Owl City

Parlaying his bright indietronica and social media acumen into a global success story, Minnesotan Adam Young, who records under the name Owl City, rose to fame in 2009 on the wings of his bubbly, chart-topping single "Fireflies." Mixing warm electronica and earnest, emo-tinged pop, Young's savvy in promoting his songs with the then-dominant MySpace network helped him rise from blue-collar insomniac to mainstream major-label success with 2009's multi-platinum Ocean Eyes. Known for seeking out a variety of collaborators to sing on his records, Young found multi-platinum success again a few years later, enlisting Carly Rae Jepsen for his 2012 single "Good Time." Subsequent collaborators have included such wide-ranging artists as Lindsey Stirling, Aloe Blacc, and Hanson. After releasing 2015's Mobile Orchestra, his fourth straight full-length to hit the Top 20 in the U.S. and Canada, he went the independent route for albums including 2018's Cinematic and 2023's Coco Moon.

Young launched the Owl City project in 2007 while living at his parents' home in Owatonna, Minnesota. Troubled by insomnia, Young began spending his evenings after work in the household basement, where a computer and several instruments provided a diversion from his sleeping patterns. He eventually combined those diversions into a blend of electronica and emo-pop, using little more than his computer and various keyboards to record the material.