UKMIX Favourite Artists of the Last 20 Years: [#1 - A queen is crowned!]

[JSparksFan]

065 Jazmine Sullivan - 219 pts.

With three top 5 placements, the most of any act in the top 100 thus far, 12-time Grammy-nominated Jazmine Sullivan is clearly one of the forum's favourite R&B songstresses of the new millennium. While she's not ever been a massive mainstream name, she's had consistent moderate success and just as recently as several months ago scored her biggest R&B airplay hit in a decade with the incredibly accessible "Pick Up Your Feelings".

Fan club: Thombus (x1); SholasBoy (#2); Mugen (#5); Rawiri James; Ska8er; spiritboy
Key songs: Bust Your Windows; Need U Bad; Pick Up Your Feelings
Key albums: Fearless; Heaux Tales

064 The Saturdays - 220 pts.

The revised and accurate scoring for the Saturdays see them as the forum's fourth-highest girl group of the new millennium. Girl groups typically have a short shelf life, but the Sats made the most of their seven years together, scoring an impressive 13 UK top 10s and a clean streak of top 40 UK hits. Their punchy hooks have ensured that their music will be enshrined among the best of that late 00s/early 10s Britpop era.

Fan club: Spartan (#3); JeremySpears (#3); jjavier1978 (#9); Ewokguy15; theMathematician; crystalphoenix
Key songs: What About Us; Just Can't Get Enough; Forever Is Over; All Fired Up; Missing You Issues; Disco Love; Up
Key albums: Chasing Lights; Wordshaker; Headlines!

063 Solange - 224 pts.

To be the younger sister of international superstar and legend Beyoncé and still manage to stand apart from her to create and develop a unique sound and image separate from the juggernaut is a move from the Janet Jackson playbook that Solange would masterfully employ, particularly during her 'A Seat at the Table' era. And speaking of 'A Seat at the Table', that landmark album was ranked, in 2012, at no. 312 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all-time list, but even beyond that neo-soul and funk gem of an LP, Solange was hitting major swings with dance-pop and electronic vibes on "Losing You".

Fan club: Ska8er (#8); Jonathan; SholasBoy; likeidogoldlink; Leo; Thombus; Wayne; Thriller; Carbon
Key songs: Cranes in the Sky; Losing You; I Decided
Key albums: A Seat at the Table; When I Get Home

062 Hilary Duff - 224 pts.

With an average score of 37.33, Disney graduate Hilary Duff has the ninth-highest voting average in the top 100. The former Miss Lizzie McGuire is also a prolific actress, successful author, and accomplished businesswoman. Recent photos of the star also have me suspicious that she's got unfettered access to the fountain of youth as she's looking forever 21.

Fan club: Spartan (#3); JeremySpears (#3); jjavier1978 (#9); Ewokguy15; theMathematician; crystalphoenix
Key songs: With Love; Come Clean; So Yesterday; Wake Up
Key albums: Metamorphosis; Hilary Duff

061 JoJo - 231 pts.

JoJo stormed into the industry with that big voice, setting age chart records from her "Leave (Get Out)" debut. The success would continue for era no. 2, but would subsequently be culled, due to record label disputes that went on for years. She eventually founded her own music label and has been able to more consistently release new music. That incredible instrument that's her voice remains in fine fettle, as evidenced by this recent live performance of "Man".

Fan club: Mugen; Loose; Ewokguy15; ludichris; RayRay; JeremySpears; abi; sg1996; bm08
Key songs: Too Little Too Late; Leave (Get Out); Baby It's You; Disaster 
Key albums: JoJo; The High Road

Spoiler!

- Ewokguy15
- JSparksFan
- RayRay
- heppolo
- ludichris
- Rawiri James
- theMathematician
- Thombus
- spiritboy
- Mugen
- AndiIversen
- Loose
- matthew_dixon
- Benny
- spiritboy
- Mickael2013
- stevyy
- Thriller
- Leo
- CrazyCrazy
- likeidogoldlink
- Spartan
- Carbon
- LastDreamer
- CZB
- Metalweb
- vinnie65
- mattsky
- Ivica
- radcl
- menime123
- bm08
- cheapthrills
- Wayne
- RyanS
- camdwntownjohn
- artur
- Tansike
- Jonathan
- Ska8er
- Lemo
- Goldmoney
- sg1996
- Affillate
- abi
- SholasBoy
- jordi_89
- jjavier1978
- JeremySpears
- crystalphoenix
- abidhaq
- Noahh
- InFamous

[Thombus]

I can't at The Saturdays placing ahead of my number one queen Jazmine. Only on UKMix

[bm08]

A solid group here.

