We explore 10 music mavens who, much like Taylor Swift, have taken the world by storm through a beautiful oeuvre of songs deserving of their own spotlight.
Taylor Swift is the paragon of success, as a woman in the music industry who’s not only a billionaire doing what she loves, but also someone who continues to astound fans both new and old with exceptional songwriting and performances. While news outlets and social media have rightfully celebrated her accomplishments, we thought it would be apt to continue highlighting other music mavens who’ve also become some of today’s most popular figures in the industry.
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Here are 10 particular artists who’ve enthralled listeners and filled entire stadiums with raucous joy through their craft:
Hozier
At a little more than 6-feet tall, 34-year-old Andrew Hozier Byrne (best known by his stage name Hozier) seems like an almost ethereal figure. He’s a modern-day bard, weaving lyrics so poetic, they ought to win literary awards. He rose to fame with his hit song “Take Me to Church” in 2013, though his dedicated fanbase knows that he hasn’t released a single bad album to date.
With lyrics like “Cause my baby’s sweet as can be, she gives me toothaches just from kissing me” or “I’d be the voice that urged Orpheus/when her body was found/I’d be the choiceless hope in grief/that drove him underground,” one can see why so many applaud his songwriting.
Hozier often uses religious imagery and mythical figures to describe aspects of life like love, death, and hope. Recently, he’s taken over music charts with the release of his album Unreal Unearth, which takes inspiration from Dante Alighieri’s epic poem Inferno. He later released a set of songs that he didn’t include in the album, like the song “Too Sweet,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the same way “Take Me to Church” did. As of now, Hozier is the 14th top artist on the Billboard Artist 100.
Bruno Mars
No list of music mavens is complete without the ever-funky Bruno Mars, whose natural confidence and soaring vocals have earned him a top spot in music charts for years. He’s come very far from the man who made it big with the sweet “Just the Way You Are,” proving himself to be a formidable, multi-hyphenated artist with more than a few hits up his sleeve.
From fiery choreography to songs that will encourage almost anyone to get up and dance, Bruno Mars has it all. His long list of awards prove it too, with a whopping 15 Grammy wins and 31 nominations across his career. Among the pieces that earned him these awards was his album 24K Magic, which yielded hits like its titular song, “That’s What I Like,” “Chunky,” “Finesse,” and “Versace on the Floor.” It was nearly impossible to enter any party or establishment in 2016 without hearing these beats playing on speakers.
More recently, the singer-songwriter once again showed the world what he was made of through a retro, R&B collaboration with the duo Silk Sonic. Together, they came up with hits inspired by 1970s and 1980s tunes like “Leave the Door Open” and “Skate,” the former of which won Mars Grammys for Record of the Year and Best R&B Performance. At present, Bruno Mars is the 51st top artist in the Billboard Artist 100.
Harry Styles
English singer-songwriter Harry Styles has transcended his status as a former member of boyband sensation One Direction, having moved onto a successful solo career that’s a testament to his talents as an artist. He already wowed audiences and his large fanbase with his eponymous debut album in 2017, which contained the hit Sign of the Times. Yet he was far from finished, with one album after the other churning out multiple hits.
His album Fine Line gave a plethora of groovy melodies like “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You.” Joni Mitchell herself gave it the thumbs up, which is as good a review as any. His most recent album Harry’s House also had a firm grip the world, with songs like “As It Was” and “Late Night Talking” on constant repeat and music charts for weeks.
Though his solo career started fairly recently, Styles has already won three Grammy awards and nine nominations. Harry’s House took home Album Of The Year, while “Watermelon Sugar” earned him the Best Pop Solo Performance Award. Currently, he ranks 77th on the Billboard Artist 100 chart.
Sabrina Carpenter
At 24 years old, Sabrina Carpenter has become a pop princes over the past few years, especially with the release of her hit album Emails I Can’t Send. One can expect no less given how Taylor Swift chose her to open her Eras Tour across the globe. Carpenter has a stage presence unlike any other, with a peppiness and self-confidence that feels contagious when one hears her songs or sees her perform live. Almost always wearing high-heels or go-go boots with plenty of sparkles, the singer translates the glamor of a Barbie doll to real life.
She’s also great with rhymes and metaphors, often changing up the outro to her catchy song “Nonsense” during tours. Her latest song “Espresso” will leave many dancing and singing long after it’s finished playing (no one can say “I’m working late ‘cause I’m a singer” quite like her), and took the top spot in multiple music charts, including the U.K. with 8.8 million streams. At present, Carpenter takes 10th place at the Billboard Artist 100.
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo is another young musical talent who already has more than a few feathers on her cap. At just 18, the singer-songwriter released her heart-wrenching song “driver’s license” which became a viral hit, before releasing her debut album SOUR. The rest is history, as Rodrigo’s impeccable collection of pieces on heartbreak, teenage anguish, and growing up, skyrocketed in music charts across the globe.
Rodrigo has a knack for tapping into nostalgia and people’s inner teen, as even older listeners have deeply resonated with her songs, which bring them back to a different time. Though many of her tunes fall under the pop category, they also contain many aspects of rock, a genre she also loves. Her talents continued to impress when she released her second album GUTS—which showcased how far she’s come while still using elements that make her music so recognizable and well-loved.
