Top 10 Most Popular Music Artists and Bands of the 2010s in Austria

Everything Adele touches turns to gold, at least. Her many hit songs play all over the radio, and of course, her albums sell well. She has little to no haters, and many people, old and young, view her as the greatest artist of her era.

She should be first. Beautiful voice.

I don't need to tell you about his popularity. The fact is, this guy is massive all around the globe. His hits are just as huge, chart-topping, and excessively played over here as in your country. I just feel that he has more haters abroad. No one really hates this man over here.

I wonder if there is a country where he isn't popular.

Her album "Farbenspiel" went 18 times platinum, becoming the third best-selling album in Austria, behind Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Herbert Grönemeyer's "Mensch." The lead single "Atemlos durch die Nacht" stayed on the charts for 90 weeks and is probably the most played song of the 21st century (that goes for Germany and Switzerland as well, where she is similarly huge).

The German singer is all over TV, her concerts are sold out, and she managed to gather a fanbase of every gender and age.

It always amazes me how Germans got into a Russian singer (and Austrians, too).

I am not sure how the situation is in the USA, because as far as I know, your radio stations don't like explicitness that much. "Love on the Brain" was inescapable in the past two years. However, even more than this song, "Stay" and "Diamonds" are among the most played songs ever since they came out.

While in the 2000s, American rappers were prominent with German rap slowly emerging, everything took a 180° turn in the current decade. German rappers now top the charts, while most popular American rap songs only appear on some hip hop enthusiasts' playlists (we're still CD buyers). Songs that didn't appear on the Austrian top 100 include "Bodak Yellow" and "Bad and Boujee."

Somewhere between numbers 20 and 11 are the big singles by Future, Rae Sremmurd, or Kendrick Lamar. As hip hop is an album genre over here, their albums sometimes chart higher, but only when there are physical releases available. The one exception whose music is always hugely anticipated is Eminem.

Here we talk about chart-topping success, and here we have one of the very few rappers who get regular radio airplay because they are also heard by people who aren't always into hip hop. Eminem is the one everyone agrees is a genius.

Katy Perry has many hits that are all over the radio, but "I Kissed a Girl" is especially one of the most popular pop songs of the last fifteen years. She's also much better received in Austria than in the US. Her latest album and songs didn't get hate, and "Chained to the Rhythm" is everywhere.

Wurst was a moderately famous TV personality for a few years, who wasn't much noticed until she won the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest with "Rise Like a Phoenix." I know the importance of this event differs widely from country to country, but in Austria, it's a big deal where the entire nation stays up late to watch it.

Then she became a cultural icon. Her messages of tolerance, LGBT rights, and self-empowerment hit the country like a tornado and caused a massive hype for equality of any kind. She performed in front of politicians, was on every show and newspaper, and was named person of the year.

Although her last musical output was in 2015 (she will release her second album soon, though), she is still the national number one celebrity of the decade and is often seen in the media.

Taylor Swift wasn't as noticed over here until she became pop. She long had a diamond certification and multi-platinum in the US. "Red" was her first top ten entry, but "Fearless," which peaked at number 14, was already certified gold.

Then she took off: "1989" was certified triple-platinum and "Shake It Off" is one of the most played songs of the decade that will become an evergreen.

Of course, Lady Gaga is still synonymous with great and well-crafted pop music blockbusters. Several of her songs have already turned into evergreens. However, in the first half of the decade, she would have topped the list.

It was absolutely clear she has a place next to Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Prince as the peak of creative mainstream pop singer-songwriters.

Long before Chester Bennington's tragic death, Linkin Park had been a generation-defining band that managed to touch many. Their albums were all extremely popular, and they have already been legendary for years. They will be even more so under these sad circumstances.

Although his latest album wasn't as successful, hits like "Just the Way You Are," "Grenade," and "Uptown Funk" are decade-defining and among the most played songs of the 2010s.

Originally, Seiler und Speer were a comedian and a director (none of the big names, though) who thought it would be fun to go to the studio and record some indie music. Their single "Ham kummst" immediately topped the Austrian charts, has 30 million views on YouTube (that's a lot for German music and the biggest of the biggest blockbusters for Austrian music), and still gets tons of airplay four years later.

The album of the same name was awarded four times platinum, and the follow-up album got another platinum certificate.

