Pop Music
Whether you love it or hate it, pop music can be hard to avoid. That's because its defining characteristic is its popularity within a culture (or across multiple cultures). Historically, popular music was thought as of any non-folk form that acquired mass popularity; more recently, it can be defined as any commercially oriented music principally intended to be received and appreciated by a wide audience. Popular music styles tended to move westward from Europe to the United States until the early 20th century, when new American forms such as ragtime and Broadway musicals were enthusiastically embraced in Europe. Since then, Western popular music has been dominated by developments in the United States. Popular music has variously included musical forms such as ragtime, jazz, swing, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, rock, disco, hip-hop, and rap.
Pop Music Encyclopedia Articles
Featured Articles
Rihanna
Rihanna is a Barbadian pop and rhythm-and-blues (R&B) singer who became a worldwide star in the early 21st century. She is known for her distinctive and versatile voice and for her fashionable appearance....
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez built a massively successful triple-threat career as an actress, dancer, and musician to become the global superstar known to fans as simply “J.Lo.” She began appearing in films in the late...
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra was an American singer and motion-picture actor who, through a long career and a very public personal life, became one of the most sought-after performers in the entertainment industry; he...
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac, British blues band that evolved into the hugely popular Anglo-American pop-rock group whose 1977 album Rumours was one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. The original members were...
Beyoncé
Beyoncé is an American singer-songwriter and actress who achieved fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B group Destiny’s Child and then launched a hugely successful solo career. In 2023 she...
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston American singer and actress who was one of the best-selling musical performers of the 1980s and ’90s. The daughter of Emily (“Cissy”) Houston—whose vocal group, the Sweet Inspirations,...
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey American pop singer, noted for her remarkable vocal range. She was one of the most successful female performers of the 1990s and remained popular into the early 21st century. While some sources...
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber Canadian singer and teen idol whose fresh-faced good looks and appealing pop songs sparked a global craze beginning in 2009. Bieber was raised by a single mother in Stratford, Ontario, Canada,...
the Monkees
The Monkees, American pop-rock group created as a made-for-television answer to the Beatles in the mid-1960s. The members were Micky Dolenz (byname of George Michael Dolenz; b. March 8, 1945, Los Angeles,...
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is a multitalented singer-songwriter and global superstar who has captivated audiences with her heartfelt lyrics and catchy melodies, solidifying herself as one of the most influential artists...
Adele
Adele English pop singer and songwriter whose soulful emotive voice and traditionally crafted songs made her one of the most broadly popular performers of her generation. Adkins was raised by a young single...
Britney Spears
Britney Spears American singer who helped spark the teen-pop phenomenon in the late 1990s and later endured intense public scrutiny for her tumultuous personal life. Spears, who grew up in Kentwood, Louisiana,...
the Bee Gees
The Bee Gees, English-Australian pop-rock band that embodied the disco era of the late 1970s. In becoming one of the best-selling recording acts of all time, the Bee Gees (short for the Brothers Gibb)...
One Direction
One Direction, British-Irish male vocal group whose stylish good looks and bright pop-rock sound captivated young fans around the world in the early 2010s. The members were Niall Horan (b. September 13,...
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus catapulted into stardom with her performance on the television show Hannah Montana (2006–11) and its related soundtrack albums. She successfully segued from teen star to pop music solo artist...
Madonna
Madonna American singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur whose immense popularity in the 1980s and ’90s allowed her to achieve levels of power and control that were nearly unprecedented for a woman...
Katy Perry
Katy Perry American pop singer who gained fame for a string of anthemic and often sexually suggestive hit songs, as well as for a playfully cartoonish sense of style. Katy Hudson was raised in southern...
Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers, American soft-rock band noted for its combination of optimism, catchy tunes, and cover-boy good looks. The members were Paul Kevin Jonas II (b. November 5, 1987, Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.),...
John Legend
John Legend American singer-songwriter and pianist who achieved success in the early 21st century with his fusion of R&B and soul music. He also was a sought-after session musician. Legend was the first...
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga American singer-songwriter and performance artist, known for her flamboyant costumes, provocative lyrics, and strong vocal talents, who achieved enormous popular success with songs such as “Just...
ABBA
ABBA, Swedish Europop band that was among the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. In the 1970s it dominated the European charts with its catchy pop songs. Members included...
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer who was the most popular entertainer in the world in the early and mid-1980s. Reared in Gary, Indiana, in one of the most acclaimed musical...
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake is an American pop singer and actor who achieved fame as a member of the hugely successful boy band *NSYNC before establishing a career as a solo performer. He also acted in films and...