There was no shortage of new music, groundbreaking tours, or chart-setting records made in 2023. Whether it was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour breaking a Guinness World Record, a Travis Scott concert being mistaken for an earthquake, or a rock album from global favorite Dolly Parton, the year was a memorable one.
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After much deliberation on who were the biggest artists of the year, American Songwriter shares our top 25 artists of 2023. Read below to see why each artist made the list and be sure to catch them on tour next year.
[Travis Scott Is on Tour –> Get Tickets Here]
25. Laufey
If you’re looking for a dose of something classic, try Laufey’s music on for size. Her ethereal jazz-pop album, Bewitched, couldn’t have a more apt name. Listening to her twinkling, hypnotizing musicality feels like being stuck in a dream–a captive situation you’ll happily submit to for as long as possible.
The 2023 release marked her second studio album and a step up in her career. She scored her first entry on the Billboard 200 with Bewitched– the first of many to come, we anticipate. –– Alex Hopper
24. Mitski
The queen of sad girl music has been having a pretty good year. Mitski released her recent album, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, on September 15, with a tour planned for 2024, and has found chart success through social media and with niche groups of sad artsy girlies, as is her market. The new album feels like a culmination of Mitski’s previous work, a cohesive project that shows off how much she’s evolved since her 2012 debut Lush, which was self-released as her junior year project at SUNY Purchase.
“This is my most American album,” Mitski has said of The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We. She has a vague Midwestern American vibe that swirls around this album like a twister, calling to mind dogs running through fields, wild horses, and blood-orange sunsets There’s an abundance of love on this album as well, like bushels of wheat after a good harvest.
Opening on the ethereal “Bug Like an Angel” (Did you go and make promises you can’t keep? / Well, when you break them they break you right back) and closing on the short and sweet self-love ode “I Love Me After You” (Streets are mine / the night is mine / all my own / how I love me after you / king of all the land / I’m king of all the land), in between Mitski creates wounds in one breath and heals them in another. Life is love, and love is the land, and the land is inhospitable. But, so are we. — Lauren Boisvert
23. Tyler Childers
This year marked another pivotal chapter in Tyler Childers’ ever-evolving career. The acclaimed singer/songwriter spent much of 2023 on the road in support of Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, his country and gospel project from the previous year. After months of selling out venues across the U.S. and beyond, Childers surprised fans with a brand-new record.
His sixth studio album, Rustin’ In the Rain, is a treasure trove of powerful story songs and captivating covers. The LP’s lead single, “In Your Love,” was accompanied by a stirring music video that follows the secret relationship of two male coal miners. The emotional short film echoed the song’s poetic theming but also served as a timely statement of acceptance from the Kentucky native. — Lorie Liebig
22. The Beatles
Have you heard about the upstart British boy band The Beatles that recently topped the U.K. singles chart with their new song, “Now and Then?” Seriously though, for a group that’s been broken for more than 50 years, and whose two surviving members—Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr—are both in their 80s, the Fab Four’s enduring success and popularity are truly impressive.
The creation of “Now and Then” spans more than 40 years, beginning with a cassette demo that John Lennon recorded in his home at the Dakota building in New York during the late 1970s. In the 1990s, surviving Beatles McCartney, Starr, and George Harrison reunited to try to finish the song for The Beatles Anthology compilation series, but the track was shelved because of issues with the audio quality of Lennon’s vocals.
Fast forward to the 2020s: Thanks to technology developed by director Peter Jackson’s creative team for use in The Beatles: Get Back docuseries, Lennon’s vocals were able to be lifted cleanly from the “Now and Then” demo. McCartney and Starr then returned to the studio to record additional parts, which, along with a new string arrangement, were added to the track to complete it.
“Now and Then” was released on November 2 and quickly shot to the top of the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart, while debuting at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also in November, expanded 50th-anniversary editions of The Beatles’ 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 compilations, aka “The Red Album” and “The Blue Album,” were released, with “Now and Then” among the tracks added to the latter anthology.
