Mayer Hawthorne

21st century soul man Mayer Hawthorne insists that there's nothing particularly special about his art. As he tells Time Out, it's a simple question of 'taking what I can learn from the classics, and blending it with my hip-hop DJ and producer background and punk-rock bands that I played in as a kid.' Whatever the trick is, it's worked a charm: this year saw the singer graduate from indie hip hop imprint Stones Throw Records to a deal with Universal, picking up solid reviews for sophomore album How Do You Do along the way. Sure, he isn't the world's greatest singer, but one thing isn't in doubt: the kid's got style.