2010s in music

For music from a year in the 2010s, go to 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19

This article describes trends in popular music in the 2010s. See also 2010s in the music industry.

Musical trends[]

By the mid-2010s, the hushed style of vocal delivery commonly used in indie music garnered widespread popularity among pop artists, used often by Selena Gomez, Lana Del Rey, Lorde and Birdy. The Guardian dubbed this style as "whisperpop", characterized by subdued vocals, muted notes and breathy intensity.^[1]^[2]

Selena Gomez gained global popularity in the 2010s, due in part to her hushed vocal style.

Traditional instruments, such as the mandolin, dulcimer, ukulele, bongos, and accordion, were used more often, especially by indie rock musicians and singer-songwriters, including Mumford and Sons, Vance Joy, Phillip Phillips, and The Lumineers, along with country players, such as Chris Stapleton and Zac Brown Band.

Adult contemporary music had been successful on the charts. Pop acts like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Adele, P!nk, Shawn Mendes, Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5, had achieved a No. 1 single during the decade. Artists like Sara Bareilles, Jason Mraz, Michael Bublé, Charlie Puth, Colbie Caillat, Christina Perri, CeeLo Green, and Shawn Mendes all incorporated soul, pop rock, and folk into their music.^[3]

Post Malone performing on the main stage at Stavernfestivalen in 2018

Throughout the 2010s, hip hop music grew as a genre. In 2017, with the increase in streaming services influence over the Billboard Hot 100 rap music became the most popular genre in the US in its 4th decade of growth, surpassing Rock and Pop music.^[4] Artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Future, Chance the Rapper, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, J. Cole, Gucci Mane, Migos, Young Thug, Lil B, Tyler, The Creator, ASAP Rocky, 21 Savage, Cardi B, Big Sean, Lil Uzi Vert and XXXTentacion all rose to prominence in this decade. In the decade movements like Trap music, Cloud rap, Drill music, and Emo hip hop became mainstream.^[5] The 2010s are also notable for the increasing prominence of rap producers; examples being Young Chop, Lex Luger, Sonny Digital, DJ Mustard, Metro Boomin, Southside, DJ Khaled and Pi'erre Bourne .

Progressive and experimental rock have started to become widespread, mainly in the second half of the decade. Artists, such as Nothing More, Highly Suspect, Twelve Foot Ninja, Dead Letter Circus, and Marmozets, and DIY ethic bands, including Bad Omens, Sylar, Æges, and Silver Snakes, have enjoyed success through concerts and streaming services.

EDM had become more mainstream due to the releases of Britney Spears' Blackout and Kanye West's "Stronger"; some 2010s successes include David Guetta, Skrillex, Steve Aoki, Swedish House Mafia, Headhunterz, Wildstylez, Da Tweekaz, Clean Bandit, Major Lazer, DVBBS, Avicii, Alesso, Owl City, The Chainsmokers, Calvin Harris, DJ Snake, Diplo, ShockOne, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, Blasterjaxx, Martin Garrix, Marshmello, Alan Walker and Zedd.

Robyn, the Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ.

The genres of Europop and Eurodance have also achieved notable commercial success, evidenced by Swedish producer Max Martin's ubiquity in the decade's most successful pop albums. Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (2010) drew heavily from this style and became the first album by a female artist in history to release five number one U.S. singles. Europop and electronica were used more extensively in the early 2010s as a result of the success of disk jockeys, like David Guetta and Calvin Harris, also influencing the work of female solo acts like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Robyn, and Kesha. Some of the best-selling songs of the decade, including "Only Girl (In the World)" and "S&M" by Rihanna, were strongly influenced by Eurodance.^{[citation needed]} In 2012, a large number of songs by American instrumentalists featured quintessential Eurodance elements, especially synthesizer and strong beats during the chorus mixed with rapping or vocals for verses. Flo Rida, Pitbull, LMFAO, and The Black Eyed Peas were popular hip-house acts from the early half of the 2010s.

Teen pop had made a significant comeback throughout the decade, with the likes of Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. Like their predecessors, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake, who rose to fame in the late 90s and early 2000s, most of these stars were exclusively associated or with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon at the genesis of careers. An exception is Canadian artist Justin Bieber who rose to fame through YouTube and social media.^[6] Throughout the 2010s, they have expanded control over their careers and come of age with their music to varying degrees of success, and many teen pop musicians outside the former companies have continued to launch promising careers throughout the 2010s.

Justin Timberlake performing on his 20/20 Experience Tour in Charlotte, North Carolina

Maroon 5 performing live in 2016

Throughout the 2010s, different movements in music and the music industry have been formed because of the rise of social media such as YouTube, TikTok, and SoundCloud. Some new, sometimes unique, genres of music have been introduced such as , vaporwave, and bedroom pop. Vaporwave music is one of the first genres of music that had an "aesthetic", which was influenced heavily by elements from the 1980s and 1990s. Bedroom pop emerged in the mid to late 2010s on platforms such as YouTube with amateur artists rising to fame making pop music from their bedroom using inexpensive music creation equipment and software such as GarageBand. The distinction of bedroom pop is that the lyrics are written completely by the artists, without editors glossing and cleaning them up, which is rare in mainstream pop.^[7]^[8] Some of these genres elements have been influenced into more mainstream pop music by the latter end of the 2010s decade and is continuing into the 2020s.

