Honorific nicknames in popular music


When describing popular music artists, honorific nicknames are used, most often in the media or by fans, to indicate the significance of an artist, and are often religious, familial, or most frequently royal and aristocratic titles, used metaphorically. Honorific nicknames were used in classical music in Europe even in the early 19th century, with figures such as Mozart being called "The father of modern piano music" and Bach "The father of modern music". They were also particularly prominent in African-American culture in the post-Civil War era, perhaps as a means of conferring status that had been negated by slavery, and as a result entered early jazz and blues music, including figures such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie.
In U.S. culture, despite its republican constitution and ideology, royalist honorific nicknames have been used to describe leading figures in various areas of activity, such as industry, commerce, sports, and the media; father or mother have been used for innovators, and royal titles such as king and queen for dominant figures in a field. In the 1930s and 1940s, as jazz and swing music were gaining popularity, it was the more commercially successful white artists Paul Whiteman and Benny Goodman who became known as "the King of Jazz" and "the King of Swing" respectively, despite there being more highly regarded contemporary African-American artists.
These patterns of naming were transferred to rock and roll when it emerged in the 1950s. There was a series of attempts to find—and a number of claimants to be—the "King of Rock 'n' Roll", a title that became most associated with Elvis Presley. This has been characterized as part of a process of the appropriation of credit for innovation of the then-new music by a white establishment. Different honorifics have been taken or given for other leading figures in the genre, such as "the Architect of Rock and Roll", by Little Richard from the 1990s; this term, like many, is also used for other important figures, in this case including pioneer electric guitarist Les Paul.
Similar honorific nicknames have been given in other genres, including Aretha Franklin, who was crowned the "Queen of Soul" on stage by disk jockey Pervis Spann in 1968. Michael Jackson and Madonna have been closely associated with the terms "King of Pop" and "Queen of Pop" since the 1980s. Some nicknames have been strongly promulgated and contested by various artists, and occasionally disowned or played down by their subjects. Some notable honorific nicknames are in general usage and commonly identified with particular individuals.

Individual titles

A

ArtistTitleCountry
AaliyahPrincess of R&BUnited States
AaliyahQueen of Urban PopUnited States
Metal QueenCanada
Abrar-ul-HaqKing of Pakistani PopPakistan
Voice of a GenerationUnited States
Queen of Arab PopLebanon
Queen of Turkish PopTurkey
King of Modern ReggaetonPuerto Rico
Queen of MandopopTaiwan
Queen of Peruvian PopPeru
Queen of J-popJapan
AuroraFairy of PopNorway
King of JazzUnited States
Maki AsakawaQueen of the UndergroundJapan
Noriko AwayaQueen of BluesJapan

B

ArtistTitleCountry
Erykah BaduQueen of Neo-SoulUnited States
Bad BunnyKing of Latin TrapPuerto Rico
Đorđe BalaševićPanonian SailorYugoslavia/Serbia
J BalvinPrince of ReggaetonColombia
Šaban BajramovićKing of Romani MusicYugoslavia/Serbia
Harry BelafonteKing of CalypsoUnited States
Mordechai Ben DavidKing of Jewish MusicUnited States
Chuck BerryKing of Rock and RollUnited States
Chuck BerryFather of Rock and RollUnited States
BeyoncéQueen Bey or Queen BUnited States
Justin BieberPrince of PopCanada
Justin BieberKing of Teen PopCanada
Věra BíláQueen of RomanyCzech Republic
Biz MarkieClown Prince of Hip HopUnited States
BjörkQueen of Experimental PopIceland
Mary J. BligeQueen of Hip Hop SoulUnited States
BoAQueen of K-popSouth Korea
David BowieChameleon of RockUnited Kingdom
BrandyThe Vocal BibleUnited States
Julio BritoThe melodic painter of CubaCuba
Arthur BrownThe God of HellfireUnited Kingdom
Chris BrownKing of R&BUnited States
Chuck BrownGodfather of Go-GoUnited States
Dennis BrownCrown Prince of ReggaeJamaica
James BrownGodfather of SoulUnited States
Solomon BurkeKing of Rock 'n' SoulUnited States
Michael BubléKing of ChristmasCanada

