Although 2016 definitely had its ups and downs, the music produced by our favorite artists throughout this past year was surely a positive. Artists from every genre were on fire as they managed to make this past year a little brighter. From The Weeknd to Beyoncé, music lovers worldwide were not left disappointed.

It was a hard list to construct, but I managed to put together my own personal list of the top 10 musical artists of 2016.

1. The Weeknd

Is there anything Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, (AKA The Weeknd), can’t do? Since 2010, he has been giving us alternative R&B music that has never failed to make us all feel some typa way. In 2015, he debuted his album “Beauty Behind the Madness,” which instantly climbed to the top of the charts, complimented by singles like “The Hills,” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” which continued on to remain huge hits during 2016, winning him two Grammy Awards, as well as an Academy Award nomination.

This past September, The Weeknd released his third and most recent album “Starboy,” which he introduced with hit single “Starboy” featuring Daft Punk. The Weeknd’s sensual voice accompanied by Daft Punk’s mind blowing background workings? Yes please! If there is a song that I would make zero changes to, it’s this one. The beginning starts with a smooth, exciting beat and is soon accompanied by The Weeknd’s angelic, swoon inducing voice. As it continues, it gets better and better, with the rhythm and beat getting more intense, complementing his voice even more. Because of the masterpiece that is “Starboy” and all the other great songs that made up his album, he earned a well deserved spot on my top list.

2. Beyoncé

Alright, I know what you’re all thinking, does her name even need to be mentioned in order for people to recognize and appreciate the beautiful workings of Queen B? The answer is no; but with her career hitting an all time high this past year, it would be a sin not to mention her. This past year, Beyoncé released her much anticipated album “Lemonade,” causing male and female fans everywhere to go absolutely insane. The album not only revolves around a strong feel of contemporary black feminism, (based off of her and Jay Z’s grandmothers), but manages to make each underlying message and story she incorporates sound absolutely fabulous, visually and vocally. Lemonade’s release was accompanied by a one hour special on HBO, allowing fans to watch the magic behind the music themselves. The album was so inspiring, it has even been said to qualify as an “alternative economic solution” by NPR music. If I had to describe “Lemonade” in one sentence, it would be: an album created for the strong, independent, and progressive women of our past, present, and future. No matter what year, Beyonce always deserves to be on the top 10 list, and 2016 was certainly no exception.

3.  The Chainsmokers

Ah, The Chainsmokers. A name that will most likely ring a bell to every and anyone who listened to pop music this past year. First, there was 2014’s #Selfie, which had a worldwide impact on the selfie movement alone, which was then followed up by “Roses” in 2015. Though both singles were hugely popular, there first two major hits were of no comparison to their 2016 releases. The Chainsmokers began their 2016 by releasing the single “Don’t Let me Down” on February 5th, an extremely catchy pop/EDM track that got everyone dancing, and eventually lead them to top 5 on the charts. Most recently, they have let out their best single yet, “Closer,” a unique and modern love song about a boy and a girl, and their intense feelings for eachother. With an awesome beat paired with the talented vocals of Halsey, it’s super catchy, super relatable, and super fun to blast in your car as you sing it…alone. Not that I would know. Anyways, The Chainsmokers killed it in 2015, and killed it even more in 2016, earning them a well deserved spot on this list.

4. Drake

When I learned that Drake would be releasing a new album in 2016, I thought to myself, how could he possibly one-up “If You’re Reading this it’s Too Late?” He had basically everyone wishing they had woe’s to run through the six with! (Sorry, had to.)

Drake’s 2015 album was so insane, that I believed anything else released would be sub-par. But then, single “Hotline Bling” came out. It exceeding all of my expectations. For months on end, it was basically the only song being played on the radio, on people’s smartphones, and in just about every store. It even got Donald Trump performing a dance parody to it on Saturday Night Live. And just as I thought Drake was going to settle down for a bit after releasing such a hit, he decided to give us his 4th album “Views,” almost instantly after. Being a huge Drake fan, I had to sit down and listen to the whole album the day it was released. Now let me tell you, “Views” gave me just as much pleasure listening to it as his previous album had, and more. When I heard “One Dance,” that was it, I knew his talent would continue to amaze me year after year. If you ask anyone, they will probably tell you that “One Dance” is a song your body physically needs to get up and dance to. If you claim to be someone who is hesitant to get off their feet, I’m sure the single will be an instant cure. Not only did “One Dance” hit the #1 song on the charts instantly, but the “Views” album as a whole sat atop the Billboard 200 chart for 10 straight weeks. Drake, please keep doing what you do.

