Top 25 Artists of the Decade for 2010 to 2019

Welcome to the Sound of Music blog series! Ranked using a scoring system based on overall chart performance, this series highlights the statistical top artists and songs throughout popular music. 

This instalment focuses on the top ranking artists from the 2010s decade. This decade was a time of great innovation and experimentation in the music industry, with artists pushing the boundaries of what was possible and introducing new sounds and styles to the world. From pop to hip hop to electronic dance music (EDM), the 2010s had something for everyone. In this blog, we’ll rank and take a look at some of the biggest hits and trends of the decade, as well as the artists and groups who defined the sound of the 2010s. So let’s dive in and explore the music of this exciting and transformative decade!

Without further ado, here are the top 25 artists of the decade with their landed scores based on total song performance. Click in each artist’s name to see the full breakdown and listen to their top songs of the decade. Do any of the artists or ranking surprise you?

1. Bruno Mars – 1565 Points
2. Rihanna – 1495 Points
3. Drake – 1429 Points
4. Justin Bieber – 1254 Points
5. Katy Perry – 1074 Points
6. Maroon 5 – 986 Points
7. Post Malone – 927 Points
8. Taylor Swift – 866 Points
9. Cardi B – 695 Points
10. Nicki Minaj – 680 Points
11. Ed Sheeran – 679 Points
12. Ariana Grande – 655 Points
13. The Weeknd – 601 Points
14. Adele – 558 Points
15. Halsey – 489 Points
16. The Chainsmokers – 478 Points
17. Kesha – 473 Points
18. Camila Cabello – 449 Points
19. Pharrell Williams – 436 Points
20. Pitbull – 398 Points
21. Eminem – 380 Points
22. Wiz Khalifa – 380 Points
23. Lady Gaga – 364 Points
24. Justin Timberlake – 358 Points
25. Flo Rida – 347 Points

Throughout each breakdown, we have a few rankings that we want to quickly explain:

• Score Position: based on our scoring system, this is where an artist ranks amongst the field.
• Longevity Score: simply, the higher the score, the more consistent an artist was throughout the decade. 1 hit song in a year = 1 longevity point.
• Potency Ranking: this ranking shows the magnitude of the artists’ songs. The higher the score, the more potent each released song was.
• Lead vs. Featuring Rate: shows the percent of charted songs as lead artist (vs. featured).
• Best Year: shows the best year in terms of number of charted songs per artist.