums Yung Rich Nation (2015) and C U L T U R E (2017). He also appeared on tracks like "Champions" for Kanye West's GOOD Music label and performed alongside Young Thug on 2016's "Fuck Cancer," and on 2017's "Go Off" with Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert for the Fate of the Furious movie soundtrack. Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, a collaborative project with Travis Scott, was also released in 2017. The following year, Quavo released a series of solo singles, including "Workin Me" and "Bubble Gum." Those tracks found their way onto his official solo debut, Quavo Huncho, which arrived in October 2018. The album featured guests such as Drake, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, 21 Savage, Offset, Takeoff, and even Madonna. Quavo continued adding flare to other artists' singles with featured verses over the next few years, appearing on tracks by E-40, Don Toliver, Iggy Azalea, Major Lazer, 2 Chainz, and many others. In 2018, Quavo was featured on DJ Khaled's "No Brainer," which peaked at number five on the charts, and in 2020 he was featured on another track that hit that mark with his contributions to Justin Bieber's single "Intentions." He also issued several singles of his own, including the 2021 song "Strub tha Ground," featuring Yung Miami. In May of 2022, Quavo teamed up with Takeoff, Unc, and Phew on "Hotel Lobby," the first single to precede the joint Quavo/Takeoff studio album Only Built for Infinity Links. The album was released in October of that year and featured a who's-who of guest stars including Summer Walker, Gucci Mane, Young Thug, Gunna, and more. Only Built for Infinity Links debuted at number seven position on the Billboard Top 200 chart. On November 1, Takeoff was shot and killed outside of a Houston club following a private party. Quavo was witness to his nephew's shooting, though he was uninjured. Throughout the front half of 2023, he focused his attention on a barrage of non-album solo singles, like "Baby" and "Honey Bun" before teaming up with Future for "Turn Yo Clic Up." In August of 2023, Quavo released his second studio set, Rocket Power, which was dedicated to Takeoff and featured verses from him on multiple tracks. It also included contributions from Future, Young Thug, BabyDrill, and Hunxho, with production from Murda Beatz, Kenny Beats, Bnyx, and many others. Rocket Power (the title of the album itself is a reference to Takeoff) debuted at the number 18 position on the Billboard charts. A pair of collaborations with ATL Jacob and BU$HI kicked off 2024, followed by the solo track "Himothy." In March, Quavo teamed up with Rich the Kid for "Real One." More eclectic collaborations followed, including the charting hit "Tough" with Lana Del Rey, "Fly" with Lenny Kravitz, and "Georgia Ways" with Luke Bryan and Teddy Swims. ~ Rob Wacey

With his easygoing, guy-next-door charm, Luke Bryan is one of the defining figures of bro-country, the strand of party-hearty music that dominated mainstream country in the 2010s. Bryan embodies the sweeter, friendlier side of bro-country. He sings about trucks, country girls, beer, and the outdoors -- the prevalent themes of his subgenre -- and he does it to a big, bright beat that borrows from pop and rock but conveys 21st century country: music made for suburbs and sports bars, not backwoods honk tonks. All these elements were in place on Bryan's earliest hits "All My Friends Say," "Rain Is a Good Thing," and "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)," but as he began to have a steady string of Billboard Country Airplay hits in the early 2010s, he emphasized his sentimental side, evident on such slow-burners as "Drink a Beer" and "Play It Again," while underscoring his inviting nature with such songs as "Most People Are Good." Bryan's good nature helped ease him into the pop mainstream, and he appeared as an advisor on The Voice during a mid-2010s run, followed by a role as a judge on American Idol. His presence on television helped keep him at the top of the country charts into the 2020s, with his Born Here Live Here Die Here generating no less than five number one Billboard Country Airplay hits. Led by its title track, he issued the compilation album Prayin' in a Deer Stand, at the end of 2022. Bryan continued to notch hits with songs like "But I Got a Beer in My Hand" and "Country On," which were later rolled into his eighth studio LP, Mind of a Country Boy.

