CUE Research · Pre-registered test

Are the Greatest Singers Born in Dog Years?

250 famous singers, from Elvis Presley and Whitney Houston to Justin Bieber, read by their Chinese sign.

The singers: everyone on Rolling Stone’s greatest singers lists (2023 and 2008) or among the world’s best-selling solo artists, with a birth date confirmed by two sources. The list was fixed before any sign was worked out.

The answer No meaningful evidence of a Dog Singer Effect

25 of the 250 singers are Dogs. Random birthdays from the same generations would give about 21. That is 1.22 times as many, a lean chance produces often (p = 0.30).

Dog is not alone: Rooster (1.25×), Pig (1.23×), Dog (1.22×) lead, and every sign falls within normal variation. Among the best-selling singers Dogs are 1.82 times expected, carried by three stars born in 1958 (Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince); among the critics’ picks the figure is 1.09. Guitarists and drummers carry Dogs at 1.32 times expected, so the lean is not specific to singing.

Every sign, against expectation

The bar is how many singers carry each sign; the line is how many random birthdays from the same generations would give.

Rat 16 21.0 expected

Ox 19 20.8 expected

Tiger 15 21.0 expected

Cat 16 20.6 expected

Dragon 19 20.9 expected

Snake 22 20.9 expected

Horse 24 20.8 expected

Goat 18 20.7 expected

Monkey 24 21.1 expected

Rooster 26 20.8 expected

Dog 25 20.5 expected

Pig 26 21.1 expected

Singers with the sign Expected from random birthdays

Ranked by records sold

Counting heads treats a one-hit star the same as Michael Jackson. Weighting each singer by certified sales, as the wealth study weighted by net worth, asks a different question: where do the records sit?

Dog singers hold 16.4% of all certified units on the world list, against 8.3% expected: 1.98 times their share, the most of any sign. Random signs give Dog a share this large 3.6% of the time. Behind it: Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Lil Wayne, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Prince, Kelly Clarkson.

Rat 6.6% 8.5% expected

Ox 5.4% 8.2% expected

Tiger 9.9% 8.3% expected

Cat 3.1% 8.4% expected

Dragon 9.2% 8.3% expected

Snake 10.9% 8.2% expected

Horse 8.1% 8.4% expected

Goat 6.5% 8.3% expected

Monkey 4.6% 8.3% expected

Rooster 12.9% 8.3% expected

Dog 16.4% 8.3% expected

Pig 6.3% 8.4% expected

Share of certified units Expected share

Sales list	Solo singers	Dogs	Dog share of units	Expected	Random as large	Any sign this large
World’s best-selling solo artists (certified units, all markets)	80	12	16.4%	8.3%	3.6%	39.4%
Highest-certified solo artists in the US (RIAA)	52	7	16.8%	8.2%	4.8%	54.2%
RIAA artists not on the world list	10	1	14.5%	8.1%	22.5%	83.0%

Read this honestly

This view was added after the head count showed Dogs leaning high among best-sellers, so on the world list it is exploratory, not a test.
The US list is not independent: 42 of its 52 solo singers are also on the world list. The 10 who are not include one Dog.
Some sign always comes out on top: a leader this large turns up 39.4% of the time by chance. What makes Dog notable is that CUE named it before the data.
Without Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, Dogs still hold about 12% of the world list’s units, against about 8% expected.
The clean test is new sales data that has not been looked at: the best-selling artists of Japan, Brazil and Latin music, whose singers are mostly different people.

The Dog singers

Al Green, Andrea Bocelli, Cher, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Frankie Valli, Freddie Mercury, Héctor Lavoe, Howlin’ Wolf, Jackie Wilson, Justin Bieber, Kate Bush, Kelly Clarkson, Leonard Cohen, Lil Wayne, Linda Ronstadt, Madonna, Marianne Faithfull, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Patti Smith, Prince, Sade, Sandy Denny.

