Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star of 2017: Ed Sheeran
(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 Ed Sheeran was our Greatest Pop Star of 2017 — with our ’17 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.)
As the 2010s progressed, sensitive dudes with guitars were in increasingly short supply at the mainstream’s highest levels. But by the end of 2016, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran had already headlined arenas around the world, sold nearly 20 million albums worldwide, co-written a No. 1 hit for fellow megastar Justin Bieber, and won a pair of Grammys — all while still mostly looking and sounding like the troubadour who could’ve played your local coffee house last week. And after a year-long hiatus and social media break, the affable bloke that few saw coming as an international superstar managed to take his career to an even bigger — and practically untouchable — level, with his massively successful ÷ (Divide) set.
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Sheeran began his triumphant return by redefining the single release method, making history by dropping two singles at once — the nostalgic rock jam “Castle on the Hill” and the xylophone-accented, hook-heavy banger “Shape of You” — that both debuted in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 (at No. 6 and No. 1, respectively). “Shape” in particular represented Sheeran’s most dead-center aim at radio thus far — and was originally written with Rihanna in mind, showing just how natural Sheeran’s drift towards pop had been, while still maintaining his own singer-songwriter identity. It would ultimately become his first No. 1 on the Hot 100 as a performer, reigning for 12 total weeks.
Though the impressive chart run was later bested by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” (which had a record-tying 16 week run at No. 1), “Shape Of You” served as a reminder that top 40-core pop was still relevant in a year that was otherwise largely dominated by hip-hop. As indicated by the songs that sandwiched and interrupted the “Shape” 12-week run — Migos and Lil Uzi Vert’s “Bad and Boujee,” Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane’s “Black Beatles,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” and Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” — R&B/hip-hop was 2017’s biggest genre, representing 24.5 percent of all music consumption in the U.S.
Yet, “Shape Of You” was the most-heard song on radio in 2017, according to Nielsen Music, and broke the record for the longest run in the top 10 of the Hot 100 at 33 weeks. In addition to airwave domination, the “Shape Of You” video quickly became a YouTube juggernaut — the boxing-focused clip reached 1 billion views just 97 days after its February release, a feat that furthered the song’s Hot 100 success and made it even more ubiquitous. (It also dethroned Drake’s “One Dance” that September as the then-most streamed song in Spotify history.) In an age where radio hits and streaming hits were becoming more stratified than ever, “Shape” simply ruled across all formats, becoming one of the most unavoidable smashes of the entire decade.
While “Shape Of You” was the centerpiece of Sheeran’s 2017 domination, ÷ as a whole was no sleeper. Following the album’s March 3 release, all 12 of its tracks debuted on the Hot 100, along with the deluxe cut “Barcelona.” The set topped the Billboard 200 for its first two weeks, then remained in the top 20 for the rest of the year. What’s more, it became one of just two albums to sell 1 million copies in the U.S. in 2017, alongside Taylor Swift’s Reputation. Swift and Sheeran’s friendship has been adored by Swifties and Sheerios alike since the two teamed up for Swift’s Red track “Everything Has Changed” in 2012, but Sheeran’s achievements in 2017 proved that he wasn’t just a peer of the pop princess — he was her male equivalent.
With the explosive response to his third album came an elevation in touring — not only did he play arenas throughout the world in 2017, but when he came back the next year, it was for an international stadium tour marking his biggest series of shows to date. While fans might have expected Sheeran to scale up his live act to match his new pop success, he instead went the other direction — playing the biggest venues in the world with nothing but his own guitar for accompaniment, which he would loop to simulate the effect of a full band. Fans didn’t seem to mind the stripped-down setup: Sheeran played to sold-out crowds on the tour from 2018 well into 2019, setting a multitude of touring records in the process.
Sheeran closed out 2017 as Nielsen Music’s top artist, also scoring another No. 1 hit — ÷ wedding ballad “Perfect” topped the Hot 100 for six weeks, starting at the end of the year, thanks in part to a remix featuring Beyoncé. While he’s remained a major factor in global pop in the years since, Sheeran’s runaway success in 2017 solidified his position in the top 40 stratosphere, a singer-songwriter who conquered the world with a guitar and a looper pedal.
Honorable Mention: Kendrick Lamar (DAMN., “Humble,” “DNA”), Bruno Mars (“That’s What I Like,” “Versace on the Floor,” 24K Magic World Tour), Taylor Swift (Reputation, “Look What You Made Me Do,” “…Ready For It?”)
Rookie of the Year: Cardi B
As men dominated the charts and the airwaves in 2017, Cardi B didn’t just break through — she made history. Her brash, empowering debut single “Bodak Yellow” made the Bronx native the second female MC to top the Billboard Hot 100 unassisted, ruling the chart for three weeks straight that October, and turning the social media and reality TV star into a hip-hop household name. She later claimed her own throne as the first female MC to send her first three Hot 100 entries to the top 10, with Migos/Nicki Minaj team-up “Motorsport” and G-Eazy collab “No Limit.” Cardi ended 2017 with a pair of Grammy nods for “Bodak” and follow-up solo single “Bartier Cardi,” which debuted at No. 14 on the Hot 100 and set the stage for a monumental 2018.
Comeback of the Year: Kesha
In the midst of an emotional, ongoing legal battle with former producer and mentor Dr. Luke, Kesha made a triumphant return to music with the stunning “Praying.” Though the song didn’t quite match the Hot 100 success of her Animal days, the impassioned ballad hit No. 22 and liberated the embattled singer, as she wrote in a letter about the song, “If you feel like someone has wronged you, get rid of that hate, because it will just create more negativity.” The further result of that revelation was the stunning LP Rainbow, which toned down her party-girl persona for a more empowered (but still glitter-drenched) version of the quirky lyricism she established with “Tik Tok” in 2009, landing her second No. 1 on the Billboard 200. While “Praying” was an important moment for Kesha personally, the anthem proved particularly timely in American society, arriving months before the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements took hold in the culture.
(Read on to our Greatest Pop Star of 2018 here, or head back to the full list here.)
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