Since 2011, boy bands and girl groups have returned to mainstream popularity for the first time after the early 2000s, with the most popular examples being British-Irish boy band One Direction and American boy band Big Time Rush. A new generation of successful girl groups was ushered in by acts such as Little Mix and Fifth Harmony. In addition to this, K-Pop groups, benefitting from high visibility on Social Media and Video sharing sites like YouTube, began to capitalize on their viral power and monetize netizen fanbases overseas conducting sell out tours in western markets during the mid-2010s.^[9] Korean acts such as BIGBANG, EXO, and BTS sold out US tours with little to no promotion or support from mainstream media sources like TV & Radio Airplay.^[10]

Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias recorded a remix version of the album track "Dirty Dancer" was released as the fourth English single and became his ninth Hot Dance Club Play chart topper, tying with Prince and Michael Jackson as the male with the most No. 1 dance singles.

In Latin America, Latin pop had remained the main subgenre. Tropical, reggaeton, moombahton, soca have also been popular genres while pop rock continues to be successful. In December 2016, Billboard magazine named Enrique Iglesias the 14th most successful and top male dance club artist of all time.^[11] "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee becomes the highest-certified song of all-time in the United States after receiving a 13× platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America for units of over 13 million sales plus track-equivalent streams.^[12]^[13]

Soundtracks from films have topped the charts this decade as well, with number 1 singles from Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams, along with top 10 entries by The Weeknd, Ellie Goulding, and others.

Dubstep and drumstep became widespread subgenres in the early 2010s on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, especially in its native United Kingdom. There, other electronic subgenres, like grime, footwork and trap, have also been growing in popularity. Drumstep had continued its success while hardstyle had become mainstream in Australia and United States due to the success of music festivals, such as The Sound of Q-dance and Defqon 1.^[14]^[15]^[16] Grime experienced a resurgence beginning in 2014, initiated by the success of Meridian Dan's "German Whip" featuring Big H and Jme.^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]

In Asia, popular music had continued to be influenced by Western pop music. As with the past several decades, C-pop, J-pop and K-pop had continued to be successful in the Far East. In J-pop, image songs and the influence of anime on widespread music have grown since the late 2000s. K-pop's popularity continued to increase around the world throughout the decade and found wider recognition in western markets.^[21] Media entertainment brand, Billboard, responsible for tabulating the Billboard Hot 100 and 200, inaugurated its own K-Pop chart and column presented weekly, on its Billboard.com site.^[22] The Billboard K-Town column, launched in 2013, continues to report on K-pop music; artists, concerts, chart information and news events. In 2015, the US iTunes store added a K-Pop genre category.^[23] Major streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify both added K-pop categories to their repertoire to cater demand.^[24] In 2018, some K-pop artists from the Republic of Korea like Red Velvet even made a performance at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.^[25]^[26]^[27] In India, Indian pop, rock, and filmi have continued to be mainstream. In the United Arab Emirates, Arabic pop, Arabic hip hop, rock and metal have continued in popularity.

Artists like Ed Sheeran, Adele, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith, Jessie J, and Emeli Sandé from the U.K. started to become highly successful and gained popularity from crossover hits in the U.S.. Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" , "Perfect" and Adele's "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain" all reached the No.1 spot of the Billboard Hot 100 in this decade.^[28]^[29]^[30]^[31]^[32] Taio Cruz had also garnered successful hits. "Dynamite" and "Break Your Heart" were successful singles with the latter reaching the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100.^[33]

North America[]

Pop[]

Some of the most successful North American pop artists of the decade include Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber.

Pop music had remained significantly popular due to dance-pop, electropop and synth-pop in this decade. Artists like Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Kesha, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Adele and Lady Gaga were very popular and chart-topping pop songs this decade include Kesha's "Tik Tok", Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me", Bruno Mars's "Just the Way You Are", Perry's "Firework", Gaga's "Born This Way", Adele's "Rolling in the Deep", Rihanna's "We Found Love", Swift's "Shake It Off", Bieber's "Sorry", Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You", Grande's "Thank U, Next", Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy", and Gomez's "Lose You to Love Me".

Kesha performing on the American television program Today in 2012

English-Irish pop boyband One Direction and Canadian singer Shawn Mendes were some of the other acts that dominated the pop charts in the US this decade. Jonas Brothers made a comeback in 2019 and dominated the charts. Also from this decade were critically acclaimed works from Beyoncé, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West among others. New pop artists that emerged in that decade were Mike Posner, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Meghan Trainor, Bebe Rexha, Tori Kelly, Alessia Cara, Charlie Puth, Shawn Mendes, Julia Michaels, Maggie Rogers, Hailee Steinfeld, Lauv, Camila Cabello, Bazzi, Alec Benjamin, Billie Eilish, and Ava Max.

John Mayer

Teenage Dream, Katy Perry's sophomore album, released on August 24, 2010 spawned 5 consecutive number-one singles. It was the second album in history, to produce 5 number-one singles, the first by a woman to achieve this milestone. Those number-one singles were "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T.", and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)".

Rihanna earned the most #1 singles in the decade (nine), spending 41 weeks at the top of the chart, followed by Katy Perry with 8 #1 singles at a 26-week reign and Bruno Mars with 7 #1 singles leading 32 weeks. Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift both had five #1 singles this decade so far, Bieber spending 23 weeks at #1 and Swift with 18 weeks. Adele followed with four #1 singles at her name spending 24 weeks at the top. Kesha earned three #1 singles in this decade, spending 13 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Among all those songs who reached #1 singles this decade "Tik Tok", "Rolling in the Deep", "Just the Way You Are", "Poker Face", "Shake It Off", and "Dark Horse" were some of the best-selling singles in the digital era.

