Spotify is always looking for rising artists, highlighting them through playlists on the streaming service like "Fresh Finds" and "Spotlight" that introduce new talent to millions of listeners.

Business Insider talked to a trends expert at Spotify, Shanon Cook, about 10 artists who are quickly gaining steam, and she shared their listener data.

Six of the 10 artists are performing this week at the Spotify House at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin — where music insiders descend annually to discover the best breakout musicians — while some are there for other showcases and shows. 

Here are 10 artists who are making waves this year: 

SEE ALSO: These 13 massive hit songs were originally rejected by other artists

Anderson .Paak

Anderson .Paak released his second album, "Malibu," in mid-January, and announced at the end of the month that he was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label. The rapper/singer had performed on six songs off of Dre's acclaimed 2015 album, "Compton." He performed on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in February and is hitting up the Spotify House at SXSW. He has 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He was listed as one of Billboard's artists to watch at SXSW.

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Jack Garratt

A one-man band who also produces his own music, Garrett has been generating attention following the release of his debut album, "Phase," on February 19. The British artist won the critics choice award at the 2016 Brit Awards. Garrett played at the Spotify House at SXSW and currently has 3.4 million monthly listeners on the streaming service. His song "Worry" has more than 20 million streams.

"He not only has tremendous talent, but momentum is on his side, and he's only going to get bigger," Cook said. 

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Wet

This Brooklyn-based trio's album "Don't You" was released in January, and they have several tracks streaming in the millions on Spotify.

"They are one of those bands that at the end of the year, people will be saying they killed it in 2016," Cook said. 

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Creating one of the world's fastest production cars is no easy task.

Considering how advanced automotive technology is these days, street-legal supercars must not only be incredibly well-engineered and innovative, but they must also be built with insane attention to detail and include various proprietary, space-age components.

These five cars fit that description almost perfectly.

The Koenigsegg Agera R maxes out an impressive 260MPH.

Though the Koenigsegg Agera R is no longer available, its footprint can be seen in newer Koenigsegg models like the One:One and the recently revealed Regera.

From the factory, the Agera R makes 1,140 horsepower, can go from zero to 62 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds, and of course tops out at 260 MPH. 

Weight was saved on the Agera R by using lightweight materials like carbon fiber and aluminum wherever possible. For example, carbon fiber wheels!

It's an incredible car.

Whether on a high-speed run or display, the Agera R looks amazing.

For $1.6 million new, it sure better look good.

The Bugatti Chiron stole the show at the Geneva Motor Show with its limited top speed of 261 MPH.

Creating a successor to a car like the Bugatti Veyron is not easy, but at the Geneva Motor Show just earlier this month, it looked like Bugatti completely nailed it. 

The Chiron is a car that has nearly 1,500 horsepower, can go from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds, and has a limited top speed of 261 MPH. 

Limited!

That means Bugatti probably has even more up their sleeve. 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how far they can really push the Chiron. For now, I think 261 MPH will do. 

Last month, I heard about a device called the Cubii, which is an elliptical that fits under your desk and basically keeps you loose and limber as you work. I was immediately interested.

Like many of you, I spend most of my days sitting behind a desk. At Tech Insider, I’ll spend several hours at a time just sitting while I edit and write for the site, even though I should be getting up more often than that just to move around. So the idea of having a small machine under my desk to keep my legs moving during those lengthy periods sounded pretty great.

The Cubii originally debuted on Kickstarter in 2014 and blew past its $80,000 goal, racking up nearly $300,000 from over a thousand backers. 

I’ve had the Cubii under my desk for about three weeks now. Here’s what I think.

Fitness Cubed, the company behind Cubii, says at least 85 million people have jobs that mainly require sitting. But sitting for all day isn’t healthy — WIRED even called sitting “the new smoking.”

Enter the Cubii: A relatively small elliptical that fits under your desk.

At $350, Cubii costs a fraction of the price of most standing desks and treadmill desks, which go for thousands of dollars. (That said, you can find other cheaper under-desk ellipticals on Amazon.)

In January, Tinder introduced the ability to send GIFs to impress your potential dates.

Since that time, the company says more than 20 million GIFs have been sent around the world. In general, Tinder says GIF messages are 30% more likely to get a response than non-GIF messages.

But some GIFs are more effective than others.

These are the 20 GIFs Tinder says have the highest response rates:

20.

via GIPHY

19.

via GIPHY

18.

via GIPHY

What is power? And how do you acquire it?

Robert Greene, author of "The 48 Laws of Power," has some insight.

