The Best R&B Artists Of 2023

Jared Baly
Updated September 1, 2023 3.7K votes 508 voters
Over 500 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best R&B Artists Of 2023

2022 may have set the bar really high for R&B artists, but honestly, this year's hottest rhythm and blues singer-songwriters are ready to takeover everyone's playlists. From Grammy Award winner SZA's sensational sophomore album SOS to Chris Brown's critically-acclaimed Breezy, 2023's top R&B music effortlessly fuses dynamic hip-hop/soul instrumentals with diverse cross-cultural influences while simultaneously staying true to the genre's traditional roots. Industry queens Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, and Lizzo never cease to slay with their flawless records; and Gen Z musicians Steve Lacy, H.E.R., Jorja Smith, and Chlöe continue to shatter glass ceilings with their exceptional talent.

Which trending R&B musicians are you most excited to see live, and whose records are you currently listening to? Vote below for the best R&B artists of 2023, and be sure to also check out this year's top new R&B songs afterwards.

Most divisive: Lizzo
Ranked by
  • SZA
    1

    SZA

    328 votes
    Solana Rowe (born November 8, 1990), better known by her stage name SZA, is an American singer-songwriter. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, later relocating to Maplewood, New Jersey. In October 2012, Rowe self-released an extended play titled See.SZA.Run, which she then followed up with her second EP, titled S, in October 2013. In July 2013, it was revealed that she had signed to Hip Hop record label Top Dawg Entertainment, through which she released Z, her third EP and first retail release, in April 2014. SZA is an PBR&B and neo soul singer whose music is described as Alternative R&B, with elements of soul, hip hop, minimalist R&B, cloud rap, ethereal R&B, witch house and chillwave. Rowe's lyrics are described as "unraveling", that revolve around themes of sexuality, nostalgia, and abandonment.
  • The Weeknd
    2

    The Weeknd

    310 votes
    Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. A prominent figure in contemporary popular music, he is noted for his unconventional music production, artistic reinventions, and his signature use of the falsetto register. His accolades include 4 Grammy Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards, 22 Juno Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 2 MTV Video Music Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, and nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Among the world's best-selling music artists with over 75 million records sold, Tesfaye holds several streaming and Billboard chart records. Tesfaye was listed by Time as one of the world's most influential people in 2020, and was dubbed the "world's most popular artist" by Guinness World Records in 2023. An advocate for racial equality and food security, he was appointed a World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador in 2021.
  • Summer Walker
    3

    Summer Walker

    200 votes
    Summer Marjani Walker (born April 11, 1996) is an American singer-songwriter. She is signed to LoveRenaissance and Interscope Records. Her commercial mixtape Last Day of Summer was released on October 19, 2018. Her debut studio album, Over It was released on October 4, 2019 and received universal acclaim from critics. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart with 134,000 album-equivalent units in its first full tracking week. Walker made history when her debut album earned the biggest streaming debut ever for a female R&B artist. Walker also was the recipient for Best New Artist at the 2019 Soul Train Music Awards.
  • Brent Faiyaz
    4

    Brent Faiyaz

    222 votes
    Christopher Brent Wood (born September 19, 1995), better known by his stage name Brent Faiyaz, is an American singer from Columbia, Maryland. Faiyaz began uploading his experimental music (Black Child EP) onto SoundCloud in 2014 and moved from his hometown Columbia, Maryland to Charlotte, North Carolina before settling in Los Angeles, California to further his music career. On September 19, 2016, his 21st birthday, he released his debut EP, A.M. Paradox, which received positive reviews from music critics. He is currently working on a new album, titled Make It Out Alive, which is in the early recording process. On July 1, 2021, Faiyaz released a new single, "Wasting Time" featuring Drake. Following this, he appeared on tracks from Baby Keem's The Melodic Blue ("Lost Souls") and Tems's If Orange Was a Place ("Found"). On December 3, 2021, Faiyaz released the single "Mercedes", after having teased a project titled Wasteland on Instagram.
  • H.E.R.
    5

    H.E.R.

    191 votes
    Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson (born June 27, 1997), known professionally as H.E.R. (pronounced "her", an initialism for "Having Everything Revealed"), is an American R&B singer. After initial music appearances and singles under her real name, Wilson re-emerged in 2016 as H.E.R., releasing her debut EP H.E.R. Volume 1 under RCA, followed by four subsequent EPs. Her first compilation album H.E.R. (2017), consisting of tracks from her first two EPs plus six additional songs, was nominated for five Grammy Awards, winning Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album. Her second compilation album, I Used to Know Her, was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "Hard Place". In 2021, she was awarded the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "I Can't Breathe", and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Fight for You" from the film Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). Her debut full-length album Back of My Mind was released in June 2021.
  • Beyoncé
    6

    Beyoncé

    190 votes
    Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of the R&B girl-group Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups in history. Their hiatus saw the release of her first solo album, Dangerously in Love (2003), which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and earned her five Grammy Awards. The album also featured the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy". Following the break-up of Destiny's Child in 2006, she released her second solo album, B'Day, which contained her fourth solo number-one song in the US, "Irreplaceable". Beyoncé also continued her acting career with starring roles in The Pink Panther (2006), Dreamgirls (2006), and Obsessed (2009). Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z and her portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influenced her third album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which saw the introduction of her alter-ego, Sasha Fierce, and earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010, including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". After splitting from her manager and father Mathew Knowles in 2010, she released 4 in 2011, which explored a mellower tone and was influenced by 1970s funk, 1980s pop, and 1990s soul. Her critically acclaimed eponymous album, released in 2013 with no prior announcement, was even more experimental in its production and exploration of darker themes. Lemonade (2016), one of her most personal and political work to date, received widespread critical acclaim and became the best-selling album of 2016. In 2018, she released Everything Is Love, a collaborative album with her husband, Jay-Z, as The Carters. Throughout her career, Beyoncé has sold over 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist and a further 60 million records with Destiny's Child, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Recording Industry Association of America recognized Beyoncé as the Top Certified Artist in America during the 2000s decade. In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade and the Top Female Artist of the 2000s decade. Among numerous awards and accolades, Beyoncé has won 23 Grammy Awards and is the most nominated woman in the award's history. She is the most awarded artist at the MTV Video Music Awards, with 24 wins, including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. In 2014, she became the highest-paid black musician in history and was listed among Time's 100 most influential people in the world for a second year in a row. Forbes ranked her as the most powerful female in entertainment on their 2015 and 2017 lists, and in 2016, she occupied the sixth place for Time's Person of the Year. With the release of Lemonade, Beyoncé became the first and only musical act in Billboard chart history to debut at number one with their first six solo studio albums.