Every musician has got to start somewhere. To make it in the industry, aspiring artists often try their luck at home, singing at bars, local festivals, and other venues. Just this March, NBC launched a new song competition, called “American Song Contest,” in which musicians representing each state and U.S. territory perform live hoping to win a prize for Best Original Song. (Check out the most popular song the year you were born.)

To determine the most famous musician or band from every state, 24/7 Tempo compiled an index based on daily average Wikipedia pageviews from July 25, 2019 to July 24, 2022; Spotify follower count and monthly listener count; certified U.S. album sales as determined by the Recording Industry Association of America; and a custom score based on Billboard Hot 100 performance as of July 15, 2022, wherein a week at No. 1 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 worth 99 points, and so on up to a week at No. 100 worth one point. All index components were weighted equally. (Data on birthplace or band formation location came from Famous Birthdays.)

While not all musicians on the list have reached the same level of success, they have risen above their in-state competition to become popular around the country – and some around the world – still showing home pride as they ride the waves of success. (These are the artists with the most No. 1 hits.)

The competition for the most famous musician in some states was stiff. For example, Prince is famously from Minnesota, but so is Bob Dylan. Some fans may have an equally difficult time choosing between, say, Lady Gaga and Billy Joel, who are both from New York. So who edged out whom?

Click here to see the most famous musician or band from every state