Grammy Award winning superstar Beyoncé is likely to be named Billboard‘s Greatest Pop Star Of The 21st Century next week after the magazine ranked singer Taylor Swift at No. 2 on Tuesday, recognizing her unprecedented success after transitioning from country to pop music in the early 2010s.
Over the past 25 years, Swift has redefined pop stardom, achieving a level of success that is both unique and monumental. Billboard’s countdown of the top 25 pop stars of the century has been revealed one by one for the past 25 weeks with American artists dominating the list, representing the largest portion with 40% of the featured pop stars.
American artists represent the majority of the list, and their influence on pop, hip-hop, R&B, and rock music has been profound, making them leaders in both commercial success and global cultural impact.
Canada makes up the second highest nationality of the list, with artists shaping modern music across pop, hip-hop, and R&B, achieving major global success. Drake, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd have become a global Hip Hop, pop and R&B icons, redefining the genres with their atmospheric sounds and record-breaking hits.
British artists represent 3rd highest nationality on the list, with Adele, one Direction and Ed Sheeran contributing massively to pop and contemporary music worldwide with their emotive ballads, catchy melodies, and broad influence.
Other Nationalities like Barbadian national hero Rihanna (Rank 3) represents for pop, R&B, and dancehall, as well as being a business mogul with Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty. Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj (Rank 13) has redefined the role of women in hip-hop and pop, influencing music, fashion, and culture with her bold persona and chart-topping hits like “Super Bass.”
Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny (Rank 23) has become a dominant force in Latin music, pushing reggaeton and Latin trap to global recognition with record-breaking albums and collaborations.
While South Korea’s BTS (Rank 19) has taken K-pop to new heights, with a massive global fan base and record-breaking sales, becoming one of the biggest musical acts in the world.
See full list below:
2. Taylor Swift
3. Rihanna
4. Drake
5. Lady Gaga
6. Britney Spears
7. Kanye West
8. Justin Bieber
9. Ariana Grande
10. Adele
11. Usher
12. Eminem
13. Nicki Minaj
14. Justin Timberlake
15. Miley Cyrus
16. Jay-Z
17. Shakira
18. The Weeknd
19. BTS
20. Bruno Mars
21. Lil Wayne
22. One Direction
23. Bad Bunny
24. Ed Sheeran
25. Katy Perry
