Despite being dominated almost entirely by "Call Me Maybe" and "Somebody That I Used to Know," 2012 turned out to be a pretty strong year in music.
In selecting artist for our Breakout Music Stars list, HuffPost Entertainment chose to focus on two main questions: Did the artist make an undeniable impression on his or her genre, and did he or she release music that won over crossover fans? These paramaters made someone like Gotye, whose pop song translated from the radio to the nightclub, a standout where an artist like the Lumineers, who had a very strong year within their genre, didn't necessarily qualify.
It was undeniably pop music's year, as Gotye and Carly Rae Jepsen were joined by One Direction, fun. and a host of other spunky boy bands (see: 1D's saucy lyrics).
Rap and hip-hop fans saw their genres get caught up in somewhat unfortunate trends like trap, but 2 Chainz's raps about Benihanas almost made it worth it. And not all was lost in the upswell of brash party music: The Dr. Dre-approved Kendrick Lamar made a solid impression with a subtle album that paired classic sounds with moving meditations on growing up in Compton. Rounding out urban/contemporary pack are New York's A$AP Rocky and R&B standouts like Frank Ocean and Miguel.
But if there was a genre that didn't shine as brightly, it was rock. Only the Alabama Shakes made it on our list of standout emerging artists, and the Top 5 ofRolling Stone's Best Albums list didn't include a single rocker under the age of 37 (looking good, Jack White). There was certainly some quality music being made in the space (the Japandroids' "Celebration Rock" comes to mind), but no young rockers' releases dominated and changed a genre in the same way that Frank Ocean changed his, for example.
Take a look at our list of 13 breakout music stars and let us know who you think we missed in the comments.
Kendrick Lamar
It remains to be seen if Kendrick Lamar's debut studio album "good kid, mAAd city" will be judged a hip-hop classic. But one thing is for certain: Nearly every critic who listened to it fell in love with it. The album, helped along by Dre himself, is the highest-rated release of the year, according to Metacritic. In a year in which radio rap turned again toward more brash, trap-inflected sounds (think Kanye's "Cold"), Lamar's music offered something different: stories about life and death in Compton, written in careful verse and delivered over well-tailored beats.
Carly Rae Jepsen
Three words: Call Me, Maybe. OK, a few more: Jepsen is 27 years old, which makes her nine years older than Justin Bieber (Scooter Braun, Bieber's manager, signed her to his label) and about a decade older than the goofy, endearing character that shines through her music. Not that it matters -- "Call Me Maybe" energized dance floors from eighth grade mixers to New York City nightclubs. It's infectious and it feels good. A tip of the hat to Canada.
2 Chainz
Tauheed Epps is 36 years young, making him the most experienced new entrant on this list. You wouldn't know that from listening to his music, though: Chainz embodies a free-wheeling style of hip-hop that has sucked in everyone -- including usually pensive folks like Kanye West. "Birthday Song," Chainz' single with West, quickly went from being a joke to the joke. It's, um, cheeky refrain even made it into Jamie Foxx's "SNL" monologue. Never mind that Epps has been making music for about 15 years (he debuted as Tity Boi, one half of Atlanta's Playaz Circle); his verse on Kanye's "Mercy" was his rap bar mitzvah.
fun.
Nate Ruess' pop rock outfit isn't really new ("Aim and Ignite," their first album, debuted in 2009), but 2012 was certainly their year. The Recording Academy agrees: fun. is nominated for six awards, including Best New Artist, Song and Record of the year. It's about time for Ruess, who found moderate success with The Format before linking up with super producer Jeff Bhasker and spinning mournful yarns about the darker side of youth (both "We Are Young" and "Some Nights" focus heavily on a pensive partygoer's inner conflicts). All in a day's fun.
A$AP Rocky
"LiveLoveA$AP," Rocky's impressive mixtape, was actually released late last year. But the rapper's graduation from buzzy blog artist to Rihanna's opening act most certainly took place in 2012. The Harlem native is generally hailed as New York's best hope in a game dominated by West Coasters like Odd Future, Chicagoans from Kanye and Common to Chief Keef and Southerners like 2 Chainz. Rocky toured with Kendrick Lamar on Drake's Club Paradise tour (catch them and 2 Chainz in "F--kin' Problem") and memorably grabbed Rihanna's rear at the the VMAs. Though he's got his fashion game down pat, 2013 could be a good year for Rocky to shore up his live show (fewer people on stage, a bit more clarity). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/rihanna-butt-grabbed-asap-rocky-photo_n_1863286.html
Miguel
Seen alongside Frank Ocean and Drake prodigy The Weeknd, Miguel's 2012 success points to a damn good year for R&B. But taken as a specific case, Miguel's big year is even more remarkable. "Sure Thing," the most popular R&B track of 2011, seemed like a sure lock for a Grammy nomination. But the Recording Academy disagreed, and Miguel was snubbed. Fast-forward one year, and the "Adorn" singer is up for five awards, including Song of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album -- two categories in which he'll compete against Ocean.
