Like any new artist with a pretty face and a #1 hit, Ciara was an instant ATRL favorite from the moment she hit the scene in 2004. Helping to popularize Atlanta's crunk movement, she was never as poppy as her contemporaries, but her more urban sounds satisfied an oft-ignored niche on these forums. Even as her star power began to slip in recent years, the CiCi stans remained just as rabidly devoted as ever. (Don't even think about dissing their queen, because they will go ghetto on your ass!)
Essential track: though first single "Goodies" remains the only time she's topped the Billboard Hot 100, follow-up "1, 2 Step," featuring Missy Elliot, marked the peak of her crossover success, hitting #1 on the pop and dance charts
Like Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha only entered our collective conscience about a year ago. But with five top 10 singles (and another as a featured artist), she's been just about everywhere since then, refusing to relinquish the spotlight. "Ke$ha undoubtedly left her mark on 2010," says TheGeoKing. Known for her party-girl persona, fabulously trashy dance tracks (and accompanying "garbage chic" fashions), and a perhaps unhealthy obsession with glitter, Ke$ha is already a pop music sensation and ATRL favorite to rival the best of them. "Her impact is unquestionable and should be recognized," adds TheGeoKing.
Essential track: debut "Tik Tok" began the year with nine weeks at #1 and finished it as the biggest hit of 2010
refusing to relinquish the spotlight. "Ke$ha undoubtedly left her mark on 2010," says TheGeoKing. Known for her party-girl persona, fabulously trashy dance tracks (and accompanying "garbage chic" fashions), and a perhaps unhealthy obsession with glitter, Ke$ha is already a pop music sensation and ATRL favorite to rival the best of them. "Her impact is unquestionable and should be recognized," adds TheGeoKing.
With her eight-octave range and piercing high notes, Mariah Carey has become the voice of a generation since entering the industry 20 years ago. "Undeniably, she is the BEST SINGER of ALL TIME," says simon2011. (Whitney Houston and Celine Dion might not agree, but they're not here to argue, so...) The last decade has been a roller coaster of downs and ups and more downs for the singer, but even much of her failure and bizarre behavior has been iconic. "Glitter"? That epic meltdown on "TRL"? Her shotgun marriage to Nick Cannon? It takes a legend to flop with such style.
Essential track: This is a woman who owns a record number of #1 singles. However, ATRL probably knows her best for 2005's "We Belong Together," which broke some records in its own right, launched a major comeback for Mimi and brought her a new generation of "little lambs."
