Top 10 Best Pop Artists of All Time

Michael Jackson IS music. Without him, there really wouldn't be pop music. He is so legendary that he is dead and people still buy his music. Shoot, I DO! If Michael wasn't here, life would be pointless. Music would be pointless. He has sold at least 300 million copies worldwide and he has the best selling album of all time, THRILLER! It sold 66 million copies worldwide and has the most legendary song of all time, Billie Jean. And he is the greatest entertainer of all time, by fact and opinion. Who hasn't heard of Michael Jackson.

The greatest pop artist of all time in my opinion.

Michael Jackson was a natural at dancing, singing, performing and song writing. Music is Michael Jackson and he embodied it completely.

He was a perfectionist who learned from all the best before him and put it together in his own unique style. His greatest influence was to connect with the soul of millions and millions with his great music and universal messages of love, humanitarian messages. In this way his music became ever lasting.
He is an inspiration to all of us.

Michael Jackson is just great. His shines in every song he takes part in, from Invincible to Thriller to Love Never Felt So Good. Even in his duets, Michael shines more than his collaborators, whether it is Justin Timberlake, Akon, or Seidah Garrett. Michael was not only a legend in his lifetime, but he remains remembered even after death through Michael and XScape. He will always be the greatest pop singer ever known.

I first thought of him as plastic, because of his surgeries. But hey, it was his body and his music is the best music I've ever heard. What ever place he is, for us Moonwalkers he will always be the Number ONE Pop Singer. His dancing was amazing, you couldn't look away. He changed Pop Music forever and he'll always be in our hearts. We love you, Michael, now and ever.

MOTHER MONSTER! Gaga is not only the most talented musician in pop music today, but she is also the most talented in pop music history. She can play the piano, she can write songs, she can produce her own music, and she can SING. Plus her songs I can relate to, unlike the songs of Nicki Minaj or any other of the pop singers in todays music. Go Gaga!

You know what... Gaga was described as the talented artist of all time, she can dance while singing, play piano, write songs in 10 minutes, and not a OFF KEY, see this comment below, this would make you disgust katy perry lovers, even TAYLOR SWIFT, she can't sing live, but she can sing very much destructing OFF KEYS... Watch her YouTube... Even katy perry. So katy perrycats... Keep your OFF KEYS TO ON please

Lady Gaga does not create music, she creates art. She finds and uses so many different styles and sounds in her music. She is amazing and shouldn't even be compared to taylor swift, adele and katy perry. They are not good pop artists. Lady Gaga is the real deal people!

She's more talented than most people on this list, to be honest. She produces and writes her own music. She plays instruments. She has a voice so powerful she doesn't need a microphone. Gaga should be higher up.

Love her love her love her! She is my idol! She has an angel voice, she is beautiful, and she has the best songs! I especially love her new album Prism. She had some wonderful songs! I just wanted to point something out on this list though, Taylor Swift should not get a spot on this list! She always sounds horrid! I really dislike her country music, and how she's always singing about her love life. Maybe if you'd stop singing about your love life, then your love life would be more successful! Anyways, Katy for the win!

Hey everyone Katy Perry should be Number 1! Have you people ever see how many views her Dark horse, Roar, and firework! I waited 1 week to post this comment and her Dark horse went up 25 million! Right now her roar has 823,758,985! Her roar has 803,696,736 views! Her Prism album has had BILLIONS of sales! Her Prismatic world tour was the 2nd biggest tour ever on the internet for people to vote for, Plus she is nice to people who are poor! She is awesome! Katy Perry I love you! I which I could see you Queen of pop!

Okay, so she does have some less-good songs, but most of her songs are really either catchy, meaningful, epic, cool, or all four. Not to mention that she has some pretty amazing music videos, like the ones for Roar, Wide Awake, and Unconditionally... Oh, and Firework.

Katy Perry should be #1! She has tons of good songs.. wait not good... AWESOME! Firework, roar, dark horse, unconditionally, teenage dream, California gurls, E.T. , wide awake, part of me, the one that got away, hot n cold, I kissed a girl, this is how we do, last friday night, thinking of you, legendary lovers, waking up in Vegas, and by the grace of God are all AWESOME songs! She totally has to be #1 without a doubt! Right now roar and dark horse have over 900,000,000 views! Firework has over 500,000,000! Katy is totally the #1 pop singer! She is even the only artist that has been in the top ten charts for a year!

