Disco revivalists Scissor Sisters ignited dance floors throughout the 2000s after breaking through with their 2002 Grammy-nominated take on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb", initially released as the B-side to their debut single, "Electrobix".

One of Europe's most popular metal outfits, Swedish band Sabaton have spent more than two decades crafting anthemic tales of real-life heroism and military history. Formed in 1999, Sabaton took their name from medieval armor-specifically, the piece that covered a knight's foot.

As a bearded bloke with a great big voice trading under the unabashedly old-fashioned name of Rag 'n' Bone Man, shattered the mould for music stars who broke out of in the 2010s. Then again, he was bound to break something given the power that pours out of him on "Human", his debut single in 2016.

Michael Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 400 million records worldwide. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century.

For Queen, rock was merely a jumping-off point. Packing enough pomp and grandeur to make their name seem understated, they built high-octane pop songs out of parts boosted from classical music, dance music, doo-wop, New Wave, metal and opera.

Formed in Australia, based in the UK, the chart-topping drum 'n' bass group Pendulum is known for incorporating heavy rock elements into their thumping electronic sound. They eventually began producing drum 'n' bass tracks and linked up with DJ Paul "El Hornet" Harding to form a trio.

Blending ska and pop with a distinctly English sense of humour, the band Madness created a "nutty sound" that made them UK superstars in the early '80s. Originally called The North London Invaders, the group changed its name to Madness in reference to a song by the pioneering Jamaican ska musician Prince Buster.

Electronic pioneers who became arena-filling pop titans, Depeche Mode aren't just icons of New Wave; their early years represent the seismic shift that triggered a tsunami of synthesiser-centred acts. When the UK group got their start in 1980.

Formed in London in the mid-'90s, the band debuted with 2000's Parachutes. Seasons have changed—the arty experiments of 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, the electro-rush of 2011's Mylo Xyloto, the eclecticism of 2019's Everyday Life-but the core of their sound has been consistent.

Steam Powered Giraffe are a theatrical steampunk ensemble from San Diego, California. Formed by identical twins David and Isabella "Bunny" Bennett, they incorporate a variety of elements into their act including songs, sketches, pantomime, and improvised dialogue, all based around an elaborate and ever-evolving fictional backstory. Their story began in the theater arts program at Grossmont College where the Bennetts met Erin Burke and Jon Sprague. The quartet began developing their stage personas as quirky, robotic street performers called Peoplebots in early 2008.

It's hard to think of many artists in 21st-century pop who could match the vulnerability of Sam Smith. "I've never shied away from telling the truth in my music", the singer told Apple Music. "Music is literally my best friend; it's a release, a form of diary and therapy". Born in London in 1992 and raised in Cambridge, Smith first gained significant traction in 2012, singing on a pair of dance hits - Disclosure's "Latch", and Naughty Boy's "La La La" the following year. They revealed that elastic falsetto but didn't quite hint at the sadness that would define the outrageous success to come.

In many ways, Will Young is a thoroughly modern pop star. The Wokingham, Berkshire, England, native catapulted to fame in 2002 after winning the music competition TV reality show Pop Idol. Young's double-sided debut single, the soaring ballad "Evergreen" and the simmering R&B cut "Anything Is Possible", promptly smashed UK sales records and topped the singles chart; later, he dabbled in contemporary-sounding electro (2011's sleek "Jealousy") and disco-pop (2019's "My Love"). Yet with his soulful croon and knack for interpretation, Young is also a distinct throwback to an earlier era. His jazzy take on The Doors' "Light My Fire" was an ear...

Dozens of British artists share Adele's origins—BRIT School, Myspace, pop stardom—but it takes rare talent to have your voice declared timeless in your career's first flush. Adele Adkins honed hers as a kid in her North London bedroom, imitating Etta James every night for an hour. But as soon as she made her television debut at age 19 in 2007, all potential comparisons evaporated: This girl with whopping hoop earrings and a pub landlady's brashness had something unique. Heartbreak, indignation, and regret all found a natural home in her regal mezzo-soprano, the instrument that powered her 2008 debut album, 19, and took influence from the ...

