Best 10 Artists of 2009

The year 2009 will very soon be history. But what a beautiful history, I say! It was 2009 when we saw superstars rise to the top of their game, welcomed some great new artists and said goodbye to a beloved legend. And we’ll never forget that. So, let’s see who were the best artists of 2009 and whose star shined more sparkling on the sky of music.

1. Lady Gaga
It’s not exactly a surprise, isn’t it? We all know that over the past 12 months, Gaga was everywhere. Her hits topped the charts with an amazing speed. Her tours wowed audiences and her albums were in constant running on iPods everywhere. In fact, she inspired other artists to write and record, to take their songs and tours to the next level. She pushed them to work harder, because they had to in order to stay on the market.

2. Beyoncé
Billboard’s 2009 Woman of the Year, Beyoncé, made one of the best videos of all-time, the critics say, even if “Out of all my videos, (”Single Ladies”) was the least expensive and took the least amount of time, and it ended up being the most iconic,” as the singer herself explained. And not only did the clip inspire thousands of YouTube imitations, but it also helped push her “I Am… Sasha Fierce” album to last over a year on the Billboard 200 chart.

3. Black Eyed Peas
The group not only set a record for the longest successive No. 1 chart run by a duo or group in the Billboard Hot 100’s history (”I Gotta Feeling” hit its fifth consecutive week at No. 1, following 12 weeks at the top by the Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow”), but it also ranked 7th in Hot 100 Artists of the Decade. Their two singles also topped the chart for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks in 2009.

4. Jay-Z
He’s the hottest rapper in pop music. One may say that like fine wine, he’s gotten better with age, knowledge and success. Jay-Z’s 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 was released in September, immediately reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and has surpassed Elvis Presley’s previous record, making him the current record holder. Jay-Z has also ventured into producing Broadway shows, along with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, producing the play “Fela!”

5. Taylor Swift
She sold more albums than any artist did. Her first headlining tour, Fearless 2009, sold out every show within minutes. She became the youngest woman to win the Country Music Assn.’s entertainer of the year award, and she set seemingly every chart record that exists. And she handled her hosting duties with grace on “Saturday Night Live” and forgave Kanye West’s outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards.

6. Adam Lambert
He’s the winner of the eight season of “America Idol”. He released his debut album, For Your Entertainment, on November 23 and a couple of weeks later, the album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 198,000 copies in the United States alone. He recorded the soundtrack “Time for Miracles” for the action movie “2012″ and he has won the Young Hollywood Award for Artist of the Year and the Teen Choice Award for Reality/Variety Star.

7. Katy Perry
The California Girl Katy Perry embraced her success with open arms while she went straight to the top 10 with three amazing singles, “I Kissed a Girl” hitting No. 1. “I Kissed a Girl” brought her a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Then, Perry reveived five nods at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but she won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. Later on, “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot N Cold” were certified three-time platinum by for individual digital sales of over three million.

8. Miley Cyrus
The 17-year-old superstar, spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on Adult Contemporary with “The Climb.” Moreover, the soundtrack to her “Hannah Montana” movie climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in spring.

9. Rihanna
Between the release of her fourth studio album, “Rated R”, and highly publicized assault by her ex, Chris Brown, Rihanna has had a tumultuous year. She collaborated with Jay-Z and Kanye West on “Run This Town” and the song hinted number two on Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten in several countries.

10. Lil Wayne
The rapper has been in the Hot 100 for 21 times in 2009, more than any other solo act. His “Prom Queen” reached at no 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, while his second single “Hot Revolver”, peaked at no 33. More importantly, MTV listed Lil Wayne number two on their 2009 list of the Hottest MCs In The Game.

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