12 Breakout Stars of 2012

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PSY

The South Korean pop star found success overseas with the release of "Gangnam Style," the first single off his sixth studio album, PSY 6 (Six Rules), Part 1. PSY performed the song with everyone from Madonna to MC Hammer and even taught Britney Spears the song's official choreography.

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Honey Boo Boo

Toddlers & Tiaras standout Alana Thompson got her own reality spinoff, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, on TLC in August 2012. Starring her Georgia-based family, the series became a ratings juggernaut that outperformed the Republican National Convention.

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Max Greenfield

The New Girl scene stealer scored his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category. In addition to guest editing Gwyneth Paltrow's popular GOOP newsletter, Greenfield filmed the movie They Came Together with Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Ed Helms and Cobie Smulders.

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Gabby Douglas

During the Olympic Games in London, the teenage gymnast won gold medals in the individual and team all-around competitions. After being interviewed by everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Jay Leno, the athlete scored a lucrative endorsement deal with Nintendo and filmed a cameo on The CW's The Vampire Diaries opposite her celebrity crush, Ian Somerhalder.

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Diego Boneta

The actor played Julianne Hough's love interest in the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages. In addition to working on his first English language album, Boneta currently stars in the MTV scripted series Underemployed.

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Carly Rae Jepsen

Jepsen's debut single, "Call Me Maybe," went viral after Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Big Time Rush and Ashley Tisdale uploaded a lip dub video to YouTube. The song became a surprise smash, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. The singer released her debut album, Kiss, on Sept. 14.

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Taylor Kinney

After appearances on Shameless and The Vampire Diaries, Lady Gaga's boyfriend won the lead role of Lieutenant Kelly Severide on NBC's Chicago Fire. Kinney also appeared in Kathryn Bigelow's action thriller Zero Dark Thirty alongside Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain, James Gandolfini and Joel Edgerton.

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Lana Del Ray

Though her January Saturday Night Live performance was widely mocked -- and even parodied by cast member Kristen Wiig -- the singer-songwriter released her debut disc, Born to Die, to critical acclaim. The "Video Games" singer was later named the first celebrity spokeswoman for H&M and won a BRIT Award and a Q Award.

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Frank Ocean

The R&B singer came out of the closet when he penned an open letter to an unrequited love in June; Beyonce called Ocean's admission "brave" and "poetic." Shortly after the July release of his debut album, Channel Orange, the "Thinkin Bout You" singer was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards.

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Alison Pill

Though the actress has worked steadily since the late '90s, Pill earned critical acclaim for her role in the Woody Allen film To Rome With Love. The star -- engaged to Tropic Thunder's Jay Baruchel -- also won a coveted role in Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama The Newsroom.

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Hunter Hayes

The country musician scored his first No. 1 hit in July with "Wanted," the second single from his 2011 self-titled debut. Hayes is the youngest member ever inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and was named New Artist of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards. The "Storm Warning" singer also toured with Carrie Underwood on her Blown Away tour.