💭DISCLAIMER CAUSE SOME OF Y'ALL DON'T LISTEN - this video is not meant to downplay any of the mentioned artists by casting them in MJ's shadow. This is meant to be a discussion on which of today's artists have done the best job at embodying all of the different attributes of an "artist" (singing, song/album-making ability, performing, celebrity status, etc.) that made MJ great! Also, check out the extended edition on Spotify, SoundCloud, & Apple Podcasts here!👉linktr.ee/ourthoughtspod OurThoughts Live🎙 is a weekly livestream show we do every Thursday @ 5 pm pst / 8 pm est, covering all things music, pop culture, and whatever else is on our mind!💭 peep the latest episode here!: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n75ladujrpOwlWg.html

There will never be the next Micheal Jackson, it wasn't just about dancing or singing. He United the entire world & the Weeknd isn't the next Micheal Jackson, he's the first Weeknd

I just can't see any of them actually becoming the next Michael Jackson, but it is nice to see just how much Michael has influenced them to become Great Artists in their own right.

I would say The Weeknd is, he’s been on a crazy run these last few years. He has the best albums and music videos which are all cinematic, similar to how MJ was

Michael Jackson’s work ethic will never be rivaled, he truly was a once in a lifetime artist. These artist are great and I love The Weeknd, Chris Brown, and Bruno but they’ll never get to Michael’s level of changing the way we consume music and music videos

I agree that Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad is probably the greatest trilogy of albums ever.

It’s Bruno for me.

As if for the Prince of Pop The Weeknd definitely in my opinion is the Prince Of Pop

For me in my humble opinion i would say Bruno Mars He has the same heart in his performances and his voice

Michael Jackson is the blueprint for artist to come in the future.

There will never be another Micheal Jackson. but The Weeknd comes closest.

Bruh it's the weeknd At this rate able has proved himself I think he's better in my opinion

The Weeknd the generation's MJ

Bruno has insane longevity his debut album still charting on billboard record breaking 600wks ..and he has more big hits ..and huge album seller ..7 Diamonds and he outsold everyone in this video.

Well The Weeknd's already given the nickname "DARK PRINCE OF POP AND RnB"....

I would definitely agree with you on Bruno being the closest He's bringing what made old school talent used to be great again while modernizing it and being innovative with it he's the biggest male artist of this generation nobody seems to talk 21st century gen z pop and r&b without Bruno Mars being the top male artist it's Bruno Mars and Taylor swift and everybody else he's an huge influence on my music and how I want to present my music to the world I think Bruno Mars has the potential with one more album to be the forever prince of pop like how usher is the forever king of rnb I think the Weeknd is more closer to prince being the artist of this generation yk the personality of male artists of this generation

The Weeknd can dance…when he’s doing MJ dances. The Sacrifice Remix video, and his live performances during 2015 have him doing classic MJ moves and he’s good at that, but he doesn’t invent great dance moves or anything. So whilst I’d say he can be a good dancer, it’s not the same as Chris or Bruno who have natural dancing talent. Abel has the voice closest to Michael, but Bruno has more vocal range. If we could give Abel’s voice to Bruno, he could use it flawlessly and it’d be the perfect mix. If we could combine Abel’s voice + Bruno’s vocal range + Chris Brown’s dancing + Abel’s albums + Chris Brown’s viole- wait scratch that last one, then we’d have the perfect Prince Of Pop.

The Weeknd is the closest one Imo but to me they all have their own unique image that can’t be replicated.

King of Pop, Love and miss you Michael. I think prince of pop can be Bruno?

MJ will always be the King Of Pop ,However The Weeknd is more inspired from MJ then any one he dances like MJ ,Has Angel Like Voice, is Handsome,

The versatility that each artist on that list, has a very huge impact in the music industry. All of them are insanely talented and keep in mind, they all deserve to be where they are at. They may have similarities in style, composition, performance, but there will only be one Michael Jackson. The genius behind the scenes in this industry knows, he has also worked his life to be where he is now. An icon.

