September 10, 201410 yr I find it difficult to separate Beyoncé, Rihanna and Katy Perry and I would think of them as being roughly on the same level at present. Beyoncé is widely recognised as the most talented of the three, has the most obvious star-power, is the most 'iconic' (in the true sense of the word :P) but, crucially, lacks recent smash hits. As a public figure, Rihanna is probably the most culturally relevant. She has the most impressive discography in terms of memorable hits but her overall output lacks artistry and her brand is the weakest/most muddled. Katy's name has become synonymous with pop music. She is the most relatable as a personality and probably has the widest appeal demographically but her brand is the most obviously contrived and her success seems the most fragile/fleeting. (IMO :teresa:) Edited September 10, 201410 yr by Noahspike
September 10, 201410 yr 00: Madonna, Cher 01: Rihanna, Beyoncé 02: Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga 03: Nicki Minaj, Kylie Minogue, P!nk, Miley Cyrus 04: Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea 05: Ke$ha, Rita Ora, Cheryl Cole Kylie's entirely dependent on the country really. Here and in Australia I'd put her with Marge and Cher.
September 10, 201410 yr I definitely think Madonna is probably the overarching #1, with how hugely iconic she was in the 80s and 90s with so many hits and so much influence. That'll carry her through even though she's flopped (comparatively) as of late. The biggest ones as of today, in the current climate, would be Beyoncé, Katy and Rihanna I agree. Lady Gaga has probably slipped just below that I think, if we did this even a three ish years ago she'd be on the same level.
September 10, 201410 yr I'd actually say Rihanna's brand is equally focused as Katy and Beyoncé's since Loud! Edgy, saucy bad girl. Beyoncé's is probably less defined than Rihanna's. Katy obviously nails fun children's birthday party artist totally.
September 10, 201410 yr Madonna is without a doubt at the very top if it were an all-time list, but I think nowadays she's very much a fanbase act (as is Kylie) and I wouldn't rank her up there with Katy, RiRi and Bey, mainly because she's not gonna get radio support, she's not seen as "cool", she's just not particularly relevant with many young people right now. She's still a good album seller (going by MDNA) and is without a doubt above Ariana, Demi, Selena, etc. but isn't quite at the top these days.
September 10, 201410 yr I'd actually say Rihanna's brand is equally focused as Katy and Beyoncé's since Loud! Edgy, saucy bad girl. Beyoncé's is probably less defined than Rihanna's. Katy obviously nails fun children's birthday party artist totally. It's extremely difficult to formulate a response when dealing with the hypnotic effects of your current signature :mellow:. I see there often being quite a disconnect between Rihanna and her music. Her albums are generally known to be 3 smash hits + random filler affairs which I think weakens her brand as an artist as it all seems unfocused and incoherent. But you definitely have a point.
September 10, 201410 yr Author I agree with Joseph as maybe I was a little harsh putting Madonna where I did, but I definitely think she belongs with the likes of Britney who while would've been an easy #1 at their peak of success, now they are more fanbase reliant artists and are therefore not at the same level of Rihanna and Katy who have that support from casual music fans.
September 10, 201410 yr Madonna is without a doubt at the very top if it were an all-time list, but I think nowadays she's very much a fanbase act (as is Kylie) and I wouldn't rank her up there with Katy, RiRi and Bey, mainly because she's not gonna get radio support, she's not seen as "cool", she's just not particularly relevant with many young people right now. She's still a good album seller (going by MDNA) and is without a doubt above Ariana, Demi, Selena, etc. but isn't quite at the top these days. I think that's completely spot on for Madonna. (not considering touring of course where she's probably on top out of all of these but i'll cool for now :ph34r:)
September 10, 201410 yr I see there often being quite a disconnect between Rihanna and her music. Her albums are generally known to be 3 smash hits + random filler affairs which I think weakens her brand as an artist as it all seems unfocused and incoherent. But you definitely have a point. Recently perhaps as she was clearly just putting albums and hits out to keep her name out there as the biggest established popstar who has constantly has new stuff and has everyone hearing something by her. Unapologetic certainly, but I think that was just because she was running out of steam. Which is why I think she's stepped back a bit perhaps in order to return to the days of Rated R and Loud where everything on the album was a big quality pop song. She's remained active on social media so she hasn't 'gone away', she's just biding her time now. Of course when her new stuff does come out it'll remain to be seen whether she has been spending the past few years to recuperate but she's definitely capable of creating solid and coherent albums, which is partly what started her star power. I think it'll be a make or break to see whether she can still be at the top of the game.
