Music News

Reinforcing the amount of star power ahead, five women combine to begin the countdown. The made-on-TV group, formed in 2005 on the MTV reality competition series Making the Band, scored back-to-back No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200 with its first two releases: 2006’s self-titled set and 2008’s Welcome to the Dollhouse. In turn, the quintet – initially comprising Shannon Bex, Aundrea Fimbres, Aubrey O’Day, Dawn Richard and D. Woods – became the first female group to debut at No. 1 with its first two albums. The act scored a Hot 100 top 10-charting hit from each set, reaching No. 8 with “Show Stopper” in 2006 and the No. 10-peaking “Damaged” in 2008. –KEITH CAULFIELD

The early 2000s brought a new wave of women singer-songwriters to Billboard’s charts, following the Lilith Fair era in the 1990s that was headlined by the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Jewel and others. While guitar was a common through line, Carlton made piano especially prominent on her signature hit, “A Thousand Miles,” which traveled to No. 5 on the Hot 100 in 2002. It also topped the Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary charts. Plus, parent album Be Not Nobody likewise reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200, marking her first of four LPs that she logged on the list through 2011. –GARY TRUST

Like many of the early American Idol champions, third-season winner Fantasia began her career in the best possible way, debuting at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with her first single, “I Believe.” The singer’s contemporary R&B production and classic impassioned vocals, best encapsulated with her signature yeaaaahhhh growl, positioned her for steady success. Her debut album, 2004’s Free Yourself, opened at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and yielded three Hot 100 hits: “Truth Is” (No. 21), “Baby Mama” and the title track. Four more top 20 albums and another pair of Hot 100 hits followed, while the Grammy Award winner remains a force on the Adult R&B Airplay chart, with a dozen top 10 hits at the format. –TREVOR ANDERSON

There are only five all-women groups on Billboard’s Top Women Artists of the 21st Century retrospective, and four of them made most of their chart impact in the first decade of the 2000s. That means that Fifth Harmony is the newest such act, having debuted on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in 2013. Its momentum, and faithful fanbase, built over the mid-2010s, reaching a chart apex when “Work From Home,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, and its parent album, 7/27, each hit No. 4. The group’s résumé includes three other top 10 albums and seven more Hot 100 hits, while its legacy extends to its members’ solo projects, including top 10 singles for Camilla Cabello and Normani. –ERIC FRANKENBERG

After debuting on Billboard’s charts in 1985, the band Sade – fronted by Nigerian-British singer-songwriter Sade Adu – continued its hitmaking run into the 2000s. The act’s Lovers Rock was released in 2000 and marked the group’s first studio album since 1992. Then came 2010’s Soldier of Love, which became the ensemble’s second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (after 1986’s Promise) and first to bow atop the list. Sade last released 2011’s best-of set The Ultimate Collection, and last toured that year. When Billboard caught up with Adu in the midst of that trek, the possibility of another tour was seemingly the last thing on her mind. “I have absolutely no idea what the future holds,” she said. “It’s a miracle to me we are here now. I just know I will look back on it and feel good.” –K.C.

A constant for Charli XCX has been reinvention. She broke into the mainstream via memorable guest appearances on Icona Pop’s “I Love It” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” the latter of which spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 2014. She soon returned to the top 10 with her own pure-pop single “Boom Clap.” Over the last decade, she built a reputation for releasing boundary-pushing albums to critical acclaim – but it was last year’s Brat that sent her to new highs. The set reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in June, becoming her highest-charting LP, and marked one of the year’s defining albums. Six of the collection’s tracks charted on the Hot 100, including collaborations with Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande and Lorde, solidifying Charli XCX as one of pop and dance music’s most influential voices. –XANDER ZELLNER

Freshly freed from professional misfortunes that centered on a bankruptcy filing and lawsuit against her record label, Toni Braxton swept into the new century with a new contract and new sounds. What didn’t change, however, were her results. Teaming with producer Darkchild, the diva’s first offering of 2000, the saucy “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” shot to No. 2 on the Hot 100 and extended the run of form that put Braxton among the most successful singers of the 1990s. While the track marked Braxton’s biggest singles highlight of the era, the hitmaker landed nine new albums on the Billboard 200 over 2000-20, displaying her range through works of contemporary tunes (Pulse and Libra, for example), holiday fare (Snowflakes) and vintage R&B with her self-described “musical husband,” Babyface (Love, Marriage and Divorce). –T.A.

