The entertainers who blew us away in 2019

Following a breakout 2018, Awkwafina (aka Nora Lum) did not skip a beat in 2019. She was part of five films this year, but none bigger and brighter than her starring role in the comedy-drama "The Farewell." Her role as young writer Billi on a family visit to China earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

The brilliant author of the critically acclaimed "The Handmaid's Tale" struck gold in 2019 with the book's sequel. "The Testaments" takes place 15 years after "The Handmaid's Tale." For her work on the latter, the 80-year Atwood, who is as much an entertaining figure as a renowned writer, was the co-recipient of the 2019 Man Booker Prize.

It's a wonder the versatile Brown had time to catch his breath in 2019. In addition to helping keep the "This is Us" train rolling, Brown shined during the third season of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." But, that was hardly all. He was splendid in the drama "Waves" and brilliantly lended his voice to animated hits "The Angry Birds Movie 2" and the much-anticipated "Frozen II."

Some might know her as the precociously observant and quick-witted Anna-Kat from ABC's "American Housewife." However, it was the 10-year-old Butters' rather brief but memorable appearance in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" this year that had filmgoers and critics talking. Playing a child actor in the film, Butters' dialogue with Leonardo DiCaprio might be one of the best moments in any Tarantino movie.

Country's top new artist of 2018, Combs was still riding high in 2019 thanks to the late '18 reissue of his smash debut ,"This One's for You." The rerelease included the song "Beautiful Crazy," which was a Country No. 1 in February 2019 and earned him the 2019 Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year. Combs also cleaned up at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, winning top Country Artist, Male Artist and Song and Album of the Year. Oh yeah, Combs' late 2019 follow-up, "What You See Is What You Get," debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Del Ray's sixth studio album, Norman F***ing Rockwell!" is emotionally and psychologically all over the place — in the best possible way. Is it her best album? Perhaps, but this 2019 effort proved she has plenty of staying power. Fans continue to eat it up, and critics also praised it. It is nominated for an Album and Song (title track) of the Year Grammy.

It's been quite the eventful year for Driver, concluding with the highly anticipated release of the expected "Star Wars" franchise finale "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." Driver returned as the conflicted villain Kylo Ren, but he also earned acclaim for his starring role opposite Scarlett Johansson in the comedy-drama "Marriage Story." If that was not enough, Driver earned a Tony Award nomination for his work in the 2019 stage revival of "Burn This."

No musician — or entertainer, for that matter — enjoyed a better year than this L.A. teen. Eilish's avant-pop debut, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?," which was released in March, was a Billboard chart-topper right of the bat and earned her six Grammy nominations for the late-January event. The album's third single, "Bury a Friend," is dark, poppy and equally sensational for a just-turned-18-year-old. 

There might not be a star shining brighter than Grande's. Her February release, "Thank U, Next," featured hits in the title cut, "7 Rings," and "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored." It's considered one of the best albums of 2019 and earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year — not to mention, Grande is arguably the most followed presence on social media.

ScarJo has it all going on at the moment. She should still be basking in the glow of "Avengers: Endgame" while also receiving praise for her 2019 work in the black comedy "Jojo Rabbit" and the comedy-drama "Marriage Story," the latter for which she's drawn significant acclaim. Of course, Marvel fans are eagerly waiting the release of the 2020 prequel "Black Widow."

Nas X's uber-popular country rap, "Old Town Road," came out in December of 2018 but seriously broke early in '19. It took the music world by storm, but the remix with Billy Ray Cyrus sent it through the roof. The first openly gay artist to win a CMA, Nas X garnered six Grammy nominations.

Time magazine's Entertainer of the Year, Lizzo has drawn enough attention this year that anybody with a pulse who follows popular culture knows her name. Her 2019 smash, "Cuz I Love You" will go down as one of the best albums of the decade. The album and song "Truth Hurts" are two reasons Lizzo earned eight Grammy nominations while showing off her talent, honesty and supreme confidence.

After seven seasons, it was time to say goodbye to the HBO comedy smash "Veep." And to no surprise, Selina Meyer did not disappoint, going out with a bang. Louis-Dreyfus' Meyer was as raunchy and ruthless as ever in the show's hilarious, and sometimes comically uncomfortable, final season. Ultimately, she got the personal farewell she deserved. 

Malone's third studio album, "Hollywood's Bleeding"  came out in September and was the singer/rapper's second release to go No. 1 in the U.S. Heavyweights like Ozzy Osbourne and Halsey appeared on the album, which also featured the Grammy-nominated hit "Sunflower," with rapper Swae Lee for "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" soundtrack.

The Chilean has gone from character actor to star, thanks to his portrayal as the bounty-hunting star of Disney's "The Mandalorian." Sure, Pascal had his moment in Season 4 of "Game of Thrones," but this is finally his time in a leading role, even for someone reportedly who is not in the suit as much as we think. Still, let's let Pascal enjoy his breakout moment. Watch out for him in the upcoming "Wonder Woman 1984."

To the casual movie fan, it seems Reeves enjoyed a career resurgence in 2019. The truth is that he's never really stopped working — it's just that '19 was a strong year for the underrated Reeves. Whether back at it with "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" or as the voice of Canadian daredevil Duke Caboom in "Toy Story 4," Reeves had a pretty good year.

Not even heart-valve replacement surgery could keep 76-year-old Mick Jagger from touring with the "World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band." A little more than two months after the procedure, Jagger and Co. were on stage playing to soldout stadiums to kick off the hugely successful North American stretch of their No Filter Tour.

Network television might be dead to those under the age of 50, but Smulders' work in the surprise ABC hit "Stumptown," which didn't debut until late September, is worth a watch. Smulders' PTSD-suffering, boozing, blossoming P.I. Dex is a much less bumbling Robin Scherbatsky ("How I Met Your Mother") and a way more badass Maria Hill (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Smulders is making the most of her shot as a leading lady. 

Simply put, this was Swift's decade. The 10-time Grammy winner released her seventh studio album in 2019, "Lover," which earned Swift her third straight Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. This year, Billboard recognized Swift as one of the "Greatest of All Time Artists" and named her the "Woman of the Decade" for the 2010s.

"Fleabag" might be no more, but we certainly have have not seen or heard the last of Waller-Bridge. In 2019, she earned three Prime Time Emmy Awards (Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Writing for a Comedy Series, Drama Series) for the raunchy, hysterical and endearingly honest "Fleabag" as well as for spy series "Killing Eve." She hosted "Saturday Night Live" and co-wrote the upcoming James Bond installment, "No Time to Die."