Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, & More: The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade

By:

Christina Casiano

December 13, 2019 4:53PM EST

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Pics

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Pics — When looking back on the music of the 2010s, it’s hard to pick a single voice that defined the decade. The past ten years saw country darlings become pop royalty, rappers pick up guitars to rock out, and pop singers become cultural icons. It was a decade of fluidity, one where barriers between genres became flexible. It was a decade where hip-hop underwent its punk phase, with “mumble rap”/SoundCloud rappers challenging the status quo with DIY attitudes saw yielded great heights – and in some cases, fatal falls. It was also a decade where America turned its tastes towards Asia. Groups from Korea topped the Billboard charts and pop trios from Japan made history by performing at Coachella. The following gallery (arranged in no particular order) features the stars that contributed to the sound of the 2010s. Will these acts hold the same level of prominence when the 2020s wrap up? Only time will tell.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — BTS

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — BTS — When BTS performed for the first time on The Late Show at NYC’s Ed Sullivan theatre in May 2019, host Stephen Colbert framed the visit akin to The Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan show in 1964. The comparison is apt, with American fans going just as wild for the Bangtan Boys as they did for the “Fab Four” so many decades ago. The band — V, J-Hope, RM, Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, and Suga – formed in 2013. Their 2016 release, Wings, would be the band’s first album to sell one million in South Korea. They became the first Korean act to top the Billboard 200 with their studio album Love Yourself: Tear. They’ve replicated that success with Love Yourself: Answer, and Map of the Soul: Persona. They are the first group since The Beatles to earn three number one albums in less than a year. BTS’s momentum – and that of K-Pop as a whole – doesn’t seem like it’s going to slow down as we head into the next decade, meaning that the 2020s might belong to these seven lads from Seoul.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Kendrick Lamar

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Kendrick Lamar — Kendrick Lamar will be regarded as the rapper’s rapper of the 2010s. A critical darling, Kendrick’s music elevated the rap game. His records Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City and To Pimp A Butterfly were heralded as modern classics. His fourth album, Damn, was the first non-classical/non-jazz album to awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Ariana Grande

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Ariana Grande — Ariana Grande left her Nickelodeon past behind. With the release of 2013’s Yours Truly, she would become a powerful pop idol. She would suffer tragedies – the loss of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, the horrific bombing outside her 2017 concert in Manchester – and triumphs. In 2018 and 2019, she would release two of her most critically-acclaimed albums, Sweetener and thank u, next.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Taylor Swift

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Taylor Swift — Taylor Swift was already a country music darling at the start of the 2010s, but she would carve out her place atop the pop world with albums like Red, and the landmark 1989. Her decade would be marked with personal clashes with Katy Perry, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Scooter Braun. Yet, she would rise above it all at the end.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Cardi B

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Cardi B — Cardi B didn’t really blow up until 2017, but it feels as if she has been all over the 2010s. That’s just how big her personality is. With “Bodak Yellow,” Cardi quickly became the name in hip-hop, and her debut studio album, Invasion Of Privacy, would cement her as one of the biggest stars in the game. Cardi’s still relatively new in her career, which means there’s a lot more to come from Ms. Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Lady Gaga

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Lady Gaga — Lady Gaga ended the 2010s radically different than how she started them. In 2011, she released her seminal album, Born This Way. Though her follow-ups (Artpop, Joanne) would have their followers, they failed to replicate Born This Way’s success. Yet, she didn’t end the decade on a down note. With transformative roles in American Horror Story and A Star Is Born, Gaga would end the decade with multiple Golden Globes and an Academy Award under her belt. On top of that, she would also win more awards than there are stars in the sky.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Post Malone

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Post Malone — Post Malone blew up at the halfway-point of the 2010s with his song “White Iverson,” but no one expected this tattooed rapper to end the decade the way he did. In 2016, he released Beerbongs & Bentleys, a multi-platinum album that demonstrated how his take on hip-hop was the new sound of rap. His songs “Psycho,” “Sunflower,” “Wow,” and “Circles” would find their way to the top of the charts. While he would not be without controversy – as heavily tattooed white rapper, he was dubbed a “culture vulture” by numerous publications – it seemed he would have more defenders than haters by the time the decade ended.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Chance The Rapper

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Chance The Rapper — While some might point towards Tekashi69 or XXXTentacion as pioneers of SoundCloud rappers, 6ix9ine ended the decade sentenced to prison (and looking at a life in witness protection after testifying against the Nine Trey Gangsta Blood gang). XXXTentacion on the other hand, was shot dead in 2018 during a drive-by. While SoundCloud rappers are often viewed with more disdain than Juggalos, it would be foolish to denounce how hip-hop flourished in the streaming era.

Take, for example, Chance The Rapper. In the 2010s, the Chicago native made history. His 2016 mixtape, Coloring Book, won the Best Rap Album Grammy, the first streaming-only album ever to win a Grammy. Chance earned respect from fans and critics alike. Though his debut studio album, 2019’s The Big Day, was a disappointment by some, Chance’s effect on the 2010s is undeniable.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Selena Gomez

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Selena Gomez — Selena Gomez found herself in the 2010s. After wrapping up her award-winning Disney Channel television series, Wizards of Waverly Place, she released her first solo album, Stars Dance, in 2013. It was her first number-one album on the Billboard 200. She would follow it up with 2015’s Revival, which contained Top 10 hits “Good For You,” “Same Old Love,” and “Hands To Myself.” While her decade would be marked with drama, courtesy her on-again/off-again relationship with Justin Bieber, she would end strongly. She released “Lose You To Love Me” in October 2019, her first No. 1 hit. She also announced that her third solo album, Rare, would arrive in January 2020.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Kanye West