C

ArtistTitleCountry
Montserrat CaballéLa Superba Spain
Clarence WijewardenaFather of Sinhala PopSri Lanka
Maria CallasLa Divina Italy/Greece
Laura CanalesQueen of TejanoUnited States
Mariah CareySongbird SupremeUnited States
Mariah CareyQueen of ChristmasUnited States
Doja CatQueen of Pop-RapUnited States
CecaSerbian MotherSerbia
CherGoddess of PopUnited States
Clifton ChenierKing of ZydecoUnited States
Jacky CheungGod of SongsHong Kong
Jay ChouKing of MandopopTaiwan
George ClintonGodfather of FunkUnited States
George ClintonKing of FunkUnited States
Keyshia ColePrincess of Hip Hop SoulUnited States
Alice CooperGodfather of Shock RockUnited States
Pilita CorralesAsia's Queen of SongsPhilippines
Celia CruzQueen of SalsaCuba
Miley CyrusTeen QueenUnited States

D

ArtistTitleCountry
Daddy YankeeKing of ReggaetonPuerto Rico
Amr DiabFather of Mediterranean Music and El-HadabaEgypt
Celine DionQueen of Power BalladsCanada
Celine DionQueen of Adult ContemporaryCanada
Diomedes DíazKing of VallenatoColombia
Fats DominoKing of Rock and RollUnited States
Don OmarKing of ReggaetonPuerto Rico
Morris DorleyGodfather of Liberian MusicLiberia
DoroMetal QueenGermany
Thomas A. DorseyFather of Gospel MusicUnited States
Rocío DúrcalQueen of RancheraSpain
Dino DvornikKing of FunkYugoslavia/Croatia
Bob DylanCrown Prince of FolkUnited States
Bob DylanKing of FolkUnited States

E

ArtistTitleCountry
Queen of Hip HopUnited States
Queen of RapUnited States
EminemKing of Hip-HopUnited States
EminemKing of RapUnited States
EnyaQueen of New AgeIreland
Queen of Latin PopCuba/United States
Elvy SukaesihQueen of DangdutIndonesia

F

ArtistTitleCountry
Helene FischerQueen of Schlager Germany
Ella FitzgeraldFirst Lady of SongUnited States
Ella FitzgeraldQueen of JazzUnited States
Renata FloresQueen of Quechua PopPeru
Renata FloresQueen of Quechua RapPeru
Zucchero FornaciariFather of Italian BluesItaly
Stephen FosterFather of American MusicUnited States
Aretha FranklinQueen of SoulUnited States
Alan FreedKing of Rock and RollUnited States

G

ArtistTitleCountry
Charly GarcíaGodfather of Argentine RockArgentina
Carlos GardelKing of TangoArgentina
Lucho GaticaKing of BoleroChile
Marvin GayePrince of MotownUnited States
Marvin GayePrince of SoulUnited States
Fatu GayflorGolden Voice of LiberiaLiberia
Gloria GaynorQueen of DiscoUnited States
G-DragonKing of K-popSouth Korea
Marika GombitováQueen of Slovak Pop MusicSlovakia
Marika GombitováSongstress of the 20th CenturySlovakia
Benny GoodmanKing of SwingUnited States
Vestal GoodmanQueen of Gospel MusicUnited States
Narayan GopalEmperor of VoiceNepal
Karel GottGolden Voice of PragueCzech Republic
Ariana GrandePrincess of PopUnited States
Amy GrantQueen of Christian PopUnited States
Olga GuillotQueen of BoleroCuba
Alejandra GuzmánQueen of Latin RockMexico

H

ArtistTitleCountry
The NightingaleEgypt
Godmother of PunkGermany
Metal GodUnited Kingdom
Mari HamadaQueen of Heavy MetalJapan
Empress of J-popJapan
Queen of J-popJapan
Emperor of GhazalPakistan
Queen of South Asian PopPakistan
Queen of Czechoslovak ChansonCzech Republic/Slovakia
Prince of the Enka WorldJapan
Queen of Hip HopUnited States
Mitsuko HorieQueen of the Anison WorldJapan
The VoiceUnited States
Sam HuiGod of SongHong Kong
The DeaconUnited States
Godfather of New Mexico MusicUnited States

I

ArtistTitleCountry
Enrique IglesiasKing of Latin PopSpain
La IndiaThe Princess of SalsaPuerto Rico
Rhoma IramaKing of DangdutIndonesia
IUNation's Little SisterSouth Korea
Ivy QueenQueen of ReggaetónUnited States

