Reply
  • Updated

    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.


    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.

  • Aug 14
    ·
    4 replies

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

  • rvi 🎈
    Aug 14

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

  • Aug 14
    ·
    1 reply

    Taylor is probably an unfortunate surefire lock for #1 though

  • Aug 14
    ·
    3 replies

    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 👎

  • Aug 14
    ·
    2 replies
    fader

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

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

  • Aug 14
    ·
    1 reply
    Jbreezyondeck

    Chris Brown honorable mention lmaoooo

    The article gives reasons

  • 50, Chris, Lana, Lorde and Missy honorable mentions

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

  • Aug 14
    ·
    2 replies
    fader

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

    He gets snubbed from every list like this smh

    Obv drake gonns be number 1

  • Rejuvenated

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

    I bet he will be

  • 4 months to drop a list

  • Aug 14

    ass

  • Rejuvenated

    The article gives reasons

    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

  • Aug 14

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

  • drake

  • Aug 14

    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

  • Aug 14
    ·
    1 reply

    Drake and Taylor most likely top 3

  • Aug 14
    ·
    1 reply

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

  • Aug 14
    ·
    3 replies

    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

1
2
...
8