Pop monarchy

Introduction
The pop monarchy originated as Michael Jackson was firstly crowned the 'King of Pop'. This then led to speculation as to whom would take the position of queen. debit occurred and the majority of pop fans agreed that Madonna is the rightful and deserving Queen.

People then were led to assume that Prince would take the position of the "Prince of Pop", but this was put to rest when Justin entered the picture. Fans of popular music agreed that his name should not define his position, and that Justin was more deserving. Britney was not the only candidate who was considered for the title of Princess. Others such as Christina Agulara and Kylie Minouge were also thought upon.

The titles were based upon the popularity and success of each artist.

King Of Pop - Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958) is an American musician and entertainer. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of eleven as member of The Jackson 5. Jackson later began a solo career in 1972; he became a pop icon and was named the "King of Pop" in subsequent years. Five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling pop records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music in the late 1970s as the first black entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his videos aired on MTV, such as "Beat It" and "Billie Jean", helped bring the relatively young channel to fame; videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson a staple on MTV into the 1990s. He transformed the music video into an art form and a promotional tool as well. Jackson popularized physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, pop, and contemporary R&B artists.

Jackson has donated and raised several hundred million dollars for beneficial causes through his Dangerous World Tour, charity singles and support of thirty-nine charities. However, other aspects of his personal life have generated significant controversies, including his plastic surgery, lightening skin tone due to vitiligo and eccentric behavior that have damaged his public image. He was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, although the matter was settled out of court. In 2005, Jackson was tried and later acquitted of further child molestation allegations and several other charges. He has been the subject of long-term financial difficulties and health concerns.

Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. His awards include eight Guinness World Records, including one for Thriller as the world's best-selling album, thirteen Grammy Awards, thirteen number one singles in his solo career—more than any other artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sale of over 750 million units worldwide. Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, has made him part of popular culture for almost four decades.

Queen Of Pop - Madonna

Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), known artistically as Madonna, is an American pop singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Raised in Detroit, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City for a career in ballet. After performing as member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album in 1983. She rose to success after producing three consecutive number-one studio albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s.

Madonna is well-known for her works that explore religious symbolism and sexual themes. In 1992, she founded an entertainment company, Maverick, whose first publication is a book of erotic photographs (Sex). She also released a studio album (Erotica) and starred in a film (Body of Evidence) with erotic themes. These works generated negative critical publicity, opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, and a fall in commercial sales in the early to mid 1990s compared to her success in the 80s. Nevertheless, she continued to earn considerable chart success with several releases during this perod; albums such as The Immaculate Collection, Erotica, Bedtime Stories and Evita, all achieved multi-platinum sales. Madonna's fortunes were revived in 1998, when the release of her album Ray of Light garnered critical acclaim. She subsequently made four more consecutive number-one studio albums.

Besides her music career, Madonna has acted in 22 films. Although several of them failed critically and commercially, she earned a Golden Globe Award for her role in the 1996 film Evita. Divorced from actor Sean Penn, Madonna is currently married to film director Guy Ritchie. She has two biological children and successfully adopted a Malawian boy, David Banda, in 2008 despite media allegations of violating adoption laws.

Madonna has been critically regarded as "one of the greatest pop acts of all time" and dubbed "The Queen of Pop" by the media. She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female rock artist of the twentieth century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States with 63 million certified albums. Guinness World Records list her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time and the top-earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of over US$400 million, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Prince Of Pop - Justin Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American pop singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as an Emmy Award.

Justin Timberlake came to fame as one of the lead singers of pop boy band 'N Sync, whose launch was financed by Lou Pearlman. In 2002, he released his debut solo album, Justified, which sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. Timberlake's second solo release, FutureSex/LoveSounds, was released in 2006 with the U.S. number-one hit singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". The album also spawned three additional U.S. top twenty hits ("Summer Love", "LoveStoned", and "Until the End of Time") making it the first time a male artist has achieved six top twenty hits from one album since Michael Jackson did so from 1991-1992, with his album Dangerous. As of January 2008, FutureSex/LoveSounds has sold more than 8.6 million copies. With his first two albums, Timberlake has sold more than 18 million records worldwide alone, as well as more than 50 million copies as one of the two lead singers in NSYNC. He has started a record label called Tennman Records and a fashion label, William Rast.

Princess Of Pop - Britney Spears

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television as a contestant on the Star Search program in 1992 and went on to star on the television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993-1994. After a brief membership with the pop musical group Innosense, Spears signed a recording contract with Jive Records, releasing her debut album …Baby One More Time in 1999 which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The success of the album propelled Spears into stardom, establishing her as a pop icon and "bona fide pop phenomenon", credited for influencing the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s.

The title-tract of Spears debut album and its accompanying music video also established her as a international sex symbol, garnering controversy over the influence of her public image on teenage girls. Amidst further media scrutiny, Spears continued her career with three more consecutive number one studio albums; Oops!… I Did It Again (2000), Britney (2001), and In the Zone (2003). Spears subsequently became the first artist in the history of Nielsen SoundScan to have four consecutive albums debut at number one. Spears's personal life began to gain substantial media attention after her marriage to Kevin Federline in 2004. Their marriage ended two years later, resulting in an ongoing custody battle over their first child, born in 2005 and their second child, born in 2006.

Spears is ranked as the eighth best-selling female recording artist in the United States according to the Recording Industry Association of America with 31 million certified albums and one of the worlds best-selling music artists having sold an estimated 83 million records worldwide.

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