Enigmatic masked DJ/producer Marshmello makes groove-oriented, synth- and bass-heavy electronic dance music which regularly achieves mainstream crossover success. In the spirit of similarly cloaked dance figures like Deadmau5 and Daft Punk, Marshmello performs wearing a full-head-covering, in his case a marshmallow mask. Despite his early anonymity, Marshmello's career blew up in 2015 when he began releasing tracks online. From there came shows at New York's Pier 94, Pomona, California's HARD Day of the Dead festival, and Miami Music Week. He also scored a number five Billboard electronic/dance album with his full-length debut, Joytime, before landing two consecutive number one dance albums, Joytime II and Joytime III. Collaborative hits followed with artists including Selena Gomez ("Wolves"), Khalid ("Silence"), and Bastille (the platinum hit "Happier"). He again hit a solo peak in 2019 with his revolutionary in-game concert Fortnite Extended Set, and returned to the Top Ten of the dance charts with 2021's Shockwave. In 2023, he collaborated with Brazil's Tropkillaz on Mellokillaz and released his first Latin crossover set Sugar Papi.

Marshmello's career began in 2015 when he posted his music on SoundCloud, including remixes of Zedd's "Beautiful Now," Jack Ü's "Where Are U Now," and others. Soon he was drawing fans and gaining vocal support from peers like Skrillex, who reposted Marshmello's track "Find Me." High-profile live DJ appearances followed, with shows at Ultra Music Festival and California's HARD Day of the Dead festival, among others. In 2016, Marshmello released a compilation of his previously released tracks, Joytime, which reached number five on the Billboard electronic/dance albums chart and number one on a digital top electronic albums chart. Included on the album was the single "Keep It Mello" featuring rapper Omar LinX.

Also in 2016, after a set at Electric Daisy Carnival, Dutch DJ Tiësto jokingly emerged from under Marshmello's mask, fallaciously proclaiming he was the mysterious DJ. The real Marshmello continued to perform and release singles throughout the year, later starting his own Joytime Collective record label. More collaborations followed in 2017, including "Silence" with Khalid and "Wolves" featuring Selena Gomez. Both tracks became Top 30 hits and were certified platinum around the world.

In 2018, Marshmello added another hit collaboration to his roster, pairing with British vocalist Anne-Marie for their multi-platinum hit single "Friends." After delivering his second full-length album, Joytime II, he released the non-album single "Happier," which featured Bastille's Dan Smith on vocals. The song quickly became a high-charting track, rising into the Top Three in the U.S., U.K., and Australasia. As the popularity of "Happier" continued to rise, Marshmello scored a charting effort with the revolutionary Fortnite Extended Set, a 30-minute mix taken from his 2019 in-game concert that attracted millions of video gamers. By the time summer rolled around, "Happier" had topped the Billboard electronic chart and peaked at number two on the Hot 100. Meanwhile, a collaboration with Chvrches, "Here with Me," began its steady rise up the charts, giving the indie outfit their highest-charting single to date. Marshmello also added additional cross-genre collaborations to his singles list, including "Light It Up" with Tyga and Chris Brown, "One Thing Right" with country singer Kane Brown, and "Rescue Me" with pop-punkers A Day to Remember. The latter track appeared on Joytime III, which arrived in July 2019 and featured guests Slushii, Flux Pavilion, Elohim, and Wiwek. It hit number 50 on the Billboard 200 and topped the dance chart.

In February 2020, Marshmello joined Svdden Death for the track "Crusade," and later Halsey for the ebullient "Be Kind." The following year saw Marshmello deliver collaborations with Aussie singer/songwriter Vance Joy ("You"), Kentucky rapper 2KBABY ("Like This"), and Iranian singer/producer Arash ("Lavandia"). The DJ's fourth full-length, Shockwave, arrived in June 2021 and featured appearances by Juicy J, Megan Thee Stallion, Subtronics, and more. It hit number three on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and earned Marshmello his first Grammy Award nomination. A handful of non-album tracks kept the DJ busy in 2022, including "Numb" with Khalid, "Sah Sah" with Nancy Ajram, and the punk-influenced "American Psycho" with Mae Muller (and featuring Trippie Redd). "Bye Bye," a 2019 collaboration with the late Juice Wrld, appeared in 2022, followed in 2023 by the Jamie Brown-assisted "Party Jumpin'." Other 2023 singles included collaborations with Polo G, Farruko, and Brent Faiyaz; he additionally released Mellokillaz with Tropkillaz. That same year, he also teamed with Sony Latin and a full roster of guests that included Farruko, Anuel AA, Nicky Jam, and more on the Latin-dance crossover album Sugar Papi. ~ Matt Collar

