The 100 Most Famous Singers of All Time

Ranked by Wikipedia link data — the closer to #1, the more famous.

Michael Jackson tops the ranking, followed by Shakira, Rabindranath Tagore, Marilyn Monroe and Corbin Bleu — voices that need no introduction in any language. The order is drawn from Wikipedia link counts, so it measures lasting global fame rather than this week's streams. Read the full list, then see how many you could name cold.

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  1. Michael Jackson
  2. ShakiraShakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer.
  3. Rabindranath Tagore
  4. Marilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the…
  5. Corbin Bleu
  6. BasshunterJonas Erik Altberg, known professionally as Basshunter, is a Swedish singer, record producer, songwriter and DJ.
  7. Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is widely regarded as one…
  8. Marlene Dietrich
  9. Lady GagaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.
  10. MadonnaMadonna Louise Ciccone is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress.
  11. John LennonJohn Winston Ono Lennon was an English musician, songwriter and activist.
  12. Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major…
  13. Justin Bieber
  14. Louis ArmstrongLouis Daniel Armstrong, nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American jazz and blues trumpeter and vocalist.
  15. Freddie MercuryFreddie Mercury was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band…
  16. Taylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. An influential figure in popular culture, she is known for her…
  17. EminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and record executive.
  18. BeyoncéBeyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman.
  19. Anna Netrebko
  20. Rafael Orozco Maestre
  21. Bob MarleyRobert Nesta Marley was a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
  22. Céline Dion
  23. Lana Del Rey
  24. RihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and actress.
  25. Scarlett JohanssonScarlett Ingrid Johansson is an American actress, singer, producer, and director.
  26. Judy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress, singer, and vaudevillian whose career spanned four decades.
  27. Brigitte BardotBrigitte Anne-Marie Bardot, often referred to by her initials B.B., was a French actress, singer, model, and animal rights activist.
  28. Hebe Camargo
  29. AnggunAnggun Cipta Sasmi (Indonesian: [ˌaŋɡʊn ˌt͡ʃip̚t̪a ˈsasmi]; is an Indonesian and French singer, songwriter, actress, and…
  30. Paul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney is an English musician and songwriter.
  31. Jim Morrison
  32. Agnez Mo
  33. Édith Piaf
  34. Audrey HepburnAudrey Kathleen Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian.
  35. Britney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American singer. Referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is widely regarded as one of the most…
  36. Maya Angelou
  37. Miley CyrusMiley Ray Cyrus is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.
  38. Ariana GrandeAriana Grande-Butera is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.
  39. Alain Delon
  40. Avril Lavigne
  41. Jennifer LopezJennifer Lynn Lopez is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and businesswoman.
  42. Swami Vivekananda
  43. David BowieDavid Robert Jones, known as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor.
  44. AdeleAdele Laurie Blue Adkins, known mononymously as Adele, is an English singer and songwriter.
  45. Whitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, film producer, and record producer.
  46. Frank SinatraFrancis Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is…
  47. Clint Eastwood
  48. Will SmithWillard Carroll Smith II is an American actor, rapper, and film producer.
  49. Katy PerryKatheryn Elizabeth Hudson, known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality.
  50. Jimi Hendrix
  51. Kate WinsletKate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong women in independent films,…
  52. Nicole KidmanNicole Mary Kidman is an Australian and American actress and producer.
  53. Charlotte Rampling
  54. Demi Lovato
  55. Leonard Cohen
  56. Sophia LorenSofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone, known professionally as Sophia Loren, is an Italian actress, active in her native…
  57. Amy Winehouse
  58. Valery Leontiev
  59. Gwyneth Paltrow
  60. Kurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American musician and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a…
  61. Steven Seagal
  62. George Harrison
  63. Mariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress.
  64. Russell Crowe
  65. Andrew GarfieldAndrew Russell Garfield is an English and American actor. Known for his work in a variety of genres, from biographical-dramas to…
  66. Amitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian actor, playback singer, and producer who primarily works in Hindi cinema.
  67. SelenaSelena Quintanilla-Pérez, known mononymously as Selena, was an American singer-songwriter, fashion designer and business owner.
  68. Keanu ReevesKeanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four…
  69. Kylie MinogueKylie Ann Minogue is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress.
  70. Bing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. was an American singer and actor.
  71. Billie EilishBillie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell is an American singer-songwriter.
  72. CherCher is an American singer and actress. Dubbed the "Goddess of Pop", she is known for her androgynous, contralto voice, bold…
  73. Bruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis is a retired American actor. Widely recognized as a Hollywood icon of the action genre, he first achieved…
  74. Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, composer and pianist.
  75. Johnny CashJohn R. Cash was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption,…
  76. Vladimir VysotskyVladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet and actor who had an immense and enduring effect on Soviet culture.
  77. John TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films.
  78. Giovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian composer of late Renaissance music.
  79. Luciano PavarottiLuciano Pavarotti was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music,…
  80. Aretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist.
  81. Lila DownsAna Lila Downs Sánchez is a Mexican singer-songwriter, actress, and anthropologist.
  82. Nicki MinajOnika Tanya Maraj-Petty, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter.
  83. EnyaEithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin better known as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer.
  84. Christopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was an English actor and singer.
  85. Dua LipaDua Lipa is an English singer and songwriter. Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.
  86. Daniel RadcliffeDaniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor best known for portraying the title character in all eight films of the Harry Potter…
  87. Robert Downey Jr.Robert John Downey Jr. is an American actor and producer. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $14.3 billion…
  88. Mae WestMary Jane "Mae" West was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades.
  89. 50 CentCurtis James Jackson III, known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, television producer, record executive,…
  90. PrinceA prince is a male ruler or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family.
  91. Frank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, songwriter, guitarist, conductor, actor, satirist, filmmaker, and activist.
  92. Tina TurnerTina Turner was a singer, songwriter, actress and author. Dubbed the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she broke both racial and gender…
  93. Kanye WestYe is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He has been listed among the greatest rappers of all time and…
  94. Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman.
  95. Carrie FisherCarrie Frances Fisher was an American actress and writer. She is best known for playing Princess Leia in the original Star Wars…
  96. Umm KulthumFatima Ibrahim es-Sayyid el-Beltagi, known by her stage name Umm Kulthum, was an Egyptian singer and film actress.
  97. BjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer and actress.
  98. Alla PugachevaAlla Borisovna Pugacheva is a Russian singer and songwriter. Her career began in 1965 and continues to this day, although she…
  99. Priyanka ChopraPriyanka Chopra Jonas is an Indian actress, film producer and singer.
  100. Eddie MurphyEdward Regan Murphy is an American comedian, actor, and singer.

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