Interview

On the eve of his first album, Drake just doesn’t have time to hear all the hype.

The xx’s debut album, xx (Young Turks/XL Recordings), has been hailed as the sound of young London, and for good reason: The band started making music four years ago, when its members were all between the ages of 16 and 19.

More Twisted Sister than Princess of Pop, Lady Gaga is a walking, talking, singing, fire-from-the-breast-shooting, fashion-freaking, all-out spectacle, and she's spent the past year elevating every concert, music video, and paparazzi photo op to the level of performance art. Photography Matthew Williams

Dave Gahan and his black-anthem band Depeche Mode have produced music for three     generations of beautiful outcasts. But as the group embarks on its biggest tour in years, the question arises: Can you really be an outsider if the whole world loves you?

VV Brown makes pop music from another planet-a world that resembles ours but is a lot more fun and unpredictable. "I'm a messenger from the future, but I'm getting love and memories from the past," the 25-year-old British chanteuse explains.