Just out of high school when he made his commercial debut with the ballad "Location" (2016), non-traditional R&B singer and songwriter Khalid has attracted a large following with an undemonstrative but heartfelt vocal style and a down-to-earth perspective. Although he attained a major-label contract within months of uploading his first songs, "Location" moved into the mainstream at a slow tempo similar to that of the song itself and became a Top 20 pop hit just after the release of American Teen (2017), one of the biggest album debuts of the late 2010s. Within a period of just over a year, Khalid went from an unknown, everyday teenager to a chart-topping, platinum-certified pop star with Grammy nominations for "Location" and American Teen, plus Logic's "1-800-237-8255," on which he appeared. The Billboard 200-topping Free Spirit (2019) wasn't released until two years after American Teen, but Khalid was busy throughout the interim with an assortment of featured appearances and collaborations, highlighted by the Top Ten pop hits "Love Lies" (with Normani) and "Eastside" (headlined by Benny Blanco). Khalid returned to his solo work with the 2021 mixtape Scenic Drive (The Tape) and 2023's Everything Is Changing.

Khalid Robinson was raised by his mother, whose military career necessitated an itinerant upbringing. Originally from Fort Stewart, Georgia, he also lived on military reservations in Kentucky and New York, as well as in Heidelberg, Germany, before his mother was transferred to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Throughout, music had been a constant -- Khalid started singing as early as he could speak, and his mother performed with the U.S. Army Chorus -- but a supportive environment at El Paso's Americas High School sparked his creativity and boosted his confidence. While at Americas, Khalid uploaded his first recordings. They quickly reached A&R executive Tunji Balogun, who signed the artist to major-label RCA.

Khalid's commercial debut was made in August 2016, three months after he received his high school diploma, with "Location." A sparse love ballad produced by a team of six including Smash David and Syk Sense, it reflected the singer's affinity for the likes of James Blake and Frank Ocean. The anti-anthemic second single "Young Dumb & Broke" didn't arrive until the following February, as "Location" was remarkably still gaining ground, and set up the March release of the album American Teen. Containing both singles, the LP entered the Billboard 200 at number nine. "Location" finally peaked on the R&B/hip-hop and Hot 100 charts, respectively at numbers two and 16, two months later, and "Young Dumb & Broke" likewise took off gradually, ultimately topping the R&B/hip-hop chart and landing within the pop Top 20. Khalid became a sought-after featured artist in the process. He and Alessia Cara contributed to Logic's April 2017 single "1-800-237-8255," a Top Ten pop hit titled after the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The song was subsequently nominated for Grammy Awards in the categories of Song of the Year and Best Music Video. At the same time, "Location" was up for Best R&B Song, American Teen was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album, and Khalid himself was among the nominees for Best New Artist.

A discography of featured roles that included additional 2017 singles such as Calvin Harris' "Rollin'," Marshmello's "Silence," and a remix of Lorde's "Homemade Dynamite" continued to grow through 2018. Khalid made more chart impressions via Shawn Mendes' "Youth" and Benny Blanco's Top Ten hit "Eastside," among other appearances. More prominently as a headliner or co-headliner, Khalid contributed to the soundtracks of Love, Simon, 13 Reasons Why, and Superfly; the Normani duet "Love Lies" went Top Ten; and he also charted alongside Billie Eilish with "Lovely." Meanwhile, Khalid worked on his second album with the singles "OTW" and "Better." The latter topped the R&B/hip-hop chart, went Top 20 pop, and appeared on Suncity, an EP issued that October. Early the next year, Khalid issued "Saturday Nights" and "Talk" before the April arrival of Free Spirit, which entered the Billboard 200 at number one. "Talk," a number three pop hit, earned the singer his sixth Grammy nomination, this one for Record of the Year.

"New Normal" appeared in July 2021 as the first track off his forthcoming third album, Everything Is Changing. In December of that year, Khalid offered up Scenic Drive (The Tape), his first mixtape, which featured contributions from Alicia Keys, Ari Lennox, and Majid Jordan, among others. More singles arrived in 2022, including "Last Call," "Numb" (with Marshmello), and "Wish You Were Here" (with Lukas Graham). Everything Is Changing was released in 2023. ~ Andy Kellman