Soul music is the music of the American people. Its roots range from gospel and R&B to dance and funk, rising to prominence in the 1960s. Lately, though, it seems like there’s a new movement reintroducing R&B and soul back into popular music. Soul never left, of course—its influences can be heard in everything from disco to divas—but listening to new artists singing new songs pushes the genre forward, while also paying homage it its past. Today, we’re highlighting 4 up-and-coming singers you should know.

Leon Bridges

Twenty-five-year-old Leon Bridges is leading the soul revival movement in America right now. The young Fort Worth singer has been compared to Sam Cooke, reviving a style of soulful ballads and twisting dance tunes that seemed to be lost on a generation enamored with music made on laptops. Single and title track “Coming Home” went viral this February, months before Colombia Records release Coming Home the LP in June. Bridges’ unpretentious persona—exemplified in “Lisa Sawyer,” a song about his mother’s upbringing and “Twistin’ & Groovin’ about how his grandparents met—and soulful crooning in sharing them make Coming Home one of the best albums of 2015.

Nikki Hill

Nikki Hill emphasizes the “B” in R&B. The former bartender boasts a heavier rock ‘n’ roll sound than others on this list, but Hill still belts like Etta James or Mavis Staples. Hill’s debut came out in 2013, but October’s release of Heavy Hearts, Hard Fists secures her place among the frontrunners of the neo-soul and new R&B movement. She wrote most tracks on the record, including the sassy “Scratch Back” and “Struttin’,” while also including Aretha-like ballads like “Nothing With You and covers like Sam Cooke’s “Twistin’ The Night Away.”

Son Little

Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Son Little, also known as Aaron Livingston, got his start collaborating with hip hop acts like The Roots and RJD2. But Son Little’s work falls more in line with neo-soul. He integrates funk and sampling into his self-titled debut, but it’s impossible to ignore the soul in his ragged vocals. Son Little, which was also released in October, earned some buzz for the ballad “Lay Down,” as well also the socially conscious “O Mother,” which continues the traditions set by soul singers like Marvin Gaye.

Lady

Nicole Monique Wray began her career as a 17-year-old, signing to Missy Elliot's Goldmind Records. Since then, she’s collaborated with everyone in hip hop and rock ranging from from Kid Cudi to The Black Keys. After singing on The Black Keys’ Brothers in 2010, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney encouraged her to go solo. As a result, Wray’s debut LP as Lady dropped in 2013. Lady sounds like the R&B girl groups of the ‘60s, with swinging rhythms, tight harmonies, brass breakdowns and bass-heavy funk. But as Wray reinterprets those classics in the modern era, she injects her works with fierce lady power and pride. Lady is working on her sophomore album entitled Queen Alone now, due out on Brooklyn’s Truth & Soul Records.