Categories
First Daily Poll
Do you like Spider Man movies?
Please login or register to vote
Second Daily Poll
Is Katherine Heigl sexier than Chalize Theron?
Please login or register to vote
|
Guest Daily Article Submission
Who are the Best Singers of Today? by Paricia Martin
(A look at who is popular, who is hot and who has the vocal chops to stand the test of time in this ever-changing industry.)
Who are the best and hottest female singers out there today? Although it sounds like a simple question, when it comes to actually answering it, there are many layers. First, popular music is just that; the music that most of the consumer population enjoys. But what is popular doesn’t always mean what is best. Secondly, there are a lot of hot singers whose voices are not as hot as their looks. But nonetheless, they have many fans that couldn’t care less that they aren’t the best singers in the world. And then there are other singers with stellar voices and yet not as much popularity.
So we’ll break it down into categories. Who is the hottest? Who is the most popular today? And lastly, which female singers have the best voices today?
Based upon to her huge fan base, the hottest singer in popular music today is Rihanna. Rihanna is a Barbados born R&B turned pop singer whose first album was released in 2005. "Music of the Sun" was island inspired and she became very popular among R&B music listeners and even got a lot of airplay on pop radio. In 2007, upon the release of her third album, "Good Girl Gone Bad", she revamped her image with a high fashion haircut and rock princess styling and changed the sound of her music as well. With this transformation, Rihanna took the pop music charts by storm, with #1singles like, "Umbrella", "Disturbia" and "Don't Stop the Music". As if her musical success wasn't enough, with 9 Grammy nominations and one win, Rihanna has been on countless hottest and best dressed lists, including Maxim, Glamour, and People magazines'. Thanks to her hot look, catchy songs, and mesmerizing voice, this 21-year-old young woman has become a superstar in a matter of four years, a very difficult task for young singers these days.
Second, two other hot and popular female singers of today must be noted. Katy Perry and Fergie are two breakout stars who, although many didn't see them coming, have made a big impression on pop music today. Katy Perry came out of nowhere with her smash hit, "I Kissed a Girl". Although controversial for a first single, the song climbed up to #1 on the charts in a matter of weeks. She had three other successful singles in 2008 and 2009. Katy Perry's look can be described as vintage and colorful and there is no mistaking that, partly thanks to her sexy first single, she is considered one of the hottest singers on the radio today.
Fergie, the female vocalist in the Black Eyed Peas since 2003, embarked on a solo career in 2006 before reuniting with the group in 2009. Her solo album, "The Dutchess", spawned five hit singles, three of which reached #1 on the charts. The Black Eyed Peas are one of the most popular groups of today and besides their musical talent, much of their success can be attributed to their hot female band member, Fergie, and her powerful singing voice.
Lastly, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, and Mary J. Blige have the best voices in the industry today. They all have won countless awards and sold millions of records. However, these singers are not always on the tip of pop music buyers’ tongues, mostly tweenagers, when asked who are the best female singers of today. These fans would instead gush about some of the singers discussed above or other pop sensations such as Brittany Spears, whose voices are not as great. So it is clear that sometimes, despite a singer’s talent, the music industry and its fans are very fickle. So it is crucial to note those whose voices are so remarkable that a huge fan base or a sexy image are not the only things that define their talent.
Take Carrie Underwood as an example. Minus her one or two singles that made it to the pop charts around the time that she won American Idol in 2005, most pop music connoisseurs don’t listen to her music or country music at all. The simple truth is, Carrie Underwood is not on music buyers’ radars as much as, for example, Taylor Swift is, another country singer with a lackluster voice who is always on pop radio. Nevertheless, Carrie Underwood has a great voice and has countless awards, including four Grammy’s, to prove it.
Another great example is Leona Lewis, who while not so much in the spotlight these days, has an excellent singing voice. This beautiful 2006 winner of Britain's talent competition, "The X Factor" had several U.S. singles, one of which was the #1 single, "Bleeding Love". She has had three Grammy nominations from her album, "Spirit" and is known for her beautiful voice and great range.
Next is Christina Aguilera. When this blonde bombshell first catapulted onto the music scene in 1999, she was considered the next best hot young female singer around. Unlike many other singers who have received this title, like Britney Spears, Aguilera's voice is just as hot as her image. Nevertheless, most popular music fans have almost forgotten about her. This is more due to the fact that she hasn't had an album in a few years and isn't relevant at the moment, than due to the fact that she is not well-loved by the public. Her 2006 jazz-inspired album, "Back to Basics", was hugely popular and successful despite her image and musical style transformation. Aguilera has the double threat of good looks and an awesome signing voice. This is probably why she has maintained her loyal fan-base for over ten years. Aguilera plans on releasing her next album in 2010.