Power is "the measure of the degree of control you have over circumstances in your life and the actions of the people around you,"Greene tells Business Insider. "It is a skill that is developed by a deep understanding of human nature, of what truly motivates people, and of the manipulations necessary for advancement and protection."

Greene gave us permission to republish his 48 laws power, which he developed from analyzing some of history's most powerful people.

This is an update of an article originally written by Aimee Groth.

Never outshine the master.

"Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite — inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power."

Never put too much trust in friends; learn how to use enemies.

"Be wary of friends — they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them."

Conceal your intentions.

"Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late."

The newest trailer for "X-Men: Apocalypse" is here. Set after the events of "X-Men: Days of Future Past," we rejoin the mutants as they take on a new foe: Apocalypse.

Resurrected from ancient Egypt, Apocalypse and his allies, the Four Horsemen, are on a quest to destroy and remake the world in his image. The only ones stopping him: the X-Men.

The trailer showed off tons of new footage in the battle to save the world from the Horsemen. If you haven't watched it, check it out here.

Did you catch everything? Keep reading to see the scene-by-scene breakdown of everything we saw.

We open with a shot of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. It was in disrepair at the start of "Days of Future Past," but now it's vibrant and full of young mutants again.

Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is having a tense conversation with Xavier (James McAvoy).

Interestingly, Professor X has his hair again. We know from the posters that at some point he'll go to the shaved head he's more known for.

If you’ve ever been to the kitchen section of a Williams-Sonoma or Bed Bath & Beyond, you might be overwhelmed by how many kitchen gadgets there are.

Those multi-colored plastic cutters, peelers, and dicers may seem handy to keep in your kitchen, but they end up mostly being clutter.

And to be honest, you don’t need anything else if you have a high-quality knife. Keep reading to see what not to buy.

A mandolin slicer comes with a vegetable cutter, cheese slicer, and vegetable julienne slicer. And while I love it, all of this could easily be done with a knife.

If you still want to buy it:$20

While an apple slicer makes perfectly portioned apple slices, it’s really not necessary when you can core and slice that apple yourself.

Here’s how it done.

If you still want to buy it:$34

This 3-in-1 avocado slicer claims to help you split, pit, and slice your avocados “safely and effectively.” Your knife is also a 3-in-1 tool that does all of these things.

If you still want to buy it:$10

Happy March Madness!

To celebrate the basketball fever, Facebook built a fun little game into its chat app.

Although this isn't the first game that Facebook has released natively on Messenger, it's much easier to access than the secret chess game that entails a rather clunky gameplay process.

Here's how to play:

SEE ALSO: Instagram is completely changing the way its app works and making it more like Facebook

First, update your Messenger app. Then all you need is someone in a chat or group conversation to send the basketball emoji.

Tap it, and you'll enter game play. You'll get cheered on when you score...

... And have to start over when you don't.

Pictured above are two camouflaged soldiers from Israel's elite reconnaissance team, but can you find them?

The unit specializes in countering guerrilla warfare along Israel's Northern border with Lebanon, which often means blending in with the surroundings.

The photo shows just how valuable camouflage is for soldiers in the field. Take a moment to see if you can spot the soldiers on their own, and then scroll down to see the reveal.

SEE ALSO: See if you can spot the armed camouflaged Marine watching you

Here they are.

We've zoomed in a bit to make it clearer. Here we see the two soldiers are almost invisible among the rocks. The soldier facing to the right is just barely visible due to his hand poking out and aiming the rifle.

The soldier behind him looks just like a rock formation, and by the time you figured out otherwise, it might just be too late.

Thanks for playing.

Mountain vistas, Arctic panoramas, and rolling steppe are some of the locations that members of the US military can claim as their "offices." As members of the sister-service branches continue to work around the world, troops have seen places that the majority of Americans may never experience. What's more, troops can easily claim that their offices are among the most exotic in the world. Below we've picked some of our favorite US military photos showing the amazing views service members have from their rotating offices.

SEE ALSO: Incredible photos from the military exercise that is North Korea's worst nightmare

A sailor guides an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the "Dragon Whales" of Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 during a night vertical replenishment aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58).

Lance Cpl. Chance Seckinger with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, rides in a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft during launch and recovery drills from the well deck of the USS Green Bay, at sea, on July 9, 2015.

The Syrian Civil War is continuing to grind towards its six year, and the horrors of the conflict are becoming ever harder to quantify. 

Due to the nature of the conflict, exact numbers are hard to come by. But as of the end of 2014, the United Nations estimated that almost half of Syria's civilian population had been uprooted by the conflict with over 3 million Syrians becoming refugees and a further 6.5 million having become internally displaced people. 

