"The kicky, 23-year-old British singer released her second album, the break-up requiem 21, in February, but it wasn't just heartbreak that made her popular," Billboard wrote in December 2011. "In contemporary music,

The fourth Top 50 rock album for the 21st Century is Evanescence 's 2003 album, Fallen . Featuring the singles "Bring Me to Life," "Going Under," "My Immortal" and "Everybody's Fool," the record went on to rack up a Diamond certification from the RIAA for over 10 million sold in the U.S. It placed at No. 33 for the 21st Century.

There was a time when Rolling Stone intentionally sought to be an antidote to the fluff of pop culture. It fought against war and the generally approved way to be. It went about it the right way with well-conceived articles and well-researched ideas.

Plus, check out Billboard's Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart, Top Artists of the 21st Century chart and Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart, as well as a

This chart-topping song (on multiple formats) spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on both the Mainstream Rock + Alternative Airplay charts.

Taylor Swift. With barely a week into the new year, Swift has already earned an accolade as she is the No. 1 artist of the 21 century, according to Billboard. This is not to be confused with their editorial list,

Two songs that deftly blend country and hip-hop influences reign as the longest-leading No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 chart over the first 25 years of the 21st century – and all-time: Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road,

In the 21st century, music became more universal, immediate, and accessible than ever before. On Jan. 1, 2000, the average cost of a CD was about $18, which meant if you wanted to legally own 250 albums,