2016 Year in Review: The 10 Most Popular Artists on Yahoo Music

Let it be known (and few missed the point) that 2016 was the year that Beyoncé moved from being a pop icon to a bona fide sociopolitical spokesperson. Her new direction was introduced in February via the single "Formation," which was accompanied by a controversial video (and equally controversial halftime show at Super Bowl 50) alluding to various racial issues. While the expected backlash came immediately, Beyoncé remained unbowed, releasing her surprise "visual album" 'Lemonade' in April — a project that further solidified her intention to chronicle the direct concerns of black women in America. She tied up her year popular as ever, helming a $256 million world tour, publicly endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, making a surprise appearance on the Country Music Awards (performing none other than the Dixie Chicks), and raking up nine Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year. No lemons here. (Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

"American Idol" ended its 15-season run this year, after many seasons of declining ratings and record sales. But the fact that the series' final winner, Mississippi farm boy/country-soul singer Trent Harmon, was the year's ninth-most-popular artist on Yahoo Music — above Queen Bey! — proved that the show still had a loyal following up until the very end. Hopefully Harmon can ride that momentum, and that wave of nostalgia, when he releases his debut album in 2017. (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Randy Travis exited the insular world of country music and entered household name status in the most unfortunate of ways — following a series of highly publicized personal issues, he suffered a near-fatal stroke in 2013 which cost him his ability to speak or sing. It's been a long three years, but Travis has clearly been working very hard at rehabilitation — in 2016 he not only regained his speech, he managed to perform a chilling rendition of "Amazing Grace" at his October induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He followed this with an extremely brief but moving appearance at November's Country Music Association Awards (pictured), where he sang the final word of his hit "Forever and Ever Amen." The simple gesture drove everyone present, from Miranda Lambert to Garth Brooks, to tears. (Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

While continuing to keep busy with her ongoing Las Vegas residency show, Britney Spears excited fans early in 2016 with the news she was working on her ninth studio album — her first in three years. While everyone waited for the music, in May, she executed an eye-catching medley of her past hits for the Billboard Music Awards (as well as accepted the prestigious Billboard Millennium Award, an honor bestowed on only two other artists to date). It was rumored she was going to unveil her new single then; however, she waited until July to release "Make Me" f/G Eazy. Her full-length, "Glory," arrived the following month, dropping just after her much-publicized triumphant return to the MTV Video Music Awards — a stage she hadn't performed on since 2007, when her infamous "Gimme More" left viewers wanting less. By the end of the year, Spears was reportedly working on yet another album (details hazy at this point). (Photo: David Becker/Getty Images)

Mother Monster started the year with a bang — earning a Golden Globe for her star turn on "American Horror Story," delivering a stunning performance of "'Til It Happens to You" at the Oscars, and singing a flawless national anthem at Super Bowl 50. She followed this a week later with a stunning if somewhat polarizing tribute to the late David Bowie at the 2016 Grammys. In July, she attracted headlines for her breakup with longtime love Taylor Kinney, but quickly overshadowed her personal life with the promise of her upcoming fifth album, "Joanne," named for her late paternal aunt. "Joanne" was released in late October, a few short weeks after news circulated that Gaga would be headlining the actual halftime show (not just singing the anthem) at the 2017 Super Bowl. Following the results of the presidential election in November, Gaga made waves protesting outside of NYC's Trump Tower with a sign reading "Love Trumps Hate." (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Country stalwart Tim McGraw entered 2016 by offering up the single "Humble and Kind," a smash hit that won a slew of honors throughout the year, ranging from the Country Music Association Awards to the American Music Awards. In October, he appeared on the music reality show "The Voice" along with wife Faith Hill to serve as key advisers for Season 11. The powerhouse couple didn't stop there, using the momentum of their TV appearance to add fuel to a surprise announcement: They'd be hitting the road together in spring 2017 for their joint Soul2Soul world tour, set to hit a whopping 65 cities. (Photo: David Becker/Getty Images)

Kanye West (WireImage)

The music world was still trying to make sense of the unexpected loss of David Bowie, when another horrific blow came in April. Another decade-spanning, genre- and gender-bending icon, the irreplaceable Minneapolis genius Prince, was reported dead at the age of 57. As was the case with Bowie, this tragedy came as a shock — perhaps even more so due to the complete lack of any information that might have suggested Prince's demise. The week preceding his death did report the news of a health scare forcing an emergency plane landing; however, his camp merely stated that he was suffering from the flu. Official cause of death was later declared an accidental overdose of the drug fentanyl. The singer had no official will, leaving matters in a legal tangle regarding his estate. Prince's death caused a resurgence of interest in his 1984 classic "Purple Rain," resulting in the album winning the Top Soundtrack Award at the 2016 American Music Awards — along with a slew of tributes at the Grammys (by Lady Gaga), Billboard Music Awards (by Madonna), and an all-star cast at the BET Awards. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

It goes without saying — for at least the past decade — that any year in music news will contain plenty of notifications regarding Taylor Swift. That held true for 2016, as Swift continued her seemingly effortless march of domination. Although she weathered a bit of kerfuffle regarding her feud with Kanye West over his "Famous" lyrics, and endured gossip in June upon her breakup with DJ boyfriend Calvin Harris, the rest of the year proceeded in usual victorious fashion. In November, the former country girl made an appearance at the Country Music Association Awards, presenting Garth Brooks with the trophy for the Entertainer of the Year Award. In news that likely shocked nobody, she also topped the list of Forbes's top-paid celebrities and highest paid musicians for the year. Finally, Swift tied up 2016 by releasing a surprise duet with former One Direction member Zayn Malik, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever," for the upcoming "50 Shades Darker" soundtrack. (Photo: John Shearer/LP5/Getty Images for TAS)

The year 2016 was an extraordinarily tragic one in terms of losses in the music world — with the untimely death of one of rock's most revered icons, David Bowie, hitting in January. Just two days after his 69th birthday, Bowie passed away from liver cancer; he had been diagnosed with the condition 18 months earlier but decided not to make the news public, choosing instead to continue work on what would be his last album, "Blackstar." His 25th studio album — which was released on his birthday — would go on to be his only album to top the Billboard 200 in the United States. It earned four Grammy nominations at the end of 2016. (Photo: Jo Hale/Getty Images)