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A fresh batch of celebrity actors, musicians and models will be the subject of conversations come 2020.
You might not know names such as Lashana Lynch, Celeste and Morfydd Clark very well now but, believe us, come January they’ll be the women you’re obsessing over on social media.
From the singers you’ll be streaming on repeat to the actors you’ll be transfixed with watching in TV shows from the comfort of your sofa and models you’ll be copying looks from on the catwalk, it’s time to learn the next decade’s biggest stars.
Here are the breakout celebrities of 2020 that you need to know:
1 of 20
Alexa Demie (actress)
If you enjoyed her as the smizing Maddy Perez in the TV show Euphoria earlier this year, good news – you’ll be seeing a whole lot more of Demie in 2020.
The hit HBO series has been renewed for a second season, which is due out later next year. But if you can’t wait that long, catch the actress in Waves (out 17 January) – a film about a Florida family navigating a tragic loss which has been touted as the next Moonlight.
2 of 20
Celeste (musician)
As the winner of Brits Rising Star 2019 (past winners include Jorja Smith and Florence Welsh), this singer is also one of 10 musicians who has been recognised on BBC Music’s Sound of 2020 list.
Tipped for her timeless soul sound and soul-baring lyrics, this Brighton-born British-Jamaican singer will embark on her own tour in April and a debut album is rumoured to land later in the year.
3 of 20
Lashana Lynch (actress)
Move over Daniel Craig, there’s a new 007 on the scene, and she goes by the name of Lashana Lynch.
After Phoebe Waller-Bridge was called in to polish up the script for No Time to Die (out 2 April), it was announced earlier this year that Lynch would be taking over Bond’s iconic codename, 007, which we can’t wait to watch unfold on screen next year.
Marvel fans will recognise Lynch from her breakthrough role as fighter pilot Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel, another gender stereotype-smashing blockbuster.
4 of 20
Morfydd Clark (actress)
While Morfydd Clark has already made something of a name for herself in the theatre world, 2020 will see her make the switch from stage to screen.
You’ll already have seen her as the sinister Sister Clara in His Dark Materials but this year Clark will appear in the BBC One/Netflix adaptation of Dracula (due out in January), British psychological thriller Saint Maud (out 1 May) and as a young version of Sally Hawkins’ main character in Eternal Beauty (due 1 January).
5 of 20
Aisling Franciosi (actress)
If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you may know her better as Lyanna Stark. Or maybe you recognise her from the BBC’s hugely popular The Fall? But in 2020, there will be no mistaking this Irish-Italian actress as she’s set for international success with a role in Sandra Bullock’s upcoming, yet-to-be-titled Netflix movie, alongside Viola Davis and Rob Morgan.
Franciosi has also got a spot on the upcoming BBC One miniseries, Black Narcissus, alongside Gemma Arterton and Jim Broadbent, which airs later in 2020, as well as HBO’s I Know This Much Is True, starring Mark Ruffalo.
6 of 20
Hunter Schafer (actress)
As HBO confirms season two of teen-hit Euphoria for 2020 (although it probably won’t be out until much later in the year), we’re stoked because that means we have more of a chance to see newcomer Hunter Schafer.
The model-turned-social activist-turned-actress plays Jules, the best friend of Zendaya’s Rue, in the series. As a transgender woman, Schafer was also responsible for challenging a state House bill requiring people to use public bathrooms that match the gender on their birth certificate, so we look forward to seeing more of Schafer using her platform for good in 2020.
7 of 20
Beabadoobee (musician)
Another BBC Music Sound of 2020 nominee, we can’t get enough of is Beabadoobee, aka the devastatingly cool 19-year-old Bea Kristi who’s is signed to the same label as The 1975 and will be supporting the band on the UK leg of their tour in February 2020.
Her dreamy, lo-fi pop is heavily influenced by 1990s grunge and makes for easy listening.
8 of 20
Sheila Atim (actress)
Topping off 2019 by adding an MBE to her list of accolades (which also includes an Olivier award), 2020 will be the year of Sheila Atim.
First up she’ll star in Netflix’s The Irregulars, a Sherlock Holmes retelling that focusses on a group of crime-solving street urchins, and then in Barry Jenkins’s (of Moonlight fame) The Underground Railroad, which is based on the Colson Whitehead novel and headed for Amazon Prime.
9 of 20
Halle Bailey (actress)
We absolutely can’t contain our excitement for Bailey to take on the iconic role of Ariel in the 2020 live-action Disney remake of The Little Mermaid.
One half of Grammy-nominated R’n’B sister duo Chloe x Halle (and signed to Beyoncé’s own label after she discovered them on YouTube), the 19-year-old is also known for her turn as Sky in the TV series Grown-ish, alongside Yara Shahidi.