Lee’s status as one of Billboard’s 100 top-performing women in the 21st century dates to 1944, when she was born, fittingly during Christmastime. After making charts from the late ‘50s through the early ‘90s – and logging three Hot 100 No. 1s among 13 top 10s in the ‘60s – the 2000s have amplified her legacy, largely thanks to her 1958 holiday classic, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” In December 2023, sparked by robust streaming counts, it hit No. 1 at last. Of recording the gift that keeps on giving, she recalled, “The producer cut the air way down in the studio. He had a big Christmas tree and everyone was there – the Anita Kerr Singers and the ‘A-team’ [of Nashville studio musicians], as we called them. It was like a little touch of magic kind of sprinkled in, and it turned out to be magic. It really did.” –G.T.

While the Queen Bee’s initial buzz came through The Notorious B.I.G.’s Junior M.A.F.I.A. crew, the sharp-tongued freestyler and fashion sensation elevated her empire at the turn of the century. Album releases became events, as her three consecutive top 10s on the Billboard 200 in the 2000s decade proved, and hit singles such as “The Jump Off” (featuring Mr. Cheeks) and “No Lighters” found love in the Hot 100’s top 40. The rapper’s real ace, however, was her knack for collaborations with her fellow A-listers. Nabbing 50 Cent for “Magic Stick” earned the pair a No. 2 hit in 2003; Kim and Missy Elliott hopped on Keyshia Cole’s “Let It Go” for a No. 7 smash in 2007; and she linked with Christina Aguilera on “Can’t Hold Us Down” to get to No. 12 in 2003. Ah, and we should mention that other Aguilera team-up, also with P!nk and Myá, the seismic 2001 “Lady Marmalade” cover that ruled the Hot 100 for five weeks. –T.A.

Alt/rock in the 2000s found a leading woman in Hayley Williams, vocalist for Paramore. The Tennessee-based band thrived on charts even after mostly ditching pop-punk in favor of forays into new wave, post-punk and more. Among its four Billboard 200 top 10s, the group reigned in 2013 with its self-titled set. Meanwhile, nearly seven years after initially cracking the Hot 100 with breakthrough hit “Misery Business,” Paramore reached the top 10 for the first time with “Ain’t It Fun,” in 2014. Eight years after that, the band crossed off another honor, ruling Alternative Airplay for the first time with “This Is Why.” –KEVIN RUTHERFORD

Rexha has conquered Billboard’s charts both as a writer and recording artist, spanning a variety of genres. She co-penned Eminem’s Rihanna-featuring “The Monster,” which topped the Hot 100 for four weeks in 2013-14. She has written five top 10s, also boasting artist credit on the other four, including her and Florida George Line’s “Meant To Be” – which dominated Hot Country Songs for a record 50 weeks in 2017-18. “I never thought that I’d have a pop/country crossover song,” she said in 2018. “That just goes to show you that all the best things are unexpected. My thing is going with feel and not creating any boundaries for myself.” –G.T.

Having arrived on Billboard’s charts in 1998, the silky-voiced Myá launched her sophomore era two years later and notched the best commercial stretch of her career. The classic confrontation anthem “Case of the Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do)” climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 2000, as parent LP Fear of Flying reached the top 20 on the Billboard 200 and spent a year on the chart. Myá soon bettered her runner-up status and captured the Hot 100’s top spot for five weeks in 2001 via a Grammy-winning cover of “Lady Marmalade,” with Christina Aguilera, P!nk and Lil’ Kim. The momentum fueled Myá to a third top 20 Hot 100 hit, among seven total chart entries during the quarter century, “My Love Is Like…Wo,” which reached No. 13 and helped her Moodring album peak at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. –T.A.

There are few acts as successful as Barbra Streisand, in both the pop consciousness and on Billboard’s rankings, with a deep catalog of hit albums and singles stretching back to her chart debut in 1963. In the first quarter of the 21st century, she logged eight top 10 sets on the Billboard 200, including a trio of No. 1s: Love Is the Answer (2009), Partners (2014) and Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway (2016). Incredibly, she’s the only act with No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, 2000s and ‘10s. Her storied chart career continued into the 2020s, when Release Me 2 debuted at No. 15 in 2021, making her the only woman with new top 20-charting (or even top 40-charting) albums in every decade from the ‘60s through the ‘20s. –K.C.

The Atlanta boom of the 2000s paid huge dividends for Keri Hilson, who started as a songwriter and backing vocalist before becoming the main attraction. Though she cracked the Hot 100 as a featured act on Xzhibit’s “Hey Now (Mean Muggin),” which peaked at No. 93 in 2004, you probably first heard her through her featured role on Timbaland’s “The Way I Are,” which surged to No. 3 in 2007. It set off a prolific stretch, with all of Hilson’s subsequent Hot 100 hits logged through 2011. Among the highlights: “Knock You Down,” featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo (No. 3), the Lil Wayne-assisted “Energy” (No. 15) and the solo cut “Pretty Girl Rock” (No. 24). As her early tracks indicated, the singer’s sunny, smooth vocals often showed up for guest hooks, earning Hilson Hot 100 entries with hip-hop heavy hitters including T.I., Lil Wayne and Nas. –T.A.

