Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! For this list, we’ll be looking at the most impressive times that a performer impersonated another musical artist.
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00:00 So beat it, just beat it.
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:07 for the top 20 amazing singer impressions of other singers.
00:10 [Singing]
00:14 For this list, we'll be looking at the most impressive times
00:17 that a performer impersonated another musical artist.
00:20 Did we forget another incredible moment that a singer mimicked another?
00:24 Let us know in the comments below.
00:27 Number 20, Alicia Keys as Adele.
00:31 Joining Jimmy Fallon for a game of Wheel of Musical Impressions,
00:34 Alicia Keys is more than ready to light up the stage with her talents.
00:38 Ladies first.
00:39 Okay.
00:39 This episode includes her surprisingly great impression of Adele.
00:48 Tasked with singing the alphabet,
00:50 the singer matches the British artist's unique register.
00:53 [Singing]
00:59 Fallon watches in awe as his guest nails the assignment.
01:03 With a dramatic finish, Keys is an absolute professional throughout the segment.
01:07 This is likely the best voice she does in the entire game,
01:10 even beating her impressive take on Janis Joplin doing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
01:15 [Singing]
01:20 Number 19, Taylor Swift as Shakira.
01:24 For this SNL sketch, the writers crafted a star-studded soundtrack for a fake movie.
01:29 The animated adventure welcomes many high-profile artists,
01:33 such as Randy Newman and Shakira.
01:35 Taylor Swift plays the latter with complete dedication,
01:39 wearing an appropriate wig and costume to make it believable.
01:42 [Singing]
01:44 Her impression highlights the vocalist's unique and breathy delivery.
01:48 She also utilizes some memorable choreography,
01:51 using her hands to help sell the impersonation.
01:54 Swift is clearly having a blast for this skit,
01:57 and really captures the spirit of the Colombian singer.
02:00 [Singing]
02:02 Her final flourishes might be more comical than precise,
02:06 but she's still the consummate performer all the way through.
02:09 [Singing]
02:14 Number 18, Chris Martin as Neil Young.
02:18 Unless you're a hardcore Coldplay fan,
02:20 you might not know the origins of the song "Yellow."
02:23 [Singing]
02:27 Singer Chris Martin sat down with Howard Stern to explain the composition process.
02:32 The song originated partly as an impression of Neil Young,
02:36 as demonstrated by the artist's interpretation.
02:39 It's much more accurate than expected,
02:41 with a folksy quality that's Young's vocal signature.
02:44 "And it was very starry outside, I was like, 'Look at the stars!'"
02:49 Transitioning from the impression to his natural voice,
02:52 Martin proves himself to be even more outrageously talented than we thought.
02:56 It's a short and sweet surprise that makes for an endearing story for a timeless hit.
03:01 [Singing]
03:05 Number 17, David Bowie as Mick Jagger.
03:08 In this interview on The Parkinson Show,
03:11 David Bowie sat down for a chat about his influences and history with music.
03:15 This includes a story about seeing the Rolling Stones in his younger days,
03:19 and an anecdote about Mick Jagger.
03:22 "The Rolling Stones are opening up for him, it's the first time I ever saw him."
03:25 Bowie goes into Jagger's voice as he talks about the legend telling off an angry spectator.
03:31 "Some guy yells out, 'Get your hair cut!'
03:33 And Mick says, and I'll never forget these words, 'Well, I look like you.'"
03:38 [Laughter]
03:43 With comic timing and an eerily accurate impression,
03:46 the talk show guest completely transforms into the Stones' frontman.
03:50 The five-word impersonation has more power than some full-length specials.
03:55 Along with some great storytelling,
03:57 this segment showcases the starman's one-of-a-kind charisma.
04:01 "I thought, 'Oh my God, this is the future of music.'"
04:06 Number 16. Kelly Clarkson as Alanis Morissette.
04:09 On the game show, 'That's My Jam,'
04:11 Kelly Clarkson goes up against Ariana Grande in a round of mixtape medley.
04:16 "All right, all right."
04:17 They work their way through pop diva legends before reaching Alanis Morissette.
04:24 Grande is hard to match with her voice,
04:26 but Clarkson finds a way to stand out with an incredible impersonation.
04:34 Performing "You Oughta Know,"
04:36 the singer taps into the raw intensity of Morissette's vocals.
04:40 The "Since You Been Gone" singer matches the original artist
04:43 in terms of sheer quality and performance ability.
04:46 It also works as an effective cover of the 90s rock classic.
04:49 Number 15. Luke Bryan as Elvis.