10 of 20
Amy Hunt (athlete)
Hunt holds the world record for the fastest 200m sprint by any under-18 woman, ever.
The athlete’s life-changing win this summer catapulted her to ninth in this year’s world rankings, putting her in good company with the likes of sprinters Dina Asher-Smith and Dafne Schippers. With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics looming close, we only hope Hunt decides to compete (she also has A-levels that summer, eek!).
11 of 20
Arlo Parks (musician)
Another Gen-Z-er to watch for in 2020, Arlo Parks is the west Londoner whose sweet, soulful tunes are widely touted as channeling the ‘malaise of a generation’, covering everything from house prices to mental health.
Starting off as a poet, Parks eventually started putting her words to music, and we’re so glad she did.
Listen, become obsessed, and then book your tickets for her European tour, which starts at the beginning of next year (UK dates are in March).
12 of 20
Ajok Madel (model)
She only started modelling a year ago, but Ajok Madel is the name on everyone’s lips in fashion.
At the forefront of the changing face of Australian beauty, Madel was born in a Kenyan refugee camp before her mother fled with her to Australia.
Now, at the age of 19, she’s making waves in the fashion industry, walking for the likes of Alexander McQueen, Dries van Noten and Tom Ford for SS20, resulting in her being noted as being among the season’s top walkers.
13 of 20
Jodie Turner-Smith (actress)
The 33-year-old Londoner has worked in the modelling industry for years, but 2020 will see her break away from fashion as she takes to the big screen with a leading role in Queen and Slim (out 31 January) opposite Daniel Kaluuya.
If you can’t get enough of Turner-Smith, don’t worry as she’ll also be starring as Colin Farrell’s wife in After Yang and opposite Michael B. Jordan in action film Without Remorse, both expected out later in the year.
14 of 20
Sophie Cookson (actress)
The Trial of Christine Keeler, the true-story of the Profumo affair, will be one of the most exciting BBC dramas to kick off 2020 with (the first episode airs 29 December), with Sophie Cookson playing the titular role of Keeler.
You’ll also catch the actress with bow and arrow in hand in Emperor (which GoT fans will be all over) and alongside Mark Wahlberg in sci-fi film Infinite, expected August 2020.
15 of 20
Evie Harris (model)
SS20 was Harris’s first ever season on the runway, but already the British model is being touted as a breakout model for 2020.
Her ethereal yet striking looks are fast attracting attention from major fashion houses, from Louis Vuitton and Chanel to Miu Miu and Stella McCartney, and her runway debut was opening the J.W. Anderson SS20 show. No big deal…
16 of 20
Taylor Russell (actress)
You might know Taylor Russell from Netflix’s Lost in Space or the horror hit Escape Room, but soon everyone will be talking about her star turn in Waves, where she plays lead character Emily alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Russell will also be appearing in an Escape Room sequel, and an anticipated season two of Lost in Space is also due to drop this Christmas Eve. Watch this space.
17 of 20
Beanie Feldstein (actress)
If you loved Beanie Feldstein in Lady Bird and Booksmart, then 2020 about to get even more exciting for fans as the actress has landed the lead role of Johanna in the film adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s incredibly successful memoir-novel, How to Build a Girl.
After that, we’ll be tuning into the next instalment of the American Crime Story series, Impeachment, to see Feldstein portray Monica Lewinsky, and then onto The Humans where the Bad Neighbours actress will star alongside Amy Schumer in the Tony-winning play-turned-film.
18 of 20
Sonoya Mizuno (actress)
After minor roles in La La Land, Beauty and the Beast and Crazy Rich Asians, Sonoya Mizuno is gearing up for her biggest year yet.
First up, she takes the lead role in upcoming sci-fi thriller, Devs, as Lily Chan, a computer engineer who investigates the disappearance of her boyfriend, which will be released in the US in March.
Mizuno is also set to star alongside Kayley Cuoco in The Flight Attendant, a thriller set to premiere on HBO Max sometime next year.
19 of 20
Anna Wiener (author)
We predict a Sally Rooney rise for this contributing writer to The New Yorker online, where she writes about start-up culture and technology.
Her debut book, Uncanny Valley, is due out 21 January 2020. Part memoir, part exposé, the book follows Wiener’s 20s, which she mostly spent living and working in Silicon Valley. Prepare to be shocked by some of the stories, as Wiener comments on everything from company ski vacations to rife, unchecked ambition and technology’s accelerating political power.
20 of 20
Sacha Quenby (model)
Having walked the runway in the likes of Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy and J.W. Anderson’s SS20 shows, Sacha Quenby is on our model watchlist for the New Year.
As well as continuing to book all the big fashion house shows in the coming months, we predict we’ll see much more from the 19-year-old, both on the runway and beyond.