The immeasurable suffering of so many people is impossible to grasp. But in an effort to humanize those numbers, Associated Press photographer Muhammed Muheisen visited Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. In an effort to capture the life of refugees, Muheisen took a series of portraits of the displaced children of Syria. 

We have featured some of Muheisen's most powerful photos below. Each photo features a quotation from the portrait's subject, as well as the subject's name, age, and home city in Syria. 

SEE ALSO: These Afghan child refugee photos will break your heart — and maybe just give you hope

"I remember nothing from Syria"— Mayada Hammid, 8, from Hassakeh.

"I want to become a doctor to be able to help people"— Mohammed Bandar, 12, from Hama.

"I want to grow up and be educated"— Sajjida al-Hassan, 8, from Hama.

Over the past decade, China has pursued an extensive and far reaching campaign of dredging and creating man-made islands within the South China Sea. 

These pursuits have put China at odds with Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and large sections of the international community including the US. One of the main areas that China's expansion has focused on has been the Spratly Island chain close to the Philippines. 

Beijing's expansion in this region has focused particularly one three main islands — the Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef, and the Subi Reef. Below is a quick overview of what China has built on each of these islands, and how it impacts the Philippines. 

SEE ALSO: This interactive map of China’s power in the South China Sea is a wake-up call to us all

Fiery Cross Reef: January 2006 — June 2015

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The Fiery Cross Reef is one the most developed of the islands that China is dredging in the South China Sea. According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Beijing has already reclaimed over one square mile of territory on the reef.

China has immediately put this new territory to work. The reef is home to a 3,000 meter long airstrip that is capable of receiving military aircraft, in addition to a port that can receive tankers and surface combat ships. The reef also has two identified helipads.

In terms of defense capabilities, CSIS notes, the reef is equipped with air-defense guns, anti-frogmen defenses, a likely radar tower, and upwards of 10 possible satellite communication antennas. 

Aside from military power, China has also attempted to obtain de facto control of the reef through the use of civilians. In the beginning of January, China chartered civilian planes onto the island's airstrip in order to boost its territorial claims. 

Source: Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/CSIS

Mischief Reef: January 2012 — June 2015

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Mischief Reef falls entirely within the Philippines exclusive economic zone, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative notes. And if China's reclaimed islands throughout the South China Sea are disregarded, the reef is 599 miles away from the nearest piece of land recognized as belonging to China.

So far, Beijing has reclaimed over two miles of island on Mischief Reef, and construction efforts on the island are well underway. The island currently features two pre-existing military facilities, fortified seawalls, and up to three satellite communication antennas. 

Unlike the Fiery Cross Reef, on which China appears to be creating an aerial-focused base, Mischief Reef is much more focused on acting as a place of safe harbor for China. Currently, China is dredging and widening an entrance into the reef, likely in an attempt to form a naval base. 

China is also in the process of quickly constructing an airstrip on Mischief Reef, and it has already built cement facilities on the reclaimed land. China took control of Mischief Reef from the Philippines four years ago. 

Source: Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/CSIS

Subi Reef: August 2012 — June 2015

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Subi Reef is China's most northern outpost in the Spratly Islands. Beijing has occupied the reef in some capacity since 1988; this is reflected in the island's overall level of development. 

Altogether, China has reclaimed slightly over 1.5 square miles of land. And Subi Reef is home to another 3,000 meter airstrip, a helipad, and a military facility, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative notes. Additionally, the island has reinforced seawalls and up to seven satellite communication antenna. For construction purposes, the island also has at least three concrete construction plants. 

Subi Reef is also the closest to the Spratly's to a civilian location. At its closest point, the reef is only just over 15 miles away from a Filipino civilian population center of the Thitu Reefs. 

Source: Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/CSIS

On Airbnb you can stay in tiny homes, tree houses, and Vincent van Gogh's bedroom.

But what if you want a place that perfectly matches your high fashion outfit? 

Airbnb shared with Tech Insider a selection of listings that pair with looks from the recent New York, Paris, and Milan fashion weeks. 

Keep scrolling for a look.

Why not go citrus?

The outfit: Flashy orange dress by Christopher Kane, Spring Summer 2016.

The listing: A colorful loft in London, from $89 per night for 2 guests.

As elegant as it gets.

The outfit: A striped silk dress by Emilia Wickstead, Spring Summer 2016.

The listing: A romantic garden house in Florence, from $153 per night for 2 guests.

