Lately, the music industry has been increasingly dominated by female popstars. Male artists are commonly overlooked, it is common that fans and the public don’t take male artists seriously with vulnerable songs, rather than upbeat ones;therefore, these male pop-stars don’t get the same recognition that female popstars do. While there are currently less male popstars than female popstars, these are the top male popstars as of right now.
Shane Boose, also known as Sombr, recently blew up on social media for his lead single, “back to friends,” which was released in December 2024. Boose has produced past projects, but this single was the first to go viral on social media. The track instantly rose to the top of the charts and has remained in the top 20 most streamed songs on Spotify since. After “back to friends,” Boose released “undressed” in March 2025, which also became a breakout hit. Boose then released his debut album “I Barely Know Her” and embarked on the “The Late Nights and Young Romance” tour, which will have shows around the globe, happening through April 2026. “The Late Nights and Young Romance” tour already had its Boston show on Oct. 8. At just 20 years old, Sombr has already become a well-known artist and he will continue to grow as time passes.
28-year-old Tucker Pillsbury, also known as Role Model, began his career as an artist when he was 19-years-old. He released his debut rap mixtape, titled “Since When” in 2016, under the stage name “Tucker.” Later on, Pillsbury adopted the stage name “Role Model” and instead of rapping, he began singing. Soon after, former rapper Mac Miller recognized Pillsbury for his work and invited him to Los Angeles to record a song together. Not long after, Pillsbury was signed to Interscope Records and the two’s single, “Play the Part” was released under that label. Since then, Pillsbury released his albums “Rx” and “Kansas Anymore” under the same stage name. “Rx” didn’t receive much recognition, as it was his first album under the name. “Kansas Anymore” at its debut received more recognition than “Rx,” but still not enough to make headlines. However, soon after Pillsbury starred in Lizzy McAlpine’s “Pushing It Down and Praying” music video, he gained public visibility. Pillsbury was also the opening act for Gracie Abrams’s “The Secret of Us Tour” where he received a much larger amount of recognition for his live vocals and attractive looks. After “The Secret of Us Tour” concluded, he released a deluxe version of his album, titled “Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye),” which features the hit song “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” At each performance, he brings a new fan or celebrity on stage as the “Sally” of that show, who is the subject character of the song. This has become a tradition with each show or festival Pillsbury plays, leading to many viral moments.
Another male popstar who is currently rising to the top is Conan Gray. Gray is 26-years-old and began his career as a Youtuber, vlogging his day-to-day life at age 14. Gray later began posting original songs to his Youtube channel. In 2018, Gray released his debut EP, titled “Sunset Season,” which featured five tracks. Gray didn’t receive much recognition until he released “Heather” in September 2020. The single was recognized all over social media and even inspired many trends that last to this day. “Heather” was followed by Gray’s first album, titled “Kid Krow,” which was released that December. Since then, Gray has released three new albums, with each project being better than the previous. “Superache” was Gray’s first world tour, “Found Heaven” led to his first arena shows and festivals and “Wishbone,” released in August of this year, was Gray’s highest album debut on every streaming platform and further marks his first tour where each show is in an arena. The “Wishbone World Tour” begins in February and will continue through October of next year.
These male popstars are only three of the many hardworking artists that are helping to shape the future of the music industry and it is safe to say they deserve the attention they have recently been receiving.
