MICHELLE RENE HOMETOWN: Phoenix, Ariz. INFLUENCES: Fleetwood Mac, Ella Fitzgerald, Patsy Cline ALBUM: As yet untitled EP, out 2013 WEBSITE: michellerene.com As a teen, Michelle Rene performed at county fairs, music festivals and sports arenas in her hometown of Phoenix. She even hosted her own weekly live concert event, but a crowning moment came when she was named the best new act in country music’s largest talent competition, Country Showdown,... 

ERIN BOHEME HOMETOWN: Oshkosh, Wisc. INFLUENCES: Billie Holiday, Carly Simon, Dean Martin ALBUM: What a Life, out Feb. 5 WEBSITE: erinbohememusic.com Erin Boheme’s father introduced his daughter to the music of Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday, while her mom watched her sing to Al Green, Aretha Franklin and Earth, Wind & Fire. Erin soon followed her own passion for many styles, and began singing at weddings and private parties before landing... 

MORGAN JAMES HOMETOWN: Modesto, Calif. INFLUENCES: Etta James, Donny Hathaway, Eva Cassidy ALBUM: Morgan James Live, out now WEBSITE: morganjamesonline.com Singer Morgan James entered the Juilliard School at age 18 as an opera student, but eventually abandoned that career path to pursue musical theater. “For a long time I wasn’t sure what to do with the fact that I’ve got this gigantic voice that doesn’t quite match how I look,” she says,... 

ALISHA ZALKIN HOMETOWN: San Diego, Calif. INFLUENCES: Carole King, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin ALBUM: March to a Different Beat EP, out now WEBSITE: alishazmusic.com  Singer-songwriter Alisha Zalkin’s love of music is deeply rooted in her Mexican and Jewish heritage. Her Jewish grandmother, a survivor of the Holocaust, was the youngest opera singer to be admitted into the Vienna Conservatory of Music before she was forced to flee Europe.... 

ZEISS HOMETOWN: Long Island, N.Y. INFLUENCES: Jerry Reed, Chuck Berry, Little Richard                                        ALBUM: Last Train to Rock n’ Roll, out now WEBSITE: zeissofficial.com Growing up on New York’s Long Island, musician and model Zeiss (born Matthew John Zeiss) was drawn to entertainment because of his parents’ obsession with Elvis Presley. As a kid, he’d scoured his father’s record collection... 

TAMAR KAPRELIAN HOMETOWN: Scottsdale, Ariz. INFLUENCES: Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty ALBUM: California EP, out now WEBSITE: facebook.com/TamarKaprelian Pop singer-songwriter Tamar Kaprelian, 25, moved around a lot as a kid—she was born in Scottsdale, Ariz., and raised in Georgia and California. After discovering Billy Joel and Paul McCartney in her father’s record collection at age 14, music became a constant in her life, and she... 

ANDERSON EAST HOMETOWN: Athens, Ala. INFLUENCES: Led Zeppelin, the Jackson 5, Otis Redding ALBUM: Flowers of the Broken Hearted, out now WEBSITE: andersoneast.com Folk-rock singer-songwriter Anderson East didn’t grow up in a musical household. “The only time I heard music in the house was Sunday morning before church, when my dad would listen to country music,” he says. His hometown of Athens, Ala., wasn’t exactly a hotbed of entertainment.... 

AMANDA MAIR HOMETOWN: Lidingö, Sweden INFLUENCES: ABBA, Ane Brun, Regina Spektor ALBUM: Amanda Mair, out now WEBSITE: amandamair.nu Singer and pianist Amanda Mair began playing music and taking voice lessons at age 8. Born in Sweden, she was discovered in 2008 when a friend played her three-song recording for Swedish-based Labrador Records. Mair, 18, has racked up accomplishments at a rapid clip since signing to the label. On the strength of her... 

APRIL KRY HOMETOWN: Hartford, Conn. INFLUENCES: Taylor Swift, Colbie Caillat, Billie Holiday ALBUM: Music Speaks EP, out now WEBSITE: aprilkry.com  Pop-rock singer-songwriter April Kry embarked upon her music career in a traditional setting—growing up singing in the church where her father served as a worship leader. Kry moved around a lot as a child in central Connecticut, and music eased her loneliness. “I found that music was my escape from... 

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE HOMETOWN: Monroe, Ga. (Tyler Hubbard); Ormond Beach, Fla. (Brian Kelley) INFLUENCES: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lil Wayne, Garth Brooks ALBUM: It’z Just What We Do EP, out now WEBSITE: floridageorgialine.com Country rock duo Florida Georgia Line—Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley—has made an auspicious start for a new act. The duo, who began performing and writing songs together while attending Nashville’s Belmont University, has... 