McCartney and Starr also worked together on a couple of other high-profile recording projects that were released in 2023. McCartney wrote a song called “Feeling the Sunlight” for Starr’s latest EP, Rewind Forward, and contributed vocals and bass to the track, and the two Beatles buddies also are featured on a new version of the Fab Four classic “Let It Be” that Dolly Parton recorded for her Rockstar album. If that wasn’t enough, McCartney played bass on a new Rolling Stones song, “Bite My Head Off,” that appeared on that band’s new album, Hackney Diamonds. — Matt Friedlander
21. Hozier
It’s been over a decade since Irish singer/songwriter Hozier first charmed listeners with his anthemic hit “Take Me to Church,” but 2023 marked his most successful year yet. His stunning third album, Unreal Unearth, arrived in August to widespread and much-deserved acclaim.
The project finds the 33-year-old songsmith expanding upon his previous work’s mystical, enchanting soundscapes. Crafted during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hozier found inspiration from Dante’s Inferno, along with the passion and pain that emerges from devastating heartbreak.
His insightful and poetic style of lyricism, brought to life through rich and engulfing vocals, has made Hozier a global phenomenon. Following a year filled with sold-out performances, a stellar collaboration with Noah Kahan, and a No. 1 album, few artists will enter 2024 with as much to celebrate as Hozier. — Lorie Liebig
20. boygenius
The future is bright for this supergroup trio. Not only do they stand for female empowerment, friendship, and musical talent, but boygenius are prolific, already releasing three records in their short handful of years together, including two albums this year—the trio’s debut studio LP, The Record, and the follow-up EP, The Rest.
Comprised of standout solo artists in their own right, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, boygenius landed in the cultural zeitgeist in 2018 with their debut self-titled EP. Since then, they’ve shined on stages for Saturday Night Live and garnered multiple Grammy nominations. If anyone is worried about the future of music, don’t be, boygenius has it under control.
For an example of the trio of friends’ talent, look no further than the track, “Cool About It,” from The Record. The songs display expert harmonies, lyrical prowess, and a sense of friendship and togetherness that more thrown-together groups could never touch. — Jake Uitti
19. Macklemore
It’s rare for any artist to have a Diamond-certified song. Even rarer to release two. But that’s exactly what Macklemore boasts, along with his longtime collaborator, producer Ryan Lewis. But the Seattle-born rapper is not just a two-hit wonder. His solo albums—Gemini (2017) and Ben (2023)—include massive hits like “Glorious” and “Chant,” the latter of which appeared on his solo record released this year.
As a lyricist, Macklemore walks a fine line between sentimentality and constructive statement. But no matter what words are dripping from his tongue, the songwriter is unafraid to explicate his feelings, how his heart feels, and what he hopes for the future. A businessman, too, Macklemore is a staple in the Pacific Northwest, a co-owner of Seattle’s hockey team and other local franchises.
But all of that success is rooted in his hits. On Ben, Macklemore recruited iconic hip-hop producer DJ Premier and up-and-comer Tones and I. This range of guest appearances is a testament to his love of music history and his knack for keeping an ear out for new talent. A recent American Songwriter cover star, Mack is a bright light in rap. — Jake Uitti
18. Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa’s star has been on a steady rise since the release of her 2020 album, Future Nostalgia. Her retro-tinged, club-ready musicality has produced countless hits. Her most recent is “Dance The Night.” The Barbie soundtrack offering was released this year to great appeal. The song could find a comfortable home on any of Lipa’s records but shines particularly bright against the backdrop of the lauded film. With that song alone, Lipa has amassed a Golden Globe nomination and a Grammy nod. We have no doubt there is more where those came from. – Alex Hopper
17. Lana Del Rey
It feels like Lana Del Rey keeps getting better and better as the years pass. She’s recently been nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for her latest offering Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. This album deftly blends Del Rey’s iconic breathy, ethereal sound with more sophisticated lyricism, as she seems to have grown beyond the youthful Lolita-cherry-sadness of her earlier albums and moved into a space that holds a darker, grown-up, melancholy yearning.
There are still elements of the old Lana that have stayed, and this isn’t to say there’s a clear shift from young Lana to current Lana. But, it seems that, after the release of her poetry book in 2020, her lyrics took on a subtle new artistry as well. It’s in simple lines like Don’t forget me / Like the tunnel under Ocean Boulevard, or It’s not about having someone to love me anymore / This is the experience of being an American whore.
