Have you wondered who are the top five most popular singers in America in 2016?

Well, you are not alone. Fierce discussions arise when such a small list is the expected result but that is what makes it interesting anyway. In such discussions about music and more so in America, some household names in the American music industry will always pop-up for sure.

The billion-dollar industry is projected to generate an income of 15.5 billion dollars this year. This did not come up in a day as the industry has experienced tremendous developments from the ancient times of native American music to the hip-hop culture today.

Since my childhood days, I was brought up to learn that the musical streets of America never sleep, always a beehive of activities making music. Record labels that are the hallmark of the industry cannot be mentioned to exhaustion but Universal music group and Simon Cowell's Sony music entertainment cannot be left out as they enjoy a market share beyond America.

Main sources of income for the most popular singers include live concerts, digital albums, LP albums, CDs and others.

First things first, let's all agree that it is difficult to rank the artists as they have individual unique characteristics which bring them to the charts but you cannot disagree with me on the fact that the more popular you are, the more tickets you sell, the more payment you demand for your concerts and the more views you have on your videos in the online market. That said,popularity can be taken to be a factor of income generated, tickets sold, albums sold, You Tube views and ranking in top billboard charts. This year couldn't have been any better for my top five artists of 2016 with no specific order.

Beyonce

After the launch of her most successful tours duped "The formation world tour". The top ranking all-stadium worldwide tour amazed the world with tickets selling out in minutes. How famous can one get?



The North American tour sold a whopping one million tickets for her concert. It never ends there as the tour has been nominated in tour of the year category of the AMA awards this year. Moreover, her latest album "Lemonade" that was the center of her worldwide campaign has been nominated for the album of the year category among other nominations.

Rihanna

The "work" hitmaker has rocked the airwaves for yet another year. Since her umbrella breakthrough, she remains a household name in America and the world as far as music is concerned. The lead single "work" in her latest album "Anti" was her fourteenth number one single on the American's Billboard Hot 100.

The album is set to face stiff competition from Beyonce's "Lemonade".



She is undoubtedly the most decorated young and female artist of all time with 8 Grammy and AMA awards, 12 billboard music awards and two BRIT awards. Besides her music capability, she is also popular for her beauty on and off stage. Critics have labeled her the sexiest lady of her generatiomHer erotic performances are worth their price and never leaves her fans disappointed.

Aubrey "Drake" Graham

The thirty-year-old Canadian rapper and singer-songwriter who signed up to Lil Wayne's label Young money several years ago has had one of his best years in his career. His most commercially successful album "views" had several singles remaining top of the charts for weeks which is no mean feat given the kind of talent evident in America.



The top-rated artist seems to have loyal You Tube fans with hotline bling hitting slightly over one billion views. He also seems to be getting even better with collaborations; the Rihanna ft Drake "work" sitting slightly shy of one billion views on You Tube. Similarly, his other lead single in the album "one dance" is set to surpass the former with already receiving several nominations in this year's AMA awards.

The Chainsmokers

The new kids in the block! The American duo of DJs Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall is not new to the American music industry but no one is having a better year 2016 than the two. After series of great releases ranging from their entrant single "selfie" that ranked number sixteen in the billboard hot 100, they finally got it right with their new singles "roses" and "don't let me down" ranking top in the billboard hot 100.



It only gets better as "closer" ranks top on the same charts. Their controversial life seems to be just but a stepping stone to their popularity as despite the nasty stories doing rounds they still secured spots in the 2016 AMA nominees as new artists of the year, a collaboration of the year and favorite group of the year categories.

Justin Drew Bieber

The young artist who was born in London, Ontario and brought up by a single mother had an unprecedented way to stardom. After emerging second in a local singing competition in Stratford, his mother proudly posted a recorded performance not knowing that was her kid's path to destiny.



It was here that his talent was discovered by Scooter Braun who introduced him to music to become the artist he is currently. His latest album "purpose" is a record smasher making him the Guinness book of records holder for the youngest male artist to debut at the top spot charts and as if not enough, three of the singles in the album ranked first in the American billboards an achievement last seen a decade ago.

It is these 2015 top songs that still rule the airwaves this year and make him popular coupled with his latest releases on the same album such as the company that continues to rank top of the charts. The album has already sold 4.5 million copies globally this year. The numbers speak out loud, the album has received nominations in several categories in this year's AMA and I am waiting to see how many awards the album will scoop. Your guess is as right as mine records shall be smashed once more.

I cannot emphasize more on the fact that there are more talents out there beyond the scope of this article. Your favorite artist may have been left out and I would be glad to learn of your artist having a better year than the five. Drop your comments below with your favorite artist and why you think that he is among the top five most popular singers in America in 2016.