Norway's Tom Stræte Lagergren (aka Matoma) is a DJ and producer known for his dance-oriented tropical house music. He initially garnered attention with his remixes, scoring a 2015 European hit with a remix of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Old Thing Back," which paved the way for his star-studded 2016 debut, Hakuna Matoma, with vocals by Dua Lipa, Jason Derulo, Becky Hill, and more. In 2018, he reached the Top 20 of the Norwegian and Billboard dance club charts with his sophomore album, One in a Million. Following tracks with MNEK, Ally Brooke, Wilder Woods, and more, Matoma returned in 2021 with the Rytme EP.

Born in Åsnes in 1991, Lagergren initially started out playing classical piano in his youth. It wasn't until his teenage years spent listening to his older brother's music collection -- including albums by Paul van Dyk, Tiesto, and Armin van Buuren -- that he became increasingly interested in electronic dance music. After high school, Lagergren, who had already started remixing and releasing tracks online as Matoma, furthered his studies by earning his bachelor's degree in Music Technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. By 2014, he had started to gain international recognition for his Matoma remixes, including cuts for Jessie J, Akon, Enrique Iglesias, and others. In 2015, he scored a hit in Europe and New Zealand with a remix of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Old Thing Back." That year, Lagergren also released his own debut single as Matoma, "Feeling Right (Everything Is Nice)," featuring rapper Wale and Jamaican dancehall singer Popcaan. That track found its way onto his debut LP, Hakuna Matoma, which arrived at the end of the year. Additional guests included Becky Hill, Sean Paul, Astrid S, Akon, Frenship, and remixes of Dua Lipa's "Hotter Than Hell," Jason Derulo's "Try Me," and Coldplay's "Adventure of a Lifetime."

In 2017, Lagergren issued the single "Girl at Coachella" featuring Magic! and D.R.A.M. It was followed by "Party on the West Coast," a tropical redux mix featuring Snoop Dogg and samples from Faith Evans and the late Notorious B.I.G., which was a chart hit in Norway. He also collaborated with British boy band the Vamps on their 2017 song "All Night." Following the track "Lonely" featuring MAX, Matoma released his sophomore LP, One in a Million, in 2018. The set peaked just outside the Top Ten on the Norwegian charts and yielded the modest hit "Slow" featuring Noah Cyrus. The next year, he teamed with MNEK and Kiana Ledé for "Bruised Not Broken" and Bryn Christopher on "All Around the World." An EP, Rytme, arrived in May 2020 and included guest appearances by Brando and Anna Clendening. Following "Good Vibes" with HRVY, Matoma released more of his own non-album singles, including 2020's "Wow" featuring Emma Steinbakken and 2021's "Never Surrender" with Steve Garrigan. ~ Matt Collar & Neil Z. Yeung

Thanks to their continually evolving sound and hands-on musicality, Britain's the Vamps distinguished themselves from the swell of boy bands that arrived in the wake of One Direction's success. After emerging in 2012 with popular cover song videos, the group soon began issuing their own hit albums and singles. Buoyed by hit singles including "Can We Dance" and "Last Night," 2014's platinum-selling Meet the Vamps reached number two in the U.K. The bright, acoustic-leaning pop of this album and 2015's Wake Up gave way to the EDM-infused sound of 2017's Night & Day. On 2020's Cherry Blossom, the Vamps balanced both of these styles with a maturity reflecting their lives as twentysomethings.

In 2012, guitarist James McVey decided to take the rather unusual route of searching for talent on YouTube when he wanted to start a band. First he approached singer/songwriter Bradley Simpson via his own YouTube channel, and after writing a few songs together, the pair recruited drummer Tristan Evans and bassist Connor Ball to complete the lineup. Uploading cover versions to their YouTube channel, the four-piece quickly gained a following, and at the end of 2012 they signed a deal with Mercury Records. Earning a support slot with pop outfit McFly -- a band with whom the Vamps share a similar sound -- on McFly's 2013 Memory Lane tour, the Vamps' fan base quickly swelled and the release of their first self-penned material followed.

Their debut single, "Can We Dance," was first aired via the group's spiritual home, YouTube, and notched over a million views within its first two weeks. Officially released in October 2013, "Can We Dance" debuted at number two on the official U.K. singles chart. In April 2014, the Vamps released their debut album, Meet the Vamps, amid a whirlwind of press engagements. The single "Last Night" -- released just a week prior -- scored the outfit their third consecutive U.K. Top Ten single, entering the charts at number two.

The following year, they delivered their sophomore album, Wake Up, featuring production from Steve Mac, Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, and others. The album peaked at number ten in the U.K. and produced three singles: "Wake Up," "Rest Your Love," and "I Found a Girl." Following the album's release, in January 2016 the Vamps embarked on their Wake Up World Tour. Also that year, they contributed a cover of Carl Douglas' classic "Kung Fu Fighting" to the soundtrack of the animated film Kung Fu Panda 3.

In October 2016, the Vamps paired with Norwegian DJ Matoma for the single "All Night," which heralded the band's third full-length album. Split into two separate releases, Night & Day appeared first in July 2017 as the Night Edition. The album debuted at number one in the U.K., and featured the single "Middle of the Night," which saw them team up with Danish EDM producer Martin Jensen. Arriving one year later, the Day Edition featured collaborations with Machine Gun Kelly and Kriss Kross Amsterdam. While touring in support of the record, the group issued April 2019's Missing You EP.

To make their next album, the Vamps took a more relaxed and spontaneous approach, working with a small team of collaborators that included Jack & Coke, Lostboy, and JHart, with Simpson overseeing most of the production. The band continued to work on songs even as the COVID-19 global pandemic hit, during which time they wrote the July 2020 single "Married in Vegas." The track provided the first taste of Cherry Blossom, an eclectic set that arrived in October. ~ Rich Wilson