Top 10 Best Pop Artists of All Time
Pop music has been shaping the sound of popular culture for decades, and some artists have managed to stand out above the rest, creating unforgettable hits and defining entire eras. From legends who helped build the foundation of pop, to modern superstars who dominate the charts today, there's no shortage of talent to choose from when thinking about the greatest pop artists of all time.When you think about who deserves to be at the top of this list, consider the impact they've had on music and pop culture, how they've pushed boundaries, and the way they've kept fans hooked year after year. Some might have created the soundtrack to your childhood, while others may be taking over the world today.
Michael Jackson (Michael Joseph Jackson; August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, and songwriter. He passed away from cardiac arrest caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose on June 25, 2009. He donated (at least) a remarkable 500,000,000 dollars to charity. Michael... read more Michael Jackson IS music. Without him, there really wouldn't be pop music. He is so legendary that even though he has passed away, people still buy his music. I certainly do!
If Michael wasn't here, life would be pointless. Music would be pointless. He has sold at least 300 million copies worldwide and has the best-selling album of all time, THRILLER! It sold 66 million copies worldwide and features the most legendary song of all time, Billie Jean.
Moreover, he is the greatest entertainer of all time, both factually and in public opinion. Who hasn't heard of Michael Jackson?
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.On the start of her career, she performed at an event called the Lollapalooza Festival during 2007 whereby a record label company Interscope found her due to her performance... read more
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, write songs, 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 today's music. Go Gaga!
You know what? Gaga was described as the most talented artist of all time. She can dance while singing, play piano, and write songs in ten minutes. She's never off-key.
See this comment below. It will make you Katy Perry lovers, even Taylor Swift fans, disgusted. Taylor can't sing live and often sings off-key. Watch her YouTube videos, even Katy Perry's. So Katy Perry fans, please keep your off-key opinions to yourselves.
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, professionally known by her stage name Katy Perry, was born on October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California. She is a singer, songwriter, actress and an ambassador on one of the most popular companies of now, UNICEF... read more I absolutely adore Katy Perry! She is my idol! She has an angelic voice, is beautiful, and produces the best songs! I especially love her new album, Prism. It includes some wonderful songs.
However, I'd like to point out something about this list. Taylor Swift should not be on this list! In my opinion, she always sounds terrible. I really dislike her country music and how she's always singing about her love life.
Perhaps if she stopped singing about her love life, she might have more success in it! Anyway, Katy Perry for the win!
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. Graduating from the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in 2006, Adele was given a recording contract by XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on Myspace the same year. She is best known with her international... read more Adele is an amazing singer-songwriter. She doesn't need all the frills and publicity to be regarded as such either. She represents music in its highest regard, devoid of superficial details, because she doesn't need anything else 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 Nickelback is a better rock band than Queen. Seriously, people, in no way, shape, or form is Katy Perry better than Prince, the Beach Boys, Eminem, Tupac, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, Aerosmith, Queen, Adele, Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, the Beatles, and many 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 for her juvenile, racist, homophobic, and frankly, uncomplicated music.
Sorry, Katy Perry, but you're an entertainer more than you are a singer. You deserve all that you've worked for in regards to being a fun, non-complicated model for tweens, but artists like Adele show the world what true MUSIC is.
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The group comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of the 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular... read more They're the Beatles. No one can honestly compare. For decades, they have been the most prominent force in music, representing a level of success and talent that has never been repeated. Songs like "Hey Jude" and "Come Together" showcase the huge range of music they represent and the way they were able to bring all kinds of songs to the popular front.
Additionally, they made important statements about the world through songs like "Blackbird," unlike current artists like Katy Perry, who lack substance in their songs and have yet to find any critical success. In contrast, the Beatles are an untouchable force in history, and their legacy will last forever due to the amazing music they created.
Current pop artists will be forgotten, but the Beatles have lasted for five decades on top, and they will forever continue to do so.
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. Houston is one of pop music's best-selling music artists of all-time, with an estimated 170–200... read more Her best moment is when she sang "I Will Always Love You." Her voice was awesome.
