Who would we say has been the biggest popstar of the century so far (2000 inclusive for the pedantic people out there)
the best measure of the success of any popstar is often how many hit songs they've produced amongst other more subjective and difficult to measure aspects. a number 1 says a lot too. also it's probably best to judge this based on their success in Australia since 2000.
there are 4 standouts for me:
Beyonce
as a solo act:
4 Top 5 albums that have gone platinum a total of 8 times
12 Top 10 singles that have gone platinum a total of 19 times with one #1.
with Destiny's Child:
2 Top 5 album - 4 times platinum
9 Top 10 singes - 8 times platinum with one #1.
Britney
6 Top 5 albums - 10 times platinum with one #1.
16 Top 10 singles - 11 times platinum with four #1s.
Lady Gaga
3 Top 5 albums - 8 times platinum with two #1s.
10 Top 10 singles - 27 times platinum with three #1s.
RIhanna
3 Top 5 albums - 8 times platinum.
21 Top 10 singles - 40 times platinum with seven #1s.
i would argue each has a fair claim to the throne. Beyonce for her longevity and consistency across her group and solo projects but lack of #1s hurt. Britney has the longevity and the #1s but she has significant slumps in career. Lady Gaga has the shortest career of all but has amassed an incredible number of hits in that time. Rihanna purely in terms of numbers blows everyone else out of the water but a lot of her success is down to big collaborations.
have i forgotten anyone?