September 11, 201410 yr 00: Madonna, Cher 01: Rihanna, Beyoncé 02: Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga 03: Nicki Minaj, Kylie Minogue, P!nk, Miley Cyrus 04: Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea 05: Ke$ha, Rita Ora, Cheryl Cole No.
September 11, 201410 yr The thing is, I'm baffled because worldwide wise, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato are nowhere near as big as they are as what the US/UK make them to be. The same applies to Selena Gomez as well.
September 11, 201410 yr omg SORRY!!!!!! u know i love her rite :( she wud be on 2 Everyone deserves a second chance~
September 11, 201410 yr Madge might not be able to sell singles (or albums) like she used to, but without a doubt when she does release her new album it will get a LOT more attention than anything by the likes of Selena/Demi/Iggy etc. Just going to take Leww's list as it seems most comprehensive and basing this entirely on standings in 2013/14: 01: Rihanna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry 02: Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, P!nk 03: Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Madonna 04: Iggy Azalea, Kylie Minogue 05: Ke$ha, Rita Ora, Cheryl Cole, Ariana Grande (Demi, Selena et. al would be here too) Basically anyone who is a LOCAL STAR or only big in a handful of countries is at the bottom for me. Rita is obvious as she is basically a local star who happened to hitch her wagon onto the right people in the US, but it won't last. Ke-dollarsign-ha is basically already a spent force (despite releasing an amazing second album) and the others have had a couple of decent hits but not substantiated it yet/at all and in general nobody gives a f*** about them. Kylie nexr, she's definitely above that lot on name power and recognition but beyond the UK and Australia and a handful of rabid gays in the America's Kiss Me Once wasn't exactly BIG and seemed to go largely unnoticed. Iggy I've put above the rest because despite being pretty new on the scene, she seems to have developed much more of a following/cultural interest than the likes of Rita/Demi etc. Madonna didn't actually DO anything musically in the last year (or two), but I think residual interest in her/the album/her being a bit of a laughing stock on instagram still means, in terms of cultural awareness, she is definitely above the rest. Even for the uneducated youth who only care about the music being thrust into their tiny minds by tiny minded radio r****d's. As I said above, I think when she releases her next album, flop or not, the coverage it will get will definitely be on par with the likes of Miley and Nicki, sales wise probably too, given those 2 can sell shitloads of single but albums not so much. Again, P!nk didn't really do much in the last year, but she is at the point now where she has cemented herself and has a remarkably loyal fanbase to back it up, she's probably the most consistent of the lot in the last few years. Taylor has finally branched out of the US, 2 years ago she would definitely have been bottom tier in this (albeit the biggest one there), but she's not quite up there with the top tier yet because she still lacks any actual cultural presence here despite being one of the biggest female stars. Gaga I'm being generous with, Artpop was a huge comedown for her, obv (despite being a much better album than Born This Way), but people took notice (at least to begin with) and people are always interested in her, what she's doing, what she's wearing etc. And so, we reach the top of the pyramid of vaginal POWAH. I don't think there's any contesting Rihanna and Beyonce as being huge, so I won't bother. With Katy it's interesting, Prism seems to show things are already on the wane for her commercially and by no means do I think she can reinvent herself/her image/her sound as those 2 have done/do, but I do think as of right now, all in (ie. radio play, downloads, sales, streaming, media coverage, everything that makes a popstar a popstar) she is up there with them. If this were an ALL TIME LIST, I mean obv Madge and Cher would be right up top, obv.
September 11, 201410 yr I thought I'd spill some fresh tea; Guiness World Records have deemed Gaga The Most Powerful Popstar in 2014 You can all have a seat now http://i.imgur.com/O5o0i5x.jpg http://i.imgur.com/56KfCbs.gif
September 11, 201410 yr I definitely think the inclusion of anyone from Disney not called Miley is stupid right now. Sure, Demi and Selena are a bit bigger now than they were, but they still got one hit, a couple of flops and shit album sales last year.
September 12, 201410 yr No Shakira?? Might not be huge in UK or US but is massive across Europe and in Spanish speaking countries and has had two World Cup songs. Avril Lavigne also flopped in Europe but is massive in Japan and other countries like that. edit - Also no Alicia Keys? Kelly Clarkson? Adele? Edited September 12, 201410 yr by shadow2009
September 12, 201410 yr I think Kelly and Alicia have peaked already to be fair. I love Kelly though :wub: ^
September 12, 201410 yr Poor Kelly. To take a page out of Adele's book, "she could have had it all". One brilliantly executed album is just not enough to qualify, when it was close to a decade ago. :(
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