Music Artists Who Made TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2013

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Jay Z
by Mayor Michael Bloomberg






Jay Z embodies so much of what makes New York New York. A kid from a tough neighborhood who grows up in public housing, overcomes lots of bad influences on the street, never lets go of his dream, makes it to the top — and then keeps going, pursuing new outlets for his creativity and ambition.

When no one would sign him to a record contract, he created his own label and built a music empire — before going on to design clothing lines, open sports bars and, most recently, represent professional athletes.



He’s an artist-entrepreneur who stands at the center of culture and commerce in 21st century America, and his influence stretches across races, religions and regions. He’s never forgotten his roots — “Empire State of Mind” was a love song to our city — and as a co-owner of the NBA Nets, he helped bring a major league sports team back to Brooklyn, not far from his old neighborhood.

In nearly everything he’s tried, he’s found success. (He even put a ring on Beyoncé.) And in doing so, he’s proved that the American Dream is alive and well.









Beyoncé
by Baz Luhrmann






Beyoncé contributed a song to The Great Gatsby soundtrack, and I worked with her quite intensely some years ago on the Academy Awards. When I met her, I was struck by her warmth and her humility; she was surrounded by family and was always family-oriented.

For the Oscars, she had to learn some extremely difficult choreography, and she just had that incredible work ethic where she was in the door, hit the number, let’s go, let’s work. Just work.



When all the work is done, she can step onto a stage and draw every single person in the audience into an intimate experience. No one has that voice, no one moves the way she moves, no one can hold an audience the way she does. And she keeps growing and evolving in the ways that she expresses herself as a singer, as a performer and now as a mother.

She and Jay Z are the royal couple of culture, and she is the queen bee. She’s gone beyond being a popular singer, even beyond being a pop-cultural icon.



When Beyoncé does an album, when Beyoncé sings a song, when Beyoncé does anything, it’s an event, and it’s broadly influential. Right now, she is the heir-*apparent diva of the USA — the reigning national voice.









Christina Aguilera
by Celine Dion






The first time I heard Christina Aguilera sing, I was totally blown away. I love the way she sings. Her tone is beautiful, and her voice has got so much power, yet so much sensitivity — and technically, I think, she’s flawless.

I remember she broke onto the scene at the turn of the millennium, just about the time my husband and I were going to take a hiatus to have our first child, so I got to watch a lot of her TV appearances, especially on the award shows. I remember thinking, This girl’s got it all and then some!

Unbelievable voice, great dancer and so very beautiful. At that time, I didn’t realize how versatile she was, but over the years she has proved that she can sing anything and make it sound incredible: pop, soul, R&B and even country.

Without a doubt, she’s one of the most talented artists the world has ever seen and heard, and I think she’s going to continue to amaze us for many, many years to come.









Miguel
by Douglas Wolk (TIME's Music Critic)






Recently, when singer-songwriter-producer Miguel performed on "Saturday Night Live", Mariah Carey sent an ebullient tweet: “slam dunk. R&B is alive!”

That statement is not as simple as it might sound. The survival of the black pop tradition isn’t just a matter of preserving its history — although Miguel does that too: the soul seducer’s Grammy-winning hit single 'Adorn' ingeniously evokes Marvin Gaye’s 'Sexual Healing' and 'Let’s Get It On'.



What has nourished that tradition over the past 70 years, though — what has kept it not just alive but thriving — is what makes Miguel’s recent music so special: constant innovation, formal daring, unexpected sources of inspiration, and emotional directness.

His audacious, hazy album Kaleidoscope Dream aims for the psychedelic as much as the erotic. (The hook that goes “Do you like drugs?” isn’t just a question; it’s a come-on.)

He often gets compared to ’80s-era Prince, which is another way of saying that he’s tricky to pin down. “I want to change the sound of what’s expected from R&B songs,” Miguel announced when Kaleidoscope Dream came out last year. So far, he is succeeding.









Frank Ocean
by John Legend






Frank is brilliant. The day I started writing with him, it was clear that he has a very interesting mind and a distinctive way of expressing himself. He was fearless and innately creative. You talk to some people in this business and you get the sense that they’re very focused on radio: what will be a hit or won’t be a hit. You never get that from Frank. The focus is on creating something that’s beautiful, that’s great art.

Frank broke a lot of rules with his album Channel Orange. He wasn’t focused on “What’s gonna be my single?” And obviously, one of the cardinal rules was that he wasn’t supposed to come out. But he did, and he did it in a way that speaks to what kind of artist he is, in a beautifully written letter to his fans. The day the letter was published, he came over to my house for a July 4 barbecue, where he was among friends who supported him and showed him love.



How fitting that he released his “declaration” on Independence Day. I think Frank’s career will be defined by his fearlessness and his artistic freedom. He has the talent, the ability and the brilliance to have an impact for a long time.

He will follow his muse wherever it goes — he’s not the kind of artist to adhere to everyone else’s schedule. That’s what makes him special.









Justin Timberlake
by Stevie Wonder






We met back when Justin was with ’N Sync and I played harmonica on one of their songs. I found out that his grandfather was a Baptist minister, and that’s reflected in some of the things he does musically — he obviously comes from the church, but he’s also absorbed a lot of different kinds of music: gospel, rock, hip-hop.

His star power comes from the fact that he sounds like he’s having fun when he makes music, and he can read a song—meaning as a singer or songwriter you can feel the emotion. You think, I can relate to that or I believe in that, and then the listener can feel it too. When Justin reads a song like 'Cry Me a River' or 'Suit & Tie', you become part of that emotion.

I think it’s a great thing when you do the most you can with the time you have in life. Justin has accomplished a lot at a young age, taking advantage of all the possibilities, and yet he’s found time to give of himself too — he gets and gives back. He has a spirit. He does God’s work through using the most of his talent.

http://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/all/