Child proteges are nothing new: from Milton, to Mozart, to Michael Jackson, the artistic achievement of those so young has always brought great delight, and often great discomfort, to the establishment. However, let's stop before we get into comparing the achievements of the infant Mozart with the infant Jackson, or with say Shirley Temple for that matter - this is not a top ten 'kid geniuses' rundown. Instead, let us focus on their impact on the world of adults and, especially, let's look at the ways in which young writers and musicians are affecting popular culture today.

In the last century pop music began to establish itself as one of the most pressing influences on youth culture. Really coming to fruition in the 1950s and 60s, the cycle of young writers and musicians playing and recording for predominantly young audiences can be tracked back to huge surge in independent recording studios in America. The emergence of rock and roll and the proficiency of country and western studios like Sun Records are tied into this era as are the principally coloured musical genres from the recording houses of both Motown and Stax Records. From out of this cultural liberation came the rise of some stunning young talent. And amongst this new breed was a young singer and musician from Michigan called Little Stevie Wonder.

A phenomenal multi-instrumentalist with a voice that bellied his young age, Steveland Morris May was writing and performing songs aged 10 and, just two years later, was signed to record his first album Little Stevie Wonder the 12-Year-Old Genius. Within another two years Wonder had dropped "Little" from his moniker and seamlessly made the transition into his adult career with huge hits like 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)' and an acclaimed cover of Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind'. To this day Stevie Wonder is one of the most admired and respected musicians in the world and has performed on countless recent releases by successful performers such as Mariah Carey and Justin Timberlake.

Of course parallels can be drawn here with the emergence of the folk musician Bob Dylan. Revered more for his lyrical strength than his musical talent, the young Bob Dylan recorded his debut album at 20 and by 21 had written the majority of his first collection of original songs, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. From here Dylan's appetite for composition knew no bounds and he recorded six albums in the following four years. Not just that, but these albums comprise some of the most acclaimed and influential in the history of popular music. Starting from Freewheelin' in 1963, Dylan recorded The Times They are a-Changin' and Another Side of Bob Dylan in 1964, Bringing it All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited in 1965, the double album Blonde on Blonde the following year and John Wesley Harding in 1967. Artistically, it could be argued that Dylan has never bettered these works but it remains true that in recent years he has been cited in the Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century and has been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Then, just this year, Dylan was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."

Naturally, the exploration of child proteges is not limited to musicians. The art scene in the 1990s was dominated in Britain by a group of artists known collectively as the "Young British Artists" or the YBAs. The springboard for some of the most respected modern artists in Britain, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and Steve McQueen were all formatively exhibited in YBA showcases. Inciting severe criticisms and exuberant praise in almost equal measure, the injection of vitality, spontaneity and irreverence from these young artists shook the establishment with such ferocity that the effects of their work are not merely still visible today, but in fact, have helped shape a new British artistic identity.

Of course these examples are all very famous. Though Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and the YBAs have all since entered the public consciousness as venerated artists, we can see that this was not always the case and that once they were bright, if not inexperienced, hopefuls. If we look at the work being conducted by young artists today then we may be glimpsing at the future of the cultural establishment. Let's now go through a brief list of some possible additions to our list:

Firstly is a young songwriter from Nebraska, Conor Oberst. Fronting the rock band Bright Eyes for the last 11 years, Oberst is now 28 years old. However, when he was just 17 he recorded several albums and EPs that brought the attention of the international music press. Recording for the tiny, independent label Saddle Creek, Bright Eyes released five track EP Every Day and Every Night and the full length album Letting off the Happiness. Hailed by Rolling Stone as "Rock's boy genius", the lyrical and emotional intensity of those early recordings are astounding. Flippantly referred to as 'the next Dylan' in the wake of nearly every subsequent release, Oberst's talent is almost incomparable to Dylan's because he uses him so often. Conversationalist in style, Oberst's lyrics are rooted in an artistic space that is so clearly post Dylan's golden age; and, perhaps more interestingly, post Dylan's artistic decline too (if one dare call it that).

The comparison to Dylan, if lazy, is at least one of which Conor seems to be aware. In a song that features on their most recent live album Motion Sickness, Oberst describes his growing fame. He outlines walking into a new bar where the seasoned locals ask him: "Are you really who they say you are?" His inability to answer, his reticence and self-doubt are not Dylan's, in fact they're far more akin to, say, Cobain. His work, and even tone, are therefore allusive; immersed in a culture rich with popular influences. He is not just the sum of these very diverse parts though; a keen ear, staggering lyrical wit and a strong interest in philosophy and theology, he is perhaps more akin to poets like Yeats than any popular touchstone.

The final artist to discuss is the most recent. At only 18, Laura Marling is causing a huge stir in the music business for someone so young. A finalist for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize, Laura's debut album, Alas, I Cannot Swim is full of heartfelt and carefully crafted acoustic songs. Emotionally complex and endlessly thought-provoking, her songs comprise a hauntingly delicate but dextrous vocal that hangs effortlessly over beautifully simple guitar lines. Caught at this early stage in her career, of course it is impossible to tell her impact on the music industry. However, with a debut effort as strong as Alas, I Cannot Swim it is also impossible to ignore her. Defiant and robust, her talent is certainly something for which to listen out.

It would therefore seem that, though the work of young artists is often bold and immediate, it can also be profoundly important to the establishment. Fresh and exciting, the work of those so young can often be startling in it's clarity and drive. To close, let's return to the great artist quoted in the introduction of this article: Oscar Wilde once exclaimed "Those whom the gods love grow young."