Taylor Swift and Adele had some of the biggest-selling albums of the 2010s, being the only two artists to have sold more than a million copies of an album in a week, multiple times.^[34] Swift became the first artist in history to have four albums debut on the Billboard 200 with each selling over 1 million copies; they are: Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014) and Reputation (2017); with Lover (2019), Swift became the first female artist to debut six albums on the chart, each opening with more than 500,000 copies. The American Music Awards crowned Swift as the Artist of the Decade, while Billboard named her the Woman of the Decade.

In this decade, Swift and Beyoncé became the only two female acts in history to achieve six consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200 chart; Swift did it with Fearless (2008), Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation and Lover, while Beyoncé with Dangerously in Love (2003), B'Day (2006), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), 4 (2011), Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016).

Madonna became the first artist to achieve 50 number-one songs on any Billboard chart, in the Dance Club Songs chart, pulling ahead of runner-up, George Strait, who has 44 number-one songs on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Comebacks were also made in the pop industry with acts such as the Backstreet Boys whose album DNA topped the Billboard Charts the week it was released.

Rock[]

Imagine Dragons were an instant success after the release of their debut album, Night Visions.

Vampire Weekend followed their debut album with two number 1 albums in 2010 and 2013.

Rock had remained popular in the 2010s, despite having declined in chart presence since the late 2000s alongside changes in radio format. These changes were driven by the decline in compact discs and rise of downloads in the music industry, which prompted a focus on top 40 music.^[35]^[36]^[37] Rock had also moved from hard rock and heavy metal, which had dominated since the mid-1980s. Mainstream rock since the early 2010s had become softer and more refined because of indie rock. Rock was reportedly still the most widely consumed genre in the United States during 2014 and 2015.^[38] The decade had also seen the return of successful rock artists from the past, including AC/DC, David Bowie, Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Blink-182, Radiohead, Green Day, and Alice in Chains. All of these acts had albums debut within the top 5. In particular, English rock instrumentalist David Bowie experienced his most commercially successful period since the 1980s with two U.S. top 5 albums, The Next Day (2013) and Blackstar (2016), the latter being released shortly before his death.

Alternative rock[]

Foo Fighters performing live in 2007

Although its subgenre, indie rock, was in the spotlight during the 2010s, successful alternative rock bands in this decade were Imagine Dragons, Linkin Park, Muse, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Kasabian, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Kongos, Cage The Elephant, Evanescence, Metric, Nickelback, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Three Days Grace, The War On Drugs, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Queens Of The Stone Age, Panic! at the Disco, Kaleo, Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Royal Blood, Twenty One Pilots, Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Death from Above 1979, Paramore, Biffy Clyro, Bring Me the Horizon and Nothing But Thieves. All of these bands had had albums debut in the top 5. With Fall Out Boy scoring 3 number 1 albums in a row on the Billboard 200 album chart in 2013, 2015, and 2018.

Psychedelic rock[]

The decade had seen the revival of psychedelic rock as a popular subgenre for the first time since the 1970s. Bands of the decade had introduced synths and electronic sounds into the genre for the first time. Techniques seen in other genres such as Shoegaze were also employed to create walls of sound and distortion. Popular acts of the genre in the decade had been Animal Collective, Tame Impala, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Mac DeMarco, The War on Drugs, Ariel Pink, Connan Mockasin, Homeshake, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Thee Oh Sees, Pond, Temples, MGMT, Allah-Las, Ty Segall, Samsara Blues Experiment and The Black Angels.

Progressive and experimental rock[]

Tool's live performances in 2006 included an elaborate light show using 10,000 Days artwork by painter Alex Grey as a backdrop.

A huge renaissance in progressive rock occurred in the 2010s. One of the key forms of progressive music in the early 2010s was djent. It was influenced by mathematically driven metal from the previous decade, particularly Meshuggah. Guitarists such as Misha Mansoor, Justin Lowe, and Tosin Abasi made use of seven-string, eight-string, and nine-string guitars and mainly relied on polyrhythms, palm-muting, and syncopated guitar riffs, as well as melodic guitar solos. Some of the most popular and influential djent bands were Periphery, After the Burial, Animals as Leaders, Tesseract and Born of Osiris. Djent's popularity led to more bands including more mathematical elements in their music with it eventually leading to elements in mainstream pop music.

Another form of progressive rock in this decade was post-progressive, which drew influences from bands such as Radiohead and Porcupine Tree from the 2000s. This genre relies far more on simple melodic patterns combined with complex structure, texture and harmonies to create deep, emotionally driven, musical journeys in an effort to return the genre to its roots and make it relevant in the decade. Some newer progressive rock bands that were considered a part of this renaissance were Haken, Leprous, Riverside, Public Service Broadcasting, and iamthemorning. In addition, the 2010s also saw the return of some older artists including Opeth, Devin Townsend, Anathema, and Steven Wilson, who had a mainstream breakthrough with his studio albums Hand. Cannot. Erase. and To the Bone. In 2019, Tool experienced a major comeback with their first studio album in 13 years, Fear Inoculum.