Idk why y’all don’t give Bruno Mars the respect he actually deserves. This man has 7 diamond singles and 2 diamond eligible albums ,longest charting debut album of all time ..uptown funk literally 2nd best selling song of all time .the biggest boy band in the world bts ,Shawn mendes,Charlie puth ,Ariana grande , miley , Selena Gomez , Cmilla they all influenced by The BRUNO MARS ..you can’t name any male artist who can sing dance better than Bruno Mars.Literally everyone knows at least his 1 song .there’s no artist who debuted from 2010s has more impact than Bruno Mars ..Social media always underrated him but gp knows who is better and biggest .

It's amazing to see how mainstream abel has become and yet his music remains untouched by the generic side of pop.. He is a popstar for now.. But he's probably the best male popstar with the best pop songs of the century.. Pop isn't that bad if it's not the generic shit we see nowadays.. That's why the weeknd is already the best male artist of the century.. Right on par with the greats(even bruno)

Bieber is bigger than any artist he mentioned globally. Globally, nobody is bigger than cr7, messi and bieber. All the artist u mention is USA thing, man just go to Africa and Asia then u will get to know how big is bieber

while its hard to imagine someone getting to that level due to the world having more and more avenues of entertainment which limits one particular act, I think the weeknd is the closest. He's relavency and popularity is reaching new heights and he has the cross genre appeal to everyone around the world. If he can continue on this path who knows how big he can get.

Guys! Blinding Lights has smashed all records & is the most streamed song of all time in music history!! 🎉 Also The Weeknd has been listed as No.1 Artist of the decade by Billboard so far.Most heard artist on Spotify with monthly listeners of 91.4Million.Avatar 2 soundtrack too 🔥 He is in the news all time whilst others aren’t!

What about Justin Bieber

The Weeknd and Bruno Mars are the mj and prince of our generation the originality from they're persona and music great performers and represents the men of today aswell they're very weird and eccentric

Bro I can't tell you how refreshing it is to hear someone give The 20/20 Experience its flowers. Despite being the highest selling record of that year, it often feels like I'm the only one who remembers it.

Justin Bieber is the prince of pop

Nobody is King or Prince of Pop except for MJ

Justin has the title of Prince of pop. He has won more awards than Weeknd. He has the fame. His vocals are amazing. He sounds like an angel without autotune. He is the most subscribed male artist on KZfaq. Most followed artist on Twitter. He has set 25Guinness world records. He is the first artist to achieve milestone award at such early age. He is the first artist who has 8 no। 1/ hits and 26 top 10 hits on the billboard

Bruno mars by far

No one will ever compare to Michael Jackson !!! He is one of a kind , he can never be replaced.....love him always

I’d say The Weeknd.

I am Indian ... everyone knows mj here including every age group... But only people less than 30 age know today's western artist... Mj is goat