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Kanye West — Kanye West released what many to think to be his masterpiece, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. From there, he became larger than life, experimenting further with albums Yeezus, The Life Of Pablo and Jesus Is King. Though the volatile elements of his personality would rear their ugly heads on Twitter (turning him into rap’s Donald Trump, who Ye would infamously hug after going on a rant in the Oval Office), he seemingly found peace through Christianity in the back-half of the decade. Though he’s a shadow of the man who released College Dropout, and his antics have driven some die-hards away, it’s foolish to say that Kanye was not influential over the past ten years.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Frank Ocean

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Frank Ocean — Frank Ocean may have brought R&B back from the brink. His 2012 release, Channel Orange, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. He also broke down barriers with the release, coming out as gay ahead of the album’s release. That alone would establish Frank as one of the biggest artists of the decade. Yet, he topped himself in 2015 with Blonde, a record that is considered one of the decade’s best. Its lead single, “Nikes,” debuted at No. 1 in several countries.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Luke Bryan

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Luke Bryan — Although Luke Bryan was established as one of country music’s biggest stars by the time the calendar read 2010, the following ten years would see him blow up. His 2011 record Tailgates & Tanlines would go platinum four times, as would the follow-up, 2013’s Crash My Party. Luke would take country into the new decade, winning the hearts and mind of fans everywhere.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Drake

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Drake — Drake’s sound dominated the 2010s. From his studio debut, 2010’s Thank Me Later, up to 2018’s Scorpion, Drake’s songs skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard charts and to the minds of millions. “Energy,” “Controlla,” “Started From The Bottom,” “Take Care,” and “God’s Plan” are just some of Drake’s songs that became anthems for a new generation. While his decade would be fraught with controversies – accusations of ghostwriters, a blackface photo used by Pusha-T on a song that revealed his hidden son – he would dodge these scandals as if he were made of Teflon.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Carrie Underwood

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Carrie Underwood — Carrie Underwood continued her rise to country music superstardom in the 2010s. She released her third consecutive No. 1 album, Blown Away, in 2012, and followed it up with 2015’s Storyteller and Cry Pretty in 2018. Carrie’s voice was all over the radio. It’s no wonder that she released Greatest Hits: Decade #1 in 2014, which was another chart-topping success.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Adele

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Adele — Adele became one of the biggest stars on the planet in 2011 with the release of her epic, now-classic album, 21. Going platinum 14-times in the US (which means it’s certified Diamond), the critically-acclaimed album practically won EVERY award, including the 2012 Grammy for Album Of The Year and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year. She duplicated that success four years later with 25, an album that once again won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Nicki Minaj

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Nicki Minaj — Nicki Minaj became the Queen of Rap in the 2010s. Debuting in 2010 with Pink Friday, a landmark album containing her breakout hit, “Super Bass,” Nicki skyrocketed to the top of the game with follow-up albums The Pinkprint and Queen. A highly sought-out artist, Nicki was featured on more songs than what was thought humanly possible. While the last few years of Nicki’s decade were filled with clashes – in the case of Cardi B, a physical clash – she ended the 2010s as hip-hop’s monarch.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Rihanna

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Rihanna — Rihanna was already a star when she started the 2010s. The singer was a household name on the strength of her earlier singles, “SOS” and “Umbrella,” but this past decade where RiRi became an icon. She topped the charts with songs from her multi-platinum albums, and expanded into both the acting and fashion worlds (in the case of the latter, by launching her Savage X Fenty lingerie line.) Though fans ended the decade asking for her next album, it’s always good to leave them wanting more, right?

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — The Weeknd

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — The Weeknd — The Weeknd was one of the voices that resurrected R&B in the 2010s. His 2012 collection, Trilogy, was certified platinum, and it was a precursor of the greatness that was to follow. 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness will be regarded as a staple of this new breed of R&B – dubbed “PBR&B” for a hot minute by music journalists – as the album is a modern classic. A year later, he released Starboy in 2016, taking his career further than ever before. With new music expected in 2020, it seems The Weeknd is going to last into this new decade.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Ed Sheeran

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Ed Sheeran — Ed Sheeran was the 2010s. He had the most weeks (79) at No. 1 in the UK, in both the album and singles charts. “Shape Of You” was the biggest hits of the 2010s, spending 14 weeks at No. 1. It seemed as if the West Yorkshire native could do no wrong. Be it a solo song, or a collab – like “I Don’t Care” with Justin Bieber or “River” with Eminem – whatever this ginger touched turned gold.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Beyonce

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Beyonce — Beyonce was already a star at the start of the 2010s, but this decade, she became an icon. Her critically and commercially successful albums literally changed the music industry (with Beyonce’s Friday release forcing the industry to change its practice of putting out new music, shifting from Tuesdays to Fridays.) it was her landmark record Lemonade, which celebrated black women and black culture, that transformed her into a cultural force that hasn’t been seen before.

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The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Justin Bieber

The Top 20 Artists Of The Decade — Justin Bieber — Justin Bieber grew up in the 2010s – literally. The young boy who released “Baby” in January 2010 became one of the biggest pop stars of his generation. Over the next ten years, Justin would become beloved (and in some cased, despised) across the world by millions of fans (and seemingly, just as many haters.) Along the way, Justin matured into a young man, got married, and found peace – all while releasing music that refused to leave the top of the charts. With new music coming in 2020, Justin’s second act is just starting.

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