In the later part of the decade, this revival led to progressive rock crossing over with an indie-and-metal approach which became popular. Many of these bands are diverse in sound, and are influenced by genres like post-hardcore, math rock, and post-rock music. Artists making successful albums were part of this genre, like Nothing More, Being as an Ocean, Circa Survive, Highly Suspect, Dredg, The Color Morale, Twelve Foot Ninja, The Mars Volta, Hands Like Houses, Code Orange, Sleepwave, Dayshell, Sworn in, Dead Letter Circus, Thank You Scientist, Turbowolf, Letlive, Marmozets, Black Map, Biffy Clyro, Night Verses, Thrice, The Word Alive, Dance Gavin Dance, Shining, Mutoid Man, Arcane Roots and A Perfect Circle.^{[citation needed]}

Pop punk and punk rock[]

Fall Out Boy

Good Charlotte performing in 2011

With a few exceptions (including Green Day, The Offspring, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Blink-182 and Panic! at the Disco), pop punk had heavily decreased in mainstream popularity during the 2010s and had not been enjoying popular success as it once did in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Emo, which had gained heavy widespread success between 2004 and 2008, had heavily declined in popularity by the early 2010s with the 2013 Breakup of My Chemical Romance being a likely factor of that. Early 1990s punk rock bands, like Bad Religion, NOFX, and Pennywise, had not had mainstream success since the 1990s or 2000s but still enjoyed heavy touring. Second wave pop punk acts, such as Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Simple Plan, and New Found Glory had heavily declined in popularity. However, DIY ethic punk rock had seen somewhat of a cult resurgence with bands, including Martha, The Spook School, Neck Deep, The Story So Far, and Joanna Gruesome, growing in popularity and being played on radio stations, like BBC Radio 6 Music. Garage punk bands such as Wavves, FIDLAR, PUP, Best Coast, The Growlers, Bass Drum of Death, The Garden, Ty Segall, Cherry Glazerr, and Thee Oh Sees had gained popularity, especially in Southern California. Many of these garage punk bands had signed to Burger Records, who are known for their DIY style ethos and releasing albums on cassette tape.

Hard rock and heavy metal[]

Some of the most successful North American hard rock and heavy metal bands of the decade were Metallica, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Slipknot, Halestorm, Greta Van Fleet and Power Trip.

During the 2010s, popular hard rock and heavy metal bands, such as Five Finger Death Punch, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Asking Alexandria, Breaking Benjamin, Slipknot, Shinedown, Bring Me the Horizon, A Day to Remember, Royal Blood, Ghost, Halestorm, Volbeat, Papa Roach, Chevelle, Black Veil Brides, Nothing More, Parkway Drive, Periphery, and Seether, had released successful albums. With many newer hard rock and heavy metal acts from this decade getting more success (especially with the streaming service success of progressive and experimental rock and metal music), the decade had also seen the return of older hard rock and heavy metal acts; some of which include bands that were previously on hiatus, or had not achieved mainstream popularity in years, like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Deftones, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Testament, Exodus, Rush, Iron Maiden, Faith No More, Dream Theater and Metal Church. Guns N' Roses also experienced a major comeback during the mid-to-late 2010s with the Not in This Lifetime... Tour, which saw a reunion of three-fifths of their classic lineup (Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan), all of whom last performed live together in 1993, and went on to become one of the highest-grossing tours of the decade.

Nickelback in May 2006

Thrash metal was not as popular in the 2010s as it was during the 1980s and early-to-mid-1990s, when the genre declined in popularity, due to the rising success of grunge and alternative music. However, the decade had seen several veteran thrash metal bands continue to maintain considerable popularity in the United States, particularly on the Billboard 200 chart. Each of "the big four" of the genre (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) released albums that debuted on the top five or top ten on the Billboard 200,^[39]^[40]^[41]^[42]^[43]^[44] while other veteran thrash acts – including Testament, Overkill, Exodus, Metal Church and Death Angel – had achieved more greater success on the same chart.^[45]^[46]^[47]^[48]^[49] Newer bands associated with the "thrash metal revival movement" had also gained popularity throughout the 2010s, including Bonded by Blood, Evile, Gama Bomb, Havok, Municipal Waste, Power Trip, Suicidal Angels, Vektor and Warbringer.

The decade had also seen the revival of alternative metal, with two veteran Seattle acts Soundgarden and Alice in Chains cracking the top five on the Billboard 200 with their respective albums King Animal (2012) and The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013);^[50]^[51] the latter's follow-up album Rainier Fog (2018) was also successful, debuting at number twelve on the Billboard 200, and at number one on Billboard's Top Rock Albums, Alternative Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts.^[52] In addition, some of the most successful alternative metal bands that were broken up in the 1990s or 2000s, such as Primus, Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Helmet and Biohazard, released comeback albums in the 2010s. Other popular new "classic rock" themed hard rock bands had gained popularity later in the mid to late 2010s such as Greta Van Fleet, The Struts, and The Record Company.

Pop rock[]

Michelle Branch performing in August 2009

Although the fusion genre was not as popular as it was during the 1990s and early-to-mid-2000s, the top widespread pop rock instrumentalists in this decade were The Script, Train, OneRepublic, Maroon 5, Pink, Adam Lambert, Kelly Clarkson, 5 Seconds of Summer, Lady Gaga with the soundtrack of A Star Is Born and Avril Lavigne, while acts like The Fray and Daughtry had continued to have minor success. Pop artists who rose in the 2010s who drew significantly on pop rock or rock included Alessia Cara, Billie Eilish, Halsey, and Lorde. Taylor Swift collaborated with alternative rock artists in the late 2010s and would enter the alternative rock charts in 2020.