Gotye
What can be said? The most-streamed song, the best-selling single: "Somebody That I Used to Know" catapulted the Belgian-Australian singer to next-next level popularity. Unfortunately, the singer did not line up a Best New Artist nod from the Grammys. Maybe if he had gone with the more grammatically correct "somebody whom I used to know"?
Alabama Shakes
The only rock group to make the list this year, Alabama Shakes first formed in their namesake Alabama in 2009. After releasing a critically acclaimed four-song EP in 2009 (NYT's Jon Pareles compared lead singer Brittany Howard to Janis Joplin), Alabama Shakes debuted their first studio album, "Boys & Girls," this April. The album's single, "Hold On," displays the Shakes at their best - classic rock and roll spiked with the Southern blues the band grew up on. The group is getting its moment to shine this year with three Grammy nominations, including a nod for Best New Artist.
One Direction
It's been a while since America had a good old-fashioned boy band. After the days of BSB and *NSYNC, it took almost a decade for another swoop-haired, fancy-footed group of pop stars to emerge. Reminiscent of boy bands in their '90s heyday, One Direction puts a rebellious twist on the standard squeaky-clean image, with its tatted-up members and boundary-pushing lyrics. Formed on Britain's "The X Factor" and signed by Simon Cowell, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson became One Direction, or simply 1D, in 2010. The group has since released two hit records and already sold out shows for its 2013 international tour. The ultimate sign of mainstream popularity? Member Harry Styles is reportedly TaylorSwift's latest boy toy.
Chief Keef
The "Don't Like" rapper may be just 17, but he's already got a cushy deal with Interscope and a collaboration with Kanye West to his name. He's also among the more troubling figures in mainstream rap: Keef was eyed by authorities investigating the murder of Lil Jojo, a 16-year-old who was gunned down in Chicago after tweeting his location. Keef and his buddy Lil Reese, the star of a video in which he viciously assaults a woman, are members of GBE, a Chicago street gang. The willingness of big labels to sign and promote troubled youth (Def Jam's president had tweeted favorably about Lil Reese before the video surfaced) was among the more uncomfortable industry narratives of the year.
Frank Ocean
To say Frank Ocean is a critical darling is an understatement: "channel ORANGE," Ocean's debut studio album, is at or near the top of pretty much everyone's year-end lists. He's also tied (with Mumford & Sons, Jay-Z, Kanye West, fun. and Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys) for the most Grammy nods, with six. Ocean occupies a unique position: He's the sole R&B crooner in Odd Future, a brash rap collective out of Los Angeles; he's a longtime songwriter who has penned tracks for Beyonce and released mixtapes under multiple names who didn't get his own studio LP until the age of 25; and he has spoken openly about loving a man in a genre that struggles deeply with homophobia. Above all of those things, however, he's a striking talent who is just getting started.
Hunter Hayes
Country music's answer to Justin Bieber, Hunter Hayes is a dreamy blond crooner who has captured the hearts of tweens everywhere. The Louisiana-born 21-year-old has been performing since he was four years old, even completing a stint on "America's Most Talented Kid," but didn't reach national prominence until this year, when he released his self-titled debut album. With Hayes writing or co-writing every track on the album, "Hunter Hayes" racked up three Grammy nominations this year, including Best New Artist and Best Country Album. After touring with Taylor Swift over the summer, Hayes' single "Wanted" reached No. 1 on the U.S. country music chart.
Zedd
Zedd is a German electronic dance music producer and DJ, but he's also the man behind mainstream radio hits like Justin Bieber's "Beauty and the Beat." He's also Lady Gaga's opening act and has spent a few months laying down tracks for her new album. At 23 years old, this classically trained pianist with a sharp sense of humor is perhaps EDM's best ambassador: An artist with a vision that spans his all-original studio album, "Clarity"; his DJ sets and remixes; and the productions he passes off to pop vocalists.
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