Two other superb singers are Jennifer Hudson and Mary J. Blige. These beautiful songstresses unfortunately have only had some crossover mainstream success. Regardless of how the mainstream views her, Mary J. Blige can almost do no wrong with the R&B audience. In fact, she is known as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. From the heart-wrenching angst of her first album, “What’s the 411?” in 1992, to her soul-searching forthcoming albums and finally on to her last two albums where it was clear she had found herself and her voice, every woman can relate to Mary J. Blige. With a career spanning more than 15 years, she has had 28 Grammy nominations and nine wins. Despite her early one-dimensional success as an R&B artist, Mary J. Blige has begun to cross-over into pop success with her last two albums as well as her product endorsements, from cell phones companies to car companies. She is truly the epitome of what staying true to yourself and vulnerable to your fans can do for not only your own success but also as an inspiration to others.
Jennifer Hudson is another powerhouse soulful singer. Even those who don’t know her as the 2004 American Idol contestant with the big voice, everyone knows her from her breakout Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning performance as Effie in the motion picture, “Dreamgirls”. Not only did she become a critically-acclaimed actress from her performance in her very first movie, she won a Grammy for her debut self-titled album in 2008. Despite personal tragedy in her life, Jennifer Hudson has excelled as a phenomenal actress and singer in a very short span of time.
Beyonce is one of the only female singers of today who not only has a great voice, people still consider her hot and she still holds popular status on both the Pop and R&B charts. She has not only the image and the voice; she has the crossover ability that many artists strive for. Men admire her beauty, many girls envy her glamorous style and her music is relevant to R&B, Hip-Hop, and Pop music listeners alike. Beyonce has been around since the days of Destiny’s Child in 1996, she has survived nasty rumors about the group’s break up, and she is now reveling in the success of her third studio solo album, “I am…Sasha Fierce”, released in 2008. This album contains five hit singles that have graced the top Pop and R&B charts. In her solo career, Beyonce has earned numerous awards, including seven Grammy’s, she has appeared in seven feature films, and has had hundreds of magazine and television appearances.
Mariah Carey is one of the few female artists who over many years has managed to stay relevant in popular music whether she had to change her style with the times or show off her immaculate voice, or oftentimes both. With the release of 12 albums in the past 19 years and over 230 awards, Mariah Carey is the marathon runner of female singers. She currently has a hit single on the radio and her forthcoming album is due to be released in September 2009. On top of her undeniable commercial success, no one can deny her unmistakable signing talent. Fans will always remember the first time they heard some of her earlier contemporary pop singles like, “Emotions”, “Dreamlover”, and “Hero”. And fans stood by her even when she began to have a more hip-hop and R&B infused sound with songs like, “Fantasy (Remix)”, “Honey”, and “We Belong Together”. Whatever the genre, whether ballad or dance hit, and whatever the decade, Mariah Carey will always be one of the best female vocalists of all time.
This article would not be complete without talking about the greatest singer of all time, Whitney Houston. She has been considered by many the best singer for over 35 years and her popularity has spanned many genres. She began as a model, making her appearance in Seventeen Magazine as a teen. She then blossomed into a beautiful, spunky young singer, bopping to her first number one single, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". She released her first album in 1985, has released 5 more albums throughout the years and had 11 #1 singles. She is best known for her great vocals on songs like, “Saving All My Love for You”, “I’m Every Woman”, and “The Greatest Love of All”. The blockbuster movie The Bodyguard put her on the map as a superstar actress and powerhouse singer with such songs as “I Will Always Love You”. The movie received mega success, a lot due to her mainstream appeal. Although, Houston has suffered many personal trials while in the spotlight, she will always be known as the best singer of all time. In fact, her upcoming album in September 2009, is speculated to be just as if not more successful than her previous albums. With her music, her other movies and her life in general, she has been a true inspiration to other singers who have come after her as well as to her fans throughout the world.
As a final note, I must mention Alicia Keys, who has had a similar triple threat success that Beyonce has, but not for as many years. Though very talented, she doesn’t have as strong a voice or as wide a range as Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston has. Also, while Keyshia Cole and newcomer Jazmine Sullivan are both phenomenal singers, neither really have had crossover pop success. As we have seen, it is very difficult to hold all three titles of best, hottest and most popular female singer of today.
Remember, that whoever is popular today, may fall into obscurity tomorrow. That is why people like Rihanna, who have found the key to mega success and possibly true staying power, although not the greatest voice, must be given credit where credit is due. And those whose voices cannot be denied as some of the best despite their shortcomings as the ideal pop icon must be noted. Lastly, those whose voices stand the test of time, like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, must also be remembered in the discussion of who is the best female singer of today.
CommentsNo Comments!
Past Featured Ranking Questions Of The Week
Who are the Best Singers of Today? by Paricia Martin
The Top 10 Cartoon Characters of All Time by Mike Marinari
The Top 10 Greatest TV Characters of All Time by Mark D. Hauser
The Top 10 Movie Sequels of All Time by Mark D. Hauser
The Top 10 Most Overrated Movies of All Time by Mark D. Hauser
|
|