Contemporary R&B and soul[]

Rihanna had the most number-one singles during the 2010s.^[53] She was named the top instrumentalist of the early 2010s.^[54]^[55]^[56]

Contemporary R&B had not been as prominent in the early 2010s as it was from the late 1980s to the mid-2000s when new jack swing was a fixture in popular music. Slow jams had largely been replaced by dance numbers and pop ballads. Contemporary R&B had begun to influence hipster musicians, creating a new genre called alternative R&B. New players had emerged from this subgenre, like The Weeknd, Solange, Blood Orange, SZA, The Internet, Steve Lacy, Kali Uchis, Syd, How to Dress Well, Kilo Kish, Sampha, Lion Babe, Jhene Aiko, Normani, Frank Ocean, Ravyn Lenae, Kehlani, Tinashe, Sabrina Claudio, H.E.R., Tory Lanez, Gallant, Daniel Caesar, King, Moses Sumney, Kelela, dvsn, Jorja Smith, PartyNextDoor, Jeremih, Khalid, Bryson Tiller, and Ella Mai.

A few top mainstream contemporary R&B artists of the 2010s were Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Usher, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, The Weeknd, Trey Songz, Miguel, Bryson Tiller, Alicia Keys, and John Legend. There was also a slight revival of soul during the early 2010s, with instrumentalists, such as CeeLo Green, Janelle Monáe, and Adele.

Solange Knowles performing at Coachella in 2014

Due to the domination of electro and dance-pop, contemporary R&B had partially become more influenced by dance and electropop, and many musicians that were typically contemporary R&B artists had started to release pop. This is notable in players, including Ne-Yo, Usher, Chris Brown, and Rihanna with songs, like "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" and "Forever Now," "Scream" and "OMG," "Don't Wake Me Up" and "Turn Up The Music," and "We Found Love" and "Where Have You Been." A form of R&B, dancehall, also became popular on the charts in the mid to late 2010s with songs such as "Lean On" by Major Lazer, "One Dance" by Drake, and Work by Rihanna.^[57]

There was also a resurgence of contemporary R&B acts from the 1990s and 2000s to achieve commercial success during the 2010s, such as Monica, Kelly Rowland, Brandy, Maxwell, D'Angelo, and Janet Jackson.

While some contemporary R&B artists transitioned to a more dance and electropop sound, many artists still achieved success while still remaining true to contemporary R&B. Songs, including "Everything to Me" by Monica, "Refill" by Elle Varner, "Thinking Bout You" by Frank Ocean, "Motivation" by Kelly Rowland, "Put It Down" by Brandy, and "No Sleeep" by Janet Jackson, are notable for being contemporary R&B and popular hits while still obtaining an authentic contemporary R&B sound.

Beyoncé became the first artist in Billboard chart history to have her first six albums debut at number-one on the Billboard 200 chart in 2016. Additionally, Beyoncé also became the first artist to place 12 tracks from one album within the Hot 100 simultaneously. Continuing her success from the 90s and 2000s, Beyoncé received the Billboard Millennium Award at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, the Fashion Icon Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2016, and a Peabody Award for her universally acclaimed sixth studio album Lemonade in 2017. In 2016, Beyoncé surpassed Madonna as the most-awarded artist at the MTV Video Music Awards (24 wins). In 2018, her performance made history as the most watched live-streamed performance of all time, and was also called "historic" and dubbed the single best performance of all time by many newspapers.

The late 2010s had seen a resurgence of mainstream popularity in R&B, with albums such as 24K Magic by Bruno Mars, Heartbreak on a Full Moon by Chris Brown and songs such as "Redbone" by Childish Gambino and "Boo’d Up" by Ella Mai.

Hip hop[]

Cardi B at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2019

On 17 July 2017, Forbes reported that hip-hop/R&B (which Nielsen SoundScan classifies as the same genre) had recently usurped rock as the most consumed musical genre, becoming the most popular genre in music for the first time in U.S. history.^[58]^[59]^[60]^[61]

American rapper Nelly

A number of hip hop labels had also grown influential during this decade, among which had been Grand Hustle Records, GOOD Music, Cash Money Records, Roc Nation, Maybach Music Group, Top Dawg Entertainment, and Def Jam Recordings. Hip hop acts that were introduced to mainstream in the beginning of the decade included Drake, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill, Young Thug, ASAP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Tyler, The Creator, Azealia Banks, Future, Schoolboy Q, Wale, YG, 2 Chainz, Waka Flocka Flame, French Montana, Macklemore, Machine Gun Kelly, Chief Keef, and A$AP Ferg. Hip hop acts that were introduced to mainstream during mid-late part of the decade included Migos, Travis Scott, Post Malone, G-Eazy, Logic, Lil Pump, Playboi Carti, Youngboy Never Broke Again, Yo Gotti, Cardi B, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Rae Sremmurd, Mac Miller, Brockhampton, Kodak Black, XXXTentacion, Ugly God, Childish Gambino, Rich the Kid, Gunna, 6ix9ine, Blueface, BlocBoy JB, Lil Xan, NLE Choppa, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, YBN Cordae, YBN Nahmir, Anderson Paak, Trippie Redd and more. Hip hop acts that started in previous decades, but continue to have commercial success in this decade include Kanye West, Eminem, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Gucci Mane, Rick Ross, and Jeezy. Hip hop acts that had never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 but still retain a strong fan base within the hip hop community at large have been Earl Sweatshirt, Princess Nokia, Joey Bada$$, Denzel Curry, Maxo Kream, Vince Staples, Divine Council, Isaiah Rashad, Action Bronson, and SpaceGhostPurrp. Hip hop acts that had gained fame via the social medium Vine were T-Wayne, iLoveMakonnen, Silento, Bobby Shmurda, Desiigner and iLoveMemphis.