J

ArtistTitleCountry
Janet JacksonQueen of PopUnited States
Mahalia JacksonQueen of GospelUnited States
Michael JacksonKing of PopUnited States
Wanda JacksonQueen of RockabillyUnited States
Jay RPhilippines' King of R&BPhilippines
Jay-ZKing of RapUnited States
JayaPhilippine Queen of SoulPhilippines
Noor JehanQueen of MelodyPakistan
Cui JianGodfather of Chinese RockChina
Joan JettGodmother of PunkUnited States
Robert JohnsonGrandfather of Rock and RollUnited States
Sharon JonesGodmother of SoulUnited States
Janis JoplinQueen of Rock and RollUnited States
Scott JoplinKing of RagtimeUnited States
Louis JordanKing of the JukeboxUnited States
José JoséThe Prince of SongMexico

K

L

ArtistTitleCountry
Patti LaBelleGodmother of SoulUnited States
Lady GagaQueen of PopUnited States
Lady SawQueen of DancehallJamaica
La LupeQueen of Latin SoulCuba
King KendrickUnited States
Franzl LangYodel King or Yodler King Germany
Queen of Pop PunkCanada
Rita LeeQueen of Brazilian RockBrazil
Lil JonKing of CrunkUnited States
Lil' KimQueen of RapUnited States
Little RichardArchitect of Rock and RollUnited States
King of the Movie SoundtrackUnited States
Jennifer LopezQueen of DanceUnited States
LordeQueen of AlternativeNew Zealand
LuceroAmerica's Girlfriend Mexico
Forces' SweetheartUnited Kingdom

M

ArtistTitleCountry
MadonnaQueen of PopUnited States
Jolina MagdangalQueen of Philippine Pop CulturePhilippines
Mama AfricaSouth Africa
King of ReggaeJamaica
Bruno MarsPrince of PopUnited States
King of Latin PopPuerto Rico
John MayallGodfather of British BluesUnited Kingdom
The King of QueenUnited Kingdom
Calypso King of the WorldTrinidad and Tobago
El Sol de Mexico Mexico
Slađana MiloševićRock PrincessYugoslavia/Serbia
Nicki MinajQueen of RapTrinidad and Tobago/United States
Nicki MinajQueen of Hip HopTrinidad and Tobago/United States
Princess of PopAustralia
Ichirō MizukiEmperor of Anime SongsJapan
Father of BluegrassUnited States
The Godfather of the SalsaPuerto Rico
Godfather of RapUnited States
Father of DiscoItaly
Queen of Alt-Rock AngstCanada
El-KingEgypt
Queen of CantopopHong Kong
Godfather of GothUnited Kingdom

N

ArtistTitleCountry
Nate DoggKing of HooksUnited States
King of TejanoUnited States
Grant NelsonThe Godfather of UK GarageUnited Kingdom
Queen of Rock and RollUnited States
Nike ArdillaLady RockerIndonesia
Maki NomiyaQueen of Shibuya-keiJapan
The Notorious B.I.G.The King of New YorkUnited States

O

ArtistTitleCountry
OdettaQueen of American Folk MusicUnited States
Nobuyasu OkabayashiGod of FolkJapan
OzunaNew King of ReggaetonPuerto Rico
Ozzy OsbourneGodfather of Heavy MetalUnited Kingdom
Ozzy OsbournePrince of DarknessUnited Kingdom
Johnny OtisGodfather of Rhythm and BluesUnited States

P

ArtistTitleCountry
Kyary Pamyu PamyuPrincess of J-popJapan
Queen of CountryUnited States
Queen of Sufi MusicPakistan
Father of the Delta BluesUnited States
PeretKing of Catalan RumbaSpain
Katy PerryQueen of CampUnited States
Godfather of PunkUnited States
King of Rock and RollUnited States
The KingUnited States
Princess of Rock and RollUnited States
PrinceThe ArtistUnited States
Alla PugachevaQueen of Russian PopRussia

Q

ArtistTitleCountry
Queen LatifahQueen of Rap, Hip HopUnited States
Milly QuezadaQueen of MerengueDominican Republic
A.B. QuintanillaKing of CumbiaUnited States

R

ArtistTitleCountry
Mother of the BluesUnited States
Joey RamoneGodfather of PunkUnited States
King of SoulUnited States
Godfather of PunkUnited States
Queen of Gypsy MusicNorth Macedonia
Frank ReyesPrince of BachataDominican Republic
RihannaR&B PrincessBarbados
King of New Jack SwingUnited States
Jenni RiveraDiva de la Banda music United States
Ross RobinsonGodfather of Nu MetalUnited States
Smokey RobinsonKing of MotownUnited States
Sylvia RobinsonMother of Hip-HopUnited States
Father of Country MusicUnited States
Queen of FadoPortugal
RossaQueen of Pop IndonesiaIndonesia
Ahmed RushdiMagician of VoicePakistan
Paulina RubioThe Golden GirlMexico
RuPaulQueen of DragUnited States

