Whitney peaked higher than Miss Jackson or Madonna, but didn't stay "up there" for nearly as long as either. Her parabolic trajectory is one of the biggest "What could beens" of all time.

There's an alternate universe where she avoids the poisonous influences of Bobby Brown and addiction, has the staying power of an Aretha and this entire discussion is moot; as we're all asking, "Is it even possible for there to be another Whitney Houston?"

Janet and Beyoncé are good parallels. Both from singing families, reaching much greater success in solo careers. Janet at 16, Beyoncé at 21. Whilst Janet had a good long peak, she never reached the storied heights that Beyoncé did, ruling Pop for over a decade. Beyoncé has sold more records than Janet by over fifty percent.

Beyoncé also has the most Grammys ever at a whopping 35, whilst Miss Jackson has "only" 5, which is, in a vacuum, a storied achievement, but compared to her competition here, a paltry sum.

Madonna and Swift also have similar trajectories, each of them being "the thing no one had ever seen before" in their respective eras. Madonna had an iron grip on the throne of the Queen of Pop for a ridiculous amount of time, successfully fending off contenders throughout the '80s and much of the '90s.

Even after being dethroned by the likes of Gaga and Beyoncé, she still remained relevant into the 2000s. Unmatched longevity at or near the top, for now. Despite her unmatched length of reign and album sales, Madonna has "just" seven Grammys to her name.

Madonna remains the best-selling female artist of all-time and her totals are floating up there near the bottom of the top ten ever list.

Swift is another creature altogether. She's dismantled a slew of sales records hitting every milestone faster than any before her (including Whitney, who had an absolutely meteoric rise), raked in 14 Grammys in an era of much stiffer competition than her predecessors (despite there being more categories/trophies to win) faces and is rocketing toward Madonna's throne as the best-selling female artist of all-time.

Starting her career at the tender age of 16 certainly didn't hurt her chances at lasting long enough to claw her way to the top. She has a very good chance of surpassing everyone on this list in every category aside from Grammy wins with enough time.

She's already the wealthiest female singer ever thanks in large part to having claim on the highest-grossing tour by any artist/group ever, regardless of sex.

I intensely dislike her music, personality and aesthetic, but I am about as far from her target audience as any English-speaking person could be. The proof of her appeal is in the pudding, even if that pudding ain't my jam.

Rihanna is also missing from this conversation, having achieved an incredible amount of success of her own. I don't care much for her music, either, but I will always respect her for "going out on top", walking away on her terms, rather than slowly being shut out. It's not like her great-great grandchildren will lack for money, but she's found ways to continue bringing in the big bucks without having the grueling schedule of a touring act. Good for her.