Fans of pop music know for an artist to survive past their first big hit, they have to have something else — they have to have IT. “It” can include many things, but the artists that make a big impact normally have images as compelling as their music and a sick sense for fashion to keep fans interested.
2009 was a good year for fashion-forward pop stars. The girls made bold statements with color, gender-bending looks, and downright wacky outfits. Not to be outdone, the guys stepped it up and got heads turning too.
Here are just five of our favs from this year in fashion and music.
5 artists who made music look good in 2009
- Rihanna – She spent most of the year hiding from the prying media and working on her near-masterpiece album, Rated R, but when she finally emerged she made every fashionable step matter. From suits to gowns to spiky mini-dresses, Rih’s fashion icon status can’t be denied.
- Katy Perry – From soft and sexy to outrageous and wacky in usually less than a day, Katy is always good for a fashionable moment. Even at her craziest, she rarely misses as she rocks each look with such conviction she’ll soon convince you she could wear a paper sack and look good.
- Lady GaGa – GaGa is a master of disguise and knows that looking good doesn’t always mean looking completely normal. She keeps music and fashion interesting by constantly switching up her clothes, hair, and anything else that can be painted, teased, or covered in Kermits.
- Adam Lambert – If you tuned in to American Idol season 8 there were two thing you undoubtedly waited for if you were on Team Lambert: another amazing vocal performance and another memorable ensemble. Once Glambert left Idol behind, his personal style took centerstage and ran. Sleek suits, leather, spikes, heavy eyeliner, and slick hair are all apart of his fashion-forward arsenal and we love it.
- Bill Kaulitz - Adam Lambert is being credited for bringing glam-rock back for the guys, but fans of Tokio Hotel know it’s been around thanks to frontman Bill Kaulitz. Even girls envy his flowing hair — blown out or styled in a mohawk — and his ability to rock slim-fit jeans better than we could ever imagine.
Rihanna ALL DAY Lol.. I mean Essence magazine gave her, her own section called 30 days of Rihanna and it was all about her fashion lol & she was in Vogue slaying everyone lol.
Lady Gaga and Katy Perry all day they should make a collab.
Oh Jesus Christ no LOL
Bil Kaulitz is glam God, love him.
bill kaulitz is and has always been glam! :D
Bill Kaulitz is the best and the original! Bill did it first and best! He’s perfect!
Com’on, take a review of 80′s glams. No more, no less. Billy didn’t start anything.
Bill brought back the glam rock first!
If we are going to review, we must also make sure that Adam quits saying he is “bringing it back”. It’s BEEN back.
Adam has said he’s being glam rock back not necessarily the glam look, others have said that for him. He’s telling the truth too. Tokio Hotel is awesome but what they do is not glam rock. Just sayin.’ Also Adam isn’t taking credit for anything, other media outlets report he is a glam-rock god because in America he is more well-known than Bill because he was on American Idol.
lol…Adam is dance pop.
There have been bands that aren’t as mainstream that have been doing glam for quite some time.
Bill Kaulitz always looks amazing (sometimes amazingly kooky but still amazing even in the craziest getup). And he definitely rocks the skinny pant better than anyone I’ve ever seen. I always look forward to seeing what he’ll wear to events.
yep Bill Kaulitz is the one who bring the glam rock…
and he really rocks those skinny jeans he has the longs lengs for that…
Bill is so fabulous. :P He’s the only person who can wear the strangest clothing and still look just as great as he does in a t-shirt & jeans. He has pulled off so many outfits that would look disastrous on anyone else.
Bill Kaulitz was the one who brought back the Glam Rock for the guys!
BILL! ADAM! <3
amaaaaazing. 0.o
love them both :)
I like Bill’s and Rihanna’s style.
Don’t like at all Katy’s,Gaga’s and Adam’s
Bill Kaulitz has definately made music look badass.
he has the best style in my opinion, because he doesnt
steal other peoples looks. he’s always had his own unique
beautiful look. :)
that’s so true
he is one of a kind an original!
ADAM is the best!
Bill Kaulitz is so SEXY!! his legs runs for miles! love the new hair!!
Bill is fabulous…
“Adam Lambert is being credited for bringing glam-rock back for the guys, but fans of Tokio Hotel know it’s been around thanks to frontman Bill Kaulitz.”
Damn straight!
Bill maybe should be credited for the glam rock look, but not glam rock musical style. Adam is bringing that back in a hot way and should be rightfully credited for that:)
Adam Lambert IS OUR GLAM ROCK, has the vocals, a fantastic performer, amazing looks that drive both men and women wild, has a fantastic dress sense. great BODY,no one else in the world comes anywhere near Adam’s cahrm and appeal.
Ha I guess you’ve never heard Bill sing live then have you?
