Abel Tesfaye

Nobody built an empire out of late-night gloom quite like Abel Tesfaye. He started out as a faceless Toronto kid dropping shadowy R&B tracks on YouTube, and before long he was filling stadiums in a sharp red suit and prosthetic makeup. Let's be honest, the man knows how to sell a mood. He took moody underground beats and turned them into shiny eighties pop that ruled global radio for years on end.

These days, he's shedding the rock-star persona and leaning right into Hollywood. When he jumped into television with HBO's drama The Idol, critics weren't kind, but nobody could look away. Whether he's pouring millions into his own stadium stage setups or teasing the end of his stage name, Abel keeps everyone guessing what his next act looks like.