With a voice that galvanized Britain and a talent for imbuing ballads and bangers with emotion and power, Leona Lewis is one of the 21st century's leading soul-pop singers. Born in London in 1985, she attended the prestigious BRIT School during her teens, eventually leaving the performing-arts institution to pursue music on her own terms. That led her to the third season of The X Factor, where her passionate audition version of "Over the Rainbow" invigorated the audience and the judges, jump-starting a run on the show that ended with her winning a record deal.

Faith Hill lays her journey to the upper echelons of country music for us at the beginning of her hit 2005 tune "Mississippi Girl": "It's a long way from Star, Mississippi to the big stage I'm singin' on tonight". She's done it with style - Hill's spectacular pipes, coupled with her girl-next-door vibe, turned her into one of the most successful country artists of all time. Born in 1967, Hill dropped out of college at 19 and took off to Nashville, earning her keep selling T-shirts and working as a secretary at a music publishing firm until she was discovered when a coworker overheard her singing to herself.

Ellie Goulding's breakthrough was nothing if not decisive. She rose to stardom in 2010 with her debut album, Lights, which earned the Critics' Choice prize at the Brit Awards and led the BBC's “Sound of…” poll. She's only the second artist to win both in the same year, sharing the honor with none other than Adele. The Hereford, England-born singer started performing and composing as a young girl, influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush, then teamed with Lights producer Starsmith while still a student at the University of Kent.

From his early days playing Chicago house in French discotheques to his long reign atop the pop charts, David Guetta has revolutionized dance music multiple times. Born in Paris in 1967, he began DJing in the late 1980s, when the shimmery sound known as the French touch was taking shape. By the early 2000s, at his Fuck Me I'm Famous parties in Ibiza, he had translated that melodic style into a clever merger of pop sass and club swagger. He parlayed that mix into pure platinum with hits like 2002's "Just a Little More Love" - a sultry bump-and-grind featuring R&B singer Chris Willis - and 2003's "Just for One Day", an energy-stoking rework ...

Whether stepping to the mic or writing for others, Sia Furler has made a seismic impact on modern pop. Born in Adelaide, Australia, in 1975, Furler started out singing in acts there and later in London. Her early solo albums did fine - with 2004's "Breathe Me" memorably scoring the final sequence of HBO's Six Feet Under - but it wasn't until she started penning songs for other artists that her career took off.

James Blunt can seem like the most soft-hearted kind of singer, with his trembling falsetto and lyrics full of yearning. But as you might expect of a star who spent much of his pre-fame life serving in the British army, he's not as easily bruised as he sometimes sounds. Instead, Blunt's proven to be a remarkably hardy and enduring artist in the years since he first bared his soul on "You're Beautiful", a confession of unrequited love that became one of the biggest hits of the 2000s. It was one of many songs on Blunt's 2004 debut, Back to Bedlam, that helped spur a wider shift for British and Irish singer/songwriters away from the more broodin...

A former busker with a self-described hippie streak, singer/songwriter/surfer Jason Mraz has a gift for observations about life's silver linings and effervescent melodies that are a staple of contemporary pop radio and bonfire strum-alongs. Born in Mechanicsville, Virginia, in 1977, Mraz was a natural performer from his early days in school plays and talent shows. In high school, he fell under the sway of the local jam circuit before picking up the guitar himself at 18. Mraz's eternally sunny pop seemed destined for California, so he headed west in 1999 and, after making the rounds of San Diego's coffeehouse scene, secured a weekly gig at Jav...

Combining traditional storytelling skills with a contemporary folk-rock sound, Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald has racked up a string of Top 5 albums in the UK. Raised in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, Macdonald was inspired by Oasis and Scotland's own Travis. She taught herself guitar and began writing songs as a teenager. Her 2007 debut album, this is the Life, topped the UK charts on its way to selling more than a million copies. The single "Mr Rock & Roll" was a Top 20 UK hit.