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American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin has topped Rolling Stone’s list of Best Singers of All Time, with the magazine calling the Queen of Soul “a force of nature, a work of genius [and a] gift from the heavens.”

In an article published on the first day of 2023, Rolling Stone said Franklin “could express jubilation, as heard in her gospel doc ‘Amazing Grace’” and she could also “summon the deepest heartbreak, in ballads like ‘Ain’t No Way.’”

“Her artistry is the greatest achievement of American music, if not American history. But her voice is the crossroads where all different musical traditions meet, from gospel to funk to rock to the blues,” the magazine added.

Aside from Franklin, the other singers in the Top 10 are Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, Mariah Carey, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Otis Redding and Al Green, in chronological order.

Meanwhile, Koreans IU and Jung Kook also made it to the top 200, with the “Good Day” hitmaker taking the 135th spot, and the youngest member of BTS taking the 191st spot.

According to Rolling Stone, their list was compiled by its staff and key contributors, “and it encompasses 100 years of pop music as an ongoing global conversation.”

The magazine said the singers who made the list are there for a reason, that is, “they can remake the world just by opening their mouths.”