04:57 After discussing Las Vegas residencies,
05:00 the Ellen DeGeneres Show guest host Katy Perry finds a perfect segue
05:05 to let country star Luke Bryan geek out on Elvis Presley.
05:08 "Just, I was a kid, like, in my room listening to Elvis live from Las Vegas.
05:14 That was like one of my primary records."
05:16 He shares his childhood love for the king of rock and roll
05:19 before finding a point to do a vocal impression.
05:22 "Oh, when no one else can understand me."
05:25 Many people have an impersonation of Presley,
05:29 but few have the expertise to truly belt out one of his tunes this well.
05:34 Bryan steals the show without even having to stand up.
05:37 He brings the house down with a mix of his own country influences,
05:41 giving the performance a personal touch.
05:43 Number 14. Justin Timberlake as Robin Gibb.
05:53 For this recurring SNL sketch,
05:55 Justin Timberlake partners up with Jimmy Fallon for the Barry Gibb talk show.
05:59 "This week's election, Robin, did you vote?"
06:02 "No."
06:05 "No, you didn't vote."
06:06 "No, I didn't."
06:07 The former plays Robin Gibb as the sidekick to Fallon's Barry.
06:11 While not the lead performer in the skit,
06:13 Timberlake still steals the show with some falsettos at key points.
06:17 "How about we sing the next guest's name?"
06:19 "Cruise, Bustamante."
06:24 "Talking about Cru-u-u-u-u-ustamante."
06:29 It's also extremely hard for the pop singer to keep a straight face.
06:32 Having to deal with his scene partner's anger,
06:35 the artist harmonizes and giggles throughout this hilarious premise.
06:39 He's returned to perform this impression several times over the years.
06:43 Each and every time, the star rises to the occasion in his absurd take on the disco legend.
06:50 "Haggard, Haggard, Haggard, Haggard, Haggard, Haggard, Haggard, Haggard, Haggard."
06:57 Number 13.
06:58 Merle Haggard as Johnny Cash.
07:00 There have been many who've dipped their voices to try to mimic the man in black,
07:06 but country legend Merle Haggard might have them all beat.
07:09 "Cruise, why don't you do Johnny for me?"
07:11 "Johnny Cash, he'd kill me."
07:12 Long before Fallon's wheel of musical impressions was a thing,
07:16 Haggard entertained the Glen Campbell good time hour with a rapid onslaught of vocal parodies,
07:22 including Buck Owens and Marty Robbins.
07:25 But Haggard's magnum opus from this TV appearance is certainly his imitation of Johnny Cash.
07:31 "We got married in a fever, hotter than a popcorn swell."
07:38 Not only does he nail Cash's baritone sound,
07:41 he stiffens his shoulders and flails his wrist across the guitar body and neck,
07:47 embodying the Undertaker's signature mannerisms.
07:50 It's a jovially loving lampoon of Johnny who makes a surprise appearance at the end of the routine.
07:56 Were it not for the height difference, you might almost get the two confused.
08:00 "Look out, Jacksonville."
08:04 Number 12.
08:06 Miley Cyrus as Justin Bieber.
08:08 Willing to make fun of herself and her fellow pop stars,
08:11 Miley Cyrus plays Justin Bieber in the SNL sketch The Miley Cyrus Show.
08:16 "Hey, Justin!"
08:17 "So Miley, cool show."
08:19 "Really?"
08:21 The singer's look is complete with a vintage Bieber haircut and some classic late 2000s wardrobe.
08:26 Sitting opposite Vanessa Bayer's impression,
08:29 Cyrus works extremely well playing off a crazy version of herself.
08:33 "Justin Bieber, where do you get all of those cool moves?"
08:37 "You know, I brought my swagger coach."
08:39 She also makes the impersonation of the baby singer seem effortless with a few well-timed looks.
08:48 At the end of the skit, everyone sings the show's theme song in one final moment for
08:53 the Party in the USA performer to be a good sport.
08:56 "So I guess that's pretty cool."
08:58 Number 11.
09:00 Eddie Murphy as Stevie Wonder.
09:02 Known as a multi-talented artist, comedian Eddie Murphy also has a singing career.
09:07 "I know I'm too far, all the time, far, all the time."
09:14 His uncanny ability to hit the right notes informs this particular sketch.
09:18 His impression of Stevie Wonder ranks among his best,
09:22 capturing the icon's soulful tone for hits like "Ebony" and "Ivory."
09:26 "Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony."
09:36 He also throws in an appropriate costume and accurate body movements.
09:41 Murphy's unstoppable energy elevates this impersonation beyond a one-off joke.
09:46 Using his own ability to sing, the comic can channel the music legend in a transcendent performance.
