For those of us in our twenties and thirties, the golden age of music was the '80s and '90s (and, okay the '00s as well). We lived for anthems derived during this time, proof of which extended from our iPod shuffles to our school talent shows; (raise your hand if you've done at least one choreographed dance routine or five to something off the Backstreet's Back album). Rock and punk pumped through our blood streams and our Discmans and showed us (and our poor parents) the true meaning of attitude. And just like that bus driver who still rocks her frosted mullet with pride and conviction, we remain dutifully attached to our '80s and '90s jams. This golden age of music was chock-full of one-hit-wonders but also talented musicians who pioneered modern music trends and made the burgeoning industry what it is today. Lucky for us, some of those bands and artists are still around, still touring, still producing killer music and still sporting that black eyeliner that nobody really understood... but you keep doing you, Billie Joe. Check out these six bands and artists who have achieved the ultimate pop culture success: staying relevant.
Madonna
In 1983 a fresh-faced, big-haired force-to-be-reckoned-with entered the pop music scene, taking it by storm no less, with the release of her album Madonna. The Madonna we knew back then and the Madonna we know and love today (in a leotard, belting her heart out at award shows in her free time) are not so different. She’s still stylish, still mega talented and is still rocking as much naked thigh on the reg as Pamela Anderson in Baywatch. Having sold more than 300 million records to date, Madonna is recognized as the best selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records. If that doesn’t make her eternally relevant, soak in the fact that this 57 year icon is still touring and released a brand new album, Rebel Heart, just last year. And I’m doubtful that she’s anywhere near done wow-ing our leotards off.