Experimental hip hop artists such as Death Grips, JPEGMafia, and Clipping. have incorporated elements of experimental rock and industrial music into their sound, gaining notoriety in underground music circles and online. Kanye West's album Yeezus has been compared to this sound.^[62]

Mumble rap[]

Mumble rap is a rap subgenre that originated on the online audio distribution platform SoundCloud. Most successful "SoundCloud rappers" might not release all their music on the platform opting instead for streaming services Apple Music and Spotify but are still categorized as "SoundCloud rappers" or "Internet"/"Underground rappers" due to their aesthetics, sonics, come up on the platform and collaborations with other rappers and producers in the scene. It is characterized as simplistic, bass heavy beats, often with hazy, lo-fi or shimmering sounding melodies or samples, paired with lyrics that ping-pong between braggadocio and nihilism, with lots of sex and odes to heavy narcotics. The subgenre began to start seeing mainstream popularity in the mid 2010s and takes sonic and aesthetic inspiration from the trap, drill, Cloud Rap, and internet rap scenes that began in the late 2000s and early 2010s on websites such as DatPiff and rap blogs with artists such as Gucci Mane, Lil B, Odd Future, Young Thug, Max B, Lil Ugly Mane, A$AP Mob, SpaceGhostPurrp and Chief Keef. The subgenre was met with some criticism for having less emphasis on lyricism, and the problematic nature of the artists to arise from it. Influential SoundCloud rappers include Kodak Black, Yung Bans, Lil Peep, Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Uno The Activist, Lil Yachty, Smokepurpp, Tay-K, Ski Mask the Slump God, ThouxanBanFauni, XXXTentacion, 21 Savage, 6ix9ine, Trippie Redd, Denzel Curry, Lucki, Warhol.ss, Maxo Kream, Young Nudy, Ugly God, Playboi Carti, Rico Nasty, Lil Tracy, and Juice WRLD.

Trap[]

Electronic producer Marshmello

Trap music is a style of Southern hip hop and gangsta rap that was developed in the late 1990s to early 2000s in the Southern United States.^[63]^[64] It is typified by double or triple-time sub-divided hi-hats,^[65] heavy, sub-bass layered kick drums from the Roland TR-808 drum machine, layered synthesizers and an overall dark, ominous or bleak atmosphere and lyrical content.^[66]^[67] The term "trap" referred to places where drug deals take place. In the 2010s, artists crossbred trap with dubstep to create trap EDM. It also influenced Latin trap music.

Prominent rappers of the trap music subgenre during the 2010s include Gucci Mane, Future, 2 Chainz, Migos, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, Cardi B, Nasty C and Lil Baby, among several others. Trap music during the 2010s also helped record producers rise to prominence such as Mike Will Made It, Lex Luger, Southside, Metro Boomin, London on da Track, Murda Beatz, and more.

Electronic[]

Grammy Award-winning Skrillex in 2011

While dance music had periodically conquered the American pop charts, its current incursion had most likely been its deepest since the disco heyday of the 1970s. Throughout the 2010s, various electronic dance subgenres had conquered the music scene, such as house, dubstep, drumstep, hardstyle, electro house, techno, trance, synth-pop, electropop, and trap. These genres have many musical influences from 1970s' disco, 1980s' hi-NRG, spacesynth, Italo disco, and new wave, and 1990s' and 2000s' Eurodance, techno, house, trip hop, Europop, garage rock, and trance. The rise of electronic dance had brought massive success to large festivals, raves, technoparades, algoraves, doofs, and teknivals that mostly take place in the United States and Europe though every year thousands of electronic focused music festivals are held throughout the world. These events are also well known for their long association with the use of recreational drugs, including MDMA, LSD, 2C-B, Ketamine, and Benzylpiperazine. The top mainstream disk jockeys in the 2010s were Tiesto, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki, Nicky Romero, Afrojack, Deadmau5, Diplo, Skrillex, Armin Van Buuren, Avicii, Zedd, Martin Garrix, Hardwell, The Chainsmokers, Marshmello, Major Lazer, DJ Snake, Slushii, and Disclosure.

Country[]

Taylor Swift was one of the most successful country artists of the 2010s. Her albums Speak Now (2010) and Red (2012) topped charts and opened with more than a million copies sold in their first weeks.

Country pop music duo Dan + Shay

Chris Stapleton at Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2019

Country had continued to maintain its popularity both as a radio format and in retail; this is attributed both to the faithfulness of country fans and to a rise in popularity of the genre. The most popular country acts during this decade were Zac Brown Band, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell, Rascal Flatts, Kacey Musgraves, Jake Owen, Dustin Lynch, Kip Moore, Little Big Town, Chris Young, Hunter Hayes, Cam, Sam Hunt, Lee Brice, Eli Young Band, Darius Rucker, Randy Houser, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Billy Currington, Tyler Farr, Brett Eldredge, Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, and Brett Young.

A large number of duos and vocal groups had begun to emerge on the charts during the 2010s, many of which feature close harmony in the lead vocals, a style that roots as far back as the 1940s and 1950s with acts, like The Shelton Brothers, Delmore Brothers, and Everly Brothers. It saw a resurgence in the 1980s with The Judds and The Bellamy Brothers although the more recent acts tend to not be related. Examples of successful duos were Florida Georgia Line, Love and Theft, Dan + Shay, The Howboy Catts, and Thompson Square. In addition to Lady Antebellum, bands, such as The Band Perry, Gloriana, Eli Young Band, and Zac Brown Band had come to occupy a large portion of the new, popular country players. Meanwhile, artists who began their careers as far back as the 1960s and 1970s had continued to be active, including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers, Alabama, The Oak Ridge Boys, George Strait, and Reba McEntire.

