Top 5 Top Musicians This Decade

Every music era has had its favourites. From the gravelly tones of Bob Dylan to toe-tapping hits from Michael Jackson as the king of pop. In the past decade of music, however, these are the musicians who have had the most impact on the generations around us today.

1. Beyoncé

Arguably the most prominent artist to rise to acclaim in the 21^st century, Beyoncé is an inspiration to generations of women. Her honest approach to music, laser focus on detail and the ability to channel everything into a sleek commercial package is incredible. She isn’t known as Queen Bey for nothing and has become a very notable yardstick which other female artists measure themselves against. From music to fashion and her visual album Lemonade, she’s certainly made her mark.

2. Arcade Fire

While indie music has been around for ages, the notable founders of the indie-rock movement can be mostly attributed to the Canadian group Arcade Fire. Their incredible ability to channel music which encompasses a range of emotions is a rollercoaster of fun to listen to, and while they started off as industry outsiders, they were quickly welcomed into the mainstream music industry without any hesitations. Music greats such as Chris Martin, David Bowie and U2 have sung their praises, and they are still relevant in music today.

3. Taylor Swift

Arguably America’s sweetheart, Taylor Swift is the perfect example of an artist who puts their heart on their sleeve. This is showcased in her clever song lyrics and catchy rifts and, coupled with the fact she is compassionate and generous to boot, she’s definitely beloved for a reason. Her wholesome attitude and lack of notable vices has made her a role model for a generation of youth and her continued efforts to fight for equality in the music industry are admirable.

4. BTS

Having taken the world by storm just like watching the grandslam, this Korean boy band is mainly classified as pop, but has some incredible songs which branch out into genres such as hiphop and R&B. While many of their songs focus on the classic relationship hardships, BTS have broken boundaries by singing about less-well covered subjects such as mental health and bullying. There fan base is huge and spans the globe, with over 30 million loyal ‘army’ members on most social platforms. They are the first group to have ever addressed the United Nations, and broke records when their release of Dynamite racked up 101 million views within the first 24 hours of its release.

5. The Weeknd

Canadian artist Abel Makkonen Tesfaye rose to prominence thanks to his YouTube channel where he released his music under the username The Weeknd. His greatest inspiration comes from Michael Jackson, though current hits are influenced from R&B legends such as Missy Elliot and Timberland. He has received more international recognition over the past few years and has grown an incredibly loyal fan base, many of whom know him from his early 2010 releases when he gave away free mixtapes to fans. He has since worked with many popular artists, such as Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grand and Beyoncé.