At 21 years old, Rodrigo has already won three Grammy awards, namely Best Pop Solo Performance for “drivers license,” Best New Artist, and Best Pop Vocal Album for SOUR. Her second album also earned her several nominations in the prestigious music award show. At present, she stands as the Billboard Artist 100’s 25th top artist in the world.
SZA
SZA’s velvety voice has made her the queen of modern-day R&B. Her work is a staple in many listeners’ playlists, whether they’re funky collaborations with artists like Doja Cat (“Kiss Me More”) and Calvin Harris (“The Weekend”), or solo pieces from her Grammy award-winning albums like SOS. SZA is a trademark all on her own, with a total of four Grammy wins and 24 nominations across her flourishing career.
Besides having multiple songs shoot to the top of music charts—including the smooth revenge song “Kill Bill,” the sensual “Snooze,” and the bloody “Shirt” —SZA also comes out with creative, cinematic music videos that add an extra layer of depth to her lyrics.
Today, the singer takes the impressive third top artist spot in the Billboard Artist 100, a high position she’s held for years. In 2022, Billboard named her the “No. 1 R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of 2023.” Given how the genre has long been dominated by male acts, her success as a female artist makes the win all the more significant.
Dua Lipa
Like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa launched her music career at a young age (19 to be exact), releasing her debut track “New Love” in 2015. At the time, she was already gathering a strong following for her lively pop tunes, and her success would eventually reach unprecedented heights with the release of her eponymous debut album in 2017 (with the songs “IDGAF” and “Be the One” being particular favorites).
Then in 2020, her fame would continue to rise with her second album Future Nostalgia and its slew of 80’s disco-inspired hits that were pretty much un-skippable. Its songs like the titular “Future Nostalgia,” “Levitating,” and “Don’t Start Now” would find their way to every social media platform, radio station, and streaming service one can think of, blasting through the music charts one after the other.
With 10 Grammy nominations and three wins—including Best Pop Vocal Album for Future Nostalgia—the singer-songwriter has cemented her place in the pop canon. Today, she’s the 19th top artist in the Billboard Artist 100, and with her upcoming third studio album Radical Optimism, that spot won’t be changing anytime soon.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé is a name that requires no further introduction. She’s one of the most successful artists of the 21st century, and one of the wealthiest too. With decades of experience in the industry, the artist has redefined her music and talent time and time again, venturing into new genres and styles as easily as breathing.
Take her newest album Cowboy Carter, which proved to the world that Queen Bey can do country just as well as she can do pop and R&B. More importantly, it’s changed the way people perceive the history and culture of country music, as Beyoncé reclaims it as a Black woman (something that writer Karen Attiah explores in-depth through a Washington Post piece on the album).
From sold-out shows in almost every country she visits (so much so that she actually raised Stockholm’s inflation rate) to her immensely successful Renaissance concert film, there’s really nothing the performer can’t do. Let’s not forget her long list of accolades, which won’t fit a single feature, but includes 32 Grammy wins and 88 nominations. At present, she stands as 11th top artist in the Billboard Artist 100.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande has made her way to the pantheon of legendary pop and R&B artists, as the singer is pretty much a household name in this day and age. Her jaw-dropping vocal range, control, and dulcet tones are amazing enough, but she manages to pair them with hip-swaying songs that have taken over the music charts more times than one can count. Even early in her career as a teen star, Grande was already catching everyone’s attention with the power of her voice. By the time she launched her debut album Yours Truly in 2013, she was practically an international superstar. The album reached platinum status almost immediately, and it was only uphill from there.
Since then, Grande has continued to mature as an artist, with every album offering something different and sometimes even better than the last. Her album Sweetener won Best Pop Vocal album in the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, while her hit song collaboration with Lady Gaga “Rain On Me” won her a second Grammy two years later.
Her newest album Eternal Sunshine is sure to get more than a few nominations in the next Grammy awards, as it finds itself in the upper echelons of the Billboard 200 Albums with hits like “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” “The Boy Is Mine,” “Bye,” and “Yes, And?” She’s currently the 18th top artist in the Billboard Artist 100.
Laufey
When one thinks of jazz, famous crooners from the 1940s to 1960s like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole often come to mind. Yet younger artists carry on the genre’s legacy, contributing to its evolution and popularity even today. Take Laufey, an Icelandic-Chinese singer who captivated millions of viewers on YouTube through raw acoustic performances of her original songs and covers. Her voice takes people back to a different time: deep and buttery, both entirely her own yet something that carries the spirit of jazz songstresses like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.
Like any artist who’s passionate about the storied and ever-evolving genres of classical music and jazz, Laufey injects personal lyrics of her experiences of love and heartbreak, re-contextualizing these styles in a way that feels incredibly accessible and relatable to modern audiences. To put it simply, she’s bringing more attention to jazzy tunes, showing the world that the genre is always rife with possibilities through popular songs like “Fragile,” “Falling Behind,” “Bewitched,” and “Everything I Know About Love.”
Once a hidden gem on streaming platforms, Laufey has become an international sensation with sold-out shows everywhere—including the Philippines. She often performs with a live orchestra, which has cultivated a newfound appreciation for classical music. Laufey is now the 20th top artist in Billboard Artist 100, and her album Bewitched recently won her a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
Banner photo via Instagram @sabrinacarpenter.
