The UK's favourite musicians of all time has a modern winner

The research conducted by Westgate Las Vegas, Elvis Historical Experience, analyzed Google searches globally and by country for Billboard’s top 250 musicians of all time, to establish which artists are the most popular in 2024.

Which musicians are the most popular among Brits?

According to solely British searches, Taylor Swift is the most popular musician, with 1.8 million monthly UK searches. The Anti-Hero hitmaker, who just dropped her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, is also the most popular artist in the US and globally. Fascination for Taylor Swift is at an all-time high, according to Google Trends data amid her headline making relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce. The star is returning to the UK for the Eras tour this summer, indicating searches for her may rise.

This is followed by rapper Eminem, who is searched 718K times across the UK every month – less than half of the searches than Taylor’s top spot. The rapper is the most Googled male musician as well as rapper on the list.

British musicians, Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi take third and fourth place respectively. Ed Sheeran is searched by Brits 627K times every month, whilst Lewis Capaldi is searched 618K times each month – just slightly less than Ed Sheeran.

Celine Dion ranks fifth with 585K searches made each month across the UK. She’s closely followed by Manchester’s own, Harry Styles, who receives 556K Google searches across the UK each month, giving him the sixth highest ranking on the list.

Completing the top ten list are Michael Jackson, who is Googled at a rate of 538K each month in the UK, Ariana Grande with 529K monthly UK searches, Elvis Presley with 522K searches in the UK each month, and Billie Eilish with 470K monthly UK searches.

Commenting on the study, Gordon Prouty said: “Taylor Swift is undoubtedly a phenomenon in the music industry, breaking records and hitting the headlines every day. In 2024, we’ve seen her impact transcend the music industry, with the Super Bowl in Las Vegas this year becoming the most watched sporting event ever, with many thanking Taylor’s appearance for that.

As her record-breaking tour continues internationally this year as well as her new album receiving critical acclaim, 2024 is set to continue to be a huge year for Taylor Swift and her fans.”

The Top 25
1 Taylor Swift
2 Eminem
3 Ed Sheeran
4 Lewis Capaldi
5 Celine Dion
6 Harry Styles
7 Michael Jackson
8 Ariana Grande
9 Elvis Presley
10 Billie Eilish
11 Dua Lipa
12 Madonna
13 Elton John
14 Selena Gomez
15 Olivia Rodrigo
16 Kylie Minogue
17 Adele
18 Beyonce
19 Lana Del Rey
20 Justin Bieber
21 Rihanna
22 Miley Cyrus
23 Drake
24 Bob Marley
25 Nicki Minaj 

The most popular musicians according to global searches

Taylor Swift ranks top with 38.6 million Google searches being made around the world for the pop icon every month. Taylor Swift is also the most Googled artist in every state across America.

K-Pop band BTS comes second with 30.9 million monthly global searches. Almost two million of these searches come from the US for the band responsible for hits such as Dynamite and Butter. Similarly, fellow K-Pop band, BLACKPINK, ranks third with 29.7 million monthly global searches, just shy of the second spot.

Colombian singer Shakira is the fourth most popular artist in the world, with 17.4 million searches being made around the world for the singer every month. Over two million searches are made exclusively in the US for Shakira, making her the eighteenth most popular artist according to Americans alone.

Ranking fifth is Bad Bunny who has 16 million monthly global searches to his name, 4.1 million of these searches coming from the US alone.

Completing the top ten list are Michael Jackson, Eminem, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Celine Dion respectively.  

Which artists are still loved in 2024?

Many of the artists in the top thirty list rose to fame in the 20th Century, however, the oldest performer that still retains mass popularity today is Elvis Presley, with 7.53 million monthly searches made around the world for the King of Rock n Roll. Elvis Presley, who became a household name in the mid-1950’s is the earliest active performer in the global top thirty, ranking twenty third overall. In fact, Elvis Presley is the ninth most Googled musician in the UK overall, and the twenty second most Googled artist in America.

Gordon Prouty, Vice President of Public Relations and Community Affairs at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, where Elvis performed his famous residency at, commented on Elvis’ high ranking and enduring legacy: “Many of Elvis Presley’s songs are considered timeless classics now, which likely contributes to his high ranking in this study. However, the popularity of Elvis Presley can also be largely attributed to the cultural impact that he had in the 1950’s through to the 1970’s. He changed the musical landscape and was the first of his kind to create the celebrity ‘fandom culture’ that we see so often today.

Along with a revival of Elvis portrayals in Hollywood, such as Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis in 2022, and Sofia Coppola’s recent hit, Priscilla, it’s no wonder that Elvis Presley popularity continues to grow through new generations with this study certainly highlighting how Elvis continues to earn his title as The King.”

Besides Elvis Presley, other artists that rose to fame in the 20th Century that continue to remain popular in 2024 are Michael Jackson, who began his solo career in the late 1970s, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Tina Turner, Madonna and Queen.