Zebras are always well dressed.

The outfit: A striped suit by Alice and Olivia, Spring Summer 2016.

The listing: A Japanese house in Osaka, from $99 per night for 8 guests.

Airbnb has some stunning rentals on its site, with people renting out everything from tree houses to castles.

But there are also some rentals in unexpected places — like in global conflict zones.

Though some Airbnb rentals can be found in war zones like Afghanistan or Yemen, there are others in places that are relatively quiet these days, like eastern Ukraine.

But it's interesting to see that even war won't stop some people from using technology to earn a living, and at least in some respects, to keep living like normal.

Nearly 15 years after the first US boots hit the ground in Afghanistan, the situation there is "worsening." The capital Kabul has plenty of troops and police, but is still plagued by regular attacks.

Source: Council on Foreign Relations

You can currently find six Airbnb listings for places to stay in Kabul. They're all private rooms.

Only two listings have reviews, meaning that someone has actually stayed there. This room in central Kabul has armed guards outside the building, for extra security.

There’s a disturbance in the workforce—a lot of them, actually.

You know the ones: the persistent ding of social media alerts, the unending stream of "urgent" emails, the cubicle mate who conducts every call on speakerphone …

How can we get any work done with so many distractions afoot?

The answer is that most of us aren’t accomplishing as much as we could be. Research from the University of California, Irvine, found that the typical office worker spends only 11 minutes on a task before getting interrupted or abandoning it for another project. And once workflow has been disrupted, it can take about 23 minutes to get back on track, explains professor Gloria Mark, who led the study.

To help you out, we asked productivity experts to share their tricks for regaining focus and keeping time bandits at bay. Even if you’re distracted right now, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to their tips!

RELATED: Coworkers Behaving Badly: How to Keep 6 Toxic Colleagues in Check

SEE ALSO: How multitasking reshapes your brain into a constantly distracted state

Productivity killer: your colleagues

Every office has ‘em: the chatty Charlies who pop by to ask a "quick" question — but then linger for the next 30 minutes to give you a run-down of last night’s episode of "The Bachelor." Add the time spent socializing to the 23 minutes it’ll take you to refocus after each distraction, and you could potentially lose several hours of productivity.

Fix 1: Take a stand — literally

When colleagues drop by your desk to ask a question, get up to talk to them, recommends Cathy Sexton, a productivity strategist, author and founder of The Productivity Experts.

The reason? It’s much easier to cut the conversation short when you’re standing than it is after they get comfortable, Sexton explains.

Fix 2: Play hard to get

Occasionally hanging a simple "do not disturb" sign can speak volumes to would-be chatters. Also look at how you might be contributing to the interruptions. If you have a candy jar on your desk, you’re begging for a constant stream of sugar-seeking visitors. Hide those treats in your desk instead, or ditch them entirely.

It's been the wackiest election year in decades, and it's only March!

From Donald Trump's reality-TV-like presidential bid and frontrunner status to Bernie Sanders' hopes to ride the "revolution" of the youth vote to the White House, it's been full of surprises.

This got us thinking about a few movies that were entertainingly fictional, at the time, in their Hollywood imagining of the Washington landscape. But now you can't help finding parallels to the election we're witnessing.

Let's look back on three (along with one TV show that never fails to call it).

SEE ALSO: The 5 best and worst Ben Affleck movies, ranked

"Bulworth" (1998)

The socialist platform Sanders is running on brings to mind similarities to California Sen. Jay Billington Bulworth, played by Warren Beatty, in "Bulworth."

Granted, Sanders didn't go on a drug-fueled bender or hire an assassin to kill him, like Bulworth did. But what Beatty wanted to profile in the movie was a politician who was antiestablishment, something that has made many flock to Sanders. And his unapologetic way of calling it like he sees it has connections to the rise of both Sanders and Trump.

"A Face in the Crowd" (1957)

Elia Kazan's classic stars Andy Griffith as Arkansas drifter Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, who becomes an overnight radio sensation with his humor, charm, and commentary on the day's events that the "good ol' boy" can understand. 

Soon, with a syndicated TV show, he becomes as powerful as the politicians who come to him pleading for his support. That group includes a senator running for president, whom Rhodes attaches himself to with grand hopes of being "Secretary of National Morale," leading his listeners (or "flock" as he calls them) until he's even possibly the most powerful man in the country one day.

It's impossible now not to see the similarities between Rhodes and Trump: Two media-savvy men who are searching for the ultimate political prize.