Solange is an amazing songwriter, but i havent fully connected to her own songs.

Jojo's recent album is quite good. It's crazy to think about just how long she's been around.

I havent gotten into Jazmine's new album yet, but I did like some of the performances from this era.

[SholasBoy]

The stunning Jazmine was my no.2, she has one of the most emotive voices in music and it really helps tell the story of her songs. She has had a pretty much flawless discography so far. My favourites of hers "If You Dare" "Good Enough" "Dream Big".

Solange also high on my list, no.14. Her Sol-Angel album was an under-appreciated work of excellence with pop bangers like "I Decided" and "Sandcastle Disco" and more subdued numbers like "Wouldve Been The One" and the otherworldly "Cosmic Journey". Then there was the stunning "Losing You" that came a bit later. I honestly didn't really get into the more critically acclaimed material she released after that though.


JoJo and Hilary have both released songs I've enjoyed. The Saturdays songs all sound quite similar to me, but I liked when they went a bit out of their lane on "Gentleman".

[likeidogoldlink]

I love Solange. It's nice that she's ranked quite high.

[ludichris]

The Saturdays were my second favourite girl group of the past 20 years! They have lots of strong singles and underrated album tracks. JoJo was a teenage phenomenon and would have made my list purely on her teen music alone.

[cheapthrills]

Dammit, I forgot about Hillary. I blame Spartan.

[Blondini]

Oh FFS i forgot Solange, too! She did one classic album and some others not so classic.
Better than her sister in general.

Already mentioned but The Sats just missed my 50 but maybe should have snuck in.

[Spartan]

Dammit, I forgot about Hillary. I blame Spartan.

Don’t blame me for your lack of taste.
Hilary and The Saturdays were both very high up on my list and a big part of my teenage/young adult years. Glad Hilary is still relevant and her last album was fantastic, The Saturdays called it quits at a good time but I wouldn’t be amiss to a reunion at some point.

[Carbon]

Jazmine - loved Reality Show, but didn’t really click with anything else so she didn’t chart

Hilary - good teen bops, she seems sweet

Jojo - i like a few of her songs as well

Solange - cool, but her latest album was so difficult, couldn’t get into it

[mattsky]

Don’t tell me I forgot about Solange! Omg I love her music. What a shame!

[Thriller]

The Sats have so many great singles, underrated as a girl group tbh.

Solange is great, manages to do interesting slightly non-commercial music without it being weird.

Jojo had a recent good era and has some early classics. Hilary I probably like 2.5 songs by.

Jazmine’s Love Me Back album was so good, especially Good Enough and Don’t Make Me Wait.

[Mugen]

Jojo went from being in a terrible label situation with Blackground, to releasing a solid comeback album for Atlantic and then switching to Warner and dropping one of the best R&B albums of 2020. Oh, and she re-recorded her old Blackground albums before Taylor did. She deserves to be high up on this list.

[JSparksFan]

060 John Legend - 232 pts.

R&B/neo-soul icon and Arthur lookalike John Legend had early beginnings that foreshadowed academic success and musical greatness. He skipped two grades, learned to play the piano at age four, graduated salutatorian of his high school class and earned admission to Harvard (eventually opting to attend the University of Pennsylvania), met Lauryn Hill through a college friend and played piano on "Everything Is Everything", and built a bona fide, somewhat underground, pre-"All of Me" fame, career with his rich, soulful voice and simple but powerful gospel-tinged ballads. He's one of only 16 EGOT winners, the only Black man and the second-youngest of that elite award-winning group. People Magazine's sexiest man alive in 2019, John Legend is very much the complete package and kudos to Chrissy Teigen on snatching him up before any of us had a chance to.

