20 iconic music moments that defined the 2010s

Beyoncé is the type of artist who excels at being innovative, and other artists seem to follow suit. In 2013, her self-titled album was released on streaming services in the middle of the night without any prior announcements or promotion. Not only did it encourage more artists to have a “surprise drop,” the album also had 17 music videos, making it her first visual album.

Spotify first launched in 2008 in Sweden and gained popularity over the years as it expanded across Europe. In 2011, Spotify launched in the U.S., and it swayed a lot of customers because it had different price tiers, including a free one. To this day, it still remains one of the most popular streaming services.  

At the 2014 Grammy Awards, the category for Best Rap Album was stacked with artists like Drake, Jay-Z, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West. While most believed Lamar would take the win for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, ultimately, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won for The Heist. Macklemore even sent a text to Lamar after the win to tell him he was “robbed.” He shared the message on his Instagram page. 

In 2017, there was no escaping the massive success of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee with their single “Despacito.” The song spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, won a Latin Grammy Award for Song of the Year, and was the most-streamed song of the year.

Lil Nas X came onto the scene in 2019 with his debut single “Old Town Road.” Once the song gained more traction on TikTok, it continued to be a viral success. “Old Town Road” spent 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, became the fastest song to be certified diamond, and the remix alongside Billy Ray Cyrus won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. 

In 2016, music fans suffered numerous losses with the passing of their favorite musicians. At the top of the year, David Bowie died of liver cancer, a condition he didn't make known to the public. A few months later, singer Prince died of an accidental overdose. Bowie and Prince have both been influential to future generations of artists and fans. 

In 2018, Kendrick Lamar became the first rapper to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize. Although other musical works have won in the past, it was typically for classical or jazz music. Lamar received the prestigious award for his album DAMN., which the Pulitzer board deemed a “virtuosic song collection” that captures “the modern African-American life.

There was no escaping K-pop in 2012 when singer Psy dropped his hit song “Gangnam Style.” Thanks to the catchy beat and the fun dance moves, the song and video became a viral sensation. Not only did the video become the first one in YouTube history to reach a billion views, but the song also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Although The Beatles are one of the best-selling bands in music history, they were pretty reluctant to allow their music to be on digital platforms. Not only did the band and their estates believe that the quality of digital music wasn’t up to par, but there were also legal trademark disputes between Apple and the band’s label, Apple Records. The Beatles finally decided to add their music to Apple iTunes in 2010. 

In 2015, the music industry shifted the release days for music from Tuesdays in the U.S. and Mondays in the United Kingdom to a global release day of Fridays. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the change was to combat music being illegally shared online. However, consumers have often expressed that they still prefer Tuesdays as it gives them more time during the week to digest the music.  

Missy took about a seven-year hiatus from releasing her music, but that all changed in 2015 when she dropped her single “WƬF (Where They From).” Produced and co-written by Pharrell Williams, it’s the kind of track that Elliott fans have been missing from her, the energetic track that people want to hear on the dance floor. The song peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

In 2018, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to headline the Coachella festival, and her set was dubbed "Beychella." Throughout her set, Beyoncé celebrated Black culture with different themes of Black history and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). She also brought out a few special guests, such as Jay-Z and her fellow Destiny’s Child group members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. 

Las Vegas has always held concert residencies since the 1940s, with artists like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Over the years, the city has hosted appearances by notable artists such as Cher, Toni Braxton, Donnie and Marie, and Celine Dion. However, in 2013, the success of Britney Spears’ “Piece of Me” residency proved that the city could have more contemporary artists. Since then, artists such as Mariah Carey, Bruno Mars, Calvin Harris, Usher, and Adele have all had residencies in Sin City. 

To compete against other streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Pandora, Jay-Z launched his own platform, Tidal. He deemed it an artist-owned platform. Some of the platform’s co-owners include Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Usher, Kanye West, J. Cole, Rihanna, Madonna, and Chris Martin. 

In 2011, pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen took the radio airwaves by storm when she released her breakthrough single “Call Me Maybe.” The song was especially popular among teenagers and young adults as the lyrics convey someone’s feelings of being infatuated with someone at first sight. The song was a smash and became the best-selling song worldwide in 2012. 

Pharrell Williams made history in 2013 when he released his song “Happy,” which was the theme song for the animated film Despicable Me 2. The song was accompanied by the world’s first-ever 24-hour music video, featuring appearances by celebrities such as Magic Johnson, Issa Rae, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Carell, Tyler, the Creator, and more. “Happy” became the best-selling song of 2014. 

Back in 2017, Fyre Festival was a music festival organized by Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule, promoted by various celebrities and influencers across social media. While attendees were promised a weekend of a luxurious party on an island, when they arrived, they were met with mattresses, disaster relief tents, and cheese sandwiches. It sparked a criminal investigation into McFarland, who was eventually found guilty of wire fraud and sentenced to six years in prison. 

In 2018, Cardi B continued to break multiple records with her debut album Invasion of Privacy. Thanks to her hit singles like “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It,” the album won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making her the first female rapper to win the coveted award as a solo artist. 

Although tensions had been brewing between Drake and Pusha T over the years, they came to a head in 2018 with the release of Pusha's album Daytona. On the album track “Infrared,” Pusha questioned Drake about his use of ghostwriters. Drake then responded with “Duppy Freestyle.” But it was Pusha’s “The Story of Adidon” that escalated the beef to new heights as it revealed that Drake had a son that he was hiding from the public. 

In 2016, Beyoncé had TV viewers buzzing when she joined The Chicks on stage at the Country Music Awards. They performed Bey’s song “Daddy Lessons,” which has a lot of country elements. It was a different sound than what fans were used to hearing from her. While many fans loved seeing the worlds of pop and country collide, there was also criticism from media and audience members who claimed Beyoncé wasn’t country enough.