1.  Random Access Memories

In similar company with new-school French progressive dance artists such as Motorbass, Air, Cassius, and Dimitri from Paris, Parisian duo Daft Punk quickly rose to acclaim by adapting a love for first-wave acid house and techno to their younger roots in pop, indie rock, and hip-hop. The combined talents of DJs Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, the pair’s first projects together included Darling, a voiceless indie cover band; their current recording name derives from a review in U.K.

2.  Modern Vampires of the City

Describing their sound as “Upper West Side Soweto,” New York City’s Vampire Weekend mix preppy, well-read indie rock with joyful, Afro-pop-inspired melodies and rhythms. Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, and Chris Tomson formed the band early in 2006, when they were finishing up their studies at Columbia University. Taking their name from a movie Koenig made during his freshman year, the band started out by playing gigs at the university’s literary societies and at parties.

3.  Demi

Actress/vocalist Demi Lovato began making a name for herself after starring alongside the Jonas Brothers in the 2008 Disney Channel movie Camp Rock. Born in 1992 in Dallas, Texas, she was raised in a household that included her mother (a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader) and her two sisters, the youngest of whom launched her own acting career in 2008.

4.  The 20/20 Experience

Justin Timberlake may be the quintessential pop star of the new millennium, a star who jumped from platform to platform on his way to establishing himself as something bigger than a star: he was a self-sustained empire. Timberlake began his rise as a TV star, performing on The New Mickey Mouse Club as a child in the ’90s, but he earned his superstardom as one of the frontmen for *NSYNC, the most popular boy band of the turn of the millennium.

5.  True Believers (Deluxe Version)

As the frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius Rucker was one of the most popular frontmen in mainstream pop/rock during the mid-’90s. The band’s debut album, Cracked Rear View, was virtually inescapable in 1995, eventually selling more than 16 million copies and becoming one of the most successful albums of all time.