Fan club: Thombus (#5); radcl (#10); Leo (#10); Rawiri James; SholasBoy; Andilversen; spiritboy; abidhaq; sg1996
Key songs: All of Me; Ordinary People; Green Light; Love Me Now
Key albums: Get Lifted; Once Again; Love in the Future

059 Adam Lambert - 236 pts.

The son Freddie Mercury never had, when the fabulously flamboyant Adam Lambert lost the American Idol crown in 2009, his 'Glambert' fan base knew that his talent was sufficient to take him beyond the conservative bubble of the competition show and he stormed out the gate in true rock star fashion with his 'For Your Entertainment' era. 12 years before Lil Nas X would ruffle conservatives' feathers with "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", Adam's 2009 AMA performance of "For Your Entertainment" would tick off the Parents Television Council for essentially being a queer male equivalent to what heterosexual musicians have done onstage on a routine basis for many years prior and since. His career peak, interestingly enough, would actually be the stripped down, pop-rock, P!nk-penned, digestible-to-middle-America "Whataya Want from Me". Beyond his solo ventures, Adam's also served as Queen frontman on several tours, even scoring a UK #1 album with the live 'Live Around the World' LP. More recently, Adam made headlines for his cover of Cher's "Believe" at the Kennedy Center Honours, where he reminded those who'd forgotten that he's one of the best male vocalists in the industry.

Fan club: sg1996 (#6); Mickael2013 (#10); abidhaq; JSparksFan; Affillate; vinnie65; Andilversen; Leo; ludichris; FreakyFlyBry; bm08
Key songs: Whataya Want from Me; If I Had You; For Your Entertainment; Never Close Our Eyes
Key albums: For Your Entertainment; Trespassing; The Original High

058 Arctic Monkeys - 239 pts.

With six consecutive UK #1 albums, the first independent-label band to reach the milestone, Arctic Monkeys have had a lengthy and successful career as one of Europe's top indie rock acts of the new millennium. They're tied with Coldplay for most BRIT album of the year wins and are five-time Grammy award nominees. They've also made several 'greatest of all-time' lists from Rolling Stone and their debut album became the fastest-selling debut album in the UK (again without major label backing - the power of the Internet). What brilliant brainwave inspired the name? Well, apparently, guitarist Jamie Cook "just always wanted to be in a band called Arctic Monkeys". Vice did some fact-checking and it seems that Arctic Monkeys, in reality, aren't anything more than a pipe dream.

Fan club: Ivica (#4); camdwntownjohn; Metalweb; Ewokguy15; Lemo; Thriller; Leo; SholasBoy; Jonathan 
Key songs: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor; When the Sun Goes Down; Brianstorm; Fluorescent Adolescent 
Key albums: Whatever People Say I Am, AM; That's What I'm Not; Favourite Worst Nightmare

057 Carrie Underwood - 247 pts.

Early on during Carrie Underwood's American Idol run, Simon Cowell made a forecast - that she would not only win the show, but that she would go on to sell more records than any previous winner before her...and he was right...if we include domestic/US sales only. While most Idol graduates are lucky to have one and a half semi-successful eras, Carrie Underwood has carved out for herself one of the most enviable careers in country music history. The accolades could fill a phone book - her debut single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only solo country artist to hit #1 on the US Hot 100 in the 2000s, debut album 'Some Hearts' is the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history...as well as the fastest-selling debut album in Nielsen SoundScan history...as well as the best-selling country album since its release in 2005, she has more #1 Country Airplay hits than any other female act, and has the longest streak of US Hot Country Songs top 10 hits at 27. She's also won country music's top honour, Entertainer of the Year, three times, more than any other female artist. Billboard's named her the top female country artist of the 2000s and 2010s, and Rolling Stone has acclaimed her "the female vocalist of her generation of any genre". Not at all bad for a farm girl from Checotah, Oklahoma (population 3,335). From personal experience, I can also vouch for her putting on a damn good show!

Fan club: JSparksFan (#5); mattsky; bm08; abidhaq; FreakyFlyBry; sg1996; Tansike; Leo; ludachris; crystalphoenix
Key songs: Before He Cheats; Blown Away; Cowboy Casanova Inside Your Heaven; Jesus, Take the Wheel; Just a Dream; All-American Girl; So Small; I Told You So
Key albums: Some Hearts; Carnival Ride; Play On; Blown Away

056 Calvin Harris - 248 pts.

Scottish DJ, record producer, songwriter, and 'singer' (let's use this term extremely loosely) has become one of the biggest proponents of EDM and house music of the new millennium. He came out of the gate pretty well, but the singles success he saw with his '18 Months' era was disgusting - each of the album's eight singles reached the UK top 10, breaking a chart record held by Michael Jackson no less. In the titan clash of 21st century DJs, he's on the losing to a certain French DJ still to come.

