British dance group Clean Bandit found crossover success by weaving classical music with dance-pop for a beat-driven yet refined sound -- often delivered with high-profile guest vocalists. After scoring their first hit with the multi-platinum international sensation "Rather Be," featuring Jess Glynne (from 2014's New Eyes), they issued a string of U.K. chart-toppers that proved successful around the world, including "Rockabye" with Sean Paul and Anne-Marie, "Symphony" with Zara Larsson, and "Solo" with Demi Lovato, all of which were included on 2018's What Is Love? They again reached the U.K. Top Ten with 2020's "Tick Tock" featuring 24kGoldn before releasing 2021's "Higher" with Iann Dior.

Founded in 2008 by schoolmates Grace Chatto (cello, percussion, and vocals), Jack Patterson (bass, keys, piano, and vocals), Luke Patterson (drums), and Neil Amin-Smith (violin and piano), they were originally dubbed the Chatto Quartet when they performed around their university. The classically trained string quartet performed J.S. Bach and cited Jacqueline du Pré as an influence, but their post-show, wind-down music often consisted of garage, 2-step, Craig David, and Arcade Fire tracks. The quartet members were aware of both producer Jon Wandeck and MC Ssegamic through the duo's photographic work, and when Wandeck suggested they play on one of his house music cuts, Clean Bandit were born. With MC Ssegamic on the mike, they released the genre-mashing "Telephone Banking" in the summer of 2011. Their Dance Armstrong mixtape followed in 2012, while 2013 saw the release of the Mozart's House EP. The "Mozart House" track also landed on their album New Eyes, which was released by major-label Atlantic in 2014.

While early singles "A+E" and "Dust Clears" were modest chart successes in the U.K., it wasn't until the release of New Eyes' fourth single -- the Jess Glynne-featuring "Rather Be" -- that Clean Bandit truly entered the international mainstream. The multi-platinum song became the second best-selling track in the U.K. in 2014 and won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2015. The success of "Rather Be" helped the group ride New Eyes into 2016, yielding an additional pair of singles that kept Clean Bandit on the U.K. charts.

In late 2016, Amin-Smith parted ways with the band, days before they released the single "Rockabye," featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie on vocals. The track became their second U.K. number one and broke into the Billboard Top Ten, later receiving platinum certification throughout Europe and in the U.S. and Australia. Clean Bandit followed with another chart-topping collaboration, "Symphony" with Zara Larsson, and the Top Five single "I Miss You" with Julia Michaels. In 2018, the trio secured their fourth hit with the summer single "Solo," featuring Demi Lovato. "Baby" with Marina and the Diamonds and Luis Fonsi arrived shortly before the release of the group's sophomore full-length, What Is Love? In addition to the previously released hit singles, the album also included appearances by Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, OutKast's Big Boi, Craig David, and many more. A 2020 collaboration with rapper 24kGoldn yielded the Top Ten U.K. single "Tick Tock." More tracks arrived in 2021, including "Higher" with Iann Dior and "Drive" with Topic and Wes Nelson. ~ David Jeffries & Neil Z. Yeung

Los Angeles' Julia Michaels is a gifted singer and songwriter with a bent toward R&B-inflected, dance-oriented pop. Before launching her performing career, Michaels had composed songs for Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Shakira, and many others. She then transitioned to feature roles, appearing on Jason Derulo's "Trade Hearts" and Kygo's "Carry Me." Michaels released her debut solo single "Issues" in 2017, which promptly went multi-platinum in the U.S., Australia, and Norway. Her first EP, Nervous System, arrived later that year, cracking the Top 50 of the Billboard 200. She also co-wrote and sang on Clean Bandit's hit single "I Miss You," which charted around the globe. Following a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, she issued a series of EPs titled Inner Monologue in 2019. She also earned a 2020 Grammy nomination for Song of the Year for her duet with JP Saxe on "If the World Was Ending." On the heels of that acclaim, she released her debut full-length, 2021's Not in Chronological Order.

Born Julia Carin Cavazos in Davenport, Iowa, in 1993 she grew up in Santa Clarita, California, where she began singing and performing around age 12. By her teens, she had adopted the stage name Julia Michaels and was collaborating on music with professional songwriters Joleen Belle and Lindy Robbins. Along with Belle and Robbins, Michaels composed songs for such artists as Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony, Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Shakira, Linkin Park, and many others. She also launched her own performance career, appearing on songs like Jason Derulo's "Trade Hearts," Zedd's "Straight Into the Fire," and Kygo's "Carry Me," which she performed at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Michaels released her debut solo single, "Issues," in 2017. The song became a hit on charts around the world, going multi-platinum in the U.S., Australia, and Norway. "Issues" also appeared on her debut EP, Nervous System, which arrived in the summer of 2017 on Republic. The seven-song set peaked in the Top 50 on the Billboard 200 and earned Michaels Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Issues." In late 2017, she co-wrote and sang on U.K. electronic act Clean Bandit's hit single "I Miss You," which charted around the globe. The following year, she collaborated with American rapper Trippie Redd on her single "Jump."

In 2019, Michaels issued the first in a series of EPs titled Inner Monologue, which included the tracks "Anxiety" featuring Selena Gomez and "What a Time" featuring Niall Horan. The second volume followed in June, with eight songs written by Michaels. That same year, she scored another hit in the romantic JP Saxe duet "If the World Was Ending," which also picked up Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. In January 2020, she joined Diplo and Morgan Wallen for a re-recorded version of their song "Heartless." Her own single, "Lie Like This," appeared a few months later.

In April 2021, Michaels' delivered her debut full-length, Not in Chronological Order, which featured production by the Monsters & Strangerz, G Koop, German, and others. Along with "Lie Like This," the Billboard 200-charting album included the rock-driven single "All Your Exes." More singles followed, including 2021's "Only One" with Khea, Becky G, and Di Genius, and 2022's "Sorry to Me Too." ~ Matt Collar