09:52 It's also this kind of talent that arguably saved
09:56 Saturday Night Live in the uncertain 1980s.
09:59 "Just living in perfect harmony."
10:03 "We're talking salt and pepper."
10:05 Number 10.
10:06 Adam Levine as multiple singers.
10:08 We've really tried to narrow down which specific impression we think each singer was phenomenal at.
10:14 But when you're as talented as Maroon 5's lead singer, that's a hard choice to make.
10:19 Appearing on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,"
10:21 Adam Levine gave us a spot-on rendition of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" as Frank Sinatra.
10:27 "Head, shoulders, knees and toes."
10:33 His impression of Michael Jackson singing the "Sesame Street" theme song
10:37 showcased his impressive range and also had us rolling.
10:40 "Won't you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street, oh."
10:48 And it's his killer Eddie Vedder impression doing the "Muffin Man"
10:51 that left us clutching our sides.
10:53 "Do you know the Muffin Man, the Muffin Man, the Muffin Man."
11:00 Number 9.
11:01 Camila Cabello as Ellie Goulding.
11:03 Don't get us wrong.
11:05 Pretty much all of the women from Fifth Harmony could have made it on our list.
11:08 Lauren Jauregui's Adele, Normani Corday's Rihanna,
11:12 and Deena Jane's Leona Lewis impressions are stunning examples of just how talented these ladies are.
11:17 But it's the Grammy-nominated Cabello, now a solo artist,
11:21 who made it on our list with her impression of Goulding's unique voice singing "Outside".
11:26 "Show you what it feels like, now I'm on the outside."
11:31 Although she's now known for collaborations with artists like Pitbull and Shawn Mendes,
11:35 what we're really craving right now is a collaboration with Cabello
11:39 and the English singer-songwriter herself.
11:41 "We did everything right, now I'm on the outside."
11:45 "Yeah!"
11:46 Number 8.
11:48 Jamie Foxx as John Legend.
11:50 Yeah, we know that this actor and singer's portrayal of musician Ray Charles in 2004's
11:56 Ray was so good that it earned Foxx the Academy Award for Best Actor.
12:00 But that's not the only impression he does well.
12:03 His appearance on Fallon's show showed us much more of the award winner's repertoire,
12:08 most comically his Mick Jagger strut and his portrayal of Jennifer Hudson
12:11 singing about her poor meatball on top of a pile of spaghetti.
12:14 "I'll cover it with cheese."
12:20 But we were actually blown away by his take on John Legend singing the "Toys R Us" jingle.
12:25 Now we know who Hollywood will call if they ever produce a Legend biopic.
12:29 "I couldn't be a Toys R Us kid."
12:42 "Soul! Soul!"
12:44 Number 7.
12:47 Nicki Minaj as Beyoncé.
12:49 Rarely do we see an attempt to impersonate the Queen B herself.
12:54 But on this hilarious episode of Saturday Night Live,
12:56 the Trinidadian-born voice behind hits like Starships, Super Bass and Anaconda did the impossible.
13:03 "I'm sorry I had to give birth out here, where all the animals live."
13:08 Opposite Kate McKinnon's dead-on impersonation of Justin Bieber
13:12 in a hip-hop style sketch of the nativity scene,
13:15 Minaj nailed Beyoncé's mannerisms and singing voice,
13:18 treating audiences to some none-too-subtle references to some of Beyoncé's hit songs.
13:23 "This moment is about my baby boy.
13:25 Behold.
13:28 He woke up like this."
13:30 We're not sure if Minaj really had to work to nail this impression
13:34 or if she just woke up like that.
13:36 "One day he'll turn water into wine and we'll all be drunk in love."
13:43 Number 6.
13:47 Celine Dion as Sia.
13:49 This Canadian singer's career spans four decades.
13:52 And with a name that's recognized around the world,
13:55 it's kind of awesome to see that the superstar has a real sense of humor.
13:58 "Hush, lady, baby, don't say a word.
14:03 Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird."
14:06 On Fallon's Wheel of Musical Impressions,
14:10 Dion let loose with some goofy impressions of Cher, Michael Jackson, and Rihanna.
14:15 But she actually made us sit up and take notice with her final impression of Sia.
14:19 "Hush!
14:20 I'm gonna buy you a diamond ring.
14:26 A diamond ring.
14:28 Hush!
14:31 I'm gonna buy you a diamond ring.
14:33 Like the mermaids of the nation."
14:35 We're not sure if it's the stuffed animal or her bangs that did it for us,
14:40 but it's not difficult to recognize Sia's fiercely unique vocal style
14:44 from Dion's energetic delivery.
