BY: Alexis Eichelberger

Cher. Madonna. Beyonce. Adele. Mononyms have been marks of greatness for decades; the biggest names in music are sometimes just one name.

A new generation of the one-namers club has been introducing themselves in recent years. Here are six of our favorite rising one-named stars:

Kehlani

Kehlani Ashley Parrish, who goes by her first name only on stage and in the studio, is one of the hottest female R&B artists of the 2010s. She’s cited female hip-hop legends like Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu as her inspirations. Kehlani officially kicked off her music career with a critically acclaimed mixtape in 2014. Her sophomore record You Should Be Here earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2016.

Normani

A former member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, Normani has been making serious moves as a solo artist this year. Her R&B-influenced pop sound and killer vocals make songs like “Dancing With A Stranger,” a collaboration with Sam Smith, oh so sweet. She spent several months traveling the US as Ariana Grande’s opener, and finally, she broke the internet last month with her wild dance moves in her music video for “Motivation.”

Lauv

Ari Staprans Leff, or Lauv, is a singer-songwriter with credits on songs for a number of other stars like Charli XCX and Demi Lovato. His own career kicked off with the release of an EP in 2015 and a compilation album in 2018. His breakout single, a collaboration with Troye Sivan titled “I’m So Tired…” has a semisweet electropop feel and his vocals have a Charlie Puth feel with a unique twist.

Joji

Joji has gone by a number of names throughout his numerous careers as a musician, internet personality, comedian and more, but he’s chosen to stick with this one for the time being. After three years performing as the comedic Pink Guy, Joji turned to a more serious lo-fi R&B style in 2017 when he took on his current performing name. Joji released his debut album Ballads 1, which quickly reached number 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. His most popular single, “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK,” made an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 in May.

Bazzi

In the best way possible, Bazzi really came into the spotlight by becoming a meme. First he was a Vine star, then his single “Mine” became a wildly popular tweet format. Since then, he’s released two albums, the second of which came out this year and was warmly received by critics. He’s also toured with stars like Camila Cabello and Justin Timberlake, and is rumored to be working on a collaboration with EDM producer Marshmello. The pop/R&B artist has cited JT, Bryson Tiller and some classic rock artists as influences.

Clairo

Claire Cottrill, or Clairo on stage, is the softest and sweetest voice in the indiepop scene at the moment. Despite criticisms about the root causes of her rise in the music industry, her debut record, released in May 2018, was warmly received by critics who were charmed by her DIY concert sound punctuated by funky electric keyboarding. She’s performed at Lollapalooza and Coachella in the past two years, and her first full-length album Immunity came out just last month to positive reviews.