Fan club: Thriller (#7); Benny; Andilversen; SholasBoy; abidhaq; Goldmoney; Wayne; Affillate; Thombus; FreakyFlyBry
Key songs: Summer; Sweet Nothing; One Kiss; Promises; Feels; Blame; Under Control; I'm Not Alone
Key albums: 18 Months; Ready for the Weekend; Motion

Spoiler!

- Ewokguy15
- JSparksFan
- RayRay
- heppolo
- ludichris
- Rawiri James
- theMathematician
- Thombus
- spiritboy
- Mugen
- AndiIversen
- Loose
- matthew_dixon
- Benny
- spiritboy
- Mickael2013
- stevyy
- Thriller
- Leo
- CrazyCrazy
- likeidogoldlink
- Spartan
- Carbon
- LastDreamer
- CZB
- Metalweb
- vinnie65
- mattsky
- Ivica
- radcl
- menime123
- bm08
- cheapthrills
- Wayne
- RyanS
- camdwntownjohn
- artur
- Tansike
- Jonathan
- Ska8er
- Lemo
- Goldmoney
- sg1996
- Affillate
- abi
- SholasBoy
- jordi_89
- jjavier1978
- JeremySpears
- crystalphoenix
- abidhaq
- Noahh
- InFamous

[jordi_89]

Forgot to vote for Hilary and the Saturdays. Not surprised.
And loved the intro for Adam Lambert.
People voting for a DJ though. He's good at what he does at least.

[Loose]

Voted for JoJo but I forgot to vote for Jazmine Sullivan.

[bm08]

John Legend most be the most boring mainstream artists out today. Ordinary People is a standout in his catalog though.

Carrie Underwood is nothing short of spectacular. So happy she made the cut!

[spiritboy]

From this batch i only like John Legend and Calvin Harris. I thought i voted for Calvin.

[cheapthrills]

All artists I like and none that I voted for

Calvin's had a lot of good music, but nothing that I've obsessed over, other than maybe We Found Love.

Amazing that the two American Idol contestants wound up so close in ranking.

[Spartan]

All artists I like and none that I voted for

Same, all have some good songs.

[Thriller]

Forgot to vote for Hilary and the Saturdays. Not surprised.
And loved the intro for Adam Lambert.
People voting for a DJ though. He's good at what he does at least.

He’s not just a DJ he’s a brilliant producer. Calvin has soundtracked the last 14 years of life, there won’t be anyone who hasn’t heard one of his songs at some point. He’s even shown versatility with his Funk Wav Bounces era and Love Regenerator moniker.

[Thriller]

John - amazing voice, average material on the whole. Ordinary People is great, I liked Preach from 2019.

Adam - super talented and he’s had some good pop music over the years.

Arctics - one of the best British bands, their last era was questionable but they’re responsible for some of the catchiest and cleverest indie music of all time. #27 in my votes.

Carrie - I know like 3 songs, not my style really but I randomly saw her at Glastonbury on the Saturday afternoon and she was cool.

[SholasBoy]

Three of mine there with similar positions.

No.32 Arctic Monkeys - What a debut single it was, so much noise and energy and a band that still release exciting and successful music today.

No.25 John Legend - Certainly one of the best vocalists in R&B today, some of his ballads are a bit overplayed for me, I like it when he switches up the tempo a bit on songs like "Green Light" and "PDA" as well as the Johnny Douglas remix of "Ordinary People".

No.23 Calvin Harris - One of the most consistent producers of the last 15 years. Usually guaranteed a hit and has worked with some of the biggest names in modern music. When "I'm Not Alone" hit no.1, a million other artists tried to replicate it, they all copied that sound. Other favourites of his, "Summer", "Let's Go", "Slide".


The Idols - Carrie I love, I watched her season and wanted her to win. Her first era is the most memorable for me, probably for that reason. Lambert I've never really got into.

[ludichris]

Adam Lambert is a tremendous vocalist and by far one of the best of his generation. He stole my attention with If I Had You in 2010 and 10 years later he is still impressing me with songs like Overglow.

[jordi_89]

He’s not just a DJ he’s a brilliant producer. Calvin has soundtracked the last 14 years of life, there won’t be anyone who hasn’t heard one of his songs at some point. He’s even shown versatility with his Funk Wav Bounces era and Love Regenerator moniker.

I know but I wouldn't have included DJs & producers on a singers (& rappers) list, even if a lot of people do.

He's done some amazing songs that I love though, no complaint about it.