Thanks to contributions from Madonna, Adele and Justin Bieber, 2015 proved to be a year designed for some of pop's most veteran players. But the genre's young and hungry recruits are looking poised for a quick and decisive takeover.

Whether they rose to fame via social media, have been playing thankless gigs in smoky Brooklyn bars or meticulously crafted their own beats with laptops in their bedrooms, pop music's new class of stars is nothing to sneeze at. Acts like Alessia Cara have made big ol' Billboard splashes, Donna Missal's worked her way up Spotify's viral charts and Troye Sivan just played his very first gig on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. You can call them new, but they're certainly not green.

Above, we've strung together some of our favorite 2015 pop debuts, from the brash, Nashville garage band Bully to the dreamy, soft-as-silk Ofelia K. They come in all shapes and sizes, hail from as far and wide as Sweden and Australia and have even got a former member of Rilo Kiley among them. This may be the first time you're reading about one or a few of them, but we're willing to bet it will not be the last.

Look back at PopCrush's favorite new pop acts of 2015, tell us if you're into the list or, if not, who we should have included!

Take a look back at PopCrush's best TV shows of 2015:

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