Bazzi’s ever-evolving mix of blissed-out pop and bummed-out R&B is meant to be one thing: authentic. “It’s a human project,” the singer (born Andrew Bazzi in 1997) told Apple Music. “I’m obsessed with the concept of just being real ... to be honest and truthful and vulnerable.” Expressing himself through music has been Bazzi’s ultimate goal since age six when his Lebanese dad returned to their home in suburban Detroit with an Arabic oud in hand. From that point on, he was committed to being a performer, eventually heading to Los Angeles at age 17 to record and release songs like the reverb-soaked ballad “Alone.” Since, his deeply introspective, heart-on-sleeve confessions have resonated with listeners worldwide—including 2017’s breakout single “Mine,” a feel-good valentine infused with hip-hop swagger, and the silky serenade “Beautiful,” which he later remixed with tourmate Camila Cabello. Bazzi’s voice remains his most potent weapon: Between spitting out fierce rhymes on the politically fueled “Caught in the Fire” and finding his most fragile edges with the falsetto-laced F-bombs of 2019’s “I.F.L.Y.,” he strives to capture emotion in its purest form. “Music is a magical, misunderstood, hard-to-put-your-finger-on type thing,” the former Up Next honoree said. “That’s the same thing when we feel nostalgia. It’s just this mysterious emotion, and I definitely try to use it as a resource on most of my music.”