Truth: Nobody will be Michael It will Always Be Michael that’s THE KING OF POP

I hate how I'm just now seeing this. But this would be my ranking from closest to not closest to MJ although we all knw there will never be another. (After re reading my rankings I'm tempted to put Rihanna at 4 and bump Beyonce down to 5. But I don't feel like typing anymore lmao) 1. Bruno Mars: He checks pretty much all the boxes needed. Performing wise , Album wise, & hit wise.I do agree he needs maybe 1 or 2 more projects where he try's something different musically. Other than paying homage to past era's. Other than that his discog is pretty much flawless and his performances are incredible. 2. The Weeknd: This was hard picking between him & Bruno but Abel comes in 2nd simply because the ONLY box he doesn't check is performances. Not to say he's a boring performer and his shows are boring because they are far from it (just look to his recent live album for reference). But man if he could dance on the level of Bruno or MJ there would be no denying who's the closest to MJ. Abel's catalog is unmatched. 7 albums that don't fall below a 8/10 is actually crazy. His impact on the R&B scene is very evident & he's catching up with Bruno in diamond singles. I believe Die For You is the song closest to tieing Bruno at 6 diamond singles. His music videos are like short films and there's really no competition when it comes to Music Videos who's the closest to MJ. 3. Usher: I love Usher and sadly he get's kinda over looked now when speaking about who's the successor to Michael just because #5 usually gets that title. Regardless he's another person who checks all the boxes pretty much. The only thing holding me back from giving him that 1 or 2 spot is his catalog. We all know My Way, Confessions & 8701 are classics and his late 2000s & early 2010s pop hits are good. But his hits (even his pop ones) aren't astronomically huge like the ones that belong to Abel & Bruno. I don't hear him on every radio station as much as I do MJ, Bruno, & Abel. I have to listen to Hip Hop/R&B radio to even have a chance to hear him. That's in no way a knock on him or me saying you have to have a lot of radio play to be good (because you definitely don't) cuz I love his music. But I say that to say I don't think his hits & catalog (as extremely good as they are) have the reach as the other 2 do to the level of MJ's 4. Beyonce: Another person who checks all the boxes pretty much. Although her catalog is what holds me back from putting her any higher. She's a really good performer & does have hits spanning across her career. But besides Lemonade & Renaissance, I don't see another album from top to bottom that is at the level to where I can put her any higher. I know ima get flamed & told to re listen to her catalog from the 2000s but that's how I feel. Regardless she's definitely a worthy candidate. 5. Chris Brown: The man who just automatically gets the number 1 spot in a lot of peoples eyes. Look Breezy has hits, his dancing is incredible, & he's multi talented. But his catalog weighs him down a TON. From self titled to most recently Breezy. He does not have 1 album close to a classic in my opinion. Bruno has Doo Wops. Abel has After Hours & Usher has Confessions. Chris doesn't have one of those, X & F.A.M.E. come somewhat close but not close enough. Regardless like Beyonce, he has hits spanning across his entire career but I can't confidently associate one album to him to where it's like yeah that definitely defined his career. For that reason I can't put him any higher than 5 on my list. I do enjoy listening to some of his music though, I just wish he had a full album I could listen to without skipping any songs like I do when I listen to the other people on this list.

I think you could break this down into several categories: influence/impact, longevity, innovation, live performance and overall quality of their discography. For me the only serious contenders I would consider are Beyonce, Kanye, The Weeknd and Bruno (in that order, as of now). Influence/impact: Kanye by changing mainstream hip hop multiple times and inspiring a whole generation of artists throughout the 2010s. You could also mention The Weeknd who changed R&B with HoB and helpe reintroduce 80s pop music into the mainstream with Starboy and After Hours. Longevity: Beyonce, who has remained relevant for 4 decades and has been arguably the biggest artist in the world for most of that time. Innovation: between Beyonce and Kanye. Beyonce help changed the album release date to Fridays with her self titled album. Also from self titled onwards her albums have been accompanied by incredible short films and music videos, akin to MJ, that set the standard of visual medium in music. Likewise every Kanye album has a new sound from the previous looking to innovate every time, keeping his sound fresh. Live performance: Beyonce (doesn't need explaining) but I would like to also point out how incredible Kanye's stage design was from the Yeezus and Pablo tours to the Donda listening parties and Free Hoover concert with Drake. Overall quality of discography: all have an endless amount of hits and in terms of album quality they're pretty similar in that regard too. I didn't mention The Weeknd and Bruno too much as they both still early in their careers compared to the other two artists. Bruno is very old school with his approach of 9-11 track albums but harks back to the sounds that inspire him instead of trying to create something innovative (not necessarily a criticism, because he's the best at what he does). The Weeknd vocally sounds the closet to MJ and also tells stories within his videos and albums like MJ but lacks the presense as a live performer in comparison to MJ and Beyonce. Overall I agree with your answer of Beyonce as the artists who has evoked MJ the best, as the complete package.

