The Most Famous

SINGERS from Canada

This page contains a list of the greatest Canadian Singers. The pantheon dataset contains 4,381 Singers, 79 of which were born in Canada. This makes Canada the birth place of the 12th most number of Singers behind Russia, and India.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Canadian Singers of all time. This list of famous Canadian Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Canadian Singers.

1. Celine Dion (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 76.43, Celine Dion is the most famous Canadian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 139 different languages on wikipedia.

Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads", her powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular music. With over 200 million records sold worldwide, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, the best-selling French-language artist, and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. Born into a large family in Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion was discovered by her future manager and husband, René Angélil, and emerged as a teen star in her home country with eight French-language albums during the 1980s. She gained international recognition by winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, where she represented Switzerland with the song "Ne partez pas sans moi". Dion went on to release twelve English-language albums. The Colour of My Love (1993), Falling into You (1996), Let's Talk About Love (1997), and All the Way... A Decade of Song (1999) all rank among the best-selling albums of all time. Her catalog of high-charting tracks includes "Beauty and the Beast", "The Power of Love", "Think Twice", "To Love You More", "Because You Loved Me", "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", "All by Myself", "I'm Your Angel", "That's the Way It Is", "I'm Alive", and "My Heart Will Go On"—the theme for the 1997 film Titanic, which is the second-best-selling single by a woman. Dion continued releasing French-language albums between each English record, with D'eux (1995) becoming the best-selling French-language album of all time. She also built her reputation as a successful live performer, with the Let's Talk About Love World Tour (1998–1999) and the Taking Chances World Tour (2008–2009)—which rank among the highest-grossing concert tours of the 1990s and the 2000s, respectively—as well as A New Day... (2003–2007), the highest-grossing concert residency of all time. Los Angeles Times named her the top-earning artist of the 2000s, with combined album sales and concert revenue exceeding $747 million. In 2022, Dion canceled her Courage World Tour due to a diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome. Dion's accolades include 5 Grammy Awards, 20 Juno Awards and a recognition from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for selling over 50 million albums in Europe. Seven of her albums have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide, the second most among women in history. She was ranked among the greatest women in music by VH1 and the greatest voices in music by MTV. Dion is one of the highest-grossing touring artists in history and the second woman to accumulate US$1 billion in concert revenue. One of the wealthiest musicians in the world, Forbes ranked her the highest-paid female musician of 1997, 1998, 2004, and 2006. She received honorary doctorates in music from the Berklee College of Music and the Université Laval. Dion was conferred with the Legion of Honor, the highest French order of merit, and was elevated to the Companion of the Order of Canada.

2. Bryan Adams (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 71.02, Bryan Adams is the 2nd most famous Canadian Singer. His biography has been translated into 79 different languages.

Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million records and singles worldwide, placing him on the list of best-selling music artists. Adams was the most played artist on Canadian radio in the 2010s and has had 25 top-15 singles in Canada and over a dozen in the US, UK, and Australia. Adams released his eponymous debut album when he was 20 years of age. He rose to fame in North America with the 1983 top ten album Cuts Like a Knife; the album featured its title track and the ballad "Straight from the Heart", which became his first US top-ten hit. His 1984 Canadian and US number one album, Reckless, became the first album by a Canadian to be certified diamond in Canada and made Adams a global star; the album's six charting singles included "Run to You" and "Summer of '69", both top ten hits in the US and Canada, and the power ballad "Heaven", a US number one hit. His 1987 album Into the Fire, with its US and Canadian top ten song, "Heat of the Night", rose to number two in Canada and the top ten in the US. In 1991, Adams released "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", which reached number one in at least 19 countries. The single was number one for 16 straight weeks in the UK; it is one of the best-selling singles of all time, having sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. The song was included on Adams' Waking Up the Neighbours (1991), a worldwide number one album that sold 16 million copies and was certified diamond in Canada. Another major hit off the album was the Canadian number one and US number two hit "Can't Stop This Thing We Started". Beginning in 1993, Adams' hits were mostly ballads, including the worldwide number one or two hits "Please Forgive Me" (1993); "All for Love" (1993); and "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (1995), the latter two topping the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Adams was ranked 48th on the list of all-time top artists on the Billboard Hot 100. Adams had won 20 Juno Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media amongst 16 Grammy nominations. He has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and three Academy Awards for his songwriting for films. Adams has been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Canada's Walk of Fame, the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. On May 1, 2010, Adams received the Governor General's Awards in Performing Arts – Lifetime Artistic Achievement for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.

3. Paul Anka (b. 1941)

With an HPI of 70.02, Paul Anka is the 3rd most famous Canadian Singer. His biography has been translated into 57 different languages.

Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include "Diana", "You Are My Destiny", "Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; one of Tom Jones' biggest hits, "She's a Lady"; and the English lyrics to Claude François and Jacques Revaux's music for Frank Sinatra's signature song "My Way", which has been recorded by many, including Elvis Presley. He co-wrote three songs with Michael Jackson: "This Is It" (originally titled "I Never Heard"), "Love Never Felt So Good", and "Don't Matter to Me", which became posthumous hits for Jackson in 2009, 2014, and 2018, respectively.

4. Drake (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 68.96, Drake is the 4th most famous Canadian Singer. His biography has been translated into 81 different languages.

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. He is credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip-hop music. Drake first gained recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV Television Network teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008) and began his music career by independently releasing the mixtapes Room for Improvement (2006), Comeback Season (2007), and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment. Drake's debut album, Thank Me Later (2010), debuted atop the Billboard 200. All of his subsequent studio albums—including Take Care (2011), Nothing Was the Same (2013), Scorpion (2018), Honestly, Nevermind (2022) and For All the Dogs (2023)—also reached number one in the US. His fourth album, Views (2016), led the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks and his sixth album Certified Lover Boy (2021) set the then-record for most US top-ten songs from one album (9). Drake's catalogue of high-charting singles includes "Best I Ever Had", "Find Your Love", "Take Care", "Started from the Bottom", "Hold On, We're Going Home", "Hotline Bling", "One Dance", "Passionfruit", "God's Plan", "Nice for What", "In My Feelings", "Toosie Slide", "Way 2 Sexy", "Fair Trade", "Jimmy Cooks", "Rich Flex", "Slime You Out", "First Person Shooter", "Nokia", and "What Did I Miss?". As an entrepreneur, Drake founded the OVO Sound record label with longtime collaborator 40 in 2012. In 2013, he became the "global ambassador" of the Toronto Raptors, joining their executive committee and later obtaining naming rights to their practice facility OVO Athletic Centre. In 2016, he began collaborating with Brent Hocking on the bourbon whiskey Virginia Black. Drake heads the OVO fashion label and the Nocta collaboration with Nike, Inc., and founded the production company DreamCrew and the fragrance house Better World. In 2018, he was reportedly responsible for 5% (CAD$440 million) of Toronto's CAD$8.8 billion annual tourism income. Drake has been subject of widespread media coverage due to his popularity, lifestyle, relationships, and feuds, including with Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar. Among the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 300 million units sold in the United States alone according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Drake is also ranked as the highest-certified digital singles artist in the United States. His accolades consist of 5 Grammy Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 39 Billboard Music Awards, 2 Brit Awards, and 3 Juno Awards. Billboard named him the Artist of the Decade (2010s) and the fourth greatest pop star of the 21st century. He has achieved 14 Billboard 200 number-one albums, a joint-record among male soloists, and 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, a joint-record for a male solo artist. Drake holds further Hot 100 records, including the most top 10 singles (81), the most top 40 singles (217), the most charted songs (359) and the most consecutive weeks on the chart (431). He additionally has the most number-one singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Songs, and Rhythmic Airplay charts.

5. The Weeknd (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 66.84, The Weeknd is the 5th most famous Canadian Singer. His biography has been translated into 67 different languages.

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (Amharic: አቤል መኮንን ተስፋዬ; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. Regarded as an influential figure in popular music, he is known for his light-lyric tenor vocal range and falsetto, as well as his alternative R&B sound. His accolades include four Grammy Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards, 22 Juno Awards, six American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, and a Latin Grammy Award. Tesfaye began releasing music anonymously in 2009. After co-founding the record label XO, he released three mixtapes—House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence—in 2011, and gained recognition for his alternative R&B sound. He signed with Republic Records to compile the mixtapes into the compilation album Trilogy (2012), and release his debut studio album, Kiss Land (2013) the following year. Follwing collaborations and film soundtrack contributions from 2013 and 2014, Tesfaye blended his alternative R&B sound with pop on his second and third studio albums, Beauty Behind the Madness (2015) and Starboy (2016); both debuted atop the US Billboard 200 and featured the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Can't Feel My Face", "The Hills", "Starboy", and "Die for You". He returned to his alternative R&B-sound for his debut EP, My Dear Melancholy (2018), featuring the US top-ten single "Call Out My Name". He began an album trilogy based on three time points and explored the dream pop and new wave genres starting with fourth studio album, After Hours (2020), which spawned the chart-topping singles "Heartless" and "Save Your Tears", as well as "Blinding Lights", which became the best-performing song in the Billboard Hot 100's history. He then explored dance-pop, with his second installment and fifth album, Dawn FM (2022), featuring the US top-ten single, "Take My Breath". In 2023, he co-created and starred in the controversial HBO drama series The Idol, which was received as a critical failure. His sixth album and third and trilogy conclusion, Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025), included the US top-five single "Timeless" and a poorly received companion film of the same name. Tesfaye is one of the best-selling artists of all time and has sold over 150 million units according the RIAA; he has been recognized for three diamond-certified singles from the organization. Tesfaye was listed by Time as one of the world's most influential people in 2020. After Hours would later go on to be the most-streamed R&B album in history, while his longest-spanning After Hours til Dawn Tour set the record for the highest-grossing R&B tour in history. Tesfaye co-founded the record label XO in 2021 and hosted the Apple Music 1 radio show Memento Mori from 2018 to 2022. He has collaborated with fashion brands BAPE, Puma and H&M, coffee brand Nespresso, soccer club Paris Saint-Germain, and video games Fortnite and Roblox, among others. In 2020, he launched the incubator HXOUSE of which he serves as a sleeping partner, and was appointed goodwill ambassador for the World Food Programme in 2021. He has also donated to various causes and expressed activism over racial equality and food security.

