SZA
73% upvoted
Music
The Best R&B Artists Of 2026
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, 2026's top R&B artists 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 singers of 2026, and be sure to also check out this year's top new R&B songs afterwards.
- Entries
- 77
- Votes
- 18.4K
- Updated
- yesterday
Tap upor downto vote. Your vote is added to Ranker's counts.
Voting identifies your browser with an anonymous fingerprint, stored only as a salted hash, to count one per visitor. Privacy
Source: Ranker, ranked by its voters.
1 2 The Weeknd
71% upvoted3 Daniel Caesar
71% upvoted4 Bryson Tiller
73% upvoted5 Brent Faiyaz
70% upvoted6 Bruno Mars
70% upvoted7 Rihanna
69% upvoted8 Summer Walker
69% upvoted9 H.E.R.
68% upvoted10 GIVĒON
70% upvoted11 Usher
72% upvoted12 Kehlani
70% upvoted13 Chris Brown
67% upvoted14 Jhené Aiko
68% upvoted15 Alicia Keys
67% upvoted16 Beyoncé
65% upvoted17 Steve Lacy
66% upvoted18 Miguel
66% upvoted19 Don Toliver
67% upvoted20 Khalid
63% upvoted21 Coco Jones
63% upvoted22 Tyla
65% upvoted23 Ella Mai
61% upvoted24 Victoria Monét
59% upvoted25 Mary J. Blige
59% upvoted26 John Legend
59% upvoted27 Mariah the Scientist
58% upvoted28 Normani
55% upvoted29 Anderson .Paak
54% upvoted30 Ty Dolla $ign
61% upvoted31 Janet Jackson
79% upvoted32 Ari Lennox
51% upvoted33 Muni Long
56% upvoted34 Chlöe
50% upvoted35 Mariah Carey
67% upvoted36 Lucky Daye
56% upvoted37 Tinashe
54% upvoted38 Jorja Smith
55% upvoted39 Flo
55% upvoted40 Flo Milli
52% upvoted41 Teyana Taylor
50% upvoted42 Trey Songz
50% upvoted43 Queen Naija
51% upvoted44 Leon Bridges
50% upvoted45 Kiana Ledé
49% upvoted46 Sampha
49% upvoted47 Jon Batiste
49% upvoted48 Burna Boy
48% upvoted49 Ann Marie
48% upvoted50 YEBBA
48% upvoted51 Pink Sweat$
46% upvoted52 JoJo
45% upvoted53 Sevyn Streeter
46% upvoted54 DaniLeigh
46% upvoted55 Tierra Whack
47% upvoted56 dvsn
45% upvoted57 Yung Bleu
44% upvoted58 Alina Baraz
44% upvoted59 BJ the Chicago Kid
45% upvoted60 Sabrina Claudio
44% upvoted61 Layton Greene
44% upvoted62 Raheem Devaughn
45% upvoted63 INAYAH
44% upvoted64 Omar Apollo
44% upvoted65 Amber Mark
44% upvoted66 Luke James
43% upvoted67 FKA twigs
42% upvoted68 PJ Morton
42% upvoted69 Ant Clemons
42% upvoted70 Celeste
42% upvoted71 Gregory Porter
41% upvoted72 Lizzo
42% upvoted73 Elijah Blake
37% upvoted74 Arlo Parks
37% upvoted75 Justine Skye
36% upvoted76 Cautious Clay
29% upvoted77 Raveena
26% upvoted