abel is the new king of pop the numbers don't lie

Sorry but I won’t entertain this video cause of one thing brother one you probably wasn’t around during MJ’s dominance two you’re looking at this in retrospect three it wasn’t just MJ’s musical efforts that prevailed him into the astronomical stratosphere we know he rightfully belongs at today and forever it’s…his music,presence,grace,generosity,care,love,compassion,humanitarian works,philanthropy,dedication,humility,passion,innovator,integrity,intellect,innocence,work ethic,gifted talent,cultural/universal impact etc. he was just the full package and he excelled in all those fields exceptionally well PERIOD! That’s what made MJ unsurpassable👑🌟

I don't understand how people forget abt Justin Bieber. Looking back to 2009-2016 he literally rulled the world by his music. His Justice album (2021)was amazing..

To me being the next Micheal Jackson isn't about just singing and dancing it's about how he did it with emotion and not just doing hip hop moves and stuff and uniting the world with his music like no other before Bruno Mars is the closest to that in terms of uniting the world if he does something more than revivaling old music then he'll be the biggest star since mj

I think the Weeknd in terms of the best of today in the modern sense how the new generation inherits musicians

Justin Bieber

why usher ain't on that list ??

The Weeknd.

"Oscar award winning documentary: Stomp the Yard" 💀💀💀💀

who is the new elvis presley? who is the new freddie mercury? who is the new mozzart? you can't replace great artists, they are just unique, never open a new " michael jackson ". that simple.

I feel like Chris Brown has earned it the most. Listening to all of his albums, I think his discography is actually top tier. Heartbreak On A Full Moon and Indigo are concept albums and double disc as well. Heartbreak On A Full Moon told the story of his pain following Karrueche leaving him while Indigo is about the spiritual connections in which the color Indigo represents. I agree that because these albums are so long, there are a lot of throwaways but they don’t intrude to the extent most people would think. For every Need A Stack, you get like 5 Back To Loves. Then like you said, he’s one of the greatest performers even doing an iconic tribute to MJ that essentially rebirth his soul as a person, his image and gave him a second chance at society and it also kinda was a passing of the torch moment, nobody else truly has that moment so it feels like Chris is the only one who truly is MJ’s successor and to top it all off, MJ wasn’t just an artist or performer, he was an ENTERTAINER. He did movies, books, draw, sports. Chris Brown is the only one who embodies the entertainer aspect, he can do everything in music and then he plays sports, he’s a martial artist, an actor, a writer, a director, a gymnast, his fortress in Tarzana is covered in his own paintings, he’s funny. When I look for MJ’s successor, they need to be a full on entertainer like MJ was and CB is the only one who is.

You don’t know anything about Michael, he didn’t sing with Justin Timberlake, love never felt so good was recorded in the 80s but it wasn’t released

Prince was the prince of pop

As much as the dancing of MJ is I think it’s not that important. What I mean is that anyone can learn how to do the same moves as MJ, obviously he does it better. But with time and effort anyone can learn to dance. IMO voice and singing r far more important. That’s why imo: Bruno vocal range with The Weeknd voice and Chris moves. Those exact 3 in that same order.

one more album from bruno and hell definitely be mj status hopefully hell put his rapping talents in his next album😀cause i think hell really put people over

The weekend her new account 😍

For me it's Justin Timberlake

I think Bruno Mars is the closest anyone got to being the next Michael but not even that close

Like mj used to cause hysteria, I have only seen it for bieber in current generation and he didn't even mention him, he clearly is jb hater. Bieber sold out stadium in Africa, Asia, south America, Even kids are familier with Bieber globally, I don't think did they even hear about the all artist u mention. Only artist who has seen mj level of stardom in pop music is Bieber. Elvis and beatles are out of pop genre. Britney and maddona was usa based artist in their peak therefore till now we haven't seen maddona and britney doing concert in third world country, only bieber can do and sold out stadium. And about Chris and bruno, they can't even sold out stadium in USA. About weekend, just his music is famous , nobody give a damn about him like people care about elvis, beatles, mj and Bieber. Have u ever heard Bieber fever. Baby is way more famous globally than blinding light. And sorry, I m the one yeah, let me love u and other alot of bieber songs too.