In September 2016, "Forever Country," a medley of three classic country songs – "Take Me Home, Country Roads," "On the Road Again" and "I Will Always Love You"—was recorded to honor the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards. A celebration of traditional country music and the genre's ongoing popularity, the song blended together 30 stars, ranging from newcomers to veteran to classic stars and acts of the genre. A similar medley, featuring many of the same stars that performed on "Forever Country" but with different songs, was performed at the CMA Awards. Both performances received widespread critical acclaim.

Hip hop's influence on country[]

Brothers Osborne

Alan Jackson

Billy Ray Cyrus

Several popular country songs have taken influence from 21st-century hip hop, rock, and pop and have had themes of partying, attractive young women, blue jeans, Southern rock, and pickup trucks. These characteristics are typical in an unofficial subgenre known as bro-country. Instrumentalists embracing this trend were Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert, and several others, with songs, like "Cruise," "That's My Kind of Night," and Blake Shelton's "Boys 'Round Here" having been the most widespread songs in terms of sales and downloads. While many of the themes of bro-country songs -– in particular, women and alcohol –- have always been a part of country music (particularly since the rise of honky tonk styles in the 1940s), the new genre came under fire by listeners, music reviewers,^[68] and classic country musicians such as Alan Jackson and Gary Allan,^[69] and was satirized in the song "Girl in a Country Song" by the duo Maddie & Tae.^[70] The shifting styles also played a role in a brief feud between Shelton and country legend Ray Price in 2013, just months before Price's death, after Shelton remarked that "Nobody wants to listen to their grandpa's music" and that younger consumers weren't buying or downloading classic country music because the styles and sounds of songs from the past didn't appeal to them. Price –- who, unlike several of his peers, usually kept quiet in the debate on classic country vs. more modern music –- expressed his disapproval via his Facebook page, stating that it was their styles and success that helped make newer stars' careers possible and paved the way to modern country music. Shelton later retracted his statement, and Price accepted his apology.^[69]

In March 2019, the song "Old Town Road," a song performed by American rap artist Lil Nas X (born Montero Hill), began gaining popularity with country music fans, particularly after a remix of the song featuring vocals by Billy Ray Cyrus was released earlier in the year. The song combined elements of country rap, hip hop, Southern hip hop and trap, and used themes of horseback riding and culture clash with urban America in its lyrics. The song became the first to chart on all three of the major Billboard charts – Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Country Songs – in nearly 60 years, charting at No. 19 on the country chart. However, one week after its debut on the country chart, Billboard removed the song from the chart, disqualifying the song on the grounds that it did not fit the country genre.^[71] There was speculation that had the song remained on the chart, it would have reached No. 1 as of the chart dated April 6, 2019.^[72] Later in 2019, hip-hop music producer Blanco Brown recorded and released "The Git Up," which was called a "sequel" and "next viral country rap song".^[73]^[74]

The rise in use and influence of elements of hip-hop music and related styles in country music – as seen in both the "bro-country" and trap country movements – as well as issues related to Shelton's comments and continued popularity of country pop – once again sparked the longstanding debate over what defines "real" country music, an issue that has recurred since the 1970s.

Tragedy and deaths of classic stars[]

The decade had also seen death and tragedy in country. Mindy McCready, a rising star of the late 1990s whose personal problems soon overshadowed her music, committed suicide during early 2013. Glen Campbell, a vastly influential country guitarist and vocalist from the 1960s onward, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in late 2010 and consequently retired from show business in 2013; he died in 2017. Randy Travis, a neo-traditionalist star who helped revive the genre in the mid-to-late 1980s, had several run-ins with the law in 2012 and in 2013 suffered a massive stroke. Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, one of the genre's most popular duos, was killed in a helicopter crash in 2017. Also in 2017, 58 concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest festival event in Las Vegas, Nevada – where Jason Aldean was performing at the time gunfire broke out – were killed in a mass shooting; Aldean escaped the incident uninjured and a week later paid tribute to the victims on Saturday Night Live.

Prominent classic country players who had died during the decade, besides Glen Campbell, were Carl Smith, Jimmy Dean, Ferlin Husky, Kitty Wells, Patti Page, Jack Greene, Slim Whitman, George Jones, Ray Price, Little Jimmy Dickens, Lynn Anderson, Jim Ed Brown, Sonny James, Merle Haggard, Jean Shepard, Don Williams, Mel Tillis, Freddie Hart, Roy Clark, Dave Rowland (lead singer of the 1970s trio Dave and Sugar), Earl Thomas Conley and all three of the Glaser Brothers (Tompall in 2013, and brothers Jim and Chuck in 2019). Besides Mindy McCready and Troy Gentry, several performers from the late 1980s, 1990s and later who were popular with audiences also died: Kevin Sharp, Holly Dunn, Lari White and Daryle Singletary. Also, Glenn Frey, a member of Eagles, a rock band whose style has been vastly influential in country from the 1970s onward, died during the decade. Additionally, longtime radio personality Bob Kingsley, who presented many of the above-mentioned classic artists' songs during his tenures hosting the radio programs American Country Countdown and Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40, died in the fall of 2019, shortly after revealing his diagnosis of cancer.^[75]

Christian[]

TobyMac's 2012 album Eye on It became the third Christian album to ever debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200.

