Leading the pack is Taylor Swift, whose impact on the Billboard charts is unparalleled. In May 2024, she made history by occupying the entire top 14 spots on the Hot 100—an achievement never before seen. This milestone came in the week her album The Tortured Poets Department debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

From Left to Right (Rihanna, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift)

Women artists have consistently set groundbreaking records on Billboard’s charts over the first quarter of the 21st century. Their dominance on the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart has solidified their place among the 100 Top Women Artists of the 21st Century—a prestigious list compiled by Billboard.

From record-breaking album runs to historic chart achievements, female musicians have shaped the industry, proving that “girls ran the world” over the past 25 years.

Leading the pack is Taylor Swift, whose impact on the Billboard charts is unparalleled. In May 2024, she made history by occupying the entire top 14 spots on the Hot 100—an achievement never before seen. This milestone came in the week her album The Tortured Poets Department debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Swift has also secured 14 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, the most by any female artist, tying for the most by a soloist in the chart’s history.

Record-breaking women on Billboard

While Swift continues to redefine success, other female artists have also made their mark:

Mariah Carey became the first artist to top the Hot 100 in four different decades (1990s–2020s) thanks to the enduring popularity of her holiday classic All I Want for Christmas Is You.

Adele’s album 21 ruled the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks in 2011-12, making it the longest No. 1 run for a female artist.

Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream (2010) became the first album by a female artist to produce five No. 1 hits on the Hot 100.

The top 10 rankings are as follows:

Taylor Swift
Rihanna
Beyoncé
Adele
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
P!nk
Ariana Grande
Miley Cyrus
Alicia Keys

Other notable names include Mariah Carey at No. 12, Billie Eilish at No. 16, Britney Spears at No. 14, Jennifer Lopez at 22, Selena Gomez at 30, Sabrina Carpenter at 50, Madonna at 36 and Shakira at 45.

Billboard’s top women artists of the 21st Century

To honour these trailblazing women, Billboard is unveiling the Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century in a special ranking. The list includes soloists, all-female groups, and groups with prominent female vocals.

The rankings are based on performance on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts from January 1, 2000, to December 28, 2024. The countdown will be revealed in segments, 20 artists per day, starting on March 13, leading up to the Women in Music celebration on March 29, 2025, at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California.