There is no debate that Taylor Swift is the most influential artist and one of the most influential people of this decade. Not only is she one of the biggest-selling female recording artists of all time, her music relates to so many. Swift has been singing since she was young; she released her hit album Debut when she was only 16 years old and has not slowed down since. This past year Taylor has been touring around the world with the Eras Tour. The New York Times article “How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Conquered The World” states, “Swift’s catalog of generation-defining hits and canny marketing sense have helped her achieve a level of white-hot demand and media saturation not seen since the 1980s heyday of Michael Jackson and Madonna.” Just being in a sentence with these two legends, let alone being compared to them, shows Swift’s iconicness. 

Swift’s influence spans beyond music. Swift is also very public about her political views. She has endorsed Kamala Harris. On Instagram, she stated that Harris was a better fit for leader by saying, “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.” Despite criticism, she doesn’t let outside voices sway her views or stance. Additionally, it’s important to note, although Swift endorses one candidate, she did not try to influence her followers to do the same. She used her platform to urge them to go out and vote. 

Swift is an artist, performer, activist, and icon. Taylor Swift IS the most influential artist of our time.

Sabrina Carpenter is a multifaceted artist, having both a successful singing and acting career. Sabrina started posting videos of herself singing at the age of ten, and just one year later she began her acting career. Her first television role was in Law & Order: SVU, but she quickly graduated to film, starting in movies like Tall Girl and Adventures in Babysitting. 

Carpenter also had a thriving singing and acting career with Disney, winning the Radio Disney Music Award for Best Crush Song in 2015 and Best Anthem in 2016, before moving out as a solo artist. Ironically enough, it was her touring with Swift that may have opened doors and fame for her in the music industry. 

After dropping her more mature sound in 2022 with Emails I Can’t Send, Carpenter’s fame and influence skyrocketed with 2023’s Short n’ Sweet, which included “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” “Espresso” won her the MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Year in 2024 and the Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Viral Song in 2024. The song also stayed number one on the charts for eight weeks, and was crowned by Billboard as the 2024 song of summer. 

Although she is new on the music scene, music heavily influences people, and Sabrina Carpenter is one of the most influential artists of our generation. To many people, her music is art, and it deserves to be recognized in the hall of fame of music forever – giving her icon status. 

Billie Eilish is one of, if not the most, influential artists to become popular in today’s day in age. Eilish, an American singer and songwriter, first gained recognition when her single song “Ocean Eyes” came out in 2015 on SoundCloud and blew up, especially after people knew that she was just 13 years old. In 2020, she became the youngest person ever to win a Grammy for her first album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, and by 2023, won both the Grammy and Oscar for the song “What Was I Made For?” created for Barbie. 

And her legacy just keeps going. But, by far, her most important and most influential album that has ever been released was Hit Me Hard and Soft. This hit 2024 album changed everybody’s view on her, as she spoke out about many different problems and things that she had in her life. Through this,  many listeners felt that they could put themselves in her shoes, and understand what life is like for her outside of her fortune and fame. This album has affected many people, including myself, in their everyday lives. Hit Me Hard And Soft has everything: songs that can be used to hype and party to, while also being a very emotional and heartfelt album.

Eilish has truly changed the music industry as it is today, as well as in the foreseeable future. Her music defies the popularized pop sound of female artists her age, bringing a sadness to her work that is very unique. Since the drop of Hit Me Hard and Soft, she is arguably more impactful than Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter. Billie Eilish is THE icon.