Christian music saw a rise in success during the early 2010s, with several artists debuting within the top 5 on the Billboard 200. In 2011, the Christian instrumentalists Casting Crowns and Red both debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, with their respective albums Come to the Well and Until We Have Faces. David Crowder Band also reached number 2 with Give Us Rest during 2012.^[76]^[77] Today's Christian Music reported that Passion: White Flag, a live album of the performances of various musicians at the 2012 Passion Conference, debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200.^[78] On 28 August 2012, the TobyMac album Eye on It debuted at number 1 on that chart, the first Christian album since 1997 and third overall to do so.^[79] The very next week, Christian hip hop artist Lecrae debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with Gravity. Additionally, both the number 1 and 2 spots on the iTunes hip hop charts were taken by the deluxe and standard versions of the album. The commercial reception of Gravity was called "easily the biggest sales week ever for a Christian rap album."^[80] In January 2013, Chris Tomlin became the fourth Christian player to top the Billboard 200 with his seventh studio album Burning Lights. 73,000 units were sold in its debut week.^[81] Lecrae then topped the Billboard 200 during September 2014 with his album Anomaly, selling 88,000 units in its debut week.^[82] This not only established Lecrae as the fifth artist to top the chart, but it also marked the first time that an artist reached number 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Gospel charts.^[83] Following – and partially due to – Lecrae's peak on the Gospel chart, Billboard revised its standards for the chart, rendering most hip hop releases ineligible.^[84]

Casting Crowns

The success of TobyMac and Lecrae prompted an article in Time that examined the recent upsurge in crossover success of Christian instrumentalists. The magazine referred to Rod Riley of Word Entertainment as an indication that all of these successes could "be the tip of the iceberg."^[76] Riley had cited the increasing talent of Christian musicians and the ownership of all major Christian record labels by widespread parents as a reason for the success of Christian.^[76] According to Time, TobyMac and the rock band Skillet had been featured in NFL telecasts, TobyMac's music was also listed by Time as a factor in the rise of Christian.^[76] Producer Mark Joseph claimed in an article by Fox News that TobyMac reaching number 1 was just one more example of the mainstreaming of "'so-called Christian music that his [sic] happening all around us'". He further stated that "'the pop and rock charts are filled with artists who used to be in that industry like Katy Perry, Switchfoot and Joy Williams of The Civil Wars, but also by young devout performers who in the past might have gone into that industry, like Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, The Fray, Cold War Kids and Twenty One Pilots.'" Following Lecrae's performance on BET and appearance on Statik Selektah's Population Control, in Chad Horton, co-owner of the website Rapzilla, stated that "Christian hip hop" had-in the past two years-"pushed into the mainstream more than ever before," and citing part of its cause as better music quality presentation than "any other time before" in January 2012.^[85]

Europe[]

Rock[]

Mumford & Sons were considered one of the most successful British bands of the early 2010s.

Alternative rock had experienced a modest presence in the United Kingdom singles chart during the 2010s, mostly from artists originating in the previous decade, including Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, Coldplay, The Wombats, Muse, Mumford & Sons, and Snow Patrol. Bands like Two Door Cinema Club, Foals, and Bombay Bicycle Club, which emerged in the late 2000s, had succeeded in the album chart. The genre had had a stronger presence album-wise, with acts such as The 1975, Bastille, alt-J, and The Vaccines enjoying success. Bastille had scored two number 2 singles on the UK chart, with their sound bordering on mainstream pop music in the charts. Royal Blood was the first band formed during the decade to win a Brit Award for the best British group in 2014, only one year after forming. Royal Blood's sound is similar to 2000s garage rock, and they received positive reviews upon the release of their debut album.

European rock had also seen the return of successful instrumentalists from the past. David Bowie-in particular had two UK number 1 albums—The Next Day and Blackstar. Upon its release, The Next Day (2013) became Bowie's most successful album in 30 years, followed by Blackstar (2016).

Muse

Acts, including Tribes, White Lies, The Maccabees, Miles Kane and Hard-Fi, had also witnessed success, mostly exclusive to the album chart.

Heavy metal and hard rock had been seeing a relatively increased presence in the UK albums chart, thanks to releases by Bullet For My Valentine and Enter Shikari. Many new British heavy metal bands are seeing worldwide success after years of American dominance, primarily Bring Me the Horizon and Asking Alexandria, although the latter entirely moved to the U.S. in 2009. There was also a resurgence of the German metal 6 from the 1980s to achieve commercial success during the 2010s, with bands like Accept and Kreator achieving their first number one albums on the German charts.^[86]^[87]

A grassroots punk scene continued in the UK, mainly built around the hub of the annual Rebellion Festival in Blackpool.^[88] The 2010s saw a particular profusion of younger female or female-fronted bands affiliated to the punk scene.^[89]

In northern Europe, especially Sweden, 1980s glam metal had seen something of a revival from acts like Hardcore Superstar, Crazy Lixx, Crashdïet, H.E.A.T, and Reckless Love. Sweden's Sabaton had also been successful, as had the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish.

Ed Sheeran

In eastern Europe, acts like Repetitor, Vizija, Bernays Propaganda, ZAA and Artan Lili become successful with their experimenting in the music.

Folk[]

Folk witnessed a large growth during the early 2010s in the UK. The most widespread British folk musician was Mumford & Sons, who won a 2011 Brit Award for "Best Album" and had enjoyed commercial success in both Europe and North America. Another notable player and winner of "Best British Female" at the 2011 BRIT Awards was Laura Marling. Other successful acts were Ed Sheeran, George Ezra, James Bay, Jake Bugg, Johnny Flynn, Noah and the Whale, Bon Iver, Ben Howard, and Alessi's Ark.