Worst to Best: 2010s Pop Acts

    Pop music always cheers people up. So I thought it would be a great idea to rank some pop music from the last decade, which in my opinion, is the best decade for pop music. I rank them only based on the music itself, not impact, popularity, or creativity kind of pretentious bs. And surprise surprise, I don't have a single male star! 

    Also, I will only rank 9 of them, or else the list will be forever. So they are all great pop stars, not really"worst to best".

    Honorable Mentions

    The Weeknd: Starboy has some decent tracks and House of Balloons gives some special feelings. But he really improved himself on After Hours and Dawn FM, which were in the 2020s. 

    Dua Lipa: The Same case as The Weeknd. She had some bangers as well, but Future Nostalgia is her best album for sure.

    Adele: Her singing ability is absolutely wonderful, and she has some bangers. My biggest problem is that every album felt a little one-dimensional, which makes every listen bland and slightly boring at the end of an album.

    9. Ariana Grande

    Ari could be over and underrated at the same time. She is an extremely popular artist, however, music critics looked down upon her sometimes. So I'm here defending Ari. Sweetener is a decent pop album, it's fun to enjoy. My favorite track is probably no tears left to cry, her vocals on that track are fantastic. What's better than Sweetener? The six months later best album, thank you, next. The trap, pop, and r&b combination she really succeeded in. The production is fabulous to hear in a pop album and the theme of the lyrics is the most relevant for me.

    The rest of her category I don't care about much, but thank new, next is so good.

    8. St. Vincent

    Like I said before, my favorite St. Vincent album is her latest Daddy's Home, and self-titled is a bit overrated. With that being said, her three albums from the last decade are still top-tier. In the pop field, self-titled is still a stand-out for me. On Strange Mercy, Annie Clark has sorted everything out, the heavily distorted guitar, the versatile vocals, and the strange synth sounds, really helped her build the whole aesthetic. That's probably the reason why people always consider her as an indie-pop goddess.

    7. Taylor Swift

    Like her or not, you can't deny that she made some great pop bangers. And for me personally, Taylor Swift made my little childhood. Delicate, Gorgeous, Blank Space, etc. always bring back the memories, and after years I'm still vibing with those. If we're talking about Taylor Swift, we have to talk about her best song, one of the bests of the decade, All Too Well. This song is phenomenal. No other break-up songs hit harder than All Too Well.

    Album-wise, I do agree with most critics - most of them suffered bloated.

    6. Lana Del Rey

    Lana Del Rey is an artist that I used to dislike, but recently I dug on. Some of her work is still too girly for me, however, Norman Fucking Rockwell! man. This album is a goddamn masterpiece. She succeeded in her genre in this album, making her most mature, most well-produced, and the most consistent record. Besides this album, lately, I loved a bit Paradise as well. If Lana is not for you, I understand.

    5. Charli XCX

    The great thing about Charli XCX is, her production is always so ahead of time that you can't get over it. Critics talked about Pop 2 all the time, however, Vroom Vroom EP is always my go-to. This water-tight EP really showcased how creative Charli, as a pop star, can go. Charli is a fantastic album as well, it has all the bops. Some of her early work I think is quite underrated that you should check out.

    4. Grimes

    Grimes is a personal favorite of mine, and the 2010s is the best decade for her. Kill V. Maim and Realiti are my favorite songs of all time, I absolutely love the energy on Grimes on Art Angels. It's well-produced, very forward-thinking, but objectively this album is flawed as well. I'm an absolute sucker for the angsty vibe on some of these tracks when I was in middle school, and years later I'm here for it.

    3. FKA twigs

    Twigs has arguably the most consistent discography out of all 9 people here. Every album and EP are at least an 8 for me. After listening to 3 EPs, I've realized that EP is actually a great form of modern art-pop. M3LL155X is easily the best of them. I'm just amazed by how Avant-guard, how intriguing, and how impeccable pop music can go. While keeping the sound eerie and alluring, the most amazing part is that she managed to make these sounds more accessible. That's what art-pop should sound like.

    Seriously twigs made some best EPs in pop history, you should definitely check them out.

    2. Lorde

    Now it's getting serious. Pure Heroine is an extremely underappreciated album, Tennis Court and Ribs are two absolute bops, and believe it or not, I'm still vibing with Royals. Of course, we'll talk about Melodrama as well, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. The album showcased the feelings and emotions that our generation has to deal with, which aged quite well even 5 years later. Production-wise Lorde continued simplicity, however, she really improved the delivery of vocals. Songs like Liability and Writer in the Dark only got keys and vocals, but it worked simply. 

    1. Carly Rae Jepsen

   When it came to cheeky pop songs, Carly Rae Jepsen is every music nerd's guilty pleasure. It is shameful that CRJ hasn't got a mainstream hit since the kiss era, considering she's literally the pop sensation. E·MO·TION and Dedicated are two excellent pop records, and so are the b-sides. Kiss is a criminally underrated album, every time I listen to Good Time, the nostalgia just crashes me instantly. And I'm not afraid to say that I still vibe with Call Me Maybe if I heard this song in public.

    The magic of Carly Rae Jepsen is, her music is purely for fun. Good vibes and good vibes only.