Antoine Dunn

Plenty of musicians refer to their careers as journeys. But R&B singer Antoine Dunn, a Cleveland native, really has experienced a journey, both literally and figuratively. While he was still in high school, he had a formative experience. He served as the musical director for the Cuyahoga Community Church (his official bio says he was "Minister of Music" but Dunn prefers the title "musical director"). The process of learning to sing different gospel tracks and then teach the tunes to church members made him into a leader. And the fact that he taught himself to play drums and bass guitar in the process gave him an extra bit of confidence too. But shortly before the album, Truth of the Matter, dropped in 2012, his mother passed way. The album ended up being a smash hit, but the success was "bittersweet" because his mother wasn't there to witness it. Despite his success, his record deal fell apart, and he moved back to Cleveland last year to finish "I Am," a beautiful ballad he had written about his mother's death. (Niesel)