16 Rising Stars to Watch Out For In 2014

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risingstars-052514We are almost halfway through 2014 but it’s never too late to make our list of stars to keep your eye on.

From musicians to actors to movie stars, we are highlighting 18 stars and/or groups that will make your year better. Some might be more familiar than others, but all are bound for stardom this year.

Check out our list and comment with who we missed or who you are most excited to see take over this year.

vamps
Who: The Vamps – Brad, Connor, James, Tristan
Where You’ve Heard Them: Catchy hit singles “Can We Dance” & “Last Night”
What’s Next: The group will open for Austin Mahone in the US
Why They’re On the Rise: The UK quartet that got their start on Youtube have taken over Europe and are now working on conquering the US. The Vamps recently released their debut album in the UK featuring the hits “Can We Dance,” “Last Night,” “Wild Heart” and their latest single “Somebody to You.” Oh, and did we mention they got Demi Lovato on that last track? The group has also already toured with the likes of Taylor Swift & Selena Gomez. With their high energy, catchy pop songs and their awesome sense of humor, these guys will capture your heart. If you haven’t check out our interviews with them, take a look below.

brentonWho: Brenton Thwaites
Where You’ve Seen Him: The Australian soaps “Slide” & “Home & Away” & the horror flick Oculus
What’s Next: He has a bunch of movies lined up including The Signal, Maleficent and The Giver.
Why He’s On the Rise: Brenton first captured the hearts of America in the Lifetime reboot of “The Blue Lagoon” and just this year he stars in four movies including Oculus and the highly anticipated film The Giver opposite Hollywood heavyweights like Jeff Bridges & Meryl Streep. In the film, Brenton brings Lois Lowry’s beloved Jonas from the book to life and fans of the book shouldn’t be worried. The aged up character was a concern for Brenton as well but he recently told EW, “To be honest, that’s why I put the script down the first time I read it.” After talking with Lowry and the director that argued that an older Jonas would make the stories even more unsettling, he said, “Why doesn’t this boy know about girls, love, color or anger? These are things that you come to terms with as a teenager.” The Giver opens August 15, Maleficent is out May 30 and The Signal opens June 13. Oh, and did we mention he’s a Disney prince?

mktoWho: MKTO (Tony Oller & Malcolm Kelley)
Where You’ve Seen/Heard Them: Both are known for acting – Tony in “Gigantic” & The Purge, Malcolm for “Lost” – but their catchy song “Classic” has become a hit summer song.
What’s Next: The duo released their debut album in February and will be headlining their American Dream tour starting in July.
Why They’re On the Rise: MKTO have managed to fuse pop with rap to make one of our favorite albums this year. Not only are their songs fun and catchy, but they also have a message. If you need proof, just take a listen to their latest single, “American Dream” and take a peek at the video.

jackWho: Jack O’Connell
Where You’ve Seen Him: UK’s hit show “Skins” & 300: Rise of An Empire
What’s Next: He’s already earned buzz for the Angelina Jolie directed Unbroken
Why He’s On the Rise: Jack won us over playing the intense Cook on “Skins.” Since then, he’s transitioned into a big screen career and is earning a lot of buzz for his role in Unbroken. The movie follows the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.

anselWho: Ansel Elgort
Where You’ve Seen Him: Divergent & Carrie
What’s Next: The highly anticipated The Fault In Our Stars
Why He’s On the Rise: Ansel made his big screen debut in Carrie and played Shailene Woodley’s brother in Divergent. Next up, he reteams with Shailene for the highly anticipated adaptation of John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars. Ansel beat out some of the hottest young stars for the coveted role of Augustus Waters. Oh, and did we mention he’s tall and handsome and can dance?

5sosWho: 5 Seconds of Summer – Calum, Luke, Ashton & Michael
Where You’ve Heard Them: The ultra catchy song “She Looks So Perfect”
What’s Next: The band is set to release their debut self-titled album this July. They’ll also be opening for One Direction on the US Where We Are Tour.
Why They’re On the Rise: Youtube has launched a lot of bands and 5 Seconds of Summer is one of the latest to catch fire. The Australian quartet gained fame on Youtube and then caught the eye of One Direction who took them on tour. After years of hard work, 5SOS will be releasing their debut album and hitting the road with 1D again. Oh, and did we mention they make awesome superheroes?

odeyaWho: Odeya Rush
Where You’ve Seen Her: The Odd Life of Timothy Green & We Are What We Are
What’s Next: The Giver co-starring Brenton Thwaites
Why She’s On the Rise: Odeya stole scenes from Jennifer Garner in The Odd Life of Timothy Green and she’s bound to do the same thing from Meryl Streep & Jeff Bridges in The Giver. If you don’t believe us, just watch the trailer for The Giver below.

