Artist of the Year – 2012 PopCrush Music Awards

2012 has been a huge year for pop artists, who have been consistently dropping chart-topping tunes. Stars like Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj and One Direction have also been out on the road, performing like mad in promotion of their new music. We've narrowed our list down to 15 of this year's biggest names in pop music, and it's up to you guys to decide on the Best Artist of 2012.

Adele might've been out of the spotlight for a good portion of 2012, but lest we not forget that the British chanteuse racked up like, every Grammy award ever in February 2012. She also debuted her James Bond theme 'Skyfall' and gave birth to her first child! Then there's Bruno Mars, who aside from receiving a few Grammy nods in 2012, also released his hit single 'Locked Out of Heaven' off his 2012 LP, 'Unorthodox Jukebox,' and killed it as a host/performer on 'SNL.'

Meanwhile, Coldplay dominated 2012 with their colorful world tour and 'Mylo Xyloto' album, and Justin Bieber had girls falling to their knees with his 'Believe' ditties, from the smooth 'Boyfriend' to the party jam 'Beauty and a Beat.' We bet those soaring speaker wings that he dons on his accompanying Believe tour are bringing even more screams as you read this!

Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson and Kesha have all had momentous years, as well. While Katy Perry dropped two huge hits off of her 'Confection' collection, 'Part of Me' and 'Wide Awake,' Kelly Clarkson also released a string of hits, including her powerful anthem 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)' and her airy love song 'Catch My Breath' off of her greatest hits compilation. Kesha has also been everywhere promoting 'Warrior,' the follow-up to her successful 2010 album 'Animal,' and her single 'Die Young' has been totally dominating in the latter half of 2012.

And while Lady Gaga hasn't released any new tunes in 2012, her overseas tour has been one of the most massive all year, and she's also been hard at work on her new album 'ARTPOP,' teasing clips of songs like her rap jam 'Cake.' One person who did release an album -- well, two albums if you want to get technical! -- this year is Nicki Minaj, who not only joined the ranks as a reality tv show judge and toured all over, but also dropped huge songs like 'Starships,' 'Pound the Alarm,' 'Va Va Voom' and 'Freedom.'

Maroon 5 are also in the running thanks to their funky, nearly No. 1 album (it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200) 'Overexposed,' which yielded hits like 'Payphone' and 'One More Night.' Pink, Rihanna and Usher all had huge years as well, with their albums 'The Truth About Love,' 'Unapologetic' and 'Looking 4 Myself,' respectively, holding some of their most personal and memorable music to date. The three of these entertainers have also been hard at work entertaining live, with Pink and Usher dancing their hearts out and performing gravity-defying stunts, while RiRi brought serious swag and stage presence on her 777 tour -- albeit while holding 150 journalists hostage aboard a jet (she certainly made headlines!).

Finally, we've got One Direction and Taylor Swift. These performers will look back on 2012 with fond memories, since the boy band skyrocketed to superstardom this year with their hits 'What Makes You Beautiful,' 'One Thing,' 'Live While We're Young' and 'Little Things,' as well as their album 'Take Me Home.' They've also been on a sold-out tour in the U.S. and are making bank with merch, from Harry Styles pillowcases to 1D dolls. But can they beat Taylor Swift, who broke sales records left and right with the release of her album 'Red'? Her singles 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' 'Begin Again' and 'I KNew You Were Trouble' are super popular, and her live shows have been enchanting as usual.

Who will you vote for as PopCrush's Artist of the Year? Cast yours below and remember, you can vote once per hour until the polls close on Jan. 15 at 11:59 PM EST. PopCrush will post the winners the following day, Jan. 16, so stay tuned!