Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...

It's easy to see Edie Yvonne's story in her latest hit, "Girl Code," even though the scene is full of teen songs. Edie writes about the hard facts and unsaid rules of growing up at a time when life is dangerously balanced between having fun as a child and about to become an adult. That's not like Edie; her skills work just as well on set...