The music publication Billboard has selected the best artists of the 21st century. The ranking of stars was created based on data from the "Billboard 200" and "Billboard Hot 100" charts over the 24 years since the early 2000s.
According to Billboard, after analyzing this data, the best female artist of this century is American singer Taylor Swift. Her tracks first appeared in the music charts in 2006. However, this did not stop her from topping the charts 14 times with her albums and reaching the number one spot in the "Billboard Hot 100" with her songs another 12 times.
Moreover, Swift is a record-holder. This was the headline in global tabloids when the artist once again broke new records. Specifically, she became the first celebrity to occupy all 10 positions on the chart with songs from her album "Midnights" in 2022.
In May 2024, she repeated this success with her album "The Tortured Poets Department." Another record for Taylor was when she spent 86 weeks at the top of the "Billboard 200" chart, a feat that had not been achieved by any musician worldwide before her.
In second place in the ranking of the best artists of the 21st century is rapper Drake. He made his entrance into the music charts in 2009. Since then, 78 of his songs have made it to the top ten of the "Hot 100," and a total of 338 songs have entered the chart. From 2018 to 2023, Drake held the record for the longest continuous presence in the "Hot 100," totaling 431 weeks.
In third place is singer Rihanna. She first entered the music charts in 2005. At that time, the young 17-year-old performer quickly gained global fame, and her tracks became hits. Consequently, her two albums were number one in the "Billboard 200," and 14 singles topped the "Hot 100." Notably, she was also recognized as the youngest star in the chart's history to have 10 songs reach the number one spot.
Top 10 Best Artists of the 21st Century According to Billboard:
- Taylor Swift
- Drake
- Rihanna
- Post Malone
- Eminem
- The Weeknd
- Beyoncé
- Justin Bieber
- Bruno Mars
- Usher
As a reminder, Taylor Swift previously topped the list of the richest women musicians. It was calculated how much she earns in a year.