In 2011, Rolling Stone launched the first popularity index across 16 MPG's at the time, ultimately naming Gaga the winner.

Now 15+ years later in 2026, where does each stand now in the current pop landscape?

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/introducing-the-queen-of-pop-66301/

Gaga still THEE Queen of Pop

I always forget that Taylor was sort of a MPG before she was even a pop girl Obviously she's had the biggest success since this, but Gaga being voted for that title feels accurate and correct

Only 2 of the 16 have retired. That's actually a really good stat!

Interesting that the main faces of the 21st century are already on display. What has changed at the very top since than. Ariana (2013), Billie (2017) and Olivia (2021) joined. What else? Maybe a little bit of Cardi B, SZA, Sabrina Carpenter. It's lonely at the top.

Madonna will never let go of that title.

All I know is that Madonna was the Queen of Pop in 2011 and still is in 2026

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/readers-poll-the-queen-of-pop-19952/1-madonna-58257/

To say that Madonna won this poll in a landslide would be like saying that she was a kind of popular pop singer in the 1980s. It wouldn't even begin to explain the scope of the situation. She received five times as many votes as Lady Gaga, who landed in second place by a very comfortable margin.

Madonna, Britney & Taylor.

Katy Perry is still top 5 on Global Spotify 16 years later. Has 7 diamond hits and a diamond album. Several hits charting simultaneously. 91M monthly listeners. Last tour grossed $140M. Teenage Dream is one of the most streamed albums daily for the past year or so.

YES!!!

Taylor, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Gaga would remain in 2026's list. Maybe Adele too but she is a wildcard, I guess we'll have to see how 38 performs. Shakira remains very relevant too, she has ups and downs but is never the top dog, yet the longevity speaks for itself.

Then Britney is a retired legend. Pink and Katy became legacy artists. A few faces are forgotten.

I wonder how it'd look if they made it today. I guess we would keep Tay, Bey, Rih, Gaga, Adele and Shakira. And then add in Ariana, Billie, Olivia, Sabrina, SZA and Dua I guess. Maybe Tate, Charli and Chappell too.

Edited September 5Sep 5 by Incandescent Glow

7 minutes ago, Vixen Eyes said:

Madonna will never let go of that title.

In my view is not a question of Madonna letting go of the title!

It's simply part of pop history and how she's been known across the World for 4 decades.

Gaga has been and always will be the new Queen of Pop. She is better than Madonna in everything except sales

ok

Adele - MIA for years, might return in triumph, might flop horribly - we just don't know!

Christina Aguilera - career dead and buried

Beyoncé - waning a bit commercially, still capable of dominating the cultural conversation

Kelly Clarkson - pop career fairly stagnant now but still a big name in entertainment

Miley Cyrus - as mercurial as ever, long past her commercial peak but on her own path and capable of big surprises

Kesha - not a mainstream pop force after years of legal misery but finding her way as an independent as a fun and individual artist

Lady Gaga - will never quite recapture the power of her early hits but still a major player

Nicki Minaj - increasingly embarrassing

Katy Perry - less embarrassing

P!nk - trapeze artist

Rihanna - living off of a remarkable legacy, sideline as a smurf whisperer

Robyn - never much a commercial force but still incredibly influential and popping up from time to time with more good work

Shakira - extraordinarily successful for someone who's been around for 30 years, have spent the last month wondering if she'd get another uk #1

Britney Spears - a cautionary tale more than anything but still as big an icon as any of the more current stars

Taylor Swift - possibly just over the crest of it now, possibly not, but the most extraordinary pop career of our lifetimes

Carrie Underwood - on the way down, MAGA

2 minutes ago, narid said:

In my view is not a question of Madonna letting go of the title!

It's simply part of pop history and how she's been known across the World for 4 decades.

People trying to rewrite history to include their fave will always fail.

MJ is known as the king of pop, Madonna as the queen, Britney as the princess and that cannot change. They're the blueprints.

2 minutes ago, MonsterFandom said:

Gaga has been and always will be the new Queen of Pop. She is better than Madonna in everything except sales

Gaga is actually better than no one! Not Beyonce, not Taylor, not Rihanna, and definitely not Madonna.

Madonna is not the Queen of Pop because of 'sales' alone, but because of impact. And Gaga hasn't touched 10% of Madonna's impact, and never will.

18 minutes ago, Chartman said:

Interesting that the main faces of the 21st century are already on display. What has changed at the very top since than. Ariana (2013), Billie (2017) and Olivia (2021) joined. What else? Maybe a little bit of Cardi B, SZA, Sabrina Carpenter. It's lonely at the top.

Dua Lipa comes to mind

I got something to talk about: it's Sabrina bish!

4 minutes ago, Erreur2 La Nature said:

People trying to rewrite history to include their fave will always fail.

MJ is known as the king of pop, Madonna as the queen, Kylie as the princess and that cannot change. They're the blueprints.

Let me correct it for you

2 minutes ago, narid said:

Gaga is actually better than no one! Not Beyonce, not Taylor, not Rihanna, and definitely not Madonna.

Madonna is not the Queen of Pop because of 'sales' alone, but because of impact. And Gaga hasn't touched 10% of Madonna's impact, and never will.

Ga Ga is good at 10% thing iykyk

I remember RS saying this would be a recurring thing that they revisited to trace the rises and falls of their careers but they never did it again. I guess the backlash for pitting women against each other wasn't worth the engagement baiting.

They should do it once every 20 years, tbh. 20 years is enough time to determine who's still strong enough to eventually become a legend.

Edited September 5Sep 5 by Badgalbriel

2 minutes ago, narid said:

And Gaga hasn't touched 10% of Madonna's impact, and never will.

Gaga's award shelf would like a word. The EGO effortlessly out talents, out acclaims, out respects as an entertainer. In half the time too

8 minutes ago, CherryBay said:

Let me correct it for you

Thanks for proving my point

THE NEW RIHANNA