Her lyrics have always seemed to match her whispery, sultry voice, but the youthful abandon of her earlier work has been stripped away to reveal the raw nerves of Del Rey’s adulthood. On early tracks like “Gods and Monsters” and “Born to Die,” there was a hint of warning. Now, she seems to have settled into her womanhood, leaving the girl of her debut work behind and found a poetic voice to match. — Lauren Boisvert
16. Dolly Parton
There’s likely never been a time in Dolly Parton’s career where she hasn’t been considered a top artist in the field, and 2023 is no different. Everything Parton touches turns to gold, whether it’s her debut rock album or her performance at the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Halftime Show.
Fresh off her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, Parton dropped Rockstar, proving that she is the only one with the magnitude to compel nearly every living rockstar to appear on the album including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, and Steven Tyler. Parton’s charming wit and undeniably brilliant songwriting made for another golden year—and we’re all better for it. — Cillea Houghton
15. U2
Everything comes full circle. For U2, the band’s seventh album, Achtung Baby, resurfaced in one of the most spectacular, spherical settings. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1991 album, the band regrouped in Las Vegas, Nevada in September 2023 for a four-month residency. That residency has since been extended through February 2024 at the newly opened Sphere at The Venetian Resort.
Set on a turntable-shaped stage, inspired by an earlier design by the band’s longtime producer and collaborator Brian Eno, U2 has played through the entirety of Achtung Baby. The visual and sensory show is the first of its kind, surrounding the band and the crowd with walls of LED imagery within the interior of the Sphere, powered by 160,000 speakers and more than 260 million video pixels.
Earlier in 2023, U2 also commemorated the band’s more than four decades together by reimagining 40 of their songs on Songs of Surrender. Helmed by Bono and The Edge, the collection stripped back the majority of the songs to their barest form with nothing more than acoustic guitar and piano, along with some refreshes to lyrics.
A day before U2 kicked off their residency at Sphere in late September, the band also released a new song, “Atomic City.” Produced by Jacknife Lee and Steve Lillywhite, “Atomic City” is a magnetic ode to the burgeoning Vegas during its 1950s entertainment and tourism boom. The video for the song brought the band back to the Vegas streets, on Freemont, where they filmed the video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” in 1987, and offers a fragment of what’s to come with a forthcoming album from the band in 2024. —Tina Benitez-Eves
14. The Rolling Stones
You can’t always get what you want, but if what you wanted was for The Rolling Stones to release a great new studio album in 2023, well, you got that. September saw the arrival of Hackney Diamonds, The Stones’ first new collection of original songs in more than 18 years. The 12-track album not only received generally great reviews, it was also a commercial success, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and becoming the British band’s 14th chart-topper in their U.K. homeland.
Hackney Diamonds featured a set of songs that reflected many of the various musical styles that the band had explored over the course of its 60-plus-year career, from hard rock to pop to country to blues to soul. The album also included guest appearances by several noteworthy artists, among them Paul McCartney, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, and former Stones bassist Bill Wyman. In addition, the album boasted two tracks featuring longtime Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who died in August 2021 at age 80.
The Stones celebrated Hackney Diamonds’ release in October at a surprise, invite-only club show in New York City where they gave four songs from the album their live debut. For the finale, Lady Gaga joined Mick Jagger and the boys for a soulful rendition of the tune she recorded for Hackney Diamonds, “Sweet Sounds of Summer.”
Meanwhile, Hackney Diamonds’ lead single, “Angry,” was nominated for a 2024 Grammy in the Best Rock Song category. The Stones also have announced plans to support the album on a 2024 North American tour that runs from April to July. — Matt Friedlander
13. Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo proved why she’s one of the brightest young acts in pop music in 2023. Still riding high from the massive achievements of her debut hit “Drivers License” and subsequent debut album Sour in 2021, Rodrigo continued to build a global audience with her relatable and clever songwriting on her sophomore album, Guts. From the feisty “get him back!” to the achingly self-aware “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” Rodrigo’s wildly successful year points to an even brighter future — Cillea Houghton
12. Jelly Roll
Few country artists are having as big a year as Jelly Roll. He started the year with his first No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and is going into 2024 with a pair of Grammy nominations. January saw Jelly Roll get his first No. 1 on country radio with “Son of a Sinner” from Ballads of the Broken (2021). The chart-topper set the tone for the rest of the year. “Need a Favor” from his debut country album, Whitsitt Chapel, brought him his second No. 1 on country radio followed by his third chart-topper, “Save Me” featuring Lainey Wilson.