14:46 Number 5.
14:48 Nicole Scherzinger as Britney Spears.
14:50 Best known for her time with the Pussycat Dolls,
14:53 Nicole Scherzinger wowed audiences with her incredible impressions on Good Morning America.
14:59 "ABCDFGH."
15:04 There's simply no denying that her Judy Garland and Steve Perry impressions were to die for.
15:09 But the hosts and audiences of GMA really went wild
15:12 for Scherzinger's dead-on rendition of Britney Spears singing her ABCs.
15:16 "ABCDFGH."
15:18 "Britney!
15:19 That's Britney Spears!"
15:21 While the other impressions had been a little difficult for hosts Michael Strahan and Sarah
15:27 Haynes to figure out, the Spears impression took mere seconds to guess.
15:31 Who knew the alphabet could be so sensational?
15:33 "M-A-N-O-P-A-R-S-E-A-B."
15:40 Number 4.
15:41 Alessia Cara as Billie Eilish.
15:43 This Canadian Grammy Award winner has made huge waves since she hit the scene in 2015,
15:49 but who knew she was such a talented impersonator?
15:52 Her impression of Alanis Morissette singing "Hush Little Baby" - uncanny.
15:56 "Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird."
16:00 Her impersonation of Lorde singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" - inspired.
16:05 "Baa Baa Black Sheep, love you when you wool.
16:08 Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full."
16:11 And her impression of Ariana Grande singing "Skidamarink," holy cow!
16:15 "Skidamarink, skidamarink, skidamarink, skidamarink, skidamarink, skidamarink."
16:19 She's now appeared on this entertaining Tonight Show game multiple times,
16:22 but we'd argue that her spot-on impersonation of Billie Eilish singing "Pop Goes the Weasel"
16:27 has been the highlight.
16:29 "Found them over the east, monkey chased the weasel.
16:32 Monkey thought was all in fun, pop goes the weasel."
16:36 Close your eyes, and it's as if Eilish decided to rewrite the words to her own song.
16:41 "Pop goes the weasel."
16:44 Number 3.
16:50 Bruno Mars as Michael Jackson.
16:52 It's no surprise that Jackson is one of the most imitated musicians in history,
16:57 but it's hard to believe that anyone could capture the king of pop better than Bruno Mars,
17:02 who impersonated the music icon during one particularly legendary episode of "Saturday Night Live."
17:07 "They gonna throw the key, they got the candy.
17:10 Don't wanna be a star, better disappear."
17:14 During the performance, Bruno absolutely killed it with covers of Billie Jean,
17:18 Smooth Criminal, and Man in the Mirror.
17:21 "I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life."
17:27 Of course, we can't forget to mention Mars' other famous impression
17:30 of the king of rock and roll Elvis Presley, which he's been doing since he was a kid.
17:35 "Walk through a party at the candy jam.
17:38 Prison bars, they don't give a crap.
17:40 The band was open and the drum began to sing."
17:42 Number 2.
17:43 Christina Aguilera as Britney Spears.
17:46 Okay, okay, so we've already showcased a singer with an awesome Britney Spears impression,
17:51 but leave it to this best-selling artist, who's also been featured on Rolling Stone's
17:56 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, to up the ante.
17:59 "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup."
18:08 Appearing on Musical Wheel of Impressions, she made us laugh as Cher singing the Folgers
18:13 coffee jingle, and as Shakira performing the Golden Globes theme.
18:16 "This little piggy went to the market."
18:23 But hearing her rendition of Spears singing "This Little Piggy" was pure gold,
18:27 and got a standing ovation from the Tonight Show host.
18:30 "When we were the way home."
18:37 Here's hoping she comes back for a rematch.
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18:55 Number 1.
18:57 Ariana Grande as Multiple Artists.
19:00 Ariana seems to possess the Midas touch when it comes to impressions, because every impression
19:05 that this multi-platinum artist attempts is pure gold.
19:08 "There were nights when the wind would say I'll go."
19:14 She made jaws drop with her impressions of Céline Dion, Rihanna, Whitney Houston,
19:18 Britney Spears, and Shakira on Saturday Night Live.
19:21 "La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la can't you see me."
19:28 It doesn't stop there though.
19:29 When she appeared on Musical Wheel of Impressions, she absolutely killed additional impressions,
19:35 including that of Christina Aguilera.
19:37 "The wheel, all of us go, slide around it, around it, oh oh oh oh oh."
19:49 And if that's not enough, a young Grande can be found on YouTube
19:53 nailing impressions like that of Ariel from the 1989 film The Little Mermaid.
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