Adele is an amazing singer songwriter. She doesn't need all the frills and publicity to be regarded as such either. She represents music on its highest regard, devoid of superficial details, because she doesn't need any other to garner attention. Her artistry does it on its own, and she is an icon even with a smaller amount of work thus far. Honestly this list is insulting to music, as SO MANY ARTISTS should be ranked above Katy Perry and P! Nk. Yes they are successful entertainers but comparing them above the rest of the industry is like saying Nickleback is a better rock band than Queen. Seriously people, in no way shape or form is KP better than Prince, the Beach Boys, Eminem, Tupac, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Kendrik Lamar, Lorde, Aerosmith, Queen, Adele, Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, the Beatles, and much much more. These singers all represent an unimaginable amount of success and artistry. They are the ones that should be remembered in history for music, not the girl who is famous because ...more

Simply the best in pop. She writes and sings songs that relates to our hearts and world with a great voice. Give her a guitar and a microphone and your life will never be the same again. Love her so much.

Adele is amazing! If you don't believe me just look up her AWESOME song Hello! I looked it up and it is the most popular song where I am from.She is pretty but it is really hard choicing between Taylor swift and Adele if you read this please tell me which Aritst you love better do #TS if you pick her or #Adele if you pick her! Put #TS or #Adele in the comments please

Should definitely do better than Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. And doesn't use her body to sell her music.

They're the Beatles, no one can honestly compare. For decades they have been the most prominent force in music and they represent a level of success and talent that has never been repeated. Songs like "Hey Jude" and "Come Together" show the huge range of music that they represent and the way that they were able to bring all kinds of songs to the popular front. Also, they made important statements about the world through songs like "Blackbird," unlike current artists like Katy Perry who have no substance in their songs and have yet to find any critical success. Instead the Beatles are an untouchable force in history, and their legacy will last forever due to the amazing music that they created. Current pop artists will be forgotten, but the Beatles have lasted for 50 decades on top, and they will forever continue to do so.

They are the Beatles...the greatest influence on all others. They have more number 1 hits than most groups have hits, and more chart hits than most groups have songs. Duh. The greatest thing about the Beatles is their range of music and styles that they have experimented with over the years...each is a formidable composer in their own right...save for Ringo. They have drawn from many, many sources in their music, and have even invented their own. Many rock/pop groups have had success in some of these areas of creativity, composition, and music innovation, but the Beatles have done it all...and anyone who loves rock and roll, pop, blues, jazz, even classical music all appreciate the accomplishments of the Beatles.

Beatles are not good as Sir Paul, but with his support they made it to the top. I like Lonely People and Hey Jude, Let It Be is great and Got A Feeling. John is good on Twist and Shout. But like I said Lonely People I like. Poor Harrison had many All Things Must Pass left off the Beatles. That's because Sir Paul wrote the catalogue. Let's not forget John. Strawberry Fields Forever is grest. So is Help. Everything else Sir Paul says he had a hand in. So let's hope Sir Paul lives another 50 years. He is the god of modern music. His works are immortal.

Katy Perry before The Beatles? Lady Gaga's trailing right behind as well. Don't get me wrong, I like both of those artists, but you simply can't beat the revolutionary music that The Beatles made.

She deserves the second spot because she and Michael Jackson are the only artists in history to have a BMI award named after them. She is the youngest person to be included in the Rolling Stone's list of 100 greatest songwriters of all time, the first female artist to win album of the year at the Grammys twice and the only act to sell more than 1 million album copies in the first week of release in US. She has both most awarded country album and most awarded pop album in history. The list of her achievements goes on but most significantly, she treats her fans with so much kindness and generosity. Her relationship with fans is what makes her different from other artists. Lastly, she's a brilliant businesswoman who knows the market scenario very well and always comes up with new strategies which is why she's so successful.

Taylor Swift is my lifelong inspiration, heroine and the best superstar & singer & celebrity ever...besides my family, of course. She is hated by the Katy Perry fans? They are just going to hate but she'll shake them off anyway so what do they matter? Taylor's outfits are not weird like Lady Gaga's, Nicki Minaj's or Katy Perry's. I like her style which is classical and cool. My favorite song by her is Ours, followed by Enchanted, 22 and many more. I have to admit, Taylor Swift's voice is paradise to my ears, and it's cool that she's BFFs with Selena Gomez.

