00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the current
00:09singers who remind us of performers from the past.
00:19Number 10, Adam Lambert, Freddie Mercury.
00:23Filling the Queen frontman's shoes is no easy task.
00:26There's a reason why the band picked former American Idol runner-up, Grammy nominee and
00:31Broadway star Adam Lambert to join them on tour.
00:42Like Freddie Mercury, Lambert's style is pure flamboyance and high energy.
00:48He has all that and a range and vocal agility that puts him squarely in Mercury's territory
00:53as a performer.
00:54There's also something to be said for Lambert's boundary-breaking success.
00:58Lambert made history in 2012 by becoming the first out gay man to top the U.S. Billboard
01:04200.
01:11Where much has been made of Mercury's own sexuality, for many reasons, he was not explicitly out
01:18to the public.
01:18Number 9, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kylie Minogue.
01:27In 2012, the bubblegum love anthem, Call Me Maybe, became an unqualified hit.
01:32Hey, I just met here, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe.
01:40Fans can tell you, Carly Rae Jepsen's been churning out pop masterpieces ever since, even
01:46if they've rarely gotten the chart success they deserve.
01:49Can't Get You Out of My Head was just as ubiquitous, but with few exceptions, Kylie Minogue
01:54rarely got that kind of attention in America after that.
01:57I just can't get you out of my head, boy, it's more than I dare to think about.
02:04Their joyous brand of retro dance pop inspires borderline euphoria in their dedicated fanbases.
02:11Run away with me, run away with me, baby.
02:15And both also have one big thing in common.
02:19Everyone who's already on board with their genius knows they should be much more popular
02:23than they are.
02:24Just to say something, say something, tell me how you feel.
02:29Number 8, The Weeknd, Prince.
02:32Musically, these two share an affinity for hitting high notes, erotic lyrics, and innuendo, and
02:38experimenting with their sounds.
02:39I got another confession, my friend.
02:44I ain't no fool.
02:46But the similarities go deeper than that.
02:49Some artists consciously build an air of mystery about themselves.
02:53But then you saw me caught you by surprise.
02:57A single teardrop falling from your eyes.
03:00The Weeknd maintains a distinct separation between his public and private life, even as he switches
03:06his personas and branches out into other business ventures.
03:14Prince was similarly protective over his private life.
03:17He was notorious for rarely giving interviews and letting the public in.
03:22And he even wrote several songs under pseudonyms.
03:25The music, performances, and creativity are meant to speak for themselves.
03:30Number 7, Olivia Rodrigo, Alanis Morissette.
03:33There's something exciting about a young artist who can express complex and complicated feelings
03:38through song.
03:45Alanis Morissette was only 21 when Jagged Little Pill came out.
03:49Olivia Rodrigo released Sour when she was 18.
03:53Rodrigo's music is clearly inspired by all who came before her.
03:57But the feelings that inspire her also set her apart among her contemporaries on the charts.
04:01Both artists' work is jam-packed with post-breakup angst, dwelling on all the ugly feelings that
04:14bubble up after a relationship ends badly.
04:16It's not fair to deny me all the clothes I've been.
04:24Both throw their whole bodies into their songs, fully living them in front of their audiences.
04:28I still hear your voice in the traffic, we're laughing.
04:36Number 6, Taylor Swift, Stevie Nicks.
04:39Few pop stars know what it feels like for the people they date to become an integral part of their own mythology.
04:45Taylor Swift's catalog is full of songs about longing and heartbreaks.
04:49Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane.
04:53Many of those songs are about famous people themselves, leaving clues and crumbs for people to investigate.
05:00The whole school is rolling fake guys.
05:03You play stupid games, you win stupid grinding.
05:06Stevie Nicks' time with Fleetwood Mac was marked by a tempestuous romance with bandmate Lindsay Buckingham,
05:13illustrated in the songs they wrote about each other.
05:15Never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you.
05:22But both have also been able to stand on their own, creating distinctive places in the music world to celebrate femininity and womanhood.
05:30Number 5, Chapel Roan, Kate Bush.