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dylanWho: Dylan O’Brien
Where You’ve Seen Him: Making us laugh as Stiles on “Teen Wolf”
What’s Next: The big screen adaptation of The Maze Runner opening Sept 19.
Why He’s On the Rise: Ok, so Dylan O’Brien isn’t exactly a newcomer. We’ve loved him since he debuted on “Teen Wolf” and he definitely made us laugh on the big screen in The Internship & First Time. Now he’s taking on his first leading role in the adaptation of the YA novel The Maze Runner. Dylan stars as Thomas, a young man who wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape.

alexsierraWho: Alex & Sierra
Where You’ve Seen/Heard Them: The X Factor USA reigning champs
What’s Next: The duo will be releasing an album hopefully later this year
Why They’re On the Rise: Alex Kinsey & Sierra Deaton had us captivated since they performed “Toxic” for their audition on “The X Factor.” The two lovebirds not only made beautiful music together, but also make us believe in true love. Seriously, they’re adorable! Alex & Sierra have been busy writing their debut album working with some familiar names like, oh, Harry Styles. They just gave us a sneak peek of their new single “Scarecrow” and we can’t wait for more tunes!

gmwWho: Rowan Blanchard & Sabrina Carpenter
Where You’ve Seen Them: Spy Kids 4D (Rowan), “Austin & Ally” (Sabrina)
What’s Next: The two take over for Cory & Shawn in Disney Channel’s “Girl Meets World”
Why They’re On the Rise: The two teenages won the coveted roles of Riley & Maya in the “Boy Meets World” spin-off “Girl Meets World.” If you haven’t watched the pilot yet, trust us, you will love these two and you’ll be rooting for their friendship in the same way you did Cory & Shawn. The two also sing! They sing the theme song “Take on the World” and Sabrina has an awesome country EP out now!

nicolaWho: Nicola Peltz
Where You’ve Seen Her: The Last Airbender & “Bates Motel”
What’s Next: Fighting decepticons in Transformers: Age of Extinction
Why She’s On the Rise: Watch out Megan Fox & Isabel Lucas, Nicola is ready to take over the Transformers franchise. In the upcoming film, Nicola will hold her own against Mark Wahlberg, playing his daughter, as they discover a secret that will have everybody after them.

italiaWho: Italia Ricci
Where You’ve Seen Her: “Aaron Stone” & “Unnatural History”
What’s Next: ABC Family drama “Chasing Life”
Why She’s On the Rise: Italia takes on the lead role in ABC Family’s new drama “Chasing Life” which will be sure to pull at your heartstrings. The show follows April, an aspiring 20-something year-old journalist who finds out she has cancer. Oh, and did we mention she’s one half of a super talented & good looking couple with Robbie Amell.

natWho: Nat Wolff
Where You’ve Seen/Heard Him: “The Naked Brothers Band,” Stuck In Love, Admission
What’s Next: The indie Palo Alto, The Fault In Our Stars
Why He’s On the Rise: Nat is no stranger to Hollywood. He grew up on TV on the Nickelodeon show “The Naked Brothers Band.” Now all grown up, Nat has taken on more mature roles like young writer Rusty in Stuck in Love and troublesome Fred in Palo Alto. Next up, he will play Isaac, the best friend to Ansel Elgort’s Gus in The Fault In Our Stars, based on the John Green novel. He’ll also help bring John Green’s novel Paper Towns to life. Oh, and he’s still making music with his younger brother Alex. Talk about a busy guy!

roseWho: Rose McIver
Where You’ve Seen Her: The Lovely Bones, “Masters of Sex,” “Once Upon a Time”
What’s Next: Lifetime’s “Petals on the Wind” & the CW’s mid-season show “iZombie”
Why She’s On the Rise: The New Zealand born actress first caught our eye in The Lovely Bones and then she suited up as one of the Power Rangers for R.P.M. Last year, she stole scenes in “Masters of Sex” and as Tinker Bell in “Once Upon a Time.” Up next, she takes on the juicy role of Cathy Dollanger in “Petals on the Wind” and turns into a zombie in the CW’s “iZombie.” We have a feeling her star is definitely on the rise.

rixtonWho: Rixton
Where You’ve Heard Them: That catchy song “Me & My Broken Heart”
What’s Next: Debut album set for this year
Why They’re On the Rise: What is in the water in the UK? Rixton started on Youtube and caught the eye of Scooter Braun. Yeah, you know, that guy that discovered Justin Bieber? No big deal right? The group released an EP this year which included the fun summer song “Me & My Broken Heart” and they just played their first sold out headlining show in Los Angeles. Next up, the band will play in NYC then tour in the UK. We can’t wait to hear their upcoming album.