Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a four-decade career, his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture.

Jackson's sound and style have influenced artists across many music genres. Through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated dance moves such as the moonwalk, to which he gave the name, and the robot. He is the most awarded artist in the history of popular music.

Jackson began his career as a member of the Jackson 5 in 1964, and made his debut solo record in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those for "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his 1982 album Thriller, were credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame.

Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 70 million copies worldwide. Bad (1987) was the first album to produce five Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. Jackson continued to innovate throughout the 1990s with videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream". Through stage performances and video broadcasts, Jackson popularized street dance moves such as the moonwalk. He sometimes danced in a self-taught style, mixing methods such as popping and locking.

Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when "Love Never Felt So Good" reached number nine on May 21, 2014. He is the best-selling music artist of all time, with estimated sales of over 400 million records worldwide.