6. Mylène Farmer (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 65.89, Mylène Farmer is the 6th most famous Canadian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 54 different languages.

Mylène Jeanne Gautier (French: [milɛn ʒan ɡotje]; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (pronounced [milɛn faʁmœʁ]), is a French singer and songwriter. Having sold more than 35 million records worldwide, she is among the most successful recording artists of all time in France, where she holds the record for the most number one hit singles, with twenty-one – eight of which were consecutive. Born in Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada (a former city now part of the Montreal borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro), to French parents, the family soon relocated to Chaville, near Paris, where Farmer pursued a career in modelling and acting. She later gained prominence as a recording artist with the release of her debut single "Maman a tort" in 1984. In 1988, she released her second studio album, Ainsi soit je..., which sold 1.5 million copies in France. The album spawned Farmer's first number one on the French singles chart, "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces". Her third studio album, L'autre..., sold two million copies, becoming Farmer's best-selling album to date. Its lead single, "Désenchantée", became Farmer's most successful single, and is often described as her signature song. Departing from the synth-pop and Europop soundscape of her first albums, Farmer reinvented her musical style with the release of her fourth studio album, Anamorphosée, in 1995. Recorded in the United States, the album features more live instrumentation and shows rock and R&B-oriented influences. Her fifth studio album, Innamoramento, was released in 1999, featuring more electronic influences. In the second part of the 2000s, Farmer continued exploring a range of genres on her albums, namely acoustic pop music on Avant que l'ombre... and electronica on Point de suture. In 2010, Farmer released her eighth studio album, Bleu noir. The album marked Farmer's return to the dark synth-pop and Europop production of her first albums. The lead single, "Oui mais... non", sold over 130,000 copies in France. In 2015, Farmer's tenth studio album, Interstellaires, debuted at number one in France; the album was preceded by the lead single "Stolen Car", a duet with Sting, which reached the number one position on the French singles chart in September 2015. Her eleventh studio album, Désobéissance, was released in 2018, debuting at number one and selling over 265.000 copies. In addition to her music career, Farmer also worked as a lyricist for French singer Alizée, while also being responsible for her image and public appearances. Her debut single, "Moi... Lolita", co-written by Farmer, reached number one in several countries in Europe, and peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart in February 2002. Farmer made her film debut in 1994, starring in Giorgino, and in 2018, she starred in the English-language horror film Ghostland. Throughout her career, Farmer has broken a number of records. She is the best-selling French singer since 1984, has a record number of diamond records, and she is the only artist to have obtained a diamond album in four consecutive decades. Selling over two million copies, her 2001 greatest hits album Les Mots is the highest-selling compilation album by a French recording artist.

7. Grimes (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 65.32, Grimes is the 7th most famous Canadian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elaborate and sometimes have fantasy themes. She has released five studio albums. Born and raised in Vancouver, Grimes began releasing music independently after moving to Montreal in 2006. She released two albums, Geidi Primes and Halfaxa, in 2010 on Arbutus Records, before signing with 4AD and rising to prominence with the release of her 2012 album, Visions. The album received the Canadian music industry Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year, and yielded two singles: "Genesis" and "Oblivion". Following this, her fourth studio album, Art Angels, was released in 2015, and several publications named it the best album of the year. Her fifth studio album, Miss Anthropocene, was released in 2020. Outside of music, Grimes had a voice role in the 2020 action role-playing video game Cyberpunk 2077 and was a judge on the music competition game show Alter Ego. She has three children with Elon Musk.

8. Justin Bieber (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 64.47, Justin Bieber is the 8th most famous Canadian Singer. His biography has been translated into 160 different languages.

