Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star of 2015: Taylor Swift
(In 2018, the Billboard staff released a list project of its choices for the Greatest Pop Star of every year, going back to 1981. Read our entry below on why Taylor Swift was our Greatest Pop Star of 2015 — with our ’15 Honorable Mention runner-ups, Rookie of the Year and Comeback of the Year pop stars at the bottom — and find the rest of our picks for every year up to present day here.)
While Taylor Swift had certainly dipped more than a toe into the country-free pop realm with various singles from her 2012 album Red, she was very upfront with her fans regarding the full-on stylistic about-face that awaited them with 2014’s 1989. Announcing its release on an August live stream, she referred to her fifth release as her “first documented, official pop album,” working with veterans like Max Martin, Shellback, Ryan Tedder and rising pop whisperer Jack Antonoff on the synth-heavy 13-track LP.
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While the “Shake It Off” video, which dropped immediately after the live stream, was met with some mixed critical takes, the public reaction was immediate: “Shake” shot to No. 1 for four non-consecutive weeks, and as the year rounded out, the critically lauded “Blank Space” — a clever send-up of her public image — sat comfortably atop the Hot 100, where it would remain for the first two weeks of 2015. Slinky follow-up “Style” became yet another top 10 hit for Swift in her soi-disant pop period, followed by a remix of “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar (and a star-studded, explosive video with her friends playing action heroes), which became 1989‘s third No. 1 in June. By the time the wistful ballad “Wildest Dreams” came out as a single in late summer (eventually hitting the top 10), it was clear Swift’s superstardom had reached previously unforeseen heights, expanding her fanbase far beyond the confines of country for good.
Not that 1989 was 2015’s biggest seller – that honor went to Adele’s blockbuster 25, which sold more than double Swift’s LP that year. But in terms of ubiquity, influence and presence, 2015 was the Year of Taylor. Her June 2015 open letter to Apple Music changed the international behemoth’s attitude toward paying royalties to artists during the three-month trial period (Apple changed its policy immediately after her call-to-action, citing her letter as the reason) and her relationship with DJ/producer Calvin Harris was a source of constant Internet gossip in the latter half of the year. Around that time, she also took over the most-followed on Instagram title from Kim Kardashian — in addition to cats aplenty, her account boasted a carefully manicured look inside the life of her ascendant squad of singers, models, actors and influencers.
Personal life aside, when the year wrapped, the music had the last word, with 1989 winning Swift three Grammys, including album of the year, at the 2016 Grammy Awards — marking the second time Swift nabbed the honor. The year’s 1989 World Tour also became her highest-grossing to date (an honor her Reputation Tour would later shatter) with over $250 million earned worldwide. And while the Swift Squad accompanied her offstage, she trotted out an eclectic assortment of cross-generational guests nearly every night on her tour for a series of one-off covers. Whether it was an expected collab (pals Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran and Lorde all joined her on separate nights) or confounding match-ups (Fetty Wap, Beck with St. Vincent, and Pitbull were all also trotted out), every surprise appearance guaranteed Swift headlines and massive social media bursts from the fandom.
When her 1989 era came to a close and Swift once again returned to the shadows (as much as an internationally-recognizable human can) to live her life and create new art, it was obvious the trepidation that was ever so slightly detectable in her 2014 live stream had been unfounded. Not only did longtime fans happily follow her as she brought the synths that characterized the decade of her birth into her sound full force, but onlookers who would profess to liking “one or two songs” in a radio or karaoke context circa Red were suddenly fully on board — making her not simply a household name, but a name everyone in your household had something to say about.
Honorable Mention: Drake (If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, What a Time to Be Alive with Future, “Hotline Bling”), The Weeknd (Beauty Behind the Madness, “Can’t Feel My Face,” “The Hills”), Adele (25, “Hello,” Adele Live in New York City)
Rookie of the Year: Fetty Wap
Anyone who lived through 2015 might be surprised that Fetty Wap didn’t actually top the Hot 100 that year with “Trap Queen.” Although it peaked at No. 2, the inescapable trap anthem had everyone from late night hosts to your grandma quoting the “hey what’s up hello?” intro, whether they understood what the hell “cooking pies” meant or not. The song’s buoyant beat, earnest delivery and hypnotic chorus ensured “Queen” a long shelf life – it took more than a year to hit the Hot 100, but remained there for 52 weeks. Wap’s irresistible personality and knack for pop hookery helped bring follow-ups “679” and “My Way” into the top 10, sent his self-titled debut album to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and set up Fetty as the year’s clear breakout star.
Comeback of the Year: Justin Bieber
While it seems like a foregone conclusion in hindsight, when Justin Bieber returned to music in 2015, his success was far from guaranteed: Historically speaking, not a lot of teen heartthrobs keep netting hits into their 20s, particularly those with Bieber’s declining image and rep. So it was wise that his own soft return piggybacked off another artist: EDM superduo Jack U, with their trendsetting, trop-house-inflected “Where Are U Now.” Bieber’s decision to continue in the same vein on his solo fare paid off in a big way: The pure-voiced crooner’s EDM forays put him at the forefront a burgeoning pop trend, as his own “What Do You Mean” became his first Hot 100 No. 1. The uniformly excellent Purpose would spawn further smashes, confirm Bieber’s marketable appeal among adults and relegate “Baby” to a distant memory.
(Read on to our Greatest Pop Star of 2016 here, or head back to the full list here.)
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