5. Adele

Adele is one of those artists who is practically unable to do wrong. No matter who you are, or what genre of music you enjoy listening to, you are simply fooling yourself if you say you have no appreciation for Adele. With her angelic yet powerful voice, and a personality known to be genuine and humorous, she is the closest thing we have to a perfect human. Adele has people feeling like they just broke up with someone they were never even dating. Her lyrics and voice manage to tug at your every emotion. She nails every and all songs she releases, and did not fail to do just that during 2016.

After about a year without new Adele music, fans were beginning to get frustrated. Does a year without Adele in our lives even count as a real year…? Though luckily, all was good in the end. She surprised the world by hitting us with the emotional rollercoaster that is “Hello,” in October of 2016, and soon after, released her third and final age titled album “25,” which simply hit the world by storm. The music video for “Hello” ended up breaking Vevo’s record of most views in a day, topping Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” video by almost 8 million views. “25” became #1 on the UK’s and US’ album charts, as well as becoming the fastest selling album in UK history. At the 2016 Brit Awards, Adele went on to win too many awards to list. I know everyone associates the word “slay” with Beyonce, but in my opinion, Adele deserves it more than anyone else. So keep on slaying girl, because 2017 is looking bright!

6. Rae Sremmurd

With their first album being released in just 2015, the fame and success of brothers Khalif Brown and Aaquil Brown has been instant. Their 2015 album “Sremmlife” made them famous, which included well known songs such as “No Type” and “Throw Sum Mo,” but it wasn’t until their 2016 single “Black Beatles,” that they truly became part of the big league. The single’s modern hip hop vibe sprinkled with a bit of techno touches led it to #1 on the US Billboard’s Hot 100. Though they have been around for a little over two years now, I still consider Rae Sremmurd as an up and coming artist, one who earned its way on this list, and is definitely worth watching out for in 2017.

7. Rihanna

Though Riri has been a powerhouse since 2005, she has since then continued on making her reputation greater and greater, and this past year was no exception. Besides being featured on multiple famous singles during the past year, she also released her 8th studio album “Anti,” as well as a deluxe version the next day which included three bonus tracks. It is an understatement to say that “Anti” was one of the top albums of the year. With songs like “Work” featuring Drake, and “Needed Me,” the album caused people around the work to be even more appreciative of her talent, if that is even possible. I would finish this off by saying that Rihanna is worth keeping an eye on this year, but isn’t she always?

8.  ZAYN

To say I was upset when he left One Direction would be an understatement, but what he’s doing on his own now? Magic. The 23 year old Brit sadly left One Direction as recent as 2015, but the amount he has managed to do since then is simply outstanding. During 2016, he release his debut solo album “Mind of Mine”, just a year after leaving his old band behind. The album’s pop/R&B vibe gave his fans exactly what they wanted to hear: Zayn’s voice exactly how it should be, smooth and passionate. The album’s solo “Pillowtalk” proved that Zayn was just as good, if not better off, without One Direction. During 2016, Malik went on to become the first British male artist to top the charts in both the UK and US. Zayn is most definitely off to a good start, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

9. Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper started to gain recognition for himself at just 20 years old, when he began releasing mixtapes like “Acid Rap” on the popular music app Soundcloud, but never continued on to put his tracks onto iTunes, even though he very well could have. His career also bloomed with his work as the lead vocalist for band “The Social Experiment,” who released their acclaimed album “Surf” during 2015. Though Chance has built a reputation for himself as having immense talent, it was not until this past year that he achieved real stardom with the release of his third mixtape album “Coloring Book” on Soundcloud, a solo album constructed of amazing songs. Why was this such a big deal? The album was the first streaming-only album to ever receive a grammy nomination, and win Best Rap Album. His major uproar also caused other artists to keep their eye on him. Most importantly, Kanye West. Kanye was so taken by Chance that he asked him to co-wrote Kanye’s most recent album “Life of Pablo,” and be featured in one of his songs “Ultralight Beam,” which went on to become the fan favorite of the album. Chance managed to win a Best Rap Album award while only still being available online, as well as getting himself a spot on one of the King of raps albums. Pretty amazing, huh?

10.  Lady Gaga

Boy has it been a year for good old Gaga. First, she first started off by unexpectedly starting an acting career on one of the hottest TV shows ever, and absolutely nailing the part. Gaga landed herself a role on Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story: Hotel” making the 5th hotel season one of the most memorable. Her acting skills were so impeccable that they offered her another season with the show, this time playing a witch named Scathatch. In addition to her budding acting career, the queen of pop gave everyone chills with her live performances at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, the Grammy Awards, and the Academy Awards. Talk about first choice! The last, if not least, achievement Gaga impressed us with this year, was releasing her 5th studio album “Joanne.” I believe this to be one of her most beautiful albums to date. With a classic feel of folk, country, and pop, she combines the three genres impeccably into 13 wonderfully distinct tracks.