Top 10 Pop Artists Who Reinvented Their Sound
#10: Bruno Mars
Top 10 Best Bruno Mars Performances
They’re amazing just the way they are, but the best artists always strive for more. After debuting with a straightforward pop sound, Bruno Mars expanded on several retro genres starting with his 2012 album “Unorthodox Jukebox.” Borrowing elements of disco and soul, it paved the way for his feature on the 2014 megahit “Uptown Funk.” Never one to rest on his laurels, Mars then explored 90s R&B and new jack swing on his album “24K Magic,” and took it back to the 70s as one half of Silk Sonic. While he easily could have faded into a sea of Jason Derulos and Ne-Yos, his willingness to keep opening new doors has kept him relevant long after his initial peers.
#9: Harry Styles
Top 10 Best Harry Styles Music Videos
You know it’s not the same as it was. Despite being the fan favorite of One Direction, few could have predicted Harry Styles’ solo efforts to be taken seriously — and that they would be mostly successful. Rather than continuing the teen pop of his boy band days, Styles’ 2017 solo debut “Sign of the Times” paid homage to rock legends like David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. Not only was he able to maintain his fanbase, he even won over the Rolling Stone crowd. Styles has since dabbled in several genres, including soft rock, Britpop, folk, and R&B. Going solo takes more than doing the same thing minus your bandmates, and with a last name like Styles, we should have seen it coming.
#8: Christina Aguilera
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From ballads to bops, Xtina’s voice has proven beautiful in every single way. While Christina Aguilera’s debut album capitalized on the teen pop boom, she would soon go through more evolutions than a Pokémon. First there was her coming-of-age album “Stripped,” where she branched out in every possible direction. Seriously, name a genre and it’s probably on there. Aguilera continued the genre-hopping on “Back to Basics,” while adding a classic Hollywood sheen of jazz and soul. She then attempted Gaga-esque electropop on the cult classic “Bionic,” and has since dabbled in trap, Latin, and disco. No matter how well it’s received, Aguilera is always committed to trying something different. Never can, never will, can’t hold her down!
#7: Miley Cyrus
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Our next artist always takes a wrecking ball to our expectations. First foreshadowing her reinventions by living a double life on “Hannah Montana,” Miley Cyrus has bounced from one era to the next without looking back. Most notably, she shed her pure pop beginnings with the blockbuster album “Bangerz,” taking on a controversial hip-hop sound. But rather than dwelling on her newfound niche, she took a hard left into psychedelic territory on “Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Pets.” After the unlikely experiment, she scaled things back for a soft country pop sound with “Younger Now” before settling on a classic rock homage. Though Cyrus’ “Plastic Hearts” was an exciting start to the 2020s, “Endless Summer Vacation” and the lead single “Flowers” bode well for 2023.
#6: Janet Jackson
Top 10 Best Janet Jackson Music Videos
Throughout her four-decade career, Miss Jackson has given us no shortage of nasty grooves across the soundscape. After releasing two so-so albums as a teen in the early 80s, Janet broke away from her dadager to become a legend. The result, 1986’s “Control,” was an early adopter of the new jack swing genre before its follow-up, “Rhythm Nation 1814” went full-throttle with the innovative sound, adding layers of rock and industrial over a social justice message. Janet’s music continued growing more political, personal, and provocative with each release, namely in 1997’s “The Velvet Rope.” Arguably more so than her brother, Janet always danced to the beat of her own drum, setting daring trends and never shying away from tough topics.
#5: Gwen Stefani
Top 10 Best Gwen Stefani Songs
A few times she’s been around that track, but you’ll never get the same sound back-to-back. Gwen Stefani’s 2004 solo debut threw many for a loop, most notably Courtney Love, who called the former frontwoman of No Doubt a “cheerleader.” And while not everyone was a fan of the ska singer’s transition into a peppy pop star, the move was undoubtedly creative. Stefani certainly challenged her old fans with songs like “Hollaback Girl,” but thankfully allowed her tried and true heartfelt songwriting to shine through on tracks such as “Cool.” The punchy sass of her No Doubt material also translated to her solo projects, going deeper on her signature feminist themes in “What You Waiting For?” Now isn’t that sweet?
#4: Cher
Top 10 Best Cher Songs
She might not have been able to turn back time, but she always stayed ahead of it. Cher’s musical trajectory has had numerous twists and turns, rising to fame as one half of a pop duo with then-husband Sonny Bono as well as a solo artist. Following the pair’s mid 70s divorce, she re-emerged in the 80s with a film career and a new rock sound. Although her career briefly dried up in the mid 90s due to health issues, Cher once again proved there was life after love with the smash dance-pop hit “Believe.” With or without a man by her side, the forecast on Cher’s longevity has stayed sunny side up.
#3: Taylor Swift
All of Taylor Swift's Collaboration Songs: RANKED
From acoustic to synthpop, she never goes out of style. Taylor Swift didn’t wait for her country star to fade before trying new things: following the success of the pop songs off her “Red” album in 2012, she went full-blown pure pop on “1989” at the risk of alienating her old fans. Not only did the Swifties stay loyal as she shook off her old sound, but she gained many, many more. Each Taylor album since has had such a distinct vibe, like the quarantine cottagecore of “Folklore,” that her sold-out Eras Tour is celebrating them all. Whereas some artists cling to the sound of their heyday, she knows the art of reinvention all too well.
#2: Madonna
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Is there a barrier, boundary, or borderline she hasn’t broken? Throughout her four-decade-plus career, Madonna has earned her place as the Queen of Pop — among many other things. After spending the 1980s as a dance-pop diva, her artistic ambitions soared at the end of the decade. Touching on gospel with the haunting “Like a Prayer,” every album since has had an entirely different flavor. “Erotica” had house and “Bedtime Stories” saw softer ballads, while “Ray of Light” was a spiritual experience. Madonna has also returned to her roots between experimental projects, with 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor” becoming her pure pop masterpiece after some had counted her out. Given how quickly Madonna evolves, it’s best not to get too hung up on one album.
#1: David Bowie
David Bowie - The Story & the Songs
Male artists aren’t usually under as much pressure to reinvent themselves compared to their female counterparts. That said, David Bowie still went above and beyond to push his limits even when it wasn’t required of him. Besides gliding from glam rock to new wave and more with ease throughout the 70s and 80s, he crafted a handful of alter egos, each with their own otherworldly concept and unique sound. While his Ziggy Stardust persona was reliably glamorous and over-the-top, he would revise the Major Tom character over the years. Bowie kept shapeshifting all the way to his final days, releasing the jazzy album “Blackstar” in 2016 shortly before his death. A once-in-a-lifetime talent, his constant creativity spawned a whole league of rock-and-roll heroes.