Germany's biggest rapper is just as successful and chart-topping over here. Much like in Germany, interest in English language hip hop has declined in the 2010s, paving the way for the German language counterpart to take its place.

Bushido, being the Godfather of German hip hop, is, of course, what every genre fan digs.

Robbie Williams isn't just a successful pop star. He's a music legend that is universally loved by all audiences, no matter their age or gender. His songwriting craft and singing are acclaimed by pretty much everyone, and every new song he creates immediately becomes insanely popular.

Apart from the fact that his songs from the 90s and 00s are still much loved, his "Swings Both Ways" album was a huge hit in the 2010s, and his other records were also really successful.

The reception is pretty much the same as in the US. He always had commercial hits and massive media coverage, but also many haters and was generally seen negatively until "Purpose," which completely changed his reputation for the better.

Suddenly, Justin Bieber was taken seriously as an artist, and the hit songs also received more radio airplay.

Before their departure in 2015, the party pop duo Trackshittaz - often described as Austria's answer to Breathe Carolina - had four major hits: the chart-topping "Oida taunz!" and "Guuugarutz," as well as "Killalady" and "Woki mit deim Popo." They also released four studio albums that reached the top ten, with two of them hitting number one. The duo was very present in local TV and newspapers, and they set many of the trends of the time.

What made them stand out was their music, which was aimed at a young and energetic audience with stomping beats, techno synths, pop rapping, catchy choruses, occasional Autotune, and edgy lyrics. However, instead of performing in neutral German, they used the Upper Austrian dialect. While this dialect was common in music aimed at more mature audiences, Trackshittaz made it popular again with younger listeners. Their popularity was so significant that they even represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. Unfortunately, their performance wasn't well received abroad, and they came in last place.

After their disbandment, their legacy didn't turn out as strong as some might have expected. In Austria, when someone achieves national fame, they often maintain that level of recognition for a lifetime. While Austrians still remember Trackshittaz, their songs didn't immediately become classics, unlike those of several less successful artists before them. Nonetheless, the hype they generated in the first half of the decade absolutely qualifies them for this list.

Sometime in the mid-to-late 2000s, the Finnish alternative rock band became much more popular in German-speaking territories than any of their American emo counterparts. Lead singer Samu Haber became a well-known celebrity who often appeared on German shows. In the 2010s, their popularity increased even more, and so they have received lots of airplay, have popular concerts, and have good album sales.

Many people of different target groups like them. Although their music is often similar to the American emo movement, and their more recent output is poppier, they are much less gimmicky and aren't really associated with a certain group of people.

I often say that Nickelback is not really hated over here. They are actually pretty popular and well-liked. Not only are their hits from the 2000s still on rotation, but their newer output this decade has also found many Austrian fans, especially "Song on Fire," which was everywhere in 2017.

Thirty Seconds to Mars entered the Austrian top ten when every other country, including the USA and Germany, still had to discover them as more than just some ambitious newcomers. They had a very devoted and widespread fanbase, and while other big emo bands of the USA weren't really that mainstream, 30 Seconds to Mars were a big deal.

Many were also baffled that an actor as great as Leto could create music like this without even promoting it as HIS project. The success only increased from then on, and now in 2018, they finally had their first number one album, while in the rest of the world they finally had the success they had over here in 2005.

Boybands were always embraced very much in German-speaking territories. Remember: the Backstreet Boys had success much earlier over here and had a gazillion more hits than in the US. Although One Direction were just as popular in the rest of the world, maybe even more, they still were very present in this decade's pop landscape.

With Harry Styles' successful departure, many see him as the third member of a bunch of former boyband members who managed to be taken very seriously as artists, next to the two giants Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake.

German rapper Shindy brought a bit of lightheartedness, relaxed vibes, and a decent mix of high-class and lazy casualness to the dark and gritty German hip-hop scene.

Not only did all four of his albums top the Austrian charts, but he also became a favorite of Austrian teens who don't care much for street aesthetics.

Before Helene Fischer, Andrea Berg was the Queen of Schlager for years. Her albums usually sell multi-platinum, and she is extremely present on TV (especially music shows) and in newspapers (particularly gossip magazines).

She's even bigger in Germany but is also incredibly popular here in Austria.