Madonna

Madonna, the best-selling female recording artist of all time, with over 300 million record sales, dominates as a pop icon through sheer commercial power, exemplified by her Sticky and Sweet Tour (2008-2009), which grossed $408 million—the highest-grossing concert tour by a solo artist, 25% higher than Elton John's Yellow Brick Road Tour. She holds the record for the most US Top 10 hits by any solo artist, with 38 songs, outperforming #3 Whitney Houston's 11 number-one singles. With 7 Grammy Awards and a ranking by Time as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women of the 20th Century, her $408 million tour gross and 300 million sales set a benchmark that rivals only Michael Jackson's Thriller in cultural impact.