Luke Bryan grew up in Leesburg, Georgia, a small town 100 miles from the Alabama border where his father grew peanuts and sold fertilizer for a living. Bryan helped his family work the farm when he was young, but in his early teens he developed a passion for country music, picking up his influences from his parents' record collection, listening to the likes of George Strait, Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap, Alan Jackson, and Merle Haggard. When he was 14, his folks bought him his first guitar, and a year later, his playing and singing were strong enough that he started sitting in with local bands at a club featuring live country music. At 16, Bryan started writing songs with the help of a pair of local tunesmiths who had enjoyed some success in Nashville; he planned to head to Music City to try his luck after graduating from high school until his brother died in an auto accident. Wanting to offer emotional support to his family, Bryan opted to attend Georgia Southern University instead, though he didn't give up music. He continued writing songs, formed a band, and was playing gigs on campus or at nearby watering holes most weekends while pursuing his studies. He recorded a self-released album, which he sold at shows during this period, but was reluctant to take the plunge and devote himself to music full-time until he returned home to work in the family business after receiving his degree. Bryan's dad, confident of his son's talent, made him an offer: he could either move to Nashville or be fired.

In the early fall of 2001, Bryan pulled up stakes and relocated to Nashville, where his heartfelt songs of country life earned him a contract with one of the city's many publishing houses. In his free time, Bryan continued to perform at local clubs, and after an A&R man from Capitol Records saw him perform a set of his original material, he was given a record deal. Capitol released Bryan's first widely distributed album, I'll Stay Me, in the summer of 2007, followed by Doin' My Thing in 2009. Doin' My Thing peaked at number two on the country charts -- and at number six on the Top 200 -- and it spawned two number one singles, "Rain Is a Good Thing" and "Someone Else Calling You Baby" ("Do I" hit number two). Bryan returned with his third album, Tailgates & Tanlines, in the summer of 2011, its release preceded by the single "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)." That song was the first of four Top Five country singles pulled from the album: "I Don't Want This Night to End" and "Drunk on You" both hit number one, while "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" peaked at number three. This success kept Tailgates & Tanlines in the charts well into 2012, and Bryan supported the record with steady touring.

Early in 2013, Bryan compiled his four Spring Break-themed EPs as the album Spring Break...Here to Party; it promptly became his first number one album on the pop charts. Bryan solidified his standing in country music by winning ACM's prestigious Entertainer of the Year award in June. That August, he released his fourth studio album, Crash My Party, which hit number one on the country charts and the pop charts. Each of the first four singles from the album -- the title track, "That's My Kind of Night," "Drink a Beer," and "Play It Again" -- steadily climbed to number one on the country charts during 2013 and 2014. Bryan chose to close out his series of Spring Break EPs in 2015 with the release of the aptly titled Spring Break...Checkin' Out; the collection went to number one on the Billboard country charts and three on the Billboard 200. Next up was Bryan's fifth full-length album, Kill the Lights, which appeared in 2015 as well. Another number one hit on the Billboard 200; it saw Bryan once again working with producer Jeff Stevens (Jody Stevens was also brought aboard as a co-producer), but unlike Crash My Party, the record had a heavy dose of originals from Luke: he received writing credits on roughly half of the album's 13 songs. Kill the Lights debuted at number one and was eventually certified platinum, partially on the strength of the hit singles "Kick the Dust Up," "Strip It Down," "Home Alone," "Huntin', Lovin' and Fishin' Every Day," and "Move." In the autumn of 2016, Bryan embarked on his third Farm Tour and released the EP Farm Tour: Here's to the Farmer to commemorate the occasion. The following February, he sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl and was announced as the newest judge on American Idol. Later that year, Bryan released the single "Light It Up," which peaked at number one on Billboard's Country Airplay charts. It was the first single from What Makes You Country, which arrived in December. In 2019, Bryan resumed his seat as an American Idol judge, while releasing the singles "Knockin' Boots" and "What She Wants Tonight." Both songs hit number one on the Country Airplay chart and were featured on his next album, Born Here Live Here Die Here, which arrived in August 2020 and debuted at number five on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number one on the U.S. Top Country Albums charts. The album generated two additional Billboard Country Airplay number ones in "One Margarita" and "Down to One" before it was reissued as a deluxe edition in 2021 with "Waves," which also topped the Country Airplay charts.

