By Meena Vasudevan

Zara Larsson

Larsson, a Swedish singer and songwriter, rose to fame in her native country of Sweden in 2008 (when she was only 10) after she won Talang, The Swedish version of America’s Got Talent. Since then; she has released two albums. She is a self proclaimed feminist and has not shied away from using her voice. When a man was accused of sexual assault during a festival she was playing at Larsson went on Twitter to condemn his act and explain that women have the right to feel safe anywhere. Her success has lead her to win many awards in Sweden and the US.

Jain

Born as Jeanne Galice, Jain was raised mostly in the United Arab Emirates and the Congo. The 23 year old singer is a product of multiculturalism. Her music is inspired by French techno and African rhythms. She is most popular for her music inspired by the people and places that inspire her such has her hit track Makeba written about Miriam Makeba South African singer and Civil Rights leader. Although Jain is multiracial her music comes from a place of experience and appreciation for the countless cultures in Africa.

Eric Nam

Nam is a Korean American singer originally from Atlanta, Georgia. Nam moved back to Korea in order to pursue his dream of making a name as a singer after he finished college and hasn’t turned back since. Although he started by singing in Korean in the K-Pop industry in the past year he has branched out and sang more songs in English. Nam’s ultimate goal is to make it as a Korean American singer in the states and give a voice to people from the Korean American community. “It would be great to see Asian-Americans and Korean faces going beyond that,” said Nam.

Yuna

Born as Yunalis Mat Zara’ai, Yuna, started as an independent Malaysian singer-songwriter. Yuna is known for her haunting lyrics that come from a global perspective. The Muslim singer is also not afraid of showing her religion, she regularly wears a hijab head scarf while performing. In 2008 she independently released her EP which became a huge success in Malaysia. She was then discovered in the US by Indie-Pop record label. They flew all the way out to Malaysia to convince Yuna to sign with them.