NVS HOMETOWN: Toronto, Canada INFLUENCES: Prince, Kanye West, Aaliyah ALBUM: Who Is NvS EP, out now WEBSITE: whoisnvs.com R&B artist NvS (pronounced “envious”) claims her love of music began before she was born. Her father was a reggae musician and sang to her when her mother was pregnant. “He would take his guitar and play his songs to me,” she says. At age 18, NvS enrolled at Toronto’s Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts where she... 

SAINT SAVIOUR HOMETOWN: London, England INFLUENCES: Janis Joplin, Deep Purple, Björk ALBUM: Union, out now WEBSITE: saintsaviour.co.uk After establishing herself as one of the most sought-after session vocalists in London, Saint Saviour secured prime gigs as lead singer for indie pop outfits the RGBs and Groove Armada. In fact, she sang three tracks on Groove Armada’s Grammy-nominated 2010 album, Black Light, and joined them on their last headlining... 

BAKER HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: David Bowie, Jack White, Kanye West ALBUM: The Baker EP, out now WEBSITE: bakermusic.com Christopher Baker was playing cello by age 5, eventually played Carnegie Hall and graduated from Harvard University. Since transitioning his career path from classical cellist and vocalist to electro-pop singer, he has earned rave reviews with his cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box.” Since releasing a seven-track... 

HALEY REINHART HOMETOWN: Wheeling, Ill. INFLUENCES: The Beatles, Nina Simone, Tony Bennett ALBUM: Listen Up!, out now WEBSITE: haleyreinhart.com American Idol alum Haley Reinhart—who finished third in season 10—recorded her debut album Listen Up! following the show’s international tour. “I wanted to wait till I could put all my focus and energy into the album and be very hands-on with every single aspect,” she says. “It was really important... 

MEIKO HOMETOWN: Roberta, Ga. INFLUENCES: Fiona Apple, Patty Griffin, Sade ALBUM: The Bright Side, out now WEBSITE: meikomusic.com Growing up in a small rural hometown with a population of 800, Meiko Sheppard learned to entertain herself. She picked up her father’s guitar and was writing songs by age 5; three years later she made her public debut singing “White Christmas” at church. “Being an awkward, bored middle-schooler was really helpful... 

SPEAKERS HOMETOWN: New Orleans MEMBERS: “Keon B” Brown (vocals), Blair Taylor (music) ALBUM: New Frequency EP, out now WEBSITE: speakersmusic.com Blair Taylor was getting established as a go-to musician and producer in his native New Orleans when singer and rapper Keon B moved to town from Waynesboro, Ga. When Keon heard Taylor’s production work, he was impressed enough to try contacting him. “I called and texted Blair for a whole year after... 

SHANNON LABRIE HOMETOWN: Lincoln, Neb. INFLUENCES: Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill, James Taylor ALBUM: Shannon Labrie EP, out now WEBSITE: shannonlabrie.com The daughter of an opera-singing mother and guitar-playing father, Shannon Labrie took to music early—she astounded her first vocal coach with her four-octave range, and began writing classical piano pieces as a child. She got her first guitar at around 10 and began learning chords from her dad, who... 

CALLAGHAN HOMETOWN: Boston, Lincolnshire, England INFLUENCES: Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, James Taylor ALBUM: Life in Full Colour, due out May 1 WEBSITE: callaghansongs.com Georgina Callaghan was playing flute by age 6, learned piano shortly afterward, began writing songs at 14 and by 18 made the long trek from her small hometown to London to pursue a life in music. She slept under the kitchen table in her sister’s tiny apartment while gradually... 

SPREE WILSON HOMETOWN: Nashville INFLUENCES: Fleetwood Mac, Outkast, Snoop Dogg ALBUM: The Spark, out soon WEBSITE: spreewilson.com Rapper, singer and guitarist Spree Wilson grew up in the capital of country music, Nashville—but while he enjoyed learning from the city’s rich musical tapestry, he knew his own destiny lay elsewhere. After high school he headed to Clark Atlanta University, where producer Dallas Austin became an invaluable mentor.... 

CRAIG CAMPBELL HOMETOWN: Lyons, Ga. INFLUENCES: Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt ALBUM: Craig Campbell, out now WEBSITE: craigcampbell.tv Craig Campbell first fell in love with music while performing at church, where he played piano for his local Baptist congregation throughout his teens. Winning a regional singing competition at age 15 set his career path in stone. “I wanted to be onstage for sure,” he says. “The crowd response is... 

