That’s a loaded headline, I know. And yes, yes, there is only one Taylor Swift, aka T-Swift, aka Tay-Tay, aka T-Swizzle, aka Social Center of Hollywood, age 18-29 category.
But at a time when there’s a lot of great pop music being made by young women who are also talented and open-hearted and plenty deserving of huge success, I can’t help but wonder if anyone else can have even a small shot at rising to Swiftian levels of radio conquering (even if that doesn’t mean touring football stadiums and telling the industry what to do). FYI: The following does not purport to include every female pop artist doing big things right now, just the ones that have struck a chord with me. In no particular order:
More Top Picks Best Rgb Light Bars
Carly Rae Jepsen
Before you make that dismissive face, actually listen to the singer’s new album “Emotion,” which should convert her from “Oh, right, that ‘Call Me Maybe’ person” to “Huge, legit international star.” There are so many should-be-hits on there that it’s crazy; if you can’t be happy/have fun listening to “Run Away with Me,” “I Really Like You” and “Making the Most of the Night” why the devil not?
Halsey
It’s not often that an artist absolutely explodes on the Internet before delivering a full album and actually proves to be the real thing on stage and record. Her debut album, “Badlands,” is dense, catchy and chilling, justifying the hype and making it hard not to imagine how much bigger she can get.
Ryn Weaver
Her debut album, “The Fool,” is wildly underrated and should have caught on a lot more than it did. She’s still growing as a performer, so if that continues and she keeps releasing terrific albums this well-written, she could be someone with real influence.
Kacey Musgraves
Many have said that Musgraves could be Swift if she wanted to, but she doesn’t. If the country star ever decides to go full pop (not likely, especially considering the not-so-veiled reference to Swift’s label Big Machine on Musgraves’ recent album “Pageant Material”), watch out.
JoJo
Two weeks ago you’d forgotten she existed. But the singer is back with a trio of new singles advancing her upcoming, not-yet-titled album. They’re actually quite good and will make you believe in her potential.
Katy Perry
Obviously, she’s already a humongous star. But Taylor Swift is on a higher level, and Perry will have to make a crap-free album containing non-stupid songs to get there.
(For the record, I like this song)
Rihanna
Ditto.
Haim
Fine, this is a band, not a solo artist, but Danielle, Este and Alana Haim’s excellent album “Days Are Gone” has come to mind when listening to a lot of the aforementioned records, and the group proved a savvy choice as an opener for Swift’s recent tour. Haim makes really good songs that get even better live. Don’t tell me they can’t grow to stadium headliners one day.
Beyonce
Just kidding, she’s not looking up to anyone (though Swift is better).
Miley Cyrus
No.
For more music, click here.
More Top Picks School Accommodations For Sensory Processing Disorder
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye’s Facebook page.