I have heard Bill sing and Adam kills him in this department. Bill looks great, but he doesn’t even compare in voice.
yeah sure if you like listening to…. im not going to say it. but really, Bills voice<Adam's voice. and yes, bill does look great :)
I have to admit, although i prefer Bill’s music, Adam has a MUCH better voice.
Bill Kaulitz from Tokio Hotel is the Glams Rock
i like bill kaulitz and rihanna style
and so true what you said about bill.. he’s the one who brought
the glam rock back.. finilly someone got it right! thanks
Bill Kaulitz all the way!!! He has such great style, he’s an AMAZING singer, he’s original! The original glam rock god!
Rihanna always looks good! So does Katy Perry. Lady Gaga scares me but she look human in those pics.
Bill KaulitZ.. that androgynous beauty amaze me!
Someone finally noticed that Bill Kaulitz is a fashion god. Thank you, and let’s keep it that way.
Also props to Rihanna and Gaga. Sexy androgynous ladies.
Bill Kaulitz is awesome!
I definitely agree, Bill Kaulitz is the one that has the glam-rock look and he rocks it. Bill looks good with anything he wears, he just has that unavoidable knack for always looking his best :D
Bill can wear a garbage bag and still manage to be fierce!!
Bill’s style is impeccable. I always look forward to seeing what he’s going to wear next. :)
I agree with all of these except Katy Perry (she is a disgusting arrogant bitch imo).
Bill Kaulitz is the most beautiful man in the world and he has impeccable style. He’s always gorgeous.
Bill Kaulitz is a fashion icon at only 20yrs old. Not many people can say that and he’s always ahead of the game. No one does fashion, glam or a skinny pant like Bill.
adam lambert looks amazing in all these pics. i definitely look forward to what he’s coming up with fashion-wise. same with lady gaga. they both make you antici…pate their next move. they entertain with their voices, their music, their performances, their honesty, their intelligent means of expressing themselves in interviews. entertaining their audiences through fashion is simply an extension of all that. you can tell they put a lot of thought into what they do, which fascinates their fans all the more.
Bill always looks so amazing and brings so much style to the world on a daily basis.
Bill Kaulitz of course is the glam rock god,i’m so happy
he’s getting credited for it!
I agree so hard with (almost) the whole list! All of these artists have really shanken things up with their style. My personal fave, though, is Bill Kaulitz. He can rock designer couture like no other!
Love this list….not sure about Katy Perry, but you’re spot on with the rest. Especially Bill Kaulitz…he’s been rockin’ his own style since he was 9!
Bill Kaulitz is the best and the original! Bill
**woot** Bill Kaulitz :D yay! he is totally the original :D
To the writer: How old are you? 15 or 17? Take a look for the 80′s fashion. Is what Adam likes, beside the skinny and punk Bill.
, of course.
Bill Kaulitz was,is and always will be the first Glam-Music-Sexy men!
Bill’s style is consistently superb and should be spotlighted as often as possible.
Bill and Rihanna are my fashion icons, for suree.
they always look so fierce, glamorous, and put together!
they rock the music AND the fashion scene :)
Katy and Gaga could gain a few pounds. Adam could wear clothes that fit. Too tight clothing makes everyone look fat. And Bill. Bill looks emaciated, skeletal, deathly and it’s frightening. Doesn’t style require some kind of energy? To my eye … on this page … Rhianna is the only artist with style. She looks alive. She looks healthy. She looks sexy, powerful, gorgeous. Whatever she wears … she wears it well.
awwww Bill has energy
Rihanna doesn’t have very much energy on stage, her red carpet presence is stronger than her stage presence.
Really? Performance-wise, out of all the artists here, Rihanna’s the one who always looks dead to me. I don’t think she’s a very good performer. I think most of the people here are mostly hit-or-miss when it comes to fashion, to be honest.
Bill Kaulitz is not only a rock god but a fashion one too. Yay! for mentioning him here!
Bill is the best OMG he looks Fantastic
I think Bill Kaulitz has the best fashion sense…..
Tokio Hotel is the best!!
Bill Kaulitz is THE sex God of the decade. He started wearing makeup when he was 11! He is so original, special and he brings so much energy on stage. Adam looks like an amature next to Bill. TOKIO HOTEL AND BILL ALL THE WAY!
Ich Liebe Dich Bill KAULITZ!! GO BILL!