05:33The good luck babe singer arrived on the scene ready to bring something fresh, edgy and weird to pop music.
05:39You say it's just the way you are.
05:43But the new excuse for stupid reasons.
05:47It's no wonder then that Chapel Roan cites Kate Bush as a major influence.
05:52The Running Up That Hill singer saw most of her mainstream success in the 70s and 80s before Stranger Things brought renewed attention.
06:00But her haunting sound and eccentricity has made her a beloved cult figure for years.
06:05Be running up that road, be running up that hill, be running up that building.
06:11However, it isn't just Roan's quirkiness that reminds us of Bush.
06:16They also share an affinity for ultra-feminine, high-pitched falsetto and stark outlandish images in their lyrics and fashion.
06:23I'm gonna keep on dancing at the Pink Pony Club, Pink Pony Club.
06:30Number 4, Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra.
06:33This modern crooner's entire voice, style, and music catalog is one big ode to the kind of artists who were popular during the 1950s.
06:43Often wearing a suit and tie on stage, there's a knowing classic elegance to Michael Buble that feels completely out of place when compared to his contemporaries.
06:52Cry me a river, cause I cry a river all over you.
06:59He cites Dean Martin and Tony Bennett as his influences, but it's the Frank Sinatra comparison that sticks.
07:06Fly me to the moon, let me play a banner with a star.
07:13Buble doesn't just sing a lot of the same songs as Sinatra.
07:16His stage persona and smooth vocals are similar too.
07:20While there's no replacing the man they called Old Blue Eyes, Buble has amassed millions of fans of his own.
07:26Fly me to the moon, let me play a river all over you.
07:29Let me play among the stars.
07:33Number 3, Lady Gaga, Cher.
07:36Gaga, Gaga, watch your bare romance.
07:41While the Madonna comparisons even caught the Queen of Pop's notice, in terms of style and career trajectory, Lady Gaga probably has more in common with Cher.
07:50Hey, where you leave, I will follow anywhere.
07:55Gaga is known for her extravagant tours, variety show specials, and successful Oscar-nominated forays into serious acting.
08:05Well, that's pretty much on par with Cher's career.
08:08They have a shared eye for boundary-breaking fashions and grandiose theatricality.
08:13And you shot me down.
08:14And I hit the ground.
08:17And I hit the ground.
08:18Not only that, both artists are outspoken advocates for social causes.
08:24The two are fans of each other, and they've crossed paths many times.
08:28We are still waiting on that duet they promised us years ago, though.
08:31I shot you down.
08:34Bang, bang.
08:36He hit the ground.
08:37Number two, Amy Winehouse, Billie Holiday.
08:42I'm all for you, but it's so.
08:47Comparing anyone to one of the most famous and most skilled jazz and blues singers of all time is not something to do lightly.
08:55But many music critics and fans have already drawn parallels between Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse.
09:02Stripes down, Billie, you know.
09:05It's not just their personal struggles and untimely ends that are similar.
09:10While Winehouse's albums were very modern in their production,
09:14her way of holding a stage and hugging lyrics with her voice is reminiscent of holidays.
09:19And I go back to black.
09:25They weren't trying to sound pretty or pure.
09:27There's a raw emotion, a leaning into their human excess that goes beyond technique,
09:33and becomes something that transcends performance.
09:36More than I miss New Ali.
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09:59Number one, Beyonce, Michael Jackson.
10:02There's something to be said for an artist who can just completely stop, shift, and even completely upend the entire culture.
10:10Like the late Michael Jackson, the former Destiny's Child member struck out on her own after rising to fame in a singing group.
10:17Shoot me the reason why I'm acting straight.
10:19Nobody's holding you back for me.
10:20Cause I know how you used to do.
10:22When you're saying everything to me comes to.
10:24As solo artists, they both exploded into a whole new echelon of innovation, creativity, and sheer star power.
10:32Their influence is felt in every genre.
10:40There's something untouchable, even ethereal, about their talent and significance.
10:45Anytime Beyonce steps on a stage, she reminds us that there is no one else doing it like this.
10:51Do you agree with our picks?
10:59Let us know in the comments.
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