Love her voice! She's very successful. Love ya!
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania. Swift is best known for writing personal songs and has won 13 Grammy Awards... read more 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 Rolling Stone's list of the 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 the US. She holds both the most awarded country album and the 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.
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, pianist and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has... read more One of the biggest solo artists of the '70s.
The best pop/rock artist of all time.
Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 - April 21st, 2016) was an American musician, best known for being one of the most popular and influential artists from the 80s, with songs such as "Purple Rain", "Little Red Corvette", "1999", and "When Doves Cry" . 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. He was amazing at guitar, had among the widest vocal ranges for popular singers (even wider than Freddie Mercury, whom 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), was the first artist to sell music on the Internet, wrote his first song at age 8, and had the best Super Bowl halftime show ever (in 2007). He finished the performance with 'Purple Rain' while it was raining, and the audience lit purple lights.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Face it, not only is he a phenomenal artist, he is The Artist.
Alecia Beth Moore known professionally as P!NK, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Pink is the best, period. She is one of the few artists these days that actually make songs with real meanings, not just about partying, getting drunk, and hot chicks. Pink's songs, like "Try" (so inspiring) and "Blow Me One Last Kiss," are great. And "Just Give Me A Reason," "So What," the list goes on. She's got her own style.
How a couple of days ago Pink was at #59... So I'm not the only fanatic.
Warning: Pink is highly addictive! Consume with caution, as high volumes of numerous classic hits will cause stuck-in-head syndrome. I have had Just Like a Pill stuck in my head for four days now and have listened to it approximately 60 times since the syndrome began. You've been warned.
The Newcomers
Sabrina Ann Lynn Carpenter is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She stars as the young version of Chloe Goodwin in The Goodwin Games and as Maya Hart in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World. She plays Jenny Parker in the Disney Channel Original Movie Adventures in Babysitting . (She)... read more
Charlotte Emma Aitchison, better known by her stage name Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Her most famous songs include Boom Clap and her feature on Iggy Azalea's Fancy. Oh yea she’s the best female pop star along with Carly rae since Mdnna. I’d have them as my sisters because they are beautiful and they need to collaborate
Peter Gene Hernandez, professionally known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and choreographer... read more Actually, he is the best pop artist. He is the prince of pop. He has a perfect voice, and he can dance while singing perfectly. He can play the piano, guitar, ukulele, and drums.
He can write beautiful lyrics. The rhythm of his songs is really good.
Oh my God, what is Bruno doing at fourteen? 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.
Madonna Louise Ciccone, known professionally as Madonna, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She influenced a lot of singers such as: Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Beyonce Knowles and Britney Spears. She is known as Queen of Pop and at modern pop culture specifically... read more Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Mariah Carey are over Madonna? Is this list a joke?
Many people just envy 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 that (Britney is the Princess).
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, is an American singer and actress, who started out in the popular pop/r&b girl group Destiny's Child. They had multiple top 5 hits such as "No, No, No", "Say My Name", "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Survivor", "Independent Women", "Bootylicious", and "Jumpin', Jumpin" from... read more For fifty percent of her life, she's been doing it, and one hundred percent of that time, she has been QUEEN! Learned from the king himself, Michael Jackson, 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, dances perfectly, and has written many of the most influential songs of our time. I truly think that since Michael Jackson passed away, she inherited his crown and throne.
A hot and sexy singer with a good voice, she is awesome!
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined... read more There are way too many young people voting on this list. Fourteen of the top twenty are modern acts. Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Elvis, and Elton John should definitely be in the top five, in some order. They were the four most dominant acts in music history.
Without their contributions, most of today's acts would not exist. Others in consideration for a top five spot are Stevie Wonder, the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, and Olivia Newton-John.
Even though he started as a rock singer, in later days, he sang a lot of pop songs.
Maroon 5 is an American pop/pop rock band that originated in Los Angeles, California. Before the current group was established, the original four members, Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick, formed a band known as Kara's Flowers in 1994, while they were still in high school. 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 returns 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 what I speak of.