However, 2023 brought Jelly Roll more than chart success. His Backroad Baptism Tour saw him selling out arenas and amphitheaters for the first time in his career. Additionally, he won several major genre awards. First, he won Male Video of the Year, Breakthrough Male Video of the Year, and CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year at the CMT Music Awards. Then, he won four awards at the inaugural fan-voted People’s Choice Country Awards. Those wins included Male Artist of 2023. More recently, and more impressively, he took home New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards.
Just days after winning his first CMA Award, Jelly Roll received two Grammy nominations. He’s up for Best New Artist and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Save Me.” More importantly, the former rapper has found acceptance within the country music community. Artists and fans alike are embracing the humble heavily-tattooed singer/songwriter. — Clayton Edwards
11. Lainey Wilson
Lainey Wilson’s 2023 was one for the books. The singer launched and wrapped her first-ever sold-out headlining shows in March. She’d follow suit with her debut arena show in July in the midst of joining HARDY and Luke Combs on two separate treks. By November, she was crowned CMA Entertainer of the Year, as well as took home four other trophies including Female Vocalist of the Year.
Wilson’s success is a testament to her work ethic. A road warrior, she spent the majority of the year on tour bringing her music to the masses. Bell Bottom Country, released in 2022, was a mainstay on the airwaves with “Heart Like a Truck” and “Watermelon Moonshine” both reaching No. 1 on the country charts in 2023. Her collaborations “wait in the truck” with HARDY and “Save Me” with Jelly Roll also hit the peak position. American Songwriter’s August digital cover artist, Wilson proved that hard work, authenticity, and relatable songwriting are the ticket to success. — Annie Reuter
10. SZA
In the R&B space, few artists hold a candle to SZA. Her sonic vocabulary is completely her own. Even the familiar facets of the genre feel completely original in her hands. SZA is as distinctive and singular as they come, from her unique vocals to her not-easily-forgotten melodies.
Taking one look at the 2024 Grammy nominees will tell you just how stellar of a year SZA has had. Her latest album, SOS, was a doozy. She leads the nominees, having secured nine nods for the project. –– Alex Hopper
9. Bad Bunny
Within six years of releasing his first charting single, “Krippy Kush,” which peaked at No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, Bad Bunny has become one of the most-streamed, chart-topping artists.
Bad Bunny’s fourth album, Un Verano Sin Ti, released in 2022, became the top Billboard 200 album of the year after going to No. 1 where it remained for 13 weeks. Featuring collaborations with the Marias, Jhayco, and Chencho Corleone, the album also made history as the first non-English album to top the 200 chart and the first Spanish-language album to pick up a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.
Along with being named one of the Most Influential People in the World by TIME, and joining Taylor Swift as the highest-paid entertainer in 2023, Bad Bunny was also Spotify’s most-streamed artist of the year in 2020 and 2021. He wrapped up his successful year by hosting Saturday Night Live and also served as its musical guest. —Tina Benitez-Eves
8. Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran barely slowed down this year, delivering two studio albums of new material to fans. His acoustic-driven sixth record, Subtract, arrived in May and immediately soared to No. 1 in over a dozen countries. The National’s Aaron Dessner served as producer on the project, which spawned the No. 1 single “Eyes Closed.”
Sheeran and Dessner joined forces again for his surprise follow-up project, Autumn Variations. The intimate and reflective album, which dropped in September, is fittingly themed around the life changes that accompany the arrival of the fall season.
Somehow, between the creation and release of two LPs and spending time with his wife and two young daughters, Sheeran spent much of 2023 on the road. The Subtract Tour stretched across six months and took the English-born talent to arenas across the U.S., Canada, and more. In just 12 months, Sheeran has accomplished more creative feats than many artists do in a lifetime—and has shared no intentions of slowing down in 2024. — Lorie Liebig
7. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus started the year off with a bang when she shared “Flowers” in January. It smashed streaming records, including being the most-streamed song in a week during its first and second week on Spotify, and was the fastest song to reach one billion streams on the platform.
She continued to build on this record-breaking success by showing us that the joy of summer never has to end with the release of her chart-topping album Endless Summer Vacation in March. The album is filled with bangers that continue to prove Cyrus to be one of the sharpest and savviest songwriters in the game. For the past 15 years, Cyrus has been a force in pop music, and she only continued to defend that title in 2023. — Cillea Houghton
6. Morgan Wallen
Morgan Wallen is nothing if not prolific. In 2023, just two years after releasing his Dangerous double album, he came back with yet another double. One Thing at a Time was the juggernaut of juggernauts this year, not just on the country charts, but as the top-selling album in any genre. Single after single crossed over, with “Last Night” breaking all kinds of records by standing atop the charts for close to
four months.
