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18 - The Weeknd

About a dozen years ago, nobody would’ve believed the hedonistic, alt-R&B, then-cult figure known as The Weeknd would become one of the 21st century’s most decorated and durable pop artists, dominating both the Billboard charts and the world’s biggest stadiums. Global super stardom might not have seemed immediately on the horizon upon his 2011 mixtape arrival, but his ability to carve his own path in R&B before successfully switching lanes to pop has made his journey one of the most fascinating ones to follow this century.

25 - Katy Perry

For anyone who lived through her commercial peak, Katy Perry will always be one of the names most synonymous with pop music. There’s a lot of reasons for that, but perhaps the biggest is that few performers of the last 25 years have felt as committed to maxing out top 40 supe om at its biggest, brightest and best: When Katy Perry ruled the mainstream at the turn of the 2010s, it felt like she was wringing every ounce of potential from her albums, singles, videos, live performances, TV appearances, fashion and branding choices and general public persona. It was pop as the most legendary icons of early MTV once envisioned it – and perhaps unsurprisingly, it matched their success in ways no other artist this century has managed.

24 - Ed Sheeran

…the scale of Ed Sheeran’s 21st century success is even more impressive. In a pop age where singer-songwriters generally bump against their commercial ceiling relatively early in their evolution, this red-headed kid from Halifax kept soaring higher and higher, eventually reaching a space where his longevity, global appeal, influence and multi-quadrant hits allowed him to stand alone. He used to be a teen busking on the streets of London; now, Sheeran often finds himself in the center of 80,000 people, an acoustic strapped to his shoulder, no one and nothing else in his vicinity. And considering everything he’s done, he doesn’t even look that out of place.

23 - Bad Bunny

And then came Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican artist, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, didn’t transform global pop music overnight, but over the course of his six-year rise to dominance, he infiltrated the mainstream like no other Spanish-speaking artist — or really any other foreign-language artist of any kind — had before. That’s because Bad Bunny not only established himself as one of the most reliable hitmakers on the planet (and in the United States specifically), but he also became one of the most recognizable faces and personalities in pop culture at large, and he did so seemingly without making any sort of artistic concessions: not to radio, not to trends, and certainly not to the English-speaking world.

22 - One Direction

One Direction’s ascent to global stardom proved that the boy band archetype could still thrive in the 21st century, albeit in a new and distinctly modern way. In just five years, 1D released five albums that brought uptempo British pop-rock to the States and laid the foundation for today’s international pop groups. A new online community, “stan Twitter,” rallied around the group, and their superfans, called “Directioners,” helped their idols achieve astronomical mainstream success, changing fan-to-fan communication and fan-to-artist relationships forever.

21 - Lil Wayne

Once Wayne invaded the “Best Rapper Alive” discussion in the mid-’00s, he began cementing his status as a commercial titan even beyond hip-hop. Everyone from Enrique Iglesias to Shakira wanted a piece of Weezy, whose grill-bearing smile became unavoidable in pop culture and led to him defining an era of hip-hop during a time where rap essentially became interchangeable with pop, on its way to emerging as music’s most-consumed genre. Oh, and he introduced the world to Drake and Nicki Minaj under his Young Money imprint, who would go on to be even more dominant than him within pop music in the decade to follow.

20 - Bruno Mars

Before Bruno Mars became synonymous with near-flawless Grammy track records and surefire Billboard Hot 100 smashes, the 21st century’s preeminent old-school musical showman was cutting his teeth in the pop songwriting trenches. By racking up hits and placements across pop and R&B on both sides of the pond, Mars set a sturdy foundation for one of the most towering male pop careers of the 21st century.

19 - BTS

When you think of what it takes for a group to become pop stars, imagine having seven individual talents who can each do it all well: sing, rap, dance, and amass a love and fandom that even some of the biggest pop stars could only dream of. That’s what you have with BTS, who crashed through every door of what it takes to be a successful pop act and expanded that with a scope never quite seen before. The group has broken through ceilings for boy bands, K-pop and South Korean artists in general, all while creating a meaningful community that is continually inspired by BTS’ message of positivity, love and connection.

Honorable Mentions:
50 Cent
Alicia Keys
Billie Eilish
Cardi B
Carrie Underwood
Chris Brown
Christina Aguilera
Doja Cat
Dua Lipa
Future
Jennifer Lopez
Kelly Clarkson
Kendrick Lamar
Kesha
Lana Del Rey
Lorde
Maroon 5
Megan Thee Stallion
Missy Elliott
Nelly
Olivia Rodrigo
P!nk
Post Malone
Sean Paul
SZA

The list will cover singers, rappers, and groups.

Who do you think will be on the list?

I think Drake and The Weeknd are probably a lock for 2010s artists, wouldn’t be surprised if Drake is #1.

All I know is, if The Weeknd gets snubbed from this list, we riot.

damn theyre gonna take a whole 4 months to reveal the list?

Taylor is probably an unfortunate surefire lock for #1 though

Chris Brown honorable mention lmaoooo

Weeknd
Drake
Beyoncé
Ariana Grande
Bruno Mars
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Ed Sheeran
Miley Cyrus
Adele
Justin Bieber

Lorde being an honourable mention 👎

There’s no way he’s not lol, if he wasn’t on the HM list he’s definitely included in the main list

The article gives reasons

50, Chris, Lana, Lorde and Missy honorable mentions

25 is a small number. interested to see the final list.

He gets snubbed from every list like this smh

Obv drake gonns be number 1

I bet he will be

4 months to drop a list

ass

What happened to keep making me dance waving my hand

if Ye isnt number 1 list is invalid

Kelly Clarkson, Future, Nelly, Missy......I'll pass on this article

Drake
Adele
Eminem
Bruno Mars
Taylor
Lady Gaga
Justin Bieber
Lil Wayne
Justin Timberlake
Imagine Dragons

The actual list better be good with some of these HMs lmao

drake

Sorry guys; I forgot to link the article. The article gives a reason why they’re not included in the main list

billboard.com/lists/best-pop-stars-21st-century-honorable-mentions

Ye better be on there

Drake and Taylor most likely top 3

It would be bold if they had MJ on the list.

Weeknd
Drake
Pitbull
Beyoncé
Ariana Grande
Bruno Mars
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Katy Perry
Ed Sheeran
Britney Spears
Miley Cyrus
Harry Styles
Kanye West
Lady Gaga
Adele
Justin Bieber

7 more