Country music legend Reba McEntire, from McAlester, Okla., continued to earn honors in the first quarter of the 21st century, after first hitting Billboard’s charts in 1976. In 2011, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, while in 2018 she received the esteemed Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime of contributions to American culture. She also earned five of her 10 career top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 between 2007 and 2017. In 2011, “Turn on the Radio” topped Hot Country Songs, marking her 24th No. 1, second among women all-time only to Dolly Parton’s 25. Her most recent release, Not That Fancy, hit No. 25 on Top Country Albums in October 2023. –JIM ASKER

Amid recent is R&B dead? handwringing, Summer Walker’s chart standings answer that: nah.

Let’s review. Her debut album, 2019’s Over It, launched at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spent 272 weeks – more than five years – on the chart through the first quarter of the century. Its sequel, 2021’s Still Over It, avoided the sophomore slump by entering at No. 1 and marked the first R&B album by a woman to top the Billboard 200 in five years. More history came on the Hot 100, with the album generating 18 simultaneous hits, tying Walker with Taylor Swift for the most among women in a single week to that point. Given Walker’s limited support in traditional crossover routes, her success may surprise some, but her fanbase’s loyalty and demonstrated track record help prove that R&B is thriving. –T.A.

On her way to winning the 2018 Grammy for best new artist, Alessia Cara completed a six-month march to the Hot 100’s top five with “Here.” Meanwhile, parent album Know It All began its Billboard 200 run in 2015, at its No. 9 high, kicking off a 92-week residence on the ranking. Three more Hot 100 top 10s in 2017 further sparked her triumph on Music’s Biggest Night: “Scars to Your Beautiful” (No. 8), “Stay,” with Zedd (No. 7), and Logic’s “1-800-273-8255” (which helped increase calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline), featuring Cara and Khalid. –E.F.

Branch broke through, at 17, on Billboard’s charts with three enduring pop/rock hits off her 2001 album The Spirit Room: “Everywhere,” “All You Wanted” – her first Hot 100 top 10 – and “Goodbye to You.”  She then reached the top five as the featured vocalist on Santana’s “The Game of Love.” She followed with 2003’s Hotel Paper and a country sojourn as half (with Jessica Harp) of The Wreckers, who crowned Hot Country Songs with “Leave the Pieces” in 2006. She added her own LPs Hopeless Romantic in 2017 and The Trouble With Fever in 2022, the latter a year after a 20th-anniversary rerecording of The Spirit Room. “I had not sat down and actually listened to The Spirit Room in so many years,” Branch mused in 2022. “[It] made me just so proud of what I did at that age.” –G.T.

Fronted by lead vocalist Kimberly Perry, the group from Jackson, Miss., arrived rounded out by siblings Reid (bass, vocals) and Neil (mandolin, vocals). Recognized immediately for Kimberly’s striking vocals and soaring harmonies from the brothers, the threesome crossed over with its sophomore single “If I Die Young,” written solely by Kimberly. It topped Hot Country Songs in 2010 and Adult Contemporary nearly a year later, while spending more than a year on the Hot 100. The group also banked two top five entries on the Billboard 200. Following a transition to pop in 2017, the act announced a hiatus in March 2023. Last month, The Band Perry returned, playing a Valentine’s Day show at the Grand Ole Opry (with family member Johnny Costello stepping in for Neil). –J.A.

While Fleetwood Mac released only two collections of new studio recordings in the first quarter of the 21st century (2003’s Say You Will and 2013’s Extended Play EP), the band continued to profit from the chart fortunes of earlier-released albums and new archival packages – nearly all featuring vocalists Christine McVie (who passed in 2022) and Stevie Nicks. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s classic chart-topping 1977 studio album Rumours spent nearly 500 weeks on the chart in 2000-24. The set found new generations of fans thanks to a Glee episode dedicated to the album in 2011, as well as a gone-viral TikTok in 2020 soundtracked to the album’s “Dreams.” So popular was that clip that it prompted a resurgence for “Dreams” on the Hot 100, where it surged to No. 12 – 43 years after it led the list. Meanwhile, Rumours raced to No. 7 on the Billboard 200 – its first top 10 placement in over 40 years.

When Billboard spoke to Nicks in 2020, she said she was “tinkled pink” by the revival of “Dreams,” sharing, “If the young kids start listening to Fleetwood Mac, start with the first album and just go through them. Sit down and be in it for the long run, and you’ll have the best time.” –K.C.