So hard I rather creates my own and original

It's like the soul of MJ split into different entertainers: JT, Bruno, Weeknd, CB...they all have things they can do really well, yet overall, none of them is on the same level as MJ. The man who wrote beat it, billie jean, the man who made Thriller, the man who invented moonwalk, and the level of fame he has! I'm from China and... my grandma can't even read Chinese yet she knows about Michael and refers to him as the man who can do the magical dance move on tv😂

For me the nett mj should have own danke, fashion style. At least 8 grammys.

The Weeknd is the one

Close to MJ, Chris Brown definitely

I am a very big Michael Jackson fan. I analyze everything he’s done and I do agree that no one can ever replace him. But If I were to think of somebody being the Prince of pop I genuinely do agree that Beyoncé is that spiritual successor. Tho with what’s going on with her recently I feel like it’s been falling down tremendously with her unaffordable tour prices and how distant and over exaggerated I’ve been feeling between her and her fans. I feel like if you wanna have that title you also gotta have that intimate relationship between the artist and their fans. If I were to think of anybody that’s close to the prince of pop status it’d be his sister Janet. Janet has always tried to top herself with the projects and albums she’s made over the past 37 years. She practically had the same mindset as her brother and i think she truly succeeded with that status. On top of that she’s a talented performer that can still control a crowd 30 years later which is hard for many artists. It’s always crazy to see her do the dance breakdown for scream at the age she’s at by this point. Mind you that even her own brother never did that whenever he performed scream. Overall I think she’s in that pedestal and in some moments maybe even beyond her own brother but that’s up to you at the end of the day

You need meet Iker Ruiz he are a great singer

I think its the weeknd i mean he has the most streamed song and is the most streamed artist. Plus he has recently broke the record MJ had for the highest revenue made during his tour. Weeknd may not be the king of pop but he is the prince of pop.

Breezy is the closest

“Flawless discography?!” I hate so many Bruno Mars songs. The Weekend doesn’t dance like MJ. But every other way he is modern MJ.

It's Bruno Mars.

I think Bruno or Chris is closer to him

There will never be another Micheal Jackson but we do need that male/ Female artist that can make people excited I have the perfect antidote We need someone with: : the dancing of doja cat and Chris Brown Female Artistry of Beyonce and Rihanna Cultural/ musical understanding of Beyonce , Bruno Mars and Drake And we that we'll have the perfect prince/ princess/Queen of Pop

So the consensus is Anderson Paak is Prince and Frank Ocean is D angelo

For me with all the talent and skills Bruno mars is more likely to be the king of pop (present time) he can dance , sing , play instruments and etc... which some of the others artists cant do even MJ cant play instrument , so I would say that skills of Bruno mars is way beyond the others

User nd justin could be but at the moment Bruno Mars or the weeknd

another artist you shouldve put on here is jason derulo i know he isnt in alot of peoples conversations bit hes really close in being influential i even think he shouldve replaced chris brown just me tho

In my opinion it’s jb

I honestly feel like Usher is the closest Thing to Micheal the impact and influence on modern artists is awesome and the performances too wonder why you didnt put him on here

Mj era um artista a frente do seu tempo mj unico os tres sao talentosos que disputem ao principe do pop mj e so um king

obviously justin bieber is prince of pop

El es algo especial de otro planeta jaja no habrá nadie igual nunca mas

The only thing the Weeknd reminds me of Michael Jackson is his voice. I get so confused when Weeknd's fans comparing him to MJ. There is no comparison at all. His stage prescence isn't that epic. If I saw him at the mall I wouldn't be staring at him or start to faint. If anything the Weeknd reminds me of Prince. I think the only entertainers that reminds me of Michael Jackson both personal level and professional level are Beyonce, Chris Brown, and Justin Bieber. I see these three names stays in media unlike The Weeknd. Beyonce and her fanbase reminds me of Michael's. While both Brown and Bieber personal lives reminds me of Michael's as in being controversial while growing up in the spotlight.