Taylor Swift, like MJ and the Beatles, has served as the most popular music act during her era while also making critically acclaimed albums due to the true artistic merit of her work. Artists like Katy Perry and P!Nk are hugely misrepresented here, because while they are currently popular, their music isn't very deep or good, and it's an insult to other artists who make brilliant songs that they would be ranked ahead. Taylor Swift, on the other hand, deserves this high ranking. Yes, she makes popular music under a squeaky clean image and a seemingly calculated business strategy. But honestly, squeaky clean appears to honestly be her personality, so who can demand anything else from her? And as for calculating, she's just making smart marketing moves, which again, shouldn't be seen as a negative. When you look past these superficial details, and also stop become g so but hurt over the fact that she songs a lot about love (um, so does EVERYONE?!? She just does it with a younger ...more

Taylor Swift is real with her music, unlike the Katy Perry bull crap. Taylor writes about what's true to her, and if it's about love, then so be it! Honestly, she deserves the number two spot instead of Katy. She uses costumes as a gimmick, and sings about nothing but sex. Taylor sings about love, heartbreak, revenge, and more. So if you want one of the only singers that are real with their fans nowadays, Taylor Swift is your go to girl!

The best pop/rock artist of all time.

Her best moment is when she sang "I Will Always Love You". Her Voice was Awesome.

Love her voice. She's plenty successful. Love ya!

She has a great voice.

The Artist with Purple Rain, Sign 'O' The Times, 1999, and The Gold Experience sits at only 62? Come on people! Especially you bubblegum-loving teenyboppers. Amazing at guitar, among the widest vocal range for popular singers (and even wider than Freddie Mercury, who people seem to be crazy about for no reason), pioneered a sound (specifically the Minneapolis Sound), referred to himself as a symbol for some time (you know, the Love Symbol), first artist to sell music on the Internet, wrote his first song at age 8, best Super Bowl halftime show ever (in 2007; he finished the performance with 'Purple Rain' when it was raining and the audience lit purple lights). And that is the tip of the iceberg. Face it, not only is he is a phenomenal artist, he is The Artist.

Prince was just short of Michael Jackson in singing and dancing ability. He also could play any instument put in front of him. He was simply the total package when it came to performing.

He should be higher for he was Pop music's definitive innovator.

Mixed also with Freddy

Actually he is the best pop artist. He is the prince of pop. He have a perfect voice, he can dance (at the same time he sing perfectly), he can play the piano, the guitar, the ukelele, the drum... He can write beautiful lyrics. The rhythm of his songs are really goods.

Oh My God what is Bruno doing @14 he is like one of the best pop artists ever. Why is he below taylor swift kelly clarkson and who on earth are mariah carey and pink?

With his singing technique and dance moves, he is the Michael Jackson of our time. He is the most complete male pop artist alive.

The only current artist that takes his songs (which are great to begin with ) to a whole other level when he performs them live.

UM 50% of her life she's been doing it, and 100% of that time she has been QUEEN! Learned from the king himself MJ and is the only true modern day artist that can hold a flame to the rest of these legends on the list.

She's the queen of music. She sings live perfectly, she dances perfectly and she has written many of the most influential songs of our time. I trulybthink that since M.J passed away, she inherited his crown and throne.

A hot and sexy singer with a good voice she is awesome!

Her voice is amazing. Her talent is God's Gift

Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Mariah Carey are over Madonna? This list is a joke or what?

Many people just envy to her success and huge impact on music! Madonna is the most popular, successful and influential female star ever! You can hate it but it's true so deal with it!

Madonna has been such a huge influence on the Music industry for over thirty years. She has sold millions of records and broken so many boundaries. She is the Queen of pop and no one can deny her of the (Britney is the Princess)

She should be much ahead. Nobody cares or listens to Kelly Clarkson anymore.

Madonna should be placed after Michael. Her name has not even been mentioned.

Once upon a time, the honour was undisputed. In the 60s, it was accepted that the Beatles were the world's greatest act. In the 70s, it was the Stones. In the 80s, it was U2's turn. Hindsight tells us, of course, that other acts had legitimate claims - James Brown, notably - but they were ignored by the white rock-and-pop establishment. And so the title of "the greatest" became a competition between a succession of guitar bands, even as guitar rock was being left behind as any sort of pioneering force within music. But, still, people understood what the title entailed: the acts hailed as "the greatest" were those who could make a crowd of 100,000 feel intimate, who had an ability to communicate meaning far beyond the literal meaning of their songs.

