This is coming from a more "worldwide" perspective but absolutely no one except the likes of Marlyn Monroe and Madonna has reached the pop culture icon status Rihanna has rn. Mariah? Except that Christmas song we know nothing about her.

Britney, yes, but again in countries that dont primarily consume US pop, majority dont know her hits - except perhaps Toxic though. She's iconic as well even if largely forgotten by now though. Beyoncé...is just not the face we associate with pop and most people cant name any of her hits here even if they know her name. Taylor Swift is popular in an Ed Sheeran way - no one cares beyond her music so she's definitely not iconic. Katy is the same - relevant as long as album cycles happen though she is loved for all her hits but Witness flopped hard. Gaga is basically forgotten but she had her time. Ariana...lol. I had no idea 'Into You' or 'Love Me Harder' were hits bc it didnt translate here.

Rih is in the league of Michael Jackson as far as worldwide fame goes. People know her face, multiple hits, her voice is unforgettable and she's regarded as an absolute star everywhere. For most, she's the most successful pop artist and one of the first ones whose name we're likely to blurt when discussing pop music and thats because of just how many songs of hers have been worldwide hits. When you've had as many hits as her, its hard to be forgotten.

I'll just say what I've said before on this site: Rihanna could make Work and BBHMM worldwide hits. Any other artist's career would've been cancelled if they released something like 'Work' but bc it was Rihanna we didn't care - we said she pulled it off - bc what can Rihanna not pull off? Except for her, I dont think any other artist has that public that infatuated with themselves.