Honoring the age-old tradition of keeping tabs on your classmates, made significantly easier nowadays with social media, we’re revisiting our alumni from the last year to find out what they’ve been up to since we last spoke. For some, the 2023 Grammy nominations brought good news and well-deserved recognition, for others the never-ending retrogrades may have wreaked havoc on their personal lives but luckily they’re all pros at turning lemons into lyrics. It wouldn’t be a proper yearbook-inspired recap without the quintessential “most likely to” awards and words of wisdom quotes. So, without further ado, presenting our class of ‘22.

We started off the year with the Nigerian sensation that is Tems as our January cover star. She divulged introspective truths about her journey of self-discovery, removing all external influences to find her authentic sound, how manifestation is spiritual, and her life hacks to stay grounded. Read Tems’ full cover story here.

Since then she has:

• Been featured on Drake and Future’s hit song “Wait 4 U”, earning her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also nabbed two 2023 Grammy nominations for Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Song 
• Collaborated with Rihanna (finally!) on the song “Lift Me Up” as part of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack
• Earned a Golden Globe nomination for Original Song in a Motion Feature thanks to “Lift Me Up”
• Contributed as a songwriter to Beyoncé’s highly-anticipated Renaissance album

For the multi-hyphenate producer, singer, and songwriter, BEAM, music is in his blood. As the son of Dancehall veteran, Papa San, he grew up around music and has racked up accolades for his own genre-bending sound along with his work for the likes of 21 Savage, Justin Bieber, Pop Smoke, and Diplo. In our February cover story, he shared the first music lesson he learned from his father, the meaning behind his acronym name, and the decade that will forever inspire him. Read the full story here.

Since then he has:

• Released his album Alien featuring Justin Bieber, Jorja Smith, Papa San, Zacari, and more. 
• Worked on Beyoncé’s Renaissance album as a songwriter, producer, and featured artist. Their song “ENERGY”, which he’s a featured artist on, debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 earning him his highest chart entry yet. 
• Contributed to songwriting on Drake and 21 Savage’s collaborative album, Her Loss, for the tracks “Rich Flex” and “Major Distribution”. He’s also credited for multiple songs on 21 Savage’s 2018 album i am > i was.
• Produced Justin Bieber’s single “Honest” featuring Don Toliver.
• Featured on the Jim Jones and Hitmaka collaborative single “Gunshot”.

Jamaican Reggae star, Koffee, brought the warmth of her home country to our April cover. Koffee chatted to us about her debut studio album, Gifted, the importance behind her many lyrical shoutouts to her mom, and her guiding principle of equality. Read the full cover story here.

Since then she has:

• Been nominated for the Best Reggae Album at the 2023 Grammys, making Gifted her second project in a row to be Grammy nominated. When she took home the 2020 Grammy Award for the same category she was 19 years old and became the first and youngest female artist to ever do so. 
• Headlined at Coachella after her 2020 Coachella debut was postponed due to the pandemic.
• Collaborated with Sam Smith and is credited as a featured artist on the song “Gimme” from his forthcoming album, Gloria, due out on January 2023. 
• Shared her origin story on the Audible music storytelling podcast titled Origins. She’s in good company with previous guests including Doja Cat and Billie Eilish.
• Completed her North American headlining tour for Gifted.

Country music star, Maren Morris, has had quite the year since the release of her album, Humble Quest, in March. When she’s not making headlines for music it’s her willingness to speak up in name of equality. As our May cover star, she opened up about the personal growth that shaped the intimate material on her album and the complexities of being labeled as a female country artist. Read the full cover story here.

Since then she has:

•  Skipped the CMAs red carpet, where she was nominated for Album of the Year, and showed up mid show with a bottle of champagne in hand. She tweeted the backstage walk (in lieu of the red carpet) with the caption “BYOB, CMA”.
• Become a guest judge on season 15 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, premiering on January 6th 2023.
• Received three 2023 Grammy nominations for Best Country Song, Best Country Album, and Best Country Solo Performance. 
• Defended Meghan Markle and Harry amid hatred towards their recent Netflix documentary, cc this list of her best clapback responses to haters and trolls.
• Closed her Humble Quest tour at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, a few weeks after the 10-year anniversary of her move from Texas to Nashville, with a concert that chronicled and honored her musical journey.

Our June cover star was the genre-defying artist, Cuco, who opened up about the psychedelic purgatory dream world he created for his Fantasy Gateway album. He also discussed representing his Latin heritage without letting it define his music, working with Kacey Musgraves, and destigmatizing the idea of therapy. Read the full cover story here.

Since then he has:

• Released a new single, “Pendant”, which is a heartfelt tribute to his late grandfather. 
• Been sober from alcohol for 9 months, detailing to WWD that he used to struggle with substance abuse while touring. 
• Collaborated with streetwear brand, Awake NY, for Fantasy Gateway merch released exclusively at Complex Con. 
• Performed at the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City.
• Been featured on YG’s single “I Dance” alongside Duki and they even filmed a corresponding music video.

Known for his acoustic ballads rife with emotional lyrics, James Bay has been a leading indie UK artist since his debut album in 2015. Timed with the release of his third album, Leap, he spoke about the cathartic process of finding light amongst the darkness, relinquishing privacy for vulnerability, and the power of staying present in our July cover story.

