19 Best 2010s Singers, All Popular Music Artists

In the musical landscape of the 2010s, we would see the rise of new stars, as well as the continuing growth of well-established ones. It wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that today’s music industry is the outgrowth of the foundation that was laid this past decade.

Here we explore the best 2010s singers across all genres. These singers will no doubt be a huge influence on the singers of tomorrow too.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift was the reigning queen of pop music in the 2010s, and it’s certainly looking as though that trend will continue in times to come.

In the 2010s, Swift dominated with number-one hits like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” “Bad Blood,” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”

Of course, “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Red,” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” weren’t exactly throwaways either.

The 2010s would also see Swift leave her comfortable country-pop nest and venture into dance-pop, heartland rock, and even dubstep. It was all very controversial, and downright scandalous to Swifties.

Forgive me if I found it all rather predictable (which I did). Transitioning from country pop to pop is kind of like removing a dollop of whipped cream from a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Let me know when Swift transitions from pop to jazz fusion. That’ll give me something to write about.

Playful jesting aside, Taylor dominated the 2010s.

Bruno Mars

Female singers largely conquered the 2000s and were very prevalent in the 2010s as well. That said, there were more than a few male singers that either got their start in the 2010s or would come to prominence in the decade, and that includes the now inimitable Bruno Mars.

Mars certainly paid his dues on the way to the top, signing and being dropped by multiple labels throughout the mid to late 2000s. These years proved crucial to his development, however, and he ended up earning his stripes as a producer along the way.

Finally, in 2010, Mars would release his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, along with the lead single, “Just the Way You Are.”

The rest, as they say, was magic, or in this case, “24K Magic.”

Mars has yet to release any new albums in the 2020s but remains a relevant icon. His three studio albums all came out in the 2010s.

While his music often borrows from the best of the 70s, 80s, and 90s (The Police, Montell Jordan, Paula Abdul, etc.) at least he knows the right places to borrow from.

Beyoncé

Having wrapped up her commitments with Destiny’s Child in the early 2000s, Beyoncé would embark upon a successful solo career with bangers like “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy.” By the 2010s, she was well-established as “Queen Bey.”

Though she would go on hiatus in January 2010 to find new inspiration, she would find herself back on top by 2011 with the release of 4 and the opportunity to headline the Glastonbury Festival.

Beyoncé would also have her first child in 2012, release her surprise self-titled album in 2013, appear on the cover of Time magazine in 2014, and again on the cover of Vogue in 2015, release the politically charged Lemonade in 2016, become pregnant with twins in 2017, and much more.

Her biggest hits from the decade would come to include “Drunk in Love,” “Formation,” “Sorry,” and “Hold Up,” with Lemonade being her highest-performing and decidedly most important statement of the decade.

Lady Gaga

With 2008’s massively successful Fame in the rearview mirror, anyone could see that the only thing waiting for Gaga in the 2010s was more success.

Soon her debut album’s heels was 2011’s Born This Way, which spawned four top-10 hits, including the eponymous “Born This Way,” “The Edge of Glory,” “Judas,” and “You and I.”

It would be followed up in relatively short order by 2013’s Artpop, with “Applause” reaching the top four.

Having made a name for herself with her Halloween antics, Lady Gaga would take a detour from the esoteric and bizarre with the release of 2016’s Joanne, where she embraced more of a singer-songwriter aesthetic. Its second single, “Million Reasons,” would make it into the top four in the U.S.

I don’t know if I approve of all her appearances with President Joe Biden in recent years, but I suppose that is neither here nor there for the talented and skilled, late-30s singer whose impact on the music industry is already immeasurable.

Ed Sheeran

In 2008, Ed Sheeran began playing in small venues in London. He would soon be invited on tour by the likes of Just Jack and Example. In 2010, Sheeran would release his Loose Change EP, featuring the song that would later become a hit, “The A Team.”

Sheeran’s popularity would continue to grow through YouTube and with well-publicized praise from Elton John. He would also begin to find mainstream attention thanks to his collaborative independent EP, No. 5 Collaborations Project, in 2011.

Later the same year, his debut single, “The A Team” would rocket up to number three on the UK Singles Chart. Sheeran’s career has only blossomed from there.

In the 2010s, Sheeran would release + (Plus), x (Multiply), and ÷ (Divide), and I don’t think there’s a stinker in the bunch.

