Rihanna

Rihanna's greatest trick might be making superstardom look like something she could take or leave.

The catalog says otherwise. Hit after hit, hook after hook, Rihanna became one of those artists whose songs accidentally soundtrack entire chunks of your life. Then add the fashion, the attitude and that unmistakable ability to look completely unbothered while everybody watches.

Lady Gaga attacks pop with theater. Beyoncé attacks it with precision. Rihanna's weapon is effortlessness. She doesn't seem to chase the room; the room comes to her.

The vulnerability is obvious: against the relentless catalogs and performances of Michael, Madonna or Taylor, does she have enough sheer volume to survive?

Maybe. Because aura is real, and Rihanna has an unreasonable amount of it.

If being the greatest pop star partly means making everyone else look like they're trying too hard, she's a problem.