Justin Drew Bieber ( BEE-bər; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a prominent figure in contemporary popular music, he rose to fame in the late 2000s after being discovered on YouTube, and his debut extended play, My World (2009), was met with international recognition and established him as a teen idol. Bieber rose to further fame with his debut album, My World 2.0 (2010), which topped the US Billboard 200 — making him the youngest solo male to do so in 47 years. Its lead single, "Baby" (featuring Ludacris), became one of the best selling singles in the United States, while its accompanying music video became the most disliked video on YouTube. His second album, Under the Mistletoe (2011), became the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut atop chart. Bieber explored dance-pop on his third album, Believe (2012); its acoustic re-release made him the first artist in Billboard history to have five US number-one albums by the age of 18. Bieber explored EDM with his 2015 single "Where Are Ü Now", which won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording. This influenced his fourth album, Purpose (2015), which yielded the singles "Love Yourself", "Sorry", and "What Do You Mean?" — all three peaked the Billboard Hot 100, and simultaneously entered the top three spots on the UK singles chart — making him the first musical act to do so in the chart's history. Two of his 2017 guest appearances — on DJ Khaled's "I'm the One" and Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" — peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter winning him a Latin Grammy Award. His fifth and sixth albums, Changes (2020) and Justice (2021), both topped the Billboard 200; the latter included his seventh US-number one single "Peaches" and made him break Elvis Presley's 1965 record for the youngest solo act to have eight US number-one albums. Also in 2021, he released his eighth US number-one single, "Stay" (with the Kid Laroi). Bieber's seventh and eight album, Swag and Swag II, were released in 2025. Bieber is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 150 million units sold worldwide and five diamond certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His accolades include two Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy Award, eight Juno Awards, two Brit Awards, 26 Billboard Music Awards, 18 American Music Awards, and 22 MTV Europe Music Awards (the most wins for any artist). Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, and Forbes' listed him among the top ten most powerful celebrities from 2011 to 2013. Billboard ranked him the eighth-greatest pop star of the 21st century.

9. Denny Doherty (1940 - 2007)

With an HPI of 64.39, Denny Doherty is the 9th most famous Canadian Singer. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty (November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007) was a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. A tenor, he was a founding member of the 1960s musical group the Mamas & the Papas for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

10. Shania Twain (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 62.24, Shania Twain is the 10th most famous Canadian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 70 different languages.

Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( eye-LEEN ... shə-NY-ə; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. She received several titles including the "Queen of Country Pop". Billboard named her as the leader of the 1990s country-pop crossover stars. Twain grew up in Timmins, Ontario, and from a young age she pursued singing and songwriting before signing with Mercury Nashville Records in the early 1990s. Her self-titled debut studio album was a commercial failure upon release in 1993. After collaborating with producer and husband-to-be Robert John "Mutt" Lange, she rose to fame with her second studio album, The Woman in Me (1995), which brought her widespread success. It sold over 20 million copies worldwide, spawned eight singles, including "Any Man of Mine" and earned her a Grammy Award. Twain's third studio album, Come On Over (1997), has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling studio album by a female solo artist, the best-selling country album, best-selling album by a Canadian, and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Come On Over produced twelve singles, including "You're Still the One", "From This Moment On", "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and earned her four Grammy Awards. Her fourth studio album, Up! (2002), spawned eight singles, including "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!", "Ka-Ching!" and "Forever and for Always". In 2004, after releasing her Greatest Hits album, which produced three singles including "Party for Two", Twain entered a hiatus, revealing years later that diagnoses with Lyme disease and dysphonia led to a severely weakened singing voice. She chronicled her vocal rehabilitation on the OWN miniseries Why Not? with Shania Twain, released her first single in six years in 2011, "Today Is Your Day", and published an autobiography, From This Moment On. Twain returned to performing the following year with an exclusive concert residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Shania: Still the One, which ran until 2014. In 2015, she launched the North American Rock This Country Tour, which was billed as her farewell tour. Twain released her first studio album in 15 years in 2017, Now, and embarked on the Now Tour in 2018. In 2019, she started her second Las Vegas residency, Let's Go! at the Zappos Theater. Her sixth studio album Queen of Me was released in 2023, and she embarked on the Queen of Me Tour in the same year. Twain has received five Grammy Awards, two World Music Awards, 39 BMI Songwriter Awards, inductions to Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. According to the RIAA, she is the only female artist in history to have three (consecutive) albums certified Diamond by the RIAA and is the seventh best-selling female artist in the United States. Altogether Twain is ranked as the 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era. Billboard listed her as the 13th Greatest Music Video Female Solo Artist of all time (42nd overall). According to Billboard Boxscore, she is the highest-grossing female country touring artist with $421.1 million gross from her concert tours.

People

Pantheon has 86 people classified as Canadian singers born between 1920 and 2003. Of these 86, 78 (90.70%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Canadian singers include Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, and Paul Anka. The most famous deceased Canadian singers include Denny Doherty, Jon Vickers, and Gordon Lightfoot. As of April 2024, 9 new Canadian singers have been added to Pantheon including Roch Voisine, Benoît David, and Mike Kroeger.