Madonna

Madonna Louise Ciccone arrived in New York City in 1978 chasing dance, then pivoted through rock bands as drummer and guitarist before her 1983 debut album launched her alone into the center of pop. Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) made her a global fixture; Like a Prayer (1989) and Ray of Light (1998) proved she could deepen without losing the floor. She juggled film - winning a Golden Globe for Evita (1996) - launched Maverick Records, and became the first woman to cross a billion dollars in concert gross. By the 2000s, with Confessions on a Dance Floor and "Hung Up," she was still moving the needle, still shifting the image, still claiming the most chart-toppers on any single Billboard chart. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted her in her first eligible year; academia invented Madonna studies to keep pace.