In the highly competitive music space, where male singers naturally dominate with different styles of music, many artists strive to make their faces and style known by releasing groundbreaking and highly significant hit songs. However, only a selected few have the unique prowess that truly sets them above others, giving them a high standing as the most prominent and popular figures in the music industry. They express these qualities through their ability to make songs that capture the minds of a great audience, amassing millions of likes and love from fans around the world, and becoming someone’s favorite. These few selected artists don’t merely create music; they imbed in their songs some reality that resonates deeply with listeners, leaving a connection that attaches them to their audience. Below is a list of the top 10 most popular male pop artists in 2023.
The Weeknd
Taking the number 1 spot on the list is The Weeknd, formally known as Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, as confirmed and declared by the Guinness Book of Records. This artist is the world’s most popular male artist with over 111.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, setting a record that has not been broken before on streaming platforms. Abel, who started his career anonymously in 2009, has significantly improved his style of music, maintaining his unconventional artistic approach. The Weeknd is not just a great artist who writes and performs great songs; he also brings to reality his lyrics. A big proof of this is when he undergoes plastic surgery to bring to life one of his single music videos, “Save Your Tears,” from the After Hours album, amongst other representations of his artistic work. He is a four-time Grammy Awards winner, has won the MTV Music Video Awards two times, and also has about 20 Billboard Music Awards, amongst other important accolades.
Ed Sheeran
With his unique vocal range, Edward Christopher Sheeran always delivers magical vocals in his songs and blends various genres of music to give a really soothing new sound, Ed Sheeran’s passion for music has been present from an early age, as he has been releasing songs since the age of thirteen. However, he came to the limelight in 2011 with his EP, No. 5 Collaborations Project. Since then, until he released his latest album Autum Variation, Ed has never failed to give his fans the right touch they expect from him. The English singer and pop star has won the Brit Awards, Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and more. He is not just a great artist with good music; his lifestyle and songs have also inspired the likes of Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, and some other artists to start a music career and also give it their very best.
Bad Bunny
The king of Latin trap, Bad Bunny, has his feet firmly glued to his position among the most popular male artists, especially with his latest album Nadie sabe lo que va a pasar Manan still on fire and performing well on various music charts. Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican artist with great influence in the music industry. He once held the all-time record for the biggest streaming year of any artist in Spotify history, generating over 18.5 billion streams in 2022. He is also the first non-English language artist to be Spotify’s most-streamed artist of the year and has led the list since 2020. The three-time Grammy Award winner has also won the Billboard Music Awards and numerous other awards to back up his fame and popularity in the industry at large.
Harry Styles
Grammy Awards winner, songwriter, singer, soloist, actor, and philanthropist, Harry Styles is a successful artist with lots of hit songs and awards to prove it. Harry, who was initially motivated by his mum to compete on The X Factor reality TV show, later joined the One Direction boy band. He was initially made a part of the band by the TV show host before they subsequently went ahead to make music together as a boy band. With them, he first gained fame before their indefinite hiatus. Afterwards, he decided to pursue a career as a solo artist and actor, not leaving the fashion world from his grip. The fashionista has released more than one hit song that was able to stand on the Billboard Hot 100 and other music charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, and some other countries. Harry’s latest album, Harry’s House, has also been a major success for him. Its first single, “As It Was,” became the fourth longest-running number-one in the chart’s history, among other victories.
Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has gradually gained prominence since 2013 when he began posting song covers on Vine. A year later, he got signed to a record label named Island Records. He started curating amazing songs and soon released a self-titled EP. At the age of 15, he became the youngest artist to curate his debut album among the top 25, with a debut song on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 24. His magical songs are always well-complemented by his voice. He has released various chart-topping songs from his albums, ranging from Handwritten to Wonder, his latest album. The 13-time SOCAN Awards winner has three Grammy nominations and has won the MTV Europe Music Awards 10 times. He was also named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME’s yearly list.
Charlie Puth
Charlie Puth, who released his third studio album, CHARLIE, in 2022, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. After gaining recognition through his music videos posted on YouTube, he continues fiercely with his career, not only creating his own songs but also writing songs for other artists and producing records, but has a style to his music that makes him loved and sought for to compose soothing songs, Charlie is widely known and well-deserving of his popularity among the world’s most popular pop artists as he has won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Awards nominations, among others.
Justin Bieber
Here is another Canadian force to reckon with in the world of music. Justin Drew Bieber is a globally recognized amazing artist with various hit songs displayed for it. He is widely loved for his great skill of seamlessly blending different genres of music to create blockbusting sounds, despite not realizing any album since his latest album in 2021 Justice, and focusing more on collaborative work like ” Stay”, “Don’t Go”, “Honest” etc. He remains buoyantly on the list of the most influential, popular, and successful artists in the world. With countless awards and nominations to his name, he has proven to the world what an amazing and deserving artist he is.
Bruno Mars
Having taken the world by surprise with his fame in 2010 with the release of his solo songs “Nothin’ on You” and “Billionaire,” which showcased his artistic vocals, Peter Gene Hernandez added singer to his name, transitioning from just being a record producer, he subsequently showcased his talents as a multi-talented instrumentalist and singer as it became known that he can blend various genres of music more seamlessly than his counterparts, and he also possesses the knowledge of playing various instruments. Mars, released his latest album, a collaborative project with Anderson. Paak titled An Evening with Silk Sonic, is also currently working on his fifth studio album with an indefinite release date. His unique qualities and style set him apart and on a high pedestal with his fans.
Post Malone
With his debut single “White Iverson” in 2015, which reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, Post Malone faintly engraved his name in the minds of fans and as his prominence grew, his name resonated even more deeply among the audience. Malone has garnered numerous accolades, boasting three American Music Awards, 1 MTV Video Music Award, and ten Billboard Music Awards. He has also earned the greatness of being named one of the best-selling music artists, with over 79 million records sold. his pop music style sets him on a higher pedestal with his fans. He remains a favorite to his fans and has maintained his growing popularity since his breakthrough with award-winning and resonating songs.
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith is an English songwriter and singer known for their dulcet voice. They broke into the world of fame in the music industry with their collaborative single “Latch.” Smith, who eagerly seized every opportunity, secured another feature with “La La La.” They continued to ascend, releasing their own studio album, “In the Lonely Hour,” and have been taking their fans on an emotional roller coaster ever since, up to their latest album, “Unholy.” Smith has amassed numerous accolades and nominations, including Grammy Awards and nominations, Golden Globe Awards, Juno Awards, Brit Awards, and Billboard Music Awards, among others. Through their songs, they have earned a place on a high pedestal, achieving the fame they enjoy today.