S

ArtistTitleCountry
Lea SalongaPride of the PhilippinesPhilippines
Šaban ŠaulićThe King of FolkYugoslavia/Serbia
Gilberto Santa RosaGentleman of SalsaPuerto Rico
Tiwa SavageQueen of AfrobeatsNigeria
Chuck SchuldinerGodfather of Death MetalUnited States
Shirley ScottQueen of the OrganUnited States
Gil Scott-HeronGodfather of RapUnited States
Jeannie SeelyMiss Country SoulUnited States
Raul SeixasPai do Rock Brasileiro Brazil
SelenaQueen of Tejano MusicUnited States
SelenaQueen of Cumbia / Queen of KumbiaUnited States
Seo TaijiPresident of CultureSouth Korea
ShakiraQueen of Latin MusicColombia
Ravi ShankarGodfather of World MusicIndia
Shin Joong-hyunKorea's Godfather of RockSouth Korea
Nina SimoneHigh Priestess of SoulUnited States
Frank SinatraThe Chairman of the BoardUnited States
Frank SinatraThe VoiceUnited States
Siti NurhalizaVoice of AsiaMalaysia
Bessie SmithEmpress of the BluesUnited States
Patti SmithGodmother of PunkUnited States
Javier SolísEl Rey del Bolero Ranchero Mexico
Britney SpearsPrincess of PopUnited States
SpiceQueen of DancehallJamaica
Bruce SpringsteenThe BossUnited States
Candi StatonFirst Lady of Southern SoulUnited States
George StraitKing of CountryUnited States
Johann Strauss IIThe Waltz KingAustria
Suraphol SombatcharoenKing of Luk ThungThailand
Morton SubotnickGodfather of TechnoUnited States
L. SubramaniamGod of Indian ViolinIndia
Yma SumacQueen of ExoticaPeru
Donna SummerQueen of DiscoUnited States
Joan SutherlandLa Stupenda Australia
Taylor SwiftAmerica's SweetheartUnited States

T

ArtistTitleCountry
TarkanKing of Turkish PopTurkey
Koko TaylorQueen of the BluesUnited States
Teresa TengAsia's Eternal Queen of PopTaiwan
Takeshi TerauchiGod of Electric GuitarJapan
ThalíaQueen of Latin PopMexico
Sister Rosetta TharpeGodmother of Rock and RollUnited States
Irma ThomasSoul Queen of New OrleansUnited States
TiëstoGodfather of EDMNetherlands
Justin TimberlakePrince of PopUnited States
Gloria TreviMexican Pop QueenMexico
Jolin TsaiQueen of C-popTaiwan
Ike TurnerFather of Rock and RollUnited States
Tina TurnerQueen of Rock and RollUnited States
Shania TwainQueen of Country PopCanada
TylaQueen of PopianoSouth Africa
Mariya TakeuchiQueen of City PopJapan

U

ArtistTitleCountry
Umm KulthumThe Voice of EgyptEgypt
Uncle WafflesPrincess of AmapianoSouth Africa
Carrie UnderwoodQueen of CountryUnited States
UsherKing of R&BUnited States
Hikaru UtadaDiva of the Heisei PeriodJapan

V

W

ArtistTitleCountry
Kitty WellsQueen of Country MusicUnited States
Paul WhitemanKing of JazzUnited States
WileyGodfather of GrimeUnited Kingdom
Faye WongHeavenly Queen China
Faye WongQueen of CantopopHong Kong
Tammy WynetteFirst Lady of CountryUnited States

X

Y

ArtistTitleCountry
Tatsuro YamashitaKing of City PopJapan
Neil YoungGodfather of GrungeCanada/United States

Z

Group titles

ArtistTitleCountry
2NE1Queens of K-popSouth Korea
AventuraKings of Modern BachataDominican Republic/United States
The Beach BoysAmerica's BandUnited States
The Fab FourUnited Kingdom
Bee GeesDisco KingsUnited Kingdom
BigBangKings of K-popSouth Korea
BlackpinkQueens of K-popSouth Korea
BTSKings of K-popSouth Korea
ExoNation's PickSouth Korea
Five StairstepsFirst Family of SoulUnited States
Girls' GenerationNation's Girl GroupSouth Korea
First Family of SoulUnited States
Los Ángeles AzulesKings of CumbiaMexico
ShineePrinces of K-popSouth Korea
Super JuniorKing of Hallyu WaveSouth Korea
TwiceNation's Girl GroupSouth Korea

Collective titles for multiple artists