Top Male Pop Singers of the 90s

Introduction

Many great male vocalists dominated the charts throughout the 1990s, resulting in some of the most famous and enduring songs in music history. These performers enthralled audiences with their distinctive vocals, thrilling performances, and enduring tunes in genres ranging from pop to R&B, rock to country. In this piece, we will travel back in time and pay tribute to the best male singers from the 1990s who made an imprint on the music business and still inspire and amuse us today.

Best Male Pop Singers of the 90s

While a new generation of exciting vocalists emerges with each passing decade, the sales charts are frequently dominated by seasoned performers. Many of the most well-known male singers of the 1990s gained notoriety in the 1970s or 1980s and cemented their position as vocal giants in the 1990s.

The 1990s provided us with a cacophony of pop classics, country ballads, and grunge singles from some of the industry’s top vocal talents, from newbies like Robbie Williams to respected veterans like Elton John. Here are the top 10 male singers of the 1990s.

1 Michael Jackson

Jackson signing a “We Are the World” poster in 1985

By the time he released his landmark 1991 album “Dangerous,” which went on to sell more than 32 million copies, Michael Jackson had already established himself as the “King of Pop” and had already sold millions and millions of albums. That surpasses the average artist’s lifetime sales.

With albums like 1995’s “HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I,” which sold more than 20 million copies, Jackson continued to rule the airways. By the end of the 1990s, his stardom began to wane, and he was involved in a number of high-profile legal disputes that irreparably damaged his character and followed him until his death from a heroin overdose in 2009.

2 Elton John

John with Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, 1996

Elton John’s career began in the 1960s, and he rose to fame not just for his successful solo career but also as the songwriter of some of the biggest pop songs ever. His collaborations with fellow 90s legend George Michael on the songs “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the soundtrack to “The Lion King” are among of his most recognizable tunes from that decade. 

Additionally, he revised “Candle In The Wind” in memory of Princess Diana of Britain, who passed away in a vehicle accident in 1997. The song reached number one on the charts all around the world and received many platinum certifications. The song was performed live by John during Princess Diana’s burial.

3 George Michael

Michael onstage during The Faith Tour in 1988

George Michael, a British singer, published his debut album “Faith” in the late 1980s, with songs including “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” “Freedom! With global record sales of more than 120 million, Michael was regarded as one of the pioneers of the so-called “MTV generation” of musicians.

He was in charge of many aspects of the creative process, including as composition, music production, visual presentation, and performance, despite the fact that his flamboyant on-stage character could have come across as superficial. The Radio Academy claims that from the middle of the 1980s to the middle of the 2000s, his tracks were among the most often played on British radio.

4 Bryan Adams

Adams in 1990

Bryan Adams, a Canadian musician, rose to success in the early 1990s with the single “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You,” which was included on his 1991 album “Waking Up The Neighbors” and was included in the movie “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” 

In the future, more than 15 million copies of this song would be sold. Together with other 90s songs like “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, it became one of the best-selling singles of all time.

5 Sting

Sting performing in Norway in 1985

Sting first achieved prominence with the new-wave rock group The Police in the 1970s. He then started a solo career, which he would have his biggest achievements within the 1990s. His 1993 album “Ten Summoner’s Tales” went multi-platinum, and his 1991 album “The Soul Cages” included a Grammy-winning title tune.

Along with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, Sting collaborated on the hit song “All For Love,” which was also a triumph. Along with huge record sales, Sting also received an honorary doctorate in music for the song, which was included as a soundtrack in the movie “The Three Musketeers.”

6 R.Kelly

Studio album by R. Kelly

R is one of the more contentious performers on our list of the top male vocalists from the 1990s. Kelly, despite a spate of trials for crimes like racketeering, abduction, and bribery, has sold more than 75 million albums. He outsold every other male R&B musician in album sales in the 1990s in the US.

When “12 Play,” his second album, was published in 1993, it quickly rose to the top of the U.S. charts. R&B music charts. The third album he released, “R. The song “Kelly” peaked at the top of the overall U.S. charts. With the release of his fourth single, “R.,” in 1998, he continued to rule the airways and entered the new millennium as one of the nation’s best-selling musicians.

7 Bono

Bono as his alter-ego “The Fly” on the Zoo TV Tour in 1992

One of the most well-known vocalists in the entire world is U2’s leader Bono, who has achieved enormous success with the band as well as sold millions of records on solo endeavors and other musical collaborations. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and began performing in the middle of the 1970s. He later assisted in the formation of the band U2.

With the release of the albums “Achtung Baby” in 1991, “Zooropa” in 1993, and “Pop” in 1997, each of which debuted at the top of the global music charts, the band’s renown increased substantially in the 1990s. The majority of the band’s multi-platinum albums’ lyrics were written by Bono.

8 Roobie Williams

One of Williams’ tattoos, the spectacles logo of The Two Ronnies, visible on his neck

From 1990 until 1995, Robbie Williams worked as a pop musician with the group Take That before launching his hugely popular solo career in 1996. He subsequently went on to become one of the best-selling musicians in the history of the United Kingdom. and market over 77 million albums globally.

“Life Thru A Lens,” one of his albums from the 1990s, sold four million copies. “I’ve Been Expecting You,” another album from the same decade, also achieved four million sales. Williams has continued to perform over the years despite his difficulties with addiction, obesity, and an unexplained hormonal imbalance. This is despite his first period of stardom in the 1990s.

9 Phil Collins

Collins performing with his big band in 1996

Phil Collins is frequently associated with Genesis, the band he was a member of for many years, although he has also achieved notable success as a solo artist and winner of Grammy and Academy Awards. He has sold 150 million albums worldwide and over 34 million records in the United States.

In the 1990s, he recorded “I Can’t Dance” with Genesis in 1991, which received multi-platinum certification all over the world. Collins’ solo albums “Both Sides” and “Dance into the Light,” both published in the 1990s, both achieved platinum status on various charts.

10 Vanilla Ice

MC Hammer performing with Vanilla Ice in July 2009

The 1990 rap song “Ice Ice Baby,” by Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Mathew Van Winkle, is his most well-known work. More than six million copies of his album “To The Extreme” were sold in the first few months following its release. Additionally, the album and the song spent a number of weeks at the top of the charts.

The CD was criticized by some, who called it a spoof and said it included sexist stereotypes. However, it was in charge of bringing hip-hop to a wider audience. Modern hip-hop has dominated the mainstream music charts since the early 1990s.

Conclusion

The male pop singers of the 1990s had a profound influence on the music business thanks to their wide range of musical tastes, memorable songs, and enduring boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. Fans all throughout the world are still inspired and entertained by their music, which is ageless. The 1990s were an innovative, artistic, and pop music-filled decade.