Nice one! Bill Kaulitz is a definite must-mention for any music style spotlight. That one is definitely reading high-end fashion mags in the tourbus, he is consistently ahead of curve in terms of what the public is used to. I remember when he wore a pair of interestingly mottled sky-blue and white skinny jeans to the MTVLA awards back in 2008. Even the fans were like, what the heck is he wearing??!! They came to be known as the “radioactive cow pants.” But then, surprise surprise – a few months later, stars from Gwen Stefani to Dakota Fanning started wearing the same style, and nowadays you see cheap recreations of that kind of bleach job in every store in the mall. We were all a little shocked by his enormous Ann Demeulemeester sweater that he wore to a film premiere, but it’s turning out to be that the giant oversized knit sweater is a huge fashion item this winter season. Dude knows what he’s doing, he’s not just taking blind stabs in the dark or copying other rockstars, like a certain Lambert. And he has said repeatedly that he does not use a stylist. He has a makeup artist, but no stylist – he has been shaping his sense of style since he was very young, and it’s an integral part of his being and freedom. He does the fashion research and then goes shopping with an army of bodyguards to get the perfect couture pieces. He is THE definitive rock god and fashion god of our generation, and in my opinion is also more naturally beautiful, talented, and charismatic than any frontman in music history.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What she said.
It kills me that people keep repeating the tired bull that Adam is copying Bill. I know they wore the same jeans once, but I’ve even heard people say Adam is copying Bill for wearing a black shirt. Seriously? Even though Bill wore the jeans first doesn’t it occur to anyone that they may just have similar fashion tastes? Celebrities accidentally wear the same things all the time. Actually if we’re going to get into it, the studded vest Bill is wearing in the second picture…Adam wore a long-sleeved studded jacket that looks very similar and he wore it to the 2012 premiere BEFORE Bill wore that vest. I guess Bill is copying Adam now:) Just pointing out how ridiculous it is to give one man credit for bringing back things like skinny jeans, mohawks, black hair, makeup, amd black shirts. Millions of people sport those styles.
Too bad none of them look as good as Bill wearing them.
Well Bill wore a studded jacket last year.
But that doesn’t really matter
bb…Bill has had to deal with people saying he’s copying people.
It’s ~*life*~. It’ll blow over and probably sooner if his fans stop getting butthurt about it.
Bill Kaulitz is so hot and he could definitly make anything look good.
yay Bill, Bill, Bill the best singer ever
Adam Lambert fit my taste. Adam’s style is like his music – more verstile. On stage, he dresses up and is flamboyance. In the street, he is like one of our friends – but the good looking ones:-) Adam Lambert can put off a sleek suit, but also a studded leather jacket… I love Lambert’s taste in high fashion. He is my fashion icon, though I’m a woman.
Adam Lambert fits my taste. Adam’s style is like his music – more verstile. On stage, he dresses up and is flamboyance. In the street, he is like one of our friends – but the good looking ones:-) Adam Lambert can pull off a sleek suit, but also a studded leather jacket… I love Lambert’s taste in high fashion. He is my fashion icon, though I’m a woman.
I agree with Bill, but I think Kylie has better style than all of the girls and Patrick Wolf obviously has better style than Adam Lambert.
I think if anything these pics show that Adam and Bill’s style really isn’t that similar. They both have black hair and wear makeup but Adam changes it up a lot more, sporting a clean look along with the rock n roll look. I love his sleek suits.
The “it” that Gaga & Perry have need a prescription from the doctor. Bill Kaulitz has the it-factor so much that Adam Lambert can’t stop trying to be him by copying most of his outfits. Even Gwen Stefani & Rhiana have been seen wearing what Bill has worn before them. He IS a style icon, and an amazing musican on top of it.
I don’t agree with Katy Perry being on the list. I think her looks for this year were pretty bland. I wouldn’t really call Adam Lambert particularly fashionable either – I think he’s mostly gone the safe route after going mainstream post-Idol. Although he is a lot more interesting (style-wise) than a lot of other male artists.
Bill Kaulitz has had some really strange ensembles this year, but I admire his bravery. Not a lot of people would go out looking like he does. Of course it does help that he has the physique/bone structure to pull off his outfits/look.
I think Bill and Adam both look great. I don’t think either is trying to look like the other or gets the “most glam” prize. They’ve both independently rocked this style for some time. Old pics of Adam way pre-Idol reveal that he’s been doing the glam fashion thing for years.
Bill’s a cute, feminine looking, skinny guy. His sex appeal is zilch. A little action and he might disintegrate. A pile of pretty bones on the floor.
I like Bill’s and Rihanna’s style.
Don’t like at all Katy’s,Gaga’s and Adam’s
ok this should totally be the other way around bill shud be at the top bill is the bst!
WHOOHOO|
BILL AND ADAM BOTH
BILL KAULITZ is the Glams Rock! <3
Bill Kaulitz <33
Adam Lambert all the way…
Bill Kaulitz has amanzing style .
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! bill saLe guapizimO!!es un diiOs de la mOdaa!
KATEY PERRY YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL