Music will always make our lives better. Although many members of the X generation claim that the 80s of the last century were the years in which the best music was made – younger generations would disagree. Namely, if we ask young people, they will tell us that the 21st century has brought much better sound and visual enjoyment. And have you thought about who among the 21st century’s popular performers is the most outstanding music artist? Let’s try to find out.
The 21st Century Brought Us a True Music Boom
With the arrival of the 21st century, so many things have changed – including music. The complete changing process is happening primarily due to the sudden Internet development. The blossoming of the Internet and social media also provided music artists with a new way of presenting what they do. Streaming services and new formats in which we listen to music – have thrown out the previous sound carriers that are now history. Nowadays, streaming services as a way of distributing songs dictate the creation of new, instant music. Modern music no longer recognizes genres – and is made exclusively for our audio comfort, that is, to please us. We can have a long discussion about how good or bad this is. Still, we cannot deny that this ‘new’ music is popular. The members of the X generation remained big musical nostalgics – while the newer generations, such as the Millennials, are amazed by the music available today.
How Did the Musicians Accept the Coming Changes?
Some of today’s popular musicians are so young – that everything is just a ‘natural’ state for them. On the other hand, some who were active during the 20th century are still working and swimming in new musical waters – fighting honorably for their place under the sun. We can say that in this musical transformation, musical artists didn’t have much choice but to adapt to the upcoming trends. They are following the rule “If you can’t beat them, join them.” That’s why many musicians today are more oriented towards the visual atmosphere that they will present with the music – which, due to the development of the Internet, is experiencing real hyper-production. In all that musical tumult, some new talents emerged. Many of them made powerful musical careers in a short time and created hits that the entire planet sings. But who is the best among them all and how can we determine that fact?
Who Could Be The Greatest Music Artist of the Century?
It is hard to provide a correct answer to this question. First, in 2024 we haven’t even crossed a quarter of the 21st century – so it’s ungrateful for anyone to make such a strong statement. On the other hand, the number of tickets sold at concerts cannot always be relevant data for this kind of evaluation. Also, the sale of sound carriers is in complete decline. Popularity today is determined by the number of views and downloads on streaming services. In the beginning, there were a few of these services, like Spotify or Deezer – while today, we have many. Some of them, like Tubidy, have a growing number of users – not daily, but from minute to minute. Therefore, if we want to know who is the best music artist of the 21st century, we would have to rely on data about the most streams in this period. Although we cannot single out just one musician – we can say who are the ones who achieve constant ascension on streaming services.
Justin Bieber
Since his appearance, the boyish-looking young Canadian has made a boom on the music scene. Although a multi-talented guy who is also into acting – Bieber became popular primarily thanks to hits such as Boyfriend. This song is one of the older songs that made Bieber a star – and today, it is considered to be a stamp of Justin’s career. He is also known for hits like What Do You Mean – but also for duets with other artists such as Jaden Smith, Major Lazer, and Selena Gomez. His career skyrocketed, especially during his relationship with Selena Gomez which was followed by a stormy breakup – and Bieber’s new bad boy image. Still, this bad boy settled down with Hailey Baldwin and is still considered one of the most popular music artists on the planet.
Ed Sheeran
Although he was involved in music and studied music before – Ed Sheeran did not manage to enter the music star orbit until 2010 when he went to the US. This guy can confirm that the USA is a promised land for some people. Over there, a meeting with superstar Jamie Foxx, on whose radio show he performed – lifted him into star orbit. Since then, this guy’s career has been on a dizzying rise. By the end of the same year, he was considered the best-unsigned artist, and his appearance on Foxx’s show brought him popularity in America. In 2017, with the single Shape Of You, he entered the top elite of musical artists of the new millennium.
Taylor Swift
This lady comes from the country music genre. However, she wanted to do something different. Her transfer into more modern music helped her make an incredible success. Becoming a mainstream Swift broke all barriers – but also prejudice that one country singer cannot reach mega-planetary success. After hits like You Belong With Me, Look What You Made Me Do – we heard I Knew You Were Trouble. That song has launched this young singer into the sky. Still, she also touched ‘the sky’ speaking of her love life. Roomers were that she was in a relationship with Ryan Gosling. However, since 2015 Taylor is married to Joseph Matthew Alwyn – who also happens to be an actor.
In The End…
Of course, in addition to the mentioned artists, we cannot go without mentioning the stars like Riyana, Beyonce, Selena Gomez – and, in recent years, mega-popular Arianna Grande. Of course, we will always skip someone because there are so many popular performers. Therefore, you can always see the relevant data on stream services. Still, the most important thing is that we enjoy today’s music just as much as we did before.
