1. Rihanna: Earth Dragon

Born in Barbados on February 20, 1988, Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty emerged on the scene at 17 with her single “Pon de Replay”. The star went on to have multiple No 1 tracks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart including “Rude Boy”, “Love the Way You Lie”, “Work” and “Umbrella”.

“Umbrella” won Riri her first Grammy Award for best rap/sung collaboration in 2008. She has won eight more as well as hundreds of other music awards around the world in the decades that followed.

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2. John Lennon: Gold Dragon

John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England on October 9, 1940. He co-founded The Beatles in 1960.

He was assassinated in New York, US, in 1980, when he was 40 years old. Despite his early death, Lennon’s music lives on through his songs and lyrics, and continued recognition of his work.

3. Adele: Earth Dragon

Born on May 5, 1988 in London, England, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins has captivated audiences around the world for over a decade with soulful hits like “Hello”, “Rolling in the Deep”, “Set Fire to the Rain”, and “Easy on Me”.

She told Rolling Stone magazine in 2011: “I don’t make music for eyes, I make music for ears”.

Her emotive lyrics and powerful vocals have won her 16 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe.

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4. Shakira: Fire Dragon

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, described by Reuters as “the queen of Latin music”, was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia.

She landed her first record deal at 13 and, throughout her decades-long career, achieved superstar status in both English and Spanish markets with hits like “Hips Don’t Lie”, “Whenever, Wherever”, “Underneath Your Clothes”, and the 2010 Fifa World Cup anthem “Waka Waka”.

Billboard hailed her as one of the most successful Latin artists of all time. Per the publication, her 2023 release Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53 made her the first woman to reach the top 10 on its Hot 100 chart with a song in Spanish. The song also broke Spotify and YouTube streaming records, and set 14 Guinness World Records.

5. Felix from Stray Kids: Gold Dragon

Felix Yongbok Lee is among those leading a new wave of K-pop superstars.

Born in Australia on September 15, 2000, the rapper, singer and dancer is a member of the popular South Korean boy band Stray Kids. The group was formed through the 2017 reality TV show of the same name, and by 2023 regularly tops music charts worldwide. According to Forbes, its album 5-Star sold over five million copies by June 2023.

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6. Rema: Gold Dragon

Another star taking the world by storm is Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter Divine Ikubor, also known as “Rema”.

Born on May 1, 2000 in Benin City, Nigeria, he rose to prominence with his 2019 hit “Dumebi”. His fame grew when his track Iron Man was featured on former US president Barack Obama’s 2019 summer playlist, reported the BBC.

But it was his 2022 hit “Calm Down”, later remixed with Selena Gomez, that topped the charts and won him an MTV Video Music Award in 2023, catapulting him into global stardom.

7. Tom Jones: Gold Dragon

Thomas Jones Woodward, born June 7, 1940 in Treforest, Wales, is a Grammy-winning singer who has won multiple awards over nearly six decades.

He scored several top 10 hits in the 1960s, including “It’s Not Unusual”, “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”, “Delilah” and “What’s New Pussycat”. He won a Grammy in 1966 for best new artist, and dozens of musical awards with chart toppers in the decades that followed.

Reflecting on his music in a 2017 interview on British talk show Lorraine, Jones said music had helped him through difficult times in his life, including after the death of his wife: “I didn’t know if I could carry on … I didn’t know if I could sing [but] I did a tour through the summer and it is saving my life. Music is more important to me now than it was before.”

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8. Neil Diamond: Gold Dragon

Born on January 24, 1941 in New York, US, Neil Leslie Diamond started making music at the age of 16 and later released hits such as “Solitary Man”, “Kentucky Woman”, “America” and “Sweet Caroline”.

The Kennedy Center notes that he has sold over 128 million records worldwide, and had 39 top 10 singles and nine consecutive platinum hits. He has won numerous awards, including a Grammy and a Golden Globe.

9. Chen Kun: Fire Dragon

Chen Kun was born on February 4, 1976 in Chongqing, and is a successful Chinese musician and actor, having starred in films including The Knot and Painted Skin.

He told Singaporean luxury lifestyle magazine August Man that before making a name for himself, he was a solo singer of Indian songs in the national China Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble. He credited his vocal teacher, Wang Mei Yan, for his success. “She unearthed my vocal talent, opening the doors to music in my life,” he said.

He returned to his love of music to release his debut album in 2004. He went on to win two CCTV- MTV Music Awards and at least 17 other musical accolades.

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10. Willow Smith: Gold Dragon

Smith released her debut single “Whip My Hair” in 2010, which was certified three-times platinum in the US. Per the Recording Industry Association of America, her tracks “Wait a Minute!”, “Meet Me at Our Spot”, and “Transparent Soul” have also gone platinum.