Perhaps it’s not too surprising, as Wallen’s big-tent approach to music, one which will see him work with the hottest pop producers on one song and then drop a killer country weeper the next, aims to draw in as many listeners as possible. Well, considering the results, 2023 was mission accomplished for Wallen. —Jim Beviglia
5. The Weeknd
This year was one of breaking records for The Weeknd. Even though The Weeknd didn’t release a new album, following Dawn FM in 2022, he still earned his seventh No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023 with a song he originally released on his 2016 album Starboy, “Die For You,” featuring Ariana Grande. With its more than six-year journey to the top, the song broke the record for the longest climb to No. 1 for a non-holiday song.
Earlier in 2023, The Weeknd’s groundbreaking streaming numbers earned him the title of the World’s Most Popular Artist by Guinness World Records after becoming the first artist in Spotify history to reach 100 million monthly listeners (with 111.4 million as of March 2023). While breaking multiple records—and co-creating and starring in the short-lived HBO series The Idol—The Weeknd’s sold-out After Hours Til Dawn Tour also generated more than $350 million in gross sales by July 2023. —Tina Benitez-Eves
4. Travis Scott
Travis Scott’s 2023 was a record breaking year. The rapper’s fourth album Utopia spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. At the time of its release in July, Utopia had the best first-week sales of an album released by a hip-hop artist this year. He’d go on to surpass 75 million monthly listeners on Spotify, marking the most monthly listeners for a rapper on the streaming service. The LP also earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Rap Album category.
The rapper’s successes only continued with a tour announcement and an album release show at Circus Maximus in Rome, Italy. The high-energy performance was so disruptive with fans jumping that locals mistook the concert for an earthquake. At the time, seismologist Giovanni Diaferia insisted the show was equal to a 1.3 magnitude earthquake. Suffice it to say, Scott’s banner year was seismic. — Annie Reuter
3. Shakira
This year marked yet another major achievement for the iconic Colombian artist Shakira. Many saw her on the MTV stages, shaking her famous hips and spreading her signature joy as she won the coveted 2023 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Truly, the South American singer boasts decades of wows in videos for songs like “Hips Don’t Like” and “Whenever, Wherever.”
Like a fine bottle from the Casa Grajales winery, Shakira seems to only get better with age, adding depth and robustness to her already eye-opening sonic flavors. This year, too, Shakira released the single “Shakira: Bzrpo Music Sessions, Vol 53,” which hit No. 1 in 16 counties and broke Spotify and YouTube records. She also featured on newcomer Karol G’s hit single, “TQG,” which hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. But these are just more trophies to add to the glorious collection of accomplishments of one of the most recognizable performers on Earth. — Jake Uitti
2. Drake
The Canadian rapper manages to draw attention even when he’s not doing much in the way of releasing music or touring. Needless to say, when Drake is as active as he was this year, he maintains a pretty powerful hold on both his deep fan base and casual observers alike.
The main attraction was the October release of his eighth studio album. For All the Dogs, featuring a lead single in “Slime You Out” with SZA that topped the charts. The deluxe edition of the album added even more good stuff to an album that already clocked in at 23 songs. There were also a few other surprise single drops and collaborations, out-of-nowhere podcast appearances, controversies and beefs (this is Drake after all) and a tour that was one of the most successful of any this year. Will he slow down in ’24? Even if he does, you probably won’t be able to look away. —Jim Beviglia
1. Taylor Swift
2023 is Taylor Swift’s year. No one could convince us of the contrary. Swift’s star somehow got even brighter this year. We didn’t think she had any room left to grow, but she proved us wrong. She has long been able to boast of being one of the biggest artists in the world, but 2023 turned that musing into an indisputable fact.
[RELATED: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Breaks Guinness World Record]
From her Eras Tour to the accompanying movie and her various re-recordings, no other artist has been as front and center as Swift has been this year. She’s not just a part of pop culture, she is the epicenter. –– Alex Hopper
(Photo Credits: Dolly Parton photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images for ABA; Jelly Roll photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for iHeartRadio; Taylor Swift photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; Bad Bunny photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