NNXT HOMETOWN: Atlanta INFLUENCES: Peter Gabriel, Imogen Heap, New Kids on the Block ALBUM: Shut Your Trapper Keeper, out now WEBSITE: nnxtmusic.com  From age 4, Jessica Gore was a piano prodigy who spent much of her childhood playing in classical competitions. But her musical direction changed entirely a few years ago, when she got her hands on a four-track digital recorder. “It totally blew my mind that more than one instrument or voice could... 

SUGAR + THE HI-LOWS HOMETOWN: Nashville MEMBERS: Trent Dabbs (guitar, vocals), Amy Stroup (vocals) ALBUM: Sugar + the Hi-Lows, out now WEBSITE: sugarandthehilows.com The old-school sound of Sugar + the Hi-Lows was born three years ago, when Trent Dabbs and Amy Stroup got together to write songs in Nashville. Dabbs brought along a vintage amplifier, which turned the conversation toward their favorite music from the 1950s and ’60s. Before long they’d... 

BEN HOWARD HOMETOWN: Totnes, Devon, England influences: Nick Drake, John Martyn, Van Morrison ALBUM: Every Kingdom, due out in April WEBSITE: benhowardmusic.co.uk Howard picked up his mother’s guitar when he was 8, inspired by his parents’ love for folky singer-songwriters of the 1960s and ’70s. “That’s what we’d listen to in the house and in the car,” he says. His debut album was recorded in cellist India Bourne’s barn in the English... 

SUSAN JUSTICE HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: Tracy Chapman, Death Cab for Cutie, Alanis Morissette ALBUM: Eat Dirt, due out in 2012 WEBSITE: susanjusticemusic.com Aruba-born Susan Justice grew up traveling the world with her itinerant parents and nine siblings as part of a controversial religious sect called the Family, spreading the group’s message through music. “Sometimes we would stay for a few months, but most of the time it was a new... 

KARMIN HOMETOWN: Brookline, Mass. MEMBERS: Amy Heidemann (vocals, guitar), Nick Noonan (keyboards, trombone, vocals) ALBUM: As yet untitled, due out in 2012 WEBSITE: karminmusic.com Nebraska-born Heidemann and Maine native Noonan met and began performing together while attending Boston’s Berklee College of Music. “We were like, ‘We’ve tried all these different things, we should really do something ourselves because nobody is ever going to... 

ALLIE MOSS HOMETOWN: Long Branch, N.J. INFLUENCES: David Bazan, the Cardigans, Ella Fitzgerald ALBUM: Late Bloomer, out now WEBSITE: alliemoss.com Having cut her teeth playing guitar (and briefly acting as tour manager) for indie-pop singer and songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, Allie Moss stepped into the spotlight for real when an English telecommunications company contacted her through her Facebook page about using her solo song “Corner” in a TV... 

FAY WOLF HOMETOWN: Fairfield, Conn. INFLUENCES: Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, Joni Mitchell ALBUM: Spiders, out now WEBSITE: faywolfmusic.com Fay Wolf first drew attention as an actress,  appearing in roles on TV shows from All My Children to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as well as the well-received online series Rose by Any Other Name … (She is classically trained in acting, holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University.)... 

GRAFFITI6  HOMETOWN: London MEMBERS: Jamie Scott (vocals, guitar), TommyD (guitar, production) ALBUM: Free EP, out now WEBSITE: graffiti6.com Jamie Scott had already established himself as an acoustic-based singer-songwriter in Europe and Asia when he met producer and multi-instrumentalist Tommy “TommyD” Danvers—and his music took a surprising turn into electronica-based pop and soul territory. “For me, the unexpectedness of the sound... 

SONIA LEIGH  HOMETOWN: Atlanta, Ga. INFLUENCES: Bob Dylan, Melissa Etheridge, Bruce Springsteen ALBUM: 1978 December, out now WEBSITE: sonialeigh.com Sonia Leigh first began playing guitar at age 10, learning chords from her father. “I’d come home every day and practice after school and use his guitar,” she says. “Finally he saw I was getting good and he was actually tired of me using his guitar, because I’d be playing and he’d be wanting... 

PETER  BALDWIN HOMETOWN: Anchorage, Alaska INFLUENCES: Erykah Badu, James Brown, Michael Jackson ALBUM: Peter Baldwin in Vodville EP, out now WEBSITE: peterbaldwinrocks.com Peter Baldwin grew up singing in the church where his mother served as choir director. As a high schooler he eventually formed his own choir, and learned to play a variety of instruments. After graduation he headed for Orlando, Fla., to study recording at Full Sail University.... 

