Top 10 Music Artists of the Decade

It's the end of another decade and time to pay homage to ten of the top hit makers and groove-shakers of the past ten years. With their multi-platinum records sales, Grammies, music awards, and sold-out tours, these artists made an impact on the radio airwaves with their musical sounds, and unforgettable style. Representing different genres of music, they are the best of the best that the music world has to offer.

10. Carrie Underwood. The youngest of three sisters, Carrie started singing at the age of three in church. She was known as the little girl with the big voice. While in college as a journalist major, her friends convinced her to try out for the American Idol Contest. She drove to St.Louis and made the cut, then heard her name announced as the new American Idol. She recorded her debut album, "Some Hearts," six months after her big Idol win. Her album produced number one hits like, "Jesus, Take The Wheel," and, "Don't Forget To Remember Me." 2006 was a big year for her: she toured with Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley, and won her first CMA Award.

9. Destiny's Child. Started in Houston, Texas, in 1990, Destiny's Child originated as a quartet, with Beyoncé Knowles, Kelandria ¨Kelly¨Rowland, La Tavia Roberson, and La Toya Luckett. Working their way up the Houston music scene, they landed their first recording contract with Columbia Records, ¨Killing Time.¨which was featured in the hit movie, ¨Men In Black.¨ Their first number one song was ¨No, No, No,¨recorded with Wyclef Jean, making them a success in the R&B world. More number one hits followed: "Say My Name," Survivor," and "Bootylicious." Multi-Grammy award winners, they announced in Barcelona, Spain their official break-up. Beyoncé went on to solo success, releasing in 2008, her 3rd studio album, I am...Sasha Fierce,and the song that has become an anthem among then women of today: "Single Ladies, (Put A Ring On It).

8. Taylor Swift. Taylor Alison Swift, Big Machine Recording Artist, and Pennsylvania native, released her first self-titled album at 16 years old, which sold 2.5 million copies. At 17, she received an American Country Music Award for her hit, "Our Song." Moving to Nashville to further her career, she wins a Country Music Television Award in 2008 for Video of the Year. The Academy of Country Music Awards honors her with Top New Female Vocalist of 2008. Her sophomore album, Fearless, tops the Billboard Country Music charts and displays her songwriting skills. The album rested at the number one spot for six weeks. 2009 marked the infamous interruption by Kanye West at the MTV VMA Awards. She swept the 2009 CMA's, earning a coveted 4 awards, one for album of the year, Fearless, and another for Entertainer of the Year, making her the youngest country musician to win CMA's top honor! And, Taylor is just getting started!

7. Rihanna. Robin Rihanna Fenton was born on the Caribbean island of Barbados. Def Jam President Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter noticed her and signed her in one day. The first album she recorded, Music of the Sun, moved up to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She recorded her second album, A Girl Like Me, in 2006, and it churned out two top hits, "S.O.S," and "Unfaithful." She also captures four Billboard Music Awards, one of them being the coveted Female Artist of the Year. Her smash hit "Umbrella" hit the airwaves in 2007, resting at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Rihanna shined at the MTV Video Music Awards going home with two of the top honors: Video of the Year and Monster Single of the Year for her hit "Umbrella." In 2008, Rihanna reached the pinnacle of success--a Grammy Award for "Umbrella." What a meteoric rise!

6. Nickelback. This Canadian band rocked with their single "How You Remind Me,"in 2001, which grabbed them four Grammy nominations. Small-town guy and front man Chad Kroeger perfected his skills and relocated to Vancouver with his bass-playing brother, Mike. In 2003, their album, The Long Road, featured the single, "Someday," and eventually took off selling over five million albums worldwide. 2005's album titled All The Right Reasons, is one of their best productions to date, producing five top 20 singles. Dark Horse was the group's sixth album, released in 2008.

5. Britney Spears. Mickey Mouse Club sensation Britney Spears has come a long way since she was a mouseketeer with Christina Aquilera and Justin Timberlake. The year 2000 marks the release of Oops...I Did it Again! which debuted at the number one position, selling more than a cool million albums in its first week of being released! In 2003, the world witnessed the infamous kiss with Madonna on the MTV Video Music Awards. Her album, In The Zone, gets a Grammy nod for best dance recording and her first win. 2007 is Brit's comeback year with single "Gimme More." Her new album Blackout hits the stores and climbs to number two on the Billboard 200 album chart. In 2008 , Britney continues her comeback, winning three MTV moonmen for: Video of the Year, Best Female Video, and Best Pop Video, all for her smash hit, "Piece of Me." More to come from Brit.

4. Alicia Keys. Her album, Songs In a Minor introduced the multi-talented singer, songwriter,and composer, to the world in 2001. Her smash hit single "Fallin' " sold over 50,000 copies in the first day of its release. Ten million copies of her debut album were sold world-wide. She was the reigning star of the 2002 Grammies, winning five Grammy Awards in a single night, including Song of the Year for "Fallin,' " Best R & B Album, and Best New Artist. She proved she has the magic touch, as her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, debuted at number one in its' first week of release in 2003. She went home with four Grammies in 2005, including Best R & B album for Diary of Alicia Keys. The magic continues with album, As I Am, in 2007, hitting number one in its first week, again! Her hit song, "No One," won her two more Grammies!

3. Beyoncé. Hailing from Houston, Texas, mega-star Beyoncé is an entertainer for all time. She got her start in 1998 with her first release titled, ¨No, No, No,¨ with Wyclef Jean. Her second album, Writing´s on the Wall, climbed to number six on the Billboard charts. A change of line-up occurs with her girl group, Destiny's Child, in 2000, and the movie "Charlie's Angels" got a hit theme song, "Independent Woman, Part I." Her first Grammy came in 2001 for her song, "Say My Name," which she co-wrote, and caused her to be the first African-American woman to win ASCAP's Pop Songwriter of the Year Award. She added another smash hit with "Dangerously In Love," that ruled the charts for eight weeks at number one. She won five Grammies in 2005, another in 2006, American Music Awards, MTV Awards, and in 2008, her single, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," earned her another number one hit. She has appeared in several movies, including the critically acclaimed movie, "Dreamgirls."

2. Usher. Usher Raymond IV began his singing career at the tender age of nine singing in church in Tennessee. At 12, he won "Best Teen Male Vocalist" on Star Search. His first album, produced by P. Diddy, Puff Daddy Combs, didn't do well, but his second effort , My Way, was well-received, selling eight million copies. He co-wrote six of the tunes for that album. Usher grabbed two Grammies in 2001 for his album 8701. He added two more Grammies to his collection in 2004 and finished 2008 with a smash hit, "Love in This Club." Singer, writer, actor, and entrepreneur, Usher has a new fragrance out in stores.

1. Eminem. Marshall Mathers III, or better known as Slim Shady, is a Grammy and Oscar-winning rapper who hails from the Motor City. The words to his songs are controversial, but his lyrical abilities are well known in the hip hop world. "My Name Is," was his first bona fide hit. His Slim Shady album went three-times platinum. Mathers is one of the top money makers in the industry, that is why he sits at the number one spot on the Billboard chart as Artist of the Decade. In fact, Eminem has sold over 65 million records world wide. He has his own record label, Shady Records, where he develops young talent, and has a clothing line.

These are the best of the best who have made their musical imprint, laying down their vocals and giving us their unique musical styles. Whether its rap, pop, R&B, country, or rock, you can be sure you will see these multi-talented artists in the decade to come.

Rhonda Manning, www.people.com, www.billboard.com, Associated Content.