Justin Bieber, the Weeknd, Avril Lavigne amongst Canadians on Billboard's greatest of the 21st century lists
Drake, Michael Bublé, Carly Rae Jepsen, more also included in the breakdown of the past 25 years
Billboard launched its "Greatest of All Time" series in late 2024, crowning Beyoncé as the greatest pop star of the 21st century on a list that also included Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Drake and Lady Gaga. They've continued their rankings into the new year, releasing three new lists: the top artists (based on sales), the top Billboard 200 albums, and the top Billboard Hot 100 songs of the 21st century so far.
The lists were calculated based on performance on the respective Billboard charts from January 2000 to December 2024.
The Weeknd, Drake and Justin Bieber take up ample real estate on each list, and they're joined by a handful of other Canadian hitmakers.
Nickelback has the highest ranking Canadian album on the Billboard 200 albums list, with 2005's All the Right Reasons at number nine. 2001's Silver Side Up and 2008's Dark Horse also appear lower down on the list. The hit single from Silver Side Up, "How You Remind Me," is their only song on the Hot 100 songs list at number 24.
Drake is the Canadian with the most albums on the top 200 albums list (Views, Scorpion, Certified Lover Boy, Take Care, More Life, If You're Reading This It's Too Late) while the Weeknd has the most singles on the top Hot 100 songs list ("Blinding Lights," "Save Your Tears," "The Hills"), including the top song. In 2021, "Blinding Lights" became the first song to remain on the Billboard top 10 for a full year, and by 2023 had become the most-streamed song on Spotify. It's no wonder it grabbed the number one spot on the top songs of the 21st century list.
Much of Bieber's chart success is thanks to his guest features. His 2021 collab with the Kid Laroi, "Stay," is at number 3 on the top songs list and his assist on the Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee reggaeton hit "Despacito" is at number 19. His only solo single on the list, "Love Yourself," comes in at number 92. Its accompanying album, 2015's Purpose, is at number 132 of the top albums list, while his 2010 breakout album My World 2.0 sits at 59.
Other Canadians include pop punk royalty Avril Lavigne, whose debut album Let Go has kept up its momentum for the past 24 years, sitting at 47 on the albums list. Carly Rae Jepsen's inescapable 2012 hit, "Call Me Maybe" ranks at number 25 on the top Hot 100 songs list, while the reigning king of Christmas, Michael Bublé, has the second highest ranking Canadian album, thanks to his 2011 album Christmas. The gift that keeps on giving comes in at number 13.
And although none of his albums or singles nabbed a spot on the chart lists, pop's resident sad boy Shawn Mendes is at number 91 on the top artists list.
See the full lists on Billboard's website.