Some prevalent hits include “The A Team,” “Thinking Out Loud,” “Photograph,” and “Shape of You.”

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande’s rise to fame is now largely taken for granted, and that may well be due to her ability to sing like many of her heroes – Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston, among others.

In the late 2000s, a young Grande was still primarily working in theater, though she already had ambitions of recording an R&B album. The Nickelodeon TV show Victorious would propel her to teen idol status, but more interested in music, Grande would begin work on her debut album, in earnest, in 2010.

Having fulfilled TV-related commitments, Grande would finally release her debut album, Yours Truly, in 2013. Its debut single, “The Way,” would peak at number nine on the charts.

Much could be said about the events that followed, including the release of My Everything, Dangerous Woman, Sweetener, and Thank U, Next, but it’s fair to say Grande would quickly rise to become one of the top singers of the 2010s and she continues on an upward trajectory.

Other notable hits include “Problem,” “Break Free,” “Bang Bang,” “Love Me Harder,” “Side to Side,” “Dangerous Woman,” “Into You,” “No Tears Left to Cry,” “God Is a Woman,” “Thank U, Next,” and “7 Rings,” among others.

Katy Perry

Katy “Queen of Camp” Perry’s explosive rise to fame began with her 2008 release, One of the Boys, featuring essential hits like “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold.”

The 2010s were therefore the raven-haired bombshell singer’s playground. We saw the release of “Perry essentials,” like Teenage Dream, Prism, and Witness, and in particular, Teenage Dream would amp up the camp.

These three releases collectively spawned hits like “California Gurls,” “Firework,” “Teenage Dream,” “E.T.,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” “Roar,” and “Chained to the Rhythm.”

Teenage Dream was pivotal, however, as it was the second album in history to have five number-one singles (the first was Michael Jackson’s Bad).

In recent years, Perry has birthed a child and landed herself a Las Vegas concert residency too.

The Weeknd

Canadian singer The Weeknd would spend his early years, as many artists do, trying a variety of things – primarily releasing music anonymously, posting tacks to YouTube, and releasing mixtapes – before meeting music executives Amir “Cash” Esmailian and Wassim “Sal” Slaiby and founding a record label.

The Weeknd would hold his first live performance at Toronto’s Mod Club Theatre, which helped him get connected to Canadian rapper Drake. And he just kept hitting the pavement with additional performances and releases.

That is until 2013 when he released his debut studio album, Kiss Land, which debuted at number two on the charts.

In the 2010s, The Weeknd would also go on to release the albums Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy.

You may have heard of “Starboy,” “Die for You,” “Reminder,” “Call Out My Name,” and “Pray for Me,” among others.

Lana Del Rey

In the mid-2000s, Lana Del Rey would release a couple of EPs and an acoustic album. She would go on to perform publicly for the first time and meet an A&R rep. 5 Points Records subsequently offered her a recording contract after she submitted a demo tape.

Del Rey would continue to develop while earning her college degree. Her self-titled debut album would be released in 2010, and Del Rey would get out of her record contract and engage in self-promotion. Her breakthrough success would arrive shortly after in 2011.

Del Rey remained active through the 2010s with additional releases, like Born to Die, Ultraviolence, Honeymoon, Lust for Life, and Norman Fucking Rockwell!

Check out “Summertime Sadness,” “Million Dollar Man,” “West Coast,” “Sad Girl,” “Brooklyn Baby,” “Love,” “Lust for Life,” and others, and hear this woman’s impressive vocal prowess.

Harry Styles

Harry Styles, of course, will always be remembered as one of the singers of the boy band One Direction, which had a prolific run from 2010 to 2016, with hit songs like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Best Song Ever,” “Story of My Life,” and “Live While You’re Young,” among others.

The band did eventually go on hiatus, of course, ostensibly to allow its members to pursue solo projects and to avoid burning out their fans.

That is effectively what’s happened to this point, as we’ve seen solo releases from One Direction members Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and of course, Harry Styles.

Styles began recording his first solo album in 2016. His debut single, released in March 2017, the Bowie-esque “Sign of the Times,” made it to the top of the charts in the UK and number four on Billboard.

In addition to his self-titled debut album, Harry Styles, Styles would also release Fine Line in 2019.

Some other notable songs of his include “Two Ghosts,” “Kiwi,” “Lights Up,” and “Watermelon Sugar.”