BREANNE DÜREN HOMETOWN: Minneapolis, Minn. INFLUENCES: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor ALBUM: Sparks EP, out now WEBSITE: breannedurenmusic.com All four of the Düren children were compelled to take piano lessons, but Breanne proved a natural—soon she was playing by ear, teaching herself favorites like Joni Mitchell’s “The River.” By middle school she was writing her own songs, and by high school she was playing local coffeehouses.... 

HOPE WAITS HOMETOWN: Monroe, La. INFLUENCES: Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, Billie Holiday ALBUM: Introducing Hope Waits, out now WEBSITE: hopewaits.com If the depth in Hope Waits’ soul-drenched voice suggests experience beyond her tender years, it’s no accident. Waits was born one of 12 children in a family plagued by poverty, neglect, her father’s alcoholism and her mother’s manic depression. “Basic needs were rarely met, and the abuse was astounding,”... 

KATIE COSTELLO HOMETOWN: Hermosa Beach, Calif. INFLUENCES: Fiona Apple, the Beatles, X ALBUM: Lamplight, out now WEBSITE: katiecostellomusic.com Katie Costello recalls that she was “deathly shy” until she discovered songwriting at age 13. By 17 she was self-releasing her debut album, Kaleidoscope Machine, which generated enough buzz in nearby L.A. to earn her songs spots on TV shows including 90210, One Tree Hill and Private Practice. Still,... 

AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE HOMETOWN: Oakland, Calif. INFLUENCES: Terence Blanchard, Steve Coleman, Wayne Shorter ALBUM: When the Heart Emerges Glistening, out now WEBSITE: ambroseakinmusire.com Trumpeter Akinmusire caught the jazz world’s attention by winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, judged by the likes of Quincy Jones and Herb Alpert. He signed with the legendary Blue Note label last year and recorded When the... 

XIMENA SARIÑANA HOMETOWN: Guadalajara, Mexico INFLUENCES: Tracy Chapman, Ella Fitzgerald,  Paul Simon ALBUM: Ximena Sariñana, out Aug. 2 WEBSITE: ximenamusic.com Well-known since childhood in her native Mexico as a singer, songwriter and actress, Sariñana is preparing to introduce herself to a broader audience with her first English-language album. Ximena Sariñana, recorded in L.A. with producers Greg Kurstin, Dave Sitek and Natalia Lafourcade,... 

LAURA JANSEN HOMETOWN: Los Feliz, Calif. INFLUENCES: Joni Mitchell, Queen, Barbra Streisand ALBUM: Bells, out now WEBSITE: laurajansen.com Laura Jansen has done quite a bit of moving around in her life—from her birthplace of Breda, Holland, to Brussels, then Zurich, Connecticut, Tennessee and California. Along the way she studied at a music conservatory in Holland and at Berklee College of Music in Boston before finally launching her musical career... 

CARTER’S CHORD HOMETOWN: Los Angeles INFLUENCES: Fleetwood Mac, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings ALBUM: Wild Together, out May 23 WEBSITE: carterschord.com Joanna, Emily and Becky Robertson grew up in the midst of country music history. Their parents, Barny and Carter Robertson, were members of the late Waylon Jennings’ 1970s band—he as keyboardist, she as backing vocalist. The sisters themselves made their debut singing on Jennings’... 

GRAHAM STOOKEY HOMETOWN: Littleton, Colo. INFLUENCES: Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan ALBUM: The Basement Tracks, out now WEBSITE: stookeymusic.com Graham Stookey took piano lessons as a child, but he truly found his calling when at age 13 he saw a show by acoustic guitar master Phil Keaggy. “After that I decided I wanted to play the guitar,” he remembers. “I enrolled in guitar lessons from an excellent teacher, and my journey... 

KINA GRANNIS HOMETOWN: Mission Viejo, Calif. INFLUENCES: Jason Mraz, Alanis Morissette, Vertical Horizon ALBUM: Stairwells, out now WEBSITE: kinagrannis.com In 2007, Kina Grannis decided to upload her performance of her song “Message From Your Heart” to YouTube in hopes of winning a contest. Win it she did, earning the clip a televised airing during the Super Bowl—and an internet following that has since grown into the millions. “One of... 

FRANCESCA BATTISTELLI HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: John Mayer, Nichole Nordeman, Stevie Wonder ALBUM: Hundred More Years, out now WEBSITE: francescamusic.com When she wrote and recorded her debut album, 2008’s My Paper Heart, all New York native Francesca Battistelli had to worry about was the task at hand. When she went to work on the new follow-up, Hundred More Years, she had quite a bit more on her mind. “This time,” she says,... 

