1. Michael Jackson. What is this? As the King of Pop, it makes sense to begin the list with Michael Jackson.
In 2022, Bad Bunny made pop stardom a subversive act
Bad Bunny has a preternatural gift for realness, one that he wields with fluidity, because that is what Caribbeanness demands. It makes his fame feel delightful and deviant. By several measures, Bad Bunny became the world's biggest pop star in 2022.
Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, and no one else even comes close. The 33-year-old Canadian singer's success has seen him set two new Guinness World Records titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify – 111.4 million (as of 20 March 2023)
In January 2023, Rolling Stone announced American singer, songwriter, and pianist Aretha Franklin as the greatest singer of all time.
Madonna. While Madonna may be considered the greatest and most successful female popstar of all time, she may not get the kudos for her actual singing voice that she deserves. Her voice is always solid and clear, with a delicate quality that works so perfectly for her brand of pop.
Mariah Carey
With her 5-octave vocal range and her ability to reach notes in the 7th octave vocal range as well just go back, it should come as no surprise that Mariah is the top. She hits the highest, most ear-piercing note of all time, making anyone in the vicinity's hair stand on end.
Madonna currently holds the record for the most number-one songs in the 43-year history of the chart, with 50. The only other artists to have achieved more than 20 chart toppers are Rihanna (33) and Beyonce (22).
With over 3 billion views, the most popular song on YouTube is "Despacito." Released by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee in 2017, this Latin pop sensation took the world by storm and became a viral hit.
Top-selling artists worldwide as of 2022
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales.
Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Madonna and Whitney Houston each have three.
The following list contains the most-streamed artists on the audio streaming platform Spotify. As of July 2023, Canadian rapper Drake is the most-streamed artist of all time on Spotify, while American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is the most-streamed female artist.
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Known as the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century.
The Beatles
Comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, The Beatles are globally recognized and are credited with inspiring many famous musicians to pursue music. The most influential band of all time, The Beatles are creative and innovative, and a deserving band at the top of this list.
As of July 2023, "Blinding Lights" (2019) by Canadian singer the Weeknd is the most-streamed song of all time on Spotify, while "Dance Monkey" (2019) by Australian singer-songwriter Tones and I is the most-streamed song by a female artist.
The Beatles, unsurprisingly, lead the way with a record 20 No. 1s, all earned between 1964 and 1970. The Fab Four also scored 34 top 10s (second only to Madonna's 38), hitting No. 1 in over half their visits to the top 10.
The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music act of all time, collecting over $2.5 billion according to Billboard Boxscore.
"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
Coincidentally, Michael Jackson's Bad and Katy's Teenage Dream are the only albums in US chart history to each score five Number 1s on the Billboard Hot 100.