Bryan's first single of 2022 was "Country On," a first-pumping anthem celebrating blue-collar country music fans. He followed it with the heartfelt "Prayin' in a Deer Stand," the title track of a compilation album released at the end of the year. In 2023, he released the Top 20 country hit "But I Got a Beer in My Hand," and its follow-up, "Southern and Slow," as well as a feature on Jon Pardi's "Cowboys and Plowboys." Bryan kicked off 2024 with "Love You, Miss You, Mean It," followed a few months later by "Mind of a Country Boy," the title track from him his eighth album. Released in September of that year, the 14-track Mind of Country Boy collated some of Bryan's standout hits from the prior few years including "But I Got a Beer in My Hand" and "Country On." ~ Mark Deming & Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A singer and songwriter with a strong, versatile voice that weaves together elements of R&B, soul, hip-hop, and contemporary pop, Teddy Swims began his career posting covers of his favorite songs on social media before he started introducing his own compositions. Swims' covers spanned a wide variety of eras and genres, from Marvin Gaye and Shania Twain to Billie Eilish, showing off the flexibility of his voice and style. He added a contemporary R&B feel to originals like "Picky" and "Broke," the latter of which appeared on the 2021 EP Unlearning. More EPs arrived in 2022, including Tough Love and Sleep Is Exhausting. Swims' Grammy-nominated full-length debut, I've Tried Everything But Therapy, Pt. 1, arrived in 2023 hitting 25 on the Billboard 200 and spawning the number one Top 40 single "Lose Control."

Teddy Swims was born Jaten Dimsdale on September 25, 1992. His stage name came from an acronym for "Someone Who Isn't Me Sometimes," reflecting the many facets of his creative personality. His grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher whose guidance filled Teddy and his family with a personal focus and a sense of purpose. Swims' family were football fans and he played the game in his teens, but his close friend Addy Maxwell loved music, and spending time with Maxwell and his dad convinced him that he had a talent for singing. Swims started appearing in school musicals and soaked up the influence of artists like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, India.Arie, and Frank Ocean.

After he graduated from high school, Swims began singing in local hard rock bands and lent his voice to all sorts of projects, including cover bands that played wedding receptions, noisy metalcore outfits, and rapping with hip-hop artists. In 2019, Tyler Carter, the lead singer with the band Issues, booked a string of solo shows, and he invited Addy Maxwell along as the opening act. Maxwell in turn invited Swims to perform with him, playing hip-hop material and expanding their audience. At the same time, Swims was also working with a funk-rock band, Elefvnts, as well as a country-influenced hard rock act, WildHeart.

On June 25, 2019, Swims posted a karaoke-style video of himself performing "Rock with You" by Michael Jackson to honor the tenth anniversary of the King of Pop's passing. The video quickly went viral, and several reaction videos followed, showing listeners registering surprise as Swims demonstrated his impressive vocal stylings. It was the first of a series of videos of him offering his spin on dozens of songs from his favorite artists, and with his friends in Elefvnts backing him, he earned a large and loyal following.

In January 2020, Warner Records signed Swims to a recording contract and quickly issued his first video of an original song, "Picky," which was released in both acoustic and electric versions. August 2020 saw the premiere of his second original song, "Broke," which featured Thomas Rhett. That track, along with "Bed on Fire" and five others, appeared on the 2021 EP Unlearning. Also that year, he delivered the holiday-themed EP A Very Teddy Christmas. A third EP, Tough Love, came out in January 2022 and gave Swims his first U.S. chart placement, just breaking into the Billboard 200 at number 200. His prolific run continued with a fourth EP, Sleep Is Exhausting, that November. After a couple of collaborative singles, including 2023's "Easy to Love" with Armin van Buuren and Matoma and "Face Myself" with Elley Duhé, Swims entered the charts again with "Lose Control," which reached number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually hit number one on the Top 40. Along with "What More Can I Say," the song heralded the September 2023 release of his debut full-length, I've Tried Everything But Therapy, Pt. 1, which secured a Top 25 placement on the Billboard 200 chart while making the Top Five in Australia and New Zealand. More singles arrived off the album, including "The Door," which cracked the Top 40. Swims kicked off the album cycle for his sequel LP, I've Tried Everything But Therapy, Pt. 2, in September 2024 with "Bad Dream." Just over a month later, he received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. ~ Mark Deming