The 1980s saw the reinvention of Michael Jackson, the superstardom of Prince, and the emergence of Madonna and Whitney Houston, who were all among the most successful musicians during this time.

Michael Jackson, along with Prince, was the first African American artist to have his music videos in heavy rotation on MTV, with Beat It, and Billie Jean. Donna Summer placed the first two videos by an African American female artist, with She Works Hard for the Money and Unconditional Love, both in 1983. Jackson’s Thriller (1982) is the best-selling album of all time, selling 25 million copies during the decade. His other album, 1987’s Bad, has the honor of being the first album in history to have five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Its accompanying world tour also made history by being the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist in the 1980s, as well as the highest-grossing at the time. In addition to being the biggest selling artist of the decade, Jackson had nine number-one singles – more that any other act during the decade – and spent the longest time at number one (27 weeks) in the 1980s. He won numerous awards, including “Artist of the Decade” and “Artist of the Century”, and was arguably the biggest star of the 1980s.

Madonna was the most successful female artist of the decade. Her third studio release, True Blue, became the best-selling female album of the 1980s. Other Madonna albums from the decade include Like a Virgin, one of the best selling albums of all-time, and Like a Prayer (“As close to art as pop music gets,” said Rolling Stone). Madonna made music videos a marketing tool and was among the first to make them an art form. Many of her songs topped charts around the world, such as: Like a Virgin, Papa Don’t Preach, La Isla Bonita and Like a Prayer. After the Like a Prayer album in 1989, Madonna was named artist of the decade by a number of magazines and awards. “I thought the eighties was fabulous,” she said, “and I’m sure Boy George would agree with me.”

Whitney Houston was one of the best selling female artists of the decade in the US, behind Madonna and Barbra Streisand. Her eponymous debut studio album was the best-selling debut album by a female artist at the time, and her sophomore album, Whitney, the first by a female to debut at No. 1 in the Billboard 200. She also became the first and only artist to earn seven consecutive number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

Paula Abdul hit it big in 1988. With her debut album Forever Your Girl, she was the first female to have four number one singles from a debut album (only The Jackson 5 had done the same with their debut). She had five top ten hits from the album.

By 1980, the disco genre, largely dependent on orchestras, was replaced by a lighter synthpop production, which subsequently fueled dance music.

In the latter half of the 1980s, teen pop experienced its first wave, with bands and artists including Exposé, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, New Edition, Stacey Q, The Bangles, New Kids on the Block, Madonna, George Michael, Laura Branigan, Boy George and others becoming teen idols.

Prominent American urban pop acts of the 1980s include Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston and Diana Ross. African American artists like Lionel Richie and Prince became some of the decade’s biggest stars. Their hit albums included 1999, Purple Rain, and Sign “O” the Times by Prince and Lionel Richie, Can’t Slow Down, and Dancing on the Ceiling by Richie.

Prince was the decade’s most prolific artist, not just by virtue of being the top charting artist in the US and worldwide. He was responsible for artists such as Vanity 6, for whom he wrote the dance chart topping Nasty Girl; Morris Day and the Time, for whom he wrote the top 20 Jungle Love; Sheila E., for whom he wrote the top ten song The Glamorous Life and number 11 A Love Bizarre; and Wendy & Lisa and Apollonia 6. He wrote I Feel for You for Chaka Khan, which won him a Grammy for best R&B song; Sugar Walls for Sheena Easton; and as well as doing a duet with U Got The Look, he wrote Manic Monday, a number two pop hit for the Bangles. Artists that covered his music included Tom Jones, who brought his version of the song Kiss into the top 40 for the second time in the decade. Melissa Morgan brought her cover of Do Me, Baby to the top of the R&B charts in 1986. Other notable artists that covered Prince during the 1980s were The Pointer Sisters and Cyndi Lauper. He also won an Academy Award for the song Purple Rain. In 1989, Irish singer Sinead O’Connor would record a cover of his song Nothing Compares 2 U, which would become the biggest song of the year worldwide in the new decade to follow. Prince had four number one singles and 14 top ten hits on the Hot 100 Chart.

Lionel Richie teamed with Diana Ross to record one of the decade’s biggest hits Endless Love, which top the Billboard charts for nine weeks. Other songs by Richie, such as All Night Long and Hello also top the charts, he would have a total of five number one hits, and 13 top ten singles. Diana Ross brought Upside Down to the top spot in 1980, she would have two number one singles, and eight top ten hits in the decade.

Tina Turner would top the charts with What’s Love Got to Do With It, she scored a total of six top ten singles. Donna Summer’s She Works Hard for the Money was a continuation of the feminist movement started in the 70s, and a rally cry for those who worked hard and wanted to be treated fairly. She would have five top ten singles in the decade.

Bruce Springsteen’s Born In the USA, AC/DC’s Back in Black, Def Leppard’s Hysteria, and Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet were some of the decade’s biggest-selling albums on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

During the mid-1980s American pop singer Cyndi Lauper was considered the “Voice of the MTV Generation of ’80s” and so different visual style that made the world for teens. Her first two albums She’s So Unusual (1984) and True Colors (1986) were critically and commercially successful, spawning the hits, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time, She Bop, All Through the Night, The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough, True Colors and Change of Heart.

Several British artists made the successful transition to pop during the 1980s and saw great commercial success, such as David Bowie, Phil Collins, John Lennon, Billy Ocean, Sheena Easton and Paul McCartney. Many British pop bands also dominated the American charts in the early 1980s. Many of them became popular due to their constant exposure on MTV, these bands included The Human League, Culture Club, Duran Duran, and Wham!. Between the four, they have had 9 U.S. number ones with hits like Don’t You Want Me, Karma Chameleon, The Reflex and Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. In the later part of the decade Rick Astley, George Michael as a solo artist, Terence Trent D’Arby, and Fine Young Cannibals all found chart success.

At the beginning of the 1980s, Australian artists like Olivia Newton-John, Men at Work, Air Supply and AC/DC all had chart success, later in the decade INXS scored hits. Olivia Newton-John’s hit Physical would top the Hot 100 for 10 weeks and be the decade’s biggest hit in the US; she would have six top ten singles during the 80s.

American artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Kool & the Gang, The Pointer Sisters, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates, Prince, Kenny Rogers and John Mellencamp, then known as John Cougar, ruled the charts throughout the decade in the US. Prince, Madonna, Jackson, Joel and Springsteen along with U2, Dire Straits, Phil Collins, The Police, Queen, The Rolling Stones and Eurythmics achieved tremendous success worldwide.