23 artists with the most appearances on ‘Now That's What I Call Music!’

If one were to guess which former Direction member has appeared on the most Now That's What I Call Music!  CDs, the most common guess would be Harry Styles, right? He’s all over the radio, selling a massive amount of concert tickets and becoming a household name due to his personal life. Well, that’d be a wrong guess. It’s Niall Horan. Yup, a baker’s dozen worth of tracks from the Irishman has been featured, including some with his former boy band.

Doja Cat may seem like a new kid on the block, but she’s put in major work to be among some of the biggest names in music that have been at it twice as long. To date, the “Kiss Me More” singer has seen her name appear on 13 of the Now CDs.

People love to pretend they don’t like Nickelback, but if that band was as hated as people make them out to be, why has Chad Kroeger been on Now albums 13 times? Of course, most of that was as the lead singer of the Canadian rock band, but he’s also done a couple of tracks aside from them.

Dua Lipa feels like someone who danced into the hearts of many recently, but she’s been around long enough to have been on Now 13 different times with songs like "Levitating" and her 2021 collab with Elton John.

Nicki Minaj’s Barbz will be happy to know that throughout her career, she’s had more than a dozen hits on these compilations. Honestly, I thought it would’ve been more, but her career is far from over, so who knows how many she’ll have in a decade or so.

One doesn’t do the Super Bowl Halftime Show without having 16 songs on Now That's What I Call Music!

A dynamic performer and one of the most celebrated artists of the 21st century, Bruno Mars having 16 songs on these albums feels correct.

Lady Gaga has won well over 350 awards, from Oscars to Grammys, but she should also be proud of having over 15 songs included on these albums that act as the foundation of what's what in music.

Seventeen may just be Mr. Worldwide’s lucky number, as that’s how many of his songs have been on thus far.

Beyoncé falling somewhat in the middle of the pack in this group of artists doesn’t seem right until one realizes that she’s not an artist who continuously churns out music. She takes her time to let the fans marinate (and endlessly wait for the visuals). If you know, you know.

Pink is one of those artists that feels like they've been around forever, which is a great thing for those who love her radio-ready ballads, most of which have helped her have almost a dozen and a half of her songs featured.

Something was in the water in the 2000s that made The Black Eyed Peas have so many hits. So many that Will.i.am has 18 appearances to his name. Most of these were because of the group that likes to “Pump It,” but a few on his own as well.

It would be criminal if a talent like The Weeknd wasn’t on the radio all the time and featured on 18 separate occasions.

Never underestimate the power of her humps and The Black Eyed Peas.

Even with major controversies, Chris Brown’s impact on popular music is wild. He’s had a handful of his own songs on these records, but most of his appearances come from collaborations with the likes of Kid Ink and Pitbull.

Ariana Grande has always stood out vocally. Just watch any old episode of Victorious on Nickelodeon. So it’s not a shocking revelation that she’s been able to have almost 20 make their way onto the Now albums.

One of the only surprising results in all of this was Selena Gomez. Perhaps that’s because she’s most known for her phenomenal acting, but she has had more of her music featured on these albums than a lot of artists who, many would argue, are bigger in the music industry, so kudos to her!

If there is one thing Britney Spears is gonna do, it’s dance around her home and post it on Instagram. If there’s another thing she’s gonna do, it’s become one of the mainstays of this collection of albums. There is not a moment in her career that is not featured throughout.

Justin Bieber came out strong, dipped a little, but had a bit of a resurgence in recent years. That said, he’s got an impressive 21 tracks and features to his name.

Every generation has that one band that never seems to go away. They just keep releasing music that fares well enough on the radio, and in the 21st century, that band is Maroon 5. Because of that band and his solo efforts, Adam Levine has appeared on more Now albums than other notable Voice coaches like Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, and Christina Aguilera combined

The best boy band is arguable, but the most successful former boy band member? It’s hard to deny that Justin Timberlake would not take that title — at least if it were based on having the most songs on the Now CDs.

The world popped the top on Katy Perry, and like Pringles, the world just could not stop consuming her top-40 wonders like “Roar” and “The One That Got Away" from this dynamo of pop music. 

An artist as massively adored worldwide as Taylor Swift doesn’t just release songs; she drops musical moments. Over two dozen said moments have made Now That's What I Call Music! so much better.