"Citizen Kane" (1941)

Trump can also be seen in the rise of Charles Foster Kane, the wealthy newspaper publisher who has a failed attempt to run for New York governor. Though much of Kane, played by Orson Welles, is based on the life and career of William Randolph Heart, the wealthy, ego-driven businessman attempting to enter politics fits perfectly with what Trump is currently doing.  

Getting rich isn't reserved for a select few.

Almost anyone can make it happen — and people who have done it say wealth often begins with your mentality.

Read on for a healthy dose of inspiration from self-made millionaires, authors, entrepreneurs, and investing gurus:

SEE ALSO: 14 insights about getting rich, from a 90-year-old book on wealth that's still relevant today

"How much you earn has almost no bearing on whether or not you can and will build wealth. Regardless of the size of your paycheck, you probably already make enough money to become rich."— David Bach

Source: "The Automatic Millionaire" by David Bach

"The number one reason most people don't get what they want is that they don't know what they want. Rich people are totally clear that they want wealth."— T. Harv Eker

Source: "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" by T. Harv Eker

"The fastest way to make money is to solve a problem. The bigger the problem you solve, the more money you make."— Steve Siebold

Source: Steve Siebold via Business Insider

There are a lot of bad ideas out there about how you can look good in photos. Side-arming, skin-smoothing apps, and effects to make your eyes bigger are all, frankly, tacky and ineffective.

But there are a lot of real things you can do to look great in any picture. In my headshot studio I work with clients to follow these rules so they can look their best. But these guidelines are just as useful on Instagram or at a party when someone points a camera your way.

Here's how to look your best in any picture.

For reference, we'll use this embarrassing selfie.

Leaving aside problems like lighting and composition — or how badly I need a shave — the two biggest problems with this image are my my expression and the lack of definition in my face.

Looking directly into the camera with a blank look, my features look flat and inexpressive. My cheekbones are invisible and my jaw looks rounded.

The first step to looking great on camera creates definition in your jawline.

Learn which side of your face you prefer, or if you'd rather look into the camera dead-on. From your preferred position, press your face toward the camera at the chin and forehead. I tell my headshot clients to imagine they've just seen something fascinating inside the lens and want a closer look.

It might feel a little unnatural at first — the goal is to really stretch your neck, creating depth from your shoulders. But as long as you do it toward the camera it will lengthen and sharpen the line of your jaw, and add shape to your cheekbones.

Want to project confidence? Lift your chin a little as you do it.

Want to look open and inviting? Drop your chin the same amount.

The second step makes your expression more interesting.

You may have heard this trick before, but a lot of people don't realize how powerful it is.

When you're smiling for a picture, it's easy to look cheesy, stiff, or awkward. That's because your attention is on the shape of your mouth, which makes your cheek muscles tighten and saps life from your eyes.

Instead, do what Tyra Banks calls "smizing" and infamous headshot guru Peter Hurley calls "squinching." Tighten the lids under your eyes just a little bit. Don't squint, or cover your irises. Just allow them to activate and lift a little. It can take practice, but even the most lens-shy people can learn to do it.

The effect will be to project much more humanity and warmth, whether your smile is broad or slight.

For the last several weeks, I've been trying an experiment with my Snapchat account: I've given the permission for anyone to send me messages in the app.

It's been interesting.

I don't have a particularly large following on Snapchat (my snap stories are viewed around 150 times on average), and I get at least a few followers per week. Since I started letting anyone send me snaps, I've been getting at least one utterly bizarre message per day.

There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to why I am sent snaps from people I don't know.

Some people just want to see what's going on.

Others send drawings I can't make out.

If you want to dress like Kanye West and are in New York City this weekend, you're in luck.

West has launched a pop-up shop selling merchandise related to his latest album, The Life of Pablo. The shop, which sells clothes and items ranging in price from $35 to $400, will be open from March 18-20.

If you want any of the items, plan to get there early and bring a lot of spending cash.

Fans lucky enough to get inside have been tweeting out images of the merchandise from inside the pop-up store in SOHO. Keep reading to see some of the merch you can get your hands on while it's available.

The Pablo merch shop is located in SOHO at 83 Wooster in New York City.

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Pablo Merch pop up shop in NYC all weekend!!! 83 Wooster!!! pic.twitter.com/v4DX8sH00I

The shop is open from 4-8 pm Friday and 12-8 pm Saturday and Sunday. You'll want to get there early or you may be in for a wait.

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pic.twitter.com/hBD6EwrYNu

A long wait.

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PABLO POP-UP SHOP

83 WOOSTER, NYC. pic.twitter.com/wvxmdMGETv