Michael wasn’t referred to as the King of Pop for no reason. His exceptional career left an ever-lasting influence on many artists which makes the King of Pop a true legend. Michael started singing while young as a member of The Jackson 5.
He may have been the youngest member of the group, which was composed of his brothers, but Michael was always a star. MJ perfected his voice and became an icon who broke various music records.
Other than his singing skills, his dancing technique inspired various musicians worldwide who pay tribute to him to date.
Artists Who Were Influenced By Michael Jackson
1. Usher Raymond
Usher may not be a pop star, but his career was highly influenced by Michael Jackson.
Usher loved Michael’s dancing style and even copied some of the pop star’s moves.
Unlike most artists, Usher met and even worked with his Idol. He even performed with him a couple of times and was among the stars who sang at Michael’s funeral.
Raymond told MTV that Michael influenced him in several ways and he wouldn’t be who he was without MJ’s influence.
MJ influenced him as a philanthropist, artist, humanitarian, and a star who transcended various cultures.
2. Chris Brown
There are very few stars who can execute MJ’s moves on stage and Chris is one of them.
Chris was humbled by MJ’s words in a 2007 interview after finishing his VMA debut performance.
The king of Pop said that Brown is a shining and bright star who he loved watching.
Chris said that he taught himself to dance and sing while young and cited MJ as his inspiration.
3. Beyonce
Beyonce has paid tribute to MJ a couple of times and she claims that he made her the artist she is today.
While starting her career, Beyonce said that her producer made her listen to MJ’s live performance of the song “who’s loving you” for several hours.
She said Jackson taught her to be free and forget what you are wearing and when you feel silly, you have to let it go and have fun.
4. Justin Bieber
Justin told the Vanity Fair magazine that he was influenced by Michael Jackson.
Bieber loved how MJ reached out to various folks from different generations.
And his voice and entertainment capability was on another level. He inspired people and made them happy which is what Justin wanted to do.
5. Akon
Another artist who managed to work with his idol was Akon.
The two recorded “Hold My Hand” in 2007 and released it in 2009.
Even MJ left a note expressing his desire for their song to be the first track in his next album.
Akon shared that they spent about 2 years together and managed to hang out up to 5 times every week.
6. Bruno Mars
Mars has been a fan of Michael for years and believes that MJ set the bar too high in terms of dancing, singing, and his unique style.
Bruno said that MJ paid attention to everything he did and was a perfectionist who perfected his videos, songs, the hat, and his glove were amazing.
Bruno loved singing MJ songs and even impersonated him on X-Factor where he sang the Smooth Criminal and wore a fedora just like MJ.
7. Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo has credited MJ as his main influence when it comes to music.
And since MJ passed away, Ne-Yo has done various tribute performances to the king of pop.
Ne-Yo did meet his idol and worked with him on what would have been MJ’s latest album.
8. Justin Timberlake
The “Cry Me a River” star started his career as part of N Sync and was doing well until he had a phone call with MJ who inspired him to go solo.
Justin told the Guardian that he felt the need to go solo after MJ requested a duet.
Justin had written the song “Gone” for N Sync and MJ, but he turned him down.
Instead he called later and requested the song to be a duet. This inspired him to launch his successful solo career.
9. Janet Jackson
MJ also inspired his baby sister Janet who looked up to him.
The two were close and Janet respected his brother for his contribution to the industry.
But she did manage to become an icon in her own rights.
10. Ciara
When she debuted with the song “Goodies” everyone noticed that she was a fan of the Jackson family as she gave an Aaliyah-meets-Janet-Jackson vibe with her unique moves that were inspired by Michael.
Ciara said that her biggest influence was MJ. She said that she loved dancing and loved watching MJ videos particularly the “Rock with You” which always mesmerized her.
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The King-of-Pop may be gone but he does inspire new generations of musicians to date. His successful career serves as a roadmap to new artists who want to perfect their skills and become icons. Plus, some of the top artists he has inspired are already superstars in their own rights.