There are way too many young people voting on this list. 14 of the top 20 are modern acts. Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Elvis and Elton John should definitely be in the top 5, in some order. They were the four most dominate acts in music history. Without their contributions, most of todays acts would not exist. Others in consideration for a top 5 spot are Stevie Wonder, Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, Diana Ross, Donna Summers and Olivia Newton-John

Even if he started as a rock singer, but in later days he sang a lot of pop songs.

"Without Elvis there would be no Beatles" - John Lennon.

Ok, why is Maroon 5 merely 9th on the list? This band is great. They have everything you could ask for in a male pop band. Adam Levine is in the top 10 for best male singers ever. He can go all over the vocal register, but always goes back to that high sounding voice that makes him stand out. This band started in '95 as Kara's Flowers, which was a rock band. As rock became less and less popular to the public eye, Maroon 5 evolved to the POp genre, which is what the new race was and still is today. Just listen in chronological order from Songs about Jane to V, and you will see of what I speak. However, instead of abandoning their rock roots, like Gwen Stefani did by leaving No Doubt I believe it was, they evolved, and found ways to integrate the rock instruments and rock roots where they came from into their new stuff. To put it in other words, they evolved in a way that their new music sells, but didn't lose their identity.

I don't know how any other band can compare.

Maroon 5 consistently makes catchy songs, in every single album. There is a wonderful energy to Adam's voice that just makes the band so good.

James, Jesse, Mickey, Matt, and PJ seem to also work so well together.

I don't see anything wrong with the band. Behind the somewhat explicit lyrics, we have a band that should be, and DESERVE to be, in the Top 5 of any Band Chart.

I liked them and they inspired what manhood and adulthood meant to me without being too nasty, ghetto or ridiculous when they changed into a nasty rock-rap group of vulgar conformists they slipped down in my book. I still think they were influential as a potent and dynamic music group.

Maroon 5? 9th? That should be illegal. Just a note to people who voted for artists above M5, Taylor Swift hasn't been a real pop artist for as long as M5, her songs don't do as well as M5s, and she is no where near as talented as M5 are. Lady Gaga shouldn't even be on the list. Katy Perry? Meh. Nothing special about her. Adele and P! nk have some actual talent. And of course, Michael Jackson had to be on this chart.

They will only be playing 4 or 5 of these groups 200 years from now. The Beatles, Michael Jackson, ABBA, Queen and some Elton John. Even Elvis's music now is dated. Those four groups, the music is timeless and will be played forever. Yet ABBA is #15? Really?

They are a seriously overlooked group, they were only really around for a ten year period and produced some of the best music going, which has genuinely stood the test of time, overlooked by the establishment but loved by the people.

ABBA revolutionized music. In fact they are so good in terms of album sales they are up there with the Beatles and Elvis. I'm not even kidding. Whether you like them or not you have to admit they have had a big impact on music!

Talk about four Swedish viking invaders who plundered the British and American music charts to study the art of pop music, you know, who lived it, breathed it, and where like professors at it.

How is she ranked so low?!?!?!? She is one THE the Broadway/classically trained singers. People always make fun of her wife range which is stupid because it's so rare to have such a wide range, everyone automatically thinks her voice is annoying. This is talent. All these stupid people who know nothing about talent just hate. She is amazing and she actually writes her songs about real love not all that you hear nowadays. She is one of the pop singers today who can sing along with Demi and Adele. Her music and her voice is so angelic and emotional. She is just plain amazing.

HOW IS ARIANA IN 60TH PLACE? :O She is like one of the best singers I have ever heard! I am a HUGE Ariana Grande fan, and she can sing SO WELL live... And she has made so many hit songs, she needs to be in the top ten. I feel like Ariana Grande is one of the best live singers of our new generation. She definitely deserves to be in the top ten... What the heck

She has an incredible voice which resonates with you for long. Her songs are so catchy and convey deep meanings.. She should be higher on the list... Best songs are thanku, next, side to side, no tears left to cry, break free and god is a woman

I love Ariana Grande she is a dream but I still can't get over the fact Billie Eilish Is not on hear WHAT THE HECK!

