FUTURE PRESENCE

William Orbit

Record producer, musician, 43

What he’s done: “Attach his name to any project, and it immediately becomes viable,” London’s Time Out magazine wrote of Orbit. The Englishman has been a presence in pop’s experimental, electronic and dance divisions since 1984, releasing records as a member of such groups as BassOmatic, Torch Song and Spill (a duo with Beth Orton) and on his own. As a remixer and producer he’s worked with artists ranging from the Cure, Belinda Carlisle and Ricky Martin to Sarah McLachlan, Sting and Prince. He co-produced and co-wrote most of “Ray of Light,” the 1998 album that was widely regarded as a career-reviving reinvention of Madonna. Orbit and Madonna won two Grammys in connection with the project.

Outlook for 2000: Madonna-owned Maverick Records will release Orbit’s album “Pieces in a Modern Style” in February. It doesn’t sound like a sure thing at the cash register--it’s a collection of works by composers ranging from Beethoven to Vivaldi to Cage, all given the Orbit treatment. But in England a dance remix of the first track, Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” has become a club hit, and another mix is getting heavy radio play. With Madonna and her label behind it, Orbit’s album is sure to be a high-profile item. Orbit will also re-team with his prize client, working with Madonna on two songs for her new movie “The Next Best Thing,” including a remake of Don McLean’s “American Pie.”

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Alecia Elliott

Country singer-songwriter, 17

What she’s done: Singer Lorrie Morgan liked a tape Elliott sent her and invited the then-9-year-old girl to join her in concert for a duet. At 11, the precocious Alabama native was appearing frequently at Tree Publishing chief Buddy Killen’s Stockyard club in Nashville, and at 13 she sang for Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist’s inaugural at the Grand Ole Opry and also at a White House Christmas program. She signed a record contract with MCA Nashville in 1998.

Outlook for 2000: Teen singing sensations are nothing new for Nashville--just ask LeAnn Rimes, Tanya Tucker or even Brenda Lee. But the songs on Elliott’s debut album, “I’m Digging It” (due Jan. 25), and her preternaturally mature performances of them reveal a promising artistic vision behind her strong, soulful vocals. Among those songs are two that Elliott co-wrote and two others written by country heavyweight songwriters Matraca Berg and Stephanie Bentley. In addition, TV producer Peter Engel (“Saved by the Bell”) recently was taken with Elliott sufficiently that he cast her to star as herself in an episode of his syndicated teen comedy series “Malibu, CA,” slated to air on KTLA-TV in L.A. later this month. She’s been named one of Seventeen magazine’s “It Girls” for 2000.

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Common

Rapper, 27

What he’s done: The Chicago-based hip-hop artist (who originally worked under the name Common Sense) has released three critically acclaimed but commercially overlooked albums, most recently 1997’s “One Day It’ll All Make Sense” on Relativity Records. His masterful mix of braggadocio, social commentary and introspection makes him a formidable talent. “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” his 1994 single lamenting the violence and predictability he felt had overtaken hip-hop, inspired a heated response from the Ice Cube-fronted Westside Connection. Common, whose real name is Rashid Lynn, has also appeared on the Roots’ last two studio albums.

Outlook for 2000: Common will release his next album, “Like Water for Chocolate,” in early spring on MCA Records, and the move to a major label could provide the platform he needs to reach a large audience. Like the movie it’s named after, the album, with guest appearances from Femi Kuti, Mos Def and D’Angelo, is intended to evoke emotion and emphasize the need for personal growth.

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Oscar De La Hoya

Boxer, singer, 26

What he’s done: An international boxing superstar from East Los Angeles, he was until last year the welterweight champion of the world. The son of a former professional boxer from Durango, Mexico, De La Hoya grew up with Mexican music at home and has long dreamed of becoming a recording artist. Los Angeles-based EMI Latin, the label that discovered Selena and is home to Mexican stars such as Los Tucanes de Tijuana and Thalia, signed De La Hoya after a bidding war with several other labels. The boxer was teamed with the top vocal coaches, songwriters and producers in the nation and is recording in Miami.

Outlook for 2000: De La Hoya’s debut album, mostly Spanish-language ballads and pop with a couple of English tracks thrown in, will be released in the summer. His weak voice and nervous stage manner will not mean much with all the money being thrown at the project. His voice will be cleaned up in the studio. The label and De La Hoya’s corporate sponsors will pull out all the stops in promotion. And millions of De La Hoya fans worldwide will probably buy the album, as long as potential legal problems (including two sexual assault allegations) don’t cause a fan backlash. Even if he can’t sing, who but Felix Trinidad would dare to tell him?