Its EMBARRASSING to hear anyone compare ANYONE. Yes i said it.... ANYONE of today to Michael Jackson. ANYONE.. BEYONCE, RIHANNA, CHRIS BROWN, DRAKE, USHER, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, TAYLOR SWIFT... ANY OF THEM! They all are playing in a COMPLETELY different playing field.the cultural impact WORLDWIDE was on a different planet compared to todays artists! Its like comparing someone who sells out a club and has a few hot singles locally to a GIANT who sells out stadiums every single venue on a tour. (yes i know todays artist sell out stadiums) im making a comparison. Michaels last album INVISIBLE sold 13 million copies worldwide. AND THATS AT THE END OF HIS CAREER ANNNNNND after TWO sexual abuse allegations and going from being dark black with natural curly black hair to white bleached skin with a wig and having the public push back at you for not being normal. AND HE STILL SOLD 13 MILLION ALBUMS!!!!!! Put him in this era with barely passable singers, barely there songwriters, Barely there performers and tell him to just write and sing smash singles to put out without having to compose an album!? Michael would smash ALL competitor's in this era. DRAKE could have been a very good R&B singer but he chose to do this hybrid Hip Hop rap thing and it's selling very well for him. Not knocking his game AT ALL!!!! BUUUUT..... put Michael in his prime OFF THE WALL thru till DANGEROUS creative mind and image in todays game. It would would be a MASSACRE!!!! It would be like Putting Larry Bird or Michael Jordan in todays NBA open spread offense. Larry would dominate for 50 points a night and Jordan would have an open lane to dunk EVERY SINGLE time down the floor! Michael Jackson for the win. Hands down! The king still owns the crown. Sorry Drake. But keep doing your thing you robbing these kids without even really trying and these kids are happy to let you do it. 🤣🤣🤣

Elton john

Bruno Mars is Steph Curry and the Weeknd is Lebron James

The Steph Curry candle = W

i’m surprised Usher was left out of the conversation because I feel he rivals justin timberlake

It’s definitely JT

Mj único king Brasil

Goodbye Michael Jackson hello the weekend is the best entertainment in the world

I will pick up the Bat-ton after Michael and carry it far - ADW.

plz do more research beyonce can't sell albums. Go and check chartmaster...her lemonade album Is a huge flop..

He’s talking about people who are at the end of their careers.😂

No one from this generation or past generation can sing like harry styles does. ONLY BOWIE COULD. SO A GREAT WELCOME TO OUR BEAUTIFUL PRINCE OF POP. HE IS THE FUTURE . MICHAEL. BRITNEY AND MADONNA ARE SADLY THE PAST. NO ONE IDENTIFIES WITH THEM TODAY. CONCENTRATING ON DANCING DOES NOT MAKE YOU A SINGER. PEOPLE WILL CHECK YOUR LEGACY AND THEY WILL SEE THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN SING AND YOU WILL BECOME THE JOKE OF EVERYONE LIKE SPEARS. HAVE ANICE DAY AND NO HATE.

Gotta be either Usher or Beyoncé

2 seconds into the video it’s already a classic

Beyoncé period! It’s Bruno next although The Weeknd is goth pop or emosoul, he’s a gifted, truly unique talent. The Weeknd is like prince to me. He’s so unique and edgy. Yeah it’s Beyoncé.

I say Bruno Mars. The weekend is cringey

Usher is the correct answer

Don’t Forget Ciara she’s Great Too

I m the next king of pop😮