HENRY WOLFE HOMETOWN: Los Angeles INFLUENCES: Paul McCartney, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson ALBUM: Linda Vista, out now WEBSITE: henrywolfe.com He may be the only musician in his immediate family, but Henry Wolfe clearly has creativity in his DNA: His father is respected sculptor Don Gummer, his mother is movie icon Meryl Streep and two of his three sisters are actors as well. Wolfe began channeling his own artistic impulses into music after receiving... 

PLAN B HOMETOWN: London influences: Eminem, Michael Jackson, the Prodigy ALBUM: The Defamation of Strickland Banks, due out in April WEBSITE: time4planb.co.uk Plan B (born Ben Drew) began singing and playing guitar as a teenager before he turned his attention to rap, inspired by the example of the similarly hued Eminem. “He was brilliant, he changed the whole game,” says Plan B. “He didn’t just influence white rappers, he influenced everyone.”... 

ANNA CALVI HOMETOWN: London INFLUENCES: Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, Django Reinhardt ALBUM: Anna Calvi, out March 1 WEBSITE: annacalvi.com Anna Calvi began playing guitar at age 13, but it wasn’t until four years later that she began learning to sing. “I’d always wanted to be a singer, but it was hard for me because I’m so shy,” she says. “But I just worked on it—five or six hours a day. I was very secretive about it. It was the... 

FUNERAL PARTY HOMETOWN: Whittier, Calif. MEMBERS: Chad Elliott (vocals, keyboards), James Torres (guitar), Kimo Kauhola (bass, vocals) ALBUM: The Golden Age of Knowhere, out now WEBSITE: funeralpartymusic.com California rock band Funeral Party was born from its members’ boredom and disillusionment with their hometown of Whittier, Calif., a sleepy suburb of Los Angeles. “It was the perfect name for a band like ours, because we come from this jail... 

STEEL MAGNOLIA HOMETOWN: Nashville MEMBERS: Joshua Scott Jones (vocals, guitar), Meghan Linsey (vocals) ALBUM: Steel Magnolia, out Jan. 11 WEBSITE: steelmagnoliamusic.com In March 2006, Joshua Scott Jones walked into a karaoke club in Nashville. There he met and sang with Meghan Linsey for the first time, belting out a version of the Air Supply hit “All Out of Love” together. The two hit it off and began dating, but were determined to pursue... 

THE MEMORIALS HOMETOWN: Berkeley, Calif. members: Viveca Hawkins (vocals), Nick Brewer (guitar), Thomas Pridgen (drums) ALBUM: The Memorials, due out Jan. 18 WEBSITE: thememorialsmusic.com After parting ways with prog-rock band the Mars Volta in late 2009, drummer Thomas Pridgen immediately set about putting a new group together. He reached out to singer Viveca Hawkins and guitarist Nick Brewer, both of whom he had met while attending the Berklee... 

HOPE HOMETOWN: Woodstock, N.Y. INFLUENCES: Mariah Carey, Sade, Sting ALBUM: Hope, due out early 2011 WEBSITE: followhope.com In a way, Hope’s destiny in music was preordained by the bittersweet circumstances of her birth: Her twin sister, Faith, died just days after both were born. “Sometimes I feel like half of me is not here,” she says. “Music has become a huge part of that other half. I rely on the music to give me sanity and inspiration.”... 

LAUREN PRITCHARD HOMETOWN: Jackson, Tenn. INFLUENCES: Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Al Green ALBUM: Wasted in Jackson, out now digitally; CD release due in February 2011 WEBSITE: laurenpritchard.com Lauren Pritchard came to Los Angeles from Tennessee as a teenager, determined to make her name in the music business—but before long found herself broke and resigned to returning home defeated. Then a friend’s mother intervened, convincing her to... 

THE SECRET SISTERS HOMETOWN: Muscle Shoals, Ala. influences: The Everly Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel, Don Williams ALBUM: The Secret Sisters, out now WEBSITE: secretsistersband.com Sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers grew up singing together in a town famous for music—but they never intended to perform as a duo. An impromptu audition for veteran producer Dave Cobb in the fall of 2009 changed all that. A few days later, Cobb had them on a plane to... 

MATT WHITE HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen ALBUM: It’s the Good Crazy, out now WEBSITE: mattwhitemusic.com On his 2007 debut album, Best Days, Matt White built his sound around piano and guitar equally. On the follow-up, it’s all about the ivories. “This is really my first record,” he says. “Best Days was essentially chasing a time, and I experimented with a lot of nuances, like playing the...