How is Rihanna not in the top 10? Come on guys vote her up! Rihanna is one of the best pop artists of the era. Who can forget her smash hit Umbrella (ela ela eh eh eh)? She has the most number 1 hits than any pop artists and so many good catchy and meaningful songs. 'Song pop the replay, Unfaithful, Umbrella, Take A Bow, Rehab, Shut up and drive, We found love, Diamonds, Stay, Work, Needed Me, Love on the Brain. Etc. Etc. The thing about Rihanna that is different from other pop artists is she changes her style and genres so much but always does so really well unlike other pop artist. Everybody knows and loves at least ONE RIHANNA SONG.

Selena and Maaron 5 over Rihanna?
Don't get me wrong I don't hate them but Rihanna's music is so varied and catchy.

I don't see why anybody would hate on my girl Rih. She has a great voice, super-catchy songs, etc

! At 29? Nope, can't be...must raised to top 10.

She is absolutely amazing and can serve some mean vocals. She has a very gentle, soft, and sexy voice which some people just cannot appreciate. She is one of the best pop artists out there.

Selena is perfect and one of my favourite singers. I always try to be like her. Her songs are awesome like come and get it, hit the lights, good for you. I love her. Should be number 2.

Amazing songs! I love the more recent like "The Heart wants what it wants" and "Come and get it" and all of the electronica influence!

Definitely the best. I loved the 90s stuff and the 00s. Just listen to the first two albums. Live Forever and Champaign Supernova are epic. Let There Be Love. We are all stars.

She's at #52? I am not surprised, since "best pop artists" nowadays are defined by the idiot youngsters who mainly are the fans of Justin Bieber and the like. She had the best voice, and yes, she's not as extremely popular now as she was in 1999-2004. However, she's been and will be one of the few best artists to me, if by "best" we mean the artist producing work of good quality, having deep meanings and lyrics, and making us listen to a real, great voice, instead of the autotune nonsense. Therefore I would rank her in top 3.

Aguilera's voice is better than 80% of the artist ahead of her. She also has the look and dance moves to. Why is she behind so many irrelevant acts?

She has everything! She can sing, dance, act and produce timeless songs and catchy pop songs! She's the queen, THE VOICE OF OUR GENERATION. I wonder why that she's not included on the top 10, even at top 20, shes deserve more than this debut artist (Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Rihanna).

Counting stars and Love Runs Out was simply awesome!
Maybe with a little effort, it could be a little more famous...
Now everyone says it's a one hit wonder

He can do everything and is happy in life and not to in competition with anyone in particular. He just rests in the life he lives and constantly develops his skills. He is one with life and whatever it brings. You know he doesn't force it too much. That's why nature blesses him with everything. He just let's go if you know what I mean and bes himself. He knows the industry is an illusion and has numerous way about him. He knows that if you try your best and leave the rest to rest, then you can enjoy the full support of nature. He is funny, happy, contented, peaceful, charming, witty, well read, likes holidays. He can sing and dance. He puts into practice this ethic. Justin is the king of my moments.

How he is below Justin Bieber? He is lot better than Justin Bieber.
His style is unique and different but Justin Bieber only sings love confession songs.
He is the best.

Although I can't bring myself to forgive JT for "Can't Stop The Feeling! ",his early stuff like Mirrors or Cry me a river that was pop music I could actually bear to listen to

You gotta be kidding me! He must be in top 5. Katy Perry can't be half of JT!

Awesome, amazing, number one favorite singer of mine. She has most awesome songs like love takes time, vision of love, heartbreaker, and my all time favorite dream lover.

Mariah should easily be in top 10. She had 18 #1 songs, by far the most of the 90s and 2000s.

I betcha she has more songs than Taylor Swift and Beyonce combined

I absolutly LOVE Kelly Clarkson, I have been a fan for a long time and I love her special quality. She inspires music and has a magnificent voice. Hands Down. She deserves to be in the top ten. She has been singing for TEN years, she is a born natural. She is my IDOL, and the original American Idol. I'm a total fangirl of Kelly, and will be forever more!

OK, she isn't number 1 pop artist but she deserves being in the top 10. Kelly has a great voice and many awesome songs. Her Breakaway album was a huge hit that was very important for music industry. Kelly rocks!

I've been a big fan of Kelly probably since I started singing! She's such an inspiration and she deserves the top spot! I love her!

She's just awesome... Her voice, the concept of it... Her songs just makes us float...