Steve Jobs once said, “When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something… the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.”
Perhaps that’s why these A list designers, artists and entrepreneurs are able to be so creative, and apply those talents to such a broad range of fields.
From musicians to fashion designers, and authors to songwriters, these A listers truly define and set the tone of what culture is in 2020.
Here are the ten most influential A-list creators in the world…
Beyoncé
Singer, dancer, actress, icon: is there anything Beyonce can’t do? Not only is the singer one of the biggest stars on the planet today, she’s also one of the most influential musicians in pop music history. One of the world’s best-selling recording artists, Beyonce has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, and more than 60 million records as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
Victoria Beckham
Something that can be true of many of the creators on this list is that they are multihyphenates: their creative talents spread across a variety of genres. Victoria Beckham is a perfect example. In the 1990s, as Posh Spice in the Spice Girls, Victoria was one fifth of the biggest selling girl group of all time, selling more than 85 million records worldwide. Not content with music super stardom, Victoria later went on to take her creativity to the fashion world, launching her eponymous label in 2008 and winning over the hard-to-please fashion crowd to become an internationally renowned designer. In 2017, she was even appointed an OBE for her services to the fashion industry
Max Martin
If you don’t know Max Martin by sight, you’ll know him to hear. The Swedish singer songwriter is behind some of the biggest number one pop singles from the 1990s through to the present day, and is the man behind the music of The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande and more. The music maestro has written or co-written a whopping 23 Billboard Hot 100 number one songs, including Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”, Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” and The Weeknd’s 2019 hit “Blinding Lights” – making him the songwriter with the third most number one singles on the chart, ever.
Donatella Versace
The Italian fashion designer and business woman is also the Chief Creative Officer and figurehead of the Versace fashion house. Not only is Donatella Versace one of the most successful designers in the world, but she’s a pop culture icon herself too: even Lady Gaga wrote a love song to her, “Donatella” from her 2013 album Artpop.
Lady Gaga
Contributing to art, music, fashion, acting and pop culture as we know it: it’s no surprise that Lady Gaga is the first woman in history to ever win a Grammy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and an Academy Award all in the space of one year, for her lead role in 2018’s critically acclaimed musical drama film A Star Is Born, and the subsequent chart-topping single from its soundtrack, “Shallow”. The combination is the perfect example of Gaga’s all-round A list creativity.
JK Rowling
Love her or hate her, there’s no more influential author alive right now than the author behind the Harry Potter series, which has spawned an iconic film franchise, its own spinoff franchise, theme parks and more. The books have sold more than 500 million copies to become the best selling book series in history, and subsequently making JK Rowling the world’s first ever billionaire author. Perhaps she should even technically appear on this list twice, as she also writes crime fiction under the alias Robert Galbraith.
Quentin Tarantino
A true auteur, you can tell a Quentin Tarantino movie from the moment his films open. Creating some of the most iconic moments in movie history, Tarantino continues to shape cinema today, with his ninth film, the 1969 Los Angeles film industry-set comedy drama Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, being praised by critics and audiences alike, and racking up an impressive ten nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards in February 2020.
PewDiePie
As creators go, Youtuber PewDiePie might have the biggest reach of any in the world today. With 105million subscribers, the influential content creator is the most subscribed to user on the while of the platform. While the influencer is known for recording commentaries to video games, he has also expanded his content to cover other topics, such as viral videos, trends and more.
Elon Musk
The South African-born engineer, business magnate, industrial designer, CEO of Tesla and founder and CEO of SpaceX pushes the boundaries of science and technology constantly. In 2019, Forbes named him number on its list of Most Innovative Leaders – and it’s hardly surprising. The inventor is the man who brought us the automotive industry-changing Tesla, and amongst his list of achievements, in May this year, became the man behind the first ever private company to send people to the International Space Station, using his Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of his revolutionary SpaceX programme, with which he aims to colonise Mars in the future.
Paul McCartney
There is one person alive today who has written more Billboard number one-charting songs than Max Martin, also on this list – and that’s Sir Paul McCartney. The English singer, songwriter, musician, record and film producer is arguably the most influential artist on the planet, shaping pop culture and pop music itself in The Beatles, and going on to be one of the most successful performers and composers of all time. He’s even been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – once as a member of The Beatles and once for his solo work. Now, not many artists can claim that.