However, instead of abandoning their rock roots, like Gwen Stefani did by leaving No Doubt, they evolved and found ways to integrate the rock instruments and roots from where they came into their new stuff. To put it in other words, they evolved in a way that their new music sells, but they didn't lose their identity.
ABBA are a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They will only be playing four or five 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' 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, 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 that 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!
Ariana Grande-Butera (born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including two Grammy... read more How is she ranked so low? She is one of the Broadway/classically trained singers. People always make fun of her wide 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 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 are so angelic and emotional. She is just plain amazing.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian-American pop singer. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, she first entered the music industry by recording demo tapes under the direction of record producer Evan Rogers in 2003. She ultimately signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning... read more 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 more number 1 hits than any other pop artist and so many good, catchy, and meaningful songs. Songs like Pon de Replay, Unfaithful, Umbrella, Take a Bow, Rehab, Shut Up and Drive, We Found Love, Diamonds, Stay, Work, Needed Me, Love on the Brain, etc.
The thing about Rihanna that is different from other pop artists is that she changes her style and genres so much but always does so really well, unlike other pop artists. Everybody knows and loves at least one Rihanna song.
Selena Marie Gomez is an American actress and singer. She is best known for songs like "Come & Get It", "Good For You", "Same Old Love", and "It Ain't Me". Selena Gomez's voice is mezzo-soprano but she usually sings in alto. She is best known for her role as Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place. 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 favorite singers. I always try to be like her. Her songs are awesome, like Come and Get It, Hit the Lights, and Good for You.
I love her. She should be number two.
Amazing songs! I love the more recent ones like "The Heart Wants What It Wants" and "Come and Get It", and all of the electronica influence!
Christina María Aguilera is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known for songs such as "Beautiful", "Genie In A Bottle", "Fighter", "Hurt", "Dirrty", "Your Body", "Lady Marmalade", "Reflection", "I Turn To You", "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" "What A Girl Wants", and... read more She's at #52? I am not surprised, considering the current definition of "best pop artists" is often influenced by younger fans who mainly follow artists like Justin Bieber. Christina Aguilera had the best voice. True, she's not as extremely popular now as she was between 1999 and 2004.
However, she remains one of the finest artists for me. By "best," I mean an artist producing work of good quality, with deep meanings and lyrics, and showcasing a real, great voice, rather than relying on autotune. Therefore, I would rank her in the top 3.
Aguilera's voice is better than eighty percent of the artists ahead of her. She also has the look and dance moves too. Why is she behind so many irrelevant acts?
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide... read more
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band. Formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2002 by lead singer Ryan Tedder and guitarist Zach Filkins, the band achieved commercial success on Myspace as an unsigned act. Counting Stars and Love Runs Out were simply awesome! Maybe with a little effort, they could be a little more famous. Now everyone says they're a one-hit wonder.
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer-songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. Born and raised in Tennessee, he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. He can do everything and is happy in life, not 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 lets go, if you know what I mean, and is himself. He knows the industry is an illusion and has numerous ways 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, and can sing and dance. He puts into practice this ethic. Justin is the king of my moments.
Mariah Carey, born March 27, 1970, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is one of the biggest best-selling women in the music industry, with 18 number 1 records to her name. She is regarded as a sex symbol through her songs and music videos, and she is "well known" for her over-the-top... read more Awesome, amazing, my number one favorite singer. She has the most awesome songs like Love Takes Time, Vision of Love, Heartbreaker, and my all-time favorite, Dreamlover.
Passed Elvis Presley just recently.
Mariah should easily be in the top ten. She had eighteen number-one songs, by far the most of the nineties and two-thousands.
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American singer, songwriter and children's book author. She rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural season of the television series American Idol, which earned her a record deal with RCA Records. Clarkson's debut single, "A Moment Like This", topped the US Billboard... read more I absolutely 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 the number one pop artist, but she deserves to be in the top ten. Kelly has a great voice and many awesome songs. Her Breakaway album was a huge hit that was very important for the music industry.
Kelly rocks!