Since then he has:

• Completed his Leap tour across North America, the UK, and Europe. 
• Joined The Lumineers for nine of their Brightside tour dates making indie fans’ dreams come true. 
• Married his longtime girlfriend, Lucy, who was a huge inspiration for Leap. Their nuptials came after 15 years of dating and 10 months after the arrival of their daughter. 
• Announced a special one-night-only show at London’s Royal Albert Hall, citing the venue as sentimental and inspirational to a young James Bay, on April 23rd 2023. 
• Joined TikTok and shared lots of tour BTS which more or less always includes the appearance of a guitar and a fedora.

The self-proclaimed Swap Princess was our August cover star which coincided with the release of her EP, she / her / black bitch. She chatted about reclaiming slurs, the villain archetype, manifesting a collab with SZA, and the people that inspired her to unapologetically be herself. Read the full cover story here.

Since then she has:

• Performed her single “Stressed” on COLORSxSTUDIOS
• Launched Planet Hip-Hop on Spotify Island, the streaming platform’s digital destination in the Roblox metaverse. Naturally, hers was swamped-themed. 
• Been featured on Kaytranada’s “XTASY” by Ravyn Lenae remix. 
• Received an MTV VMA nomination for “Persuasive” under the Push Performance of the Year category. 

For our first IRL September cover shoot, we spent a day outside with Johnny Orlando. He openly discussed coming into his own, learning to replace doubt with assertion, swapping skinny jeans for coveted style, and his no-prisoners approach to creating his debut album. Read the full cover story here.

Since then he has:

• Opened for Ali Gatie’s Who Hurt You tour (if you listen to Johnny’s music, you know this is very on brand).
• Released the deluxe version of all the things that could go wrong featuring two new songs, “trust her more” and “hollywood sign”.
• Won the 2022 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Canadian Act (his third win in the same category). 
• Appeared on MuchMusic’s Intimate and Interactive series alongside Tate McRae for a sit-down interview and acoustic performance.

The multi-platinum country star, Kelsea Ballerini, embraced change and found joy in doing so on her fourth studio album, Subject to Change. As our October cover star, she divulged lessons about friendships and fame, redefining what it means to be a role model, and the one thing she has that’s not subject to change. Read the full cover story here.

Since then she has:

• Attended the CMA Awards in the same floor-length blue gown as her fellow country star, MacKenzie Porter.
• Wrapper her Heartfirst tour and announced she’ll be opening for Kenny Chesney’s I Go Back 2023 tour. 
• Received a 2023 Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for her song “Heartfirst”.
• Purchased her Nashville dream home which used to belong to Kacey Musgraves.
• Finalized her divorce from her ex-husband Morgan Evans.
• Delivered an iconic speech while performing at the Grand Ole Opry by pausing her performance to say, “The truth is that this morning I started my day at the courthouse finalizing my divorce and then getting nominated for a Grammy, and then getting the keys to my dream home, and now standing in the circle of the Opry. And shit, if that ain’t country music, I don’t know what is”.

After putting in Hrs & Hrs songwriting for some of the biggest names in music, think Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige, Muni Long decided to prioritize her own career as an artist. And if 2022 proved anything, with the success of her platinum single “Hrs & Hrs”, she’s well on her way to becoming a household name. In our interview, she talked about unlearning childhood behavior, stacking faith in yourself, and why telling the truth and making it rhyme is the key to successful music.

Since then she has:

• Received three 2023 Grammy nominations. She nabbed Best New Artist, while her song “Hrs & Hrs” was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. 
• Opened the BET Soul Train Train Awards with a performance of “Hrs & Hrs” and “Plot Twist”. 
• Won The Ashford & Simpson Songwriters Award at the Soul Train Awards.
• Performed her song “Time Machine” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Responsible for the earworm lyrics likening his oversized style to Billie Eilish, 2022 was a breakout year for Armani White. During a trip to Toronto, the rapper paused to chat about the origin story of his “happy hood music”, turning lemons into lemonade, his work ethic, and the secret to success on fast-paced social platforms.

Since then he has:

• Performed “Billie Eilish” at the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards.
• Been selected to ring in 2023 with a performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC. 
• Been featured on Vevo’s highly acclaimed DSCVR Artists to Watch 2023 list. 
• Released his single “Goated” and taught a church choir how to do “goated shoulders”, video proof here.
• Opened for Jessie Reyez’s Yessie tour. 
• Performed at halftime for a Brooklyn Nets game and performed at the 2022 Jingle Ball.

If you went to Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia North American tour, then you’ll recognize Lolo Zouaï. In between tour dates, opening for the pop star, she also performed at Kid Super’s Paris Fashion Week show combining her French roots with her passion for music and fashion. In our interview, she discussed her genre-bending sound which is just as diverse as her French, Algerian, and San Francisco roots, the different personas she takes on, and her idgaf ethos.

Since then she has:

• Released her second studio album PLAYGIRL.
• Announced her 2023 PLAYGIRL world tour. 
• Made it on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2022. 
• Performed a virtual concert with Tidal on Meta’s Horizon Worlds.

Like what you saw? Here’s more:

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