The checks

Group	Singers	Dogs	Expected	Ratio	p
All famous singers	250	25	20.5	1.22	0.30
Critics’ picks (Rolling Stone)	202	18	16.5	1.09	0.70
Best-selling solo artists	80	12	6.6	1.82	0.04
Critics’ consensus top 10	10	1	0.8	1.23	0.57
Critics’ consensus top 25	25	4	2.0	1.96	0.14
Critics’ consensus top 50	50	7	4.1	1.72	0.12
Critics’ consensus top 100	95	12	7.8	1.54	0.13
Men (critics’ picks)	118	10	9.6	1.04	0.87
Women (critics’ picks)	85	8	7.0	1.14	0.69
Guitarists and drummers (not singers)	260	28	21.2	1.32	0.14

Does Dog rise among the very greatest? In the critics’ consensus the Dog share is 1 of 10 in the top 10, 4 of 25 in the top 25, 7 of 50 in the top 50, 12 of 95 in the top 100. Shuffling the rankings at random gives a top-25 concentration at least this strong 39% of the time, so there is no reliable gradient.

All 250 singers and their signs

Singer	Born	Chinese sign	Source
Aaliyah	1979-01-16	Horse	Critics
Aaron Neville	1941-01-24	Dragon	Critics
Adele	1988-05-05	Dragon	Critics and best-sellers
Al Green	1946-04-13	Dog	Critics
Amy Winehouse	1983-09-14	Pig	Critics
Andrea Bocelli	1958-09-22	Dog	Best-sellers
Anita Baker	1958-01-26	Rooster	Critics
Annie Lennox	1954-12-25	Horse	Critics
Anohni	1971-10-24	Pig	Critics
Aretha Franklin	1942-03-25	Horse	Critics and best-sellers
Ariana Grande	1993-06-26	Rooster	Critics and best-sellers
Art Garfunkel	1941-11-05	Snake	Critics
Axl Rose	1962-02-06	Tiger	Critics
Ayumi Hamasaki	1978-10-02	Horse	Best-sellers
B.B. King	1925-09-16	Ox	Critics
Barbra Streisand	1942-04-24	Horse	Critics and best-sellers
Barrington Levy	1964-04-30	Dragon	Critics
Barry Manilow	1943-06-17	Goat	Best-sellers
Barry White	1944-09-12	Monkey	Critics
Bessie Smith	1894-04-15	Horse	Critics
Beyoncé	1981-09-04	Rooster	Critics and best-sellers
Bill Withers	1938-07-04	Tiger	Critics
Billie Eilish	2001-12-18	Snake	Critics
Billie Holiday	1915-04-07	Cat	Critics
Billy Joel	1949-05-09	Ox	Best-sellers
Björk	1965-11-21	Snake	Critics
Bob Dylan	1941-05-24	Snake	Critics and best-sellers
Bob Marley	1945-02-06	Monkey	Critics and best-sellers
Bob Seger	1945-05-06	Rooster	Critics and best-sellers
Bonnie Raitt	1949-11-08	Ox	Critics
Bono	1960-05-10	Rat	Critics
Brenda Lee	1944-12-11	Monkey	Critics
Brian Wilson	1942-06-20	Horse	Critics
Britney Spears	1981-12-02	Rooster	Best-sellers
Bruce Springsteen	1949-09-23	Ox	Critics and best-sellers
Bruno Mars	1985-10-08	Ox	Best-sellers
Bryan Adams	1959-11-05	Pig	Best-sellers
Bryan Ferry	1945-09-26	Rooster	Critics
Buddy Holly	1936-09-07	Rat	Critics
Burna Boy	1991-07-02	Goat	Critics
Caetano Veloso	1942-08-07	Horse	Critics
Carrie Underwood	1983-03-10	Pig	Critics
Celia Cruz	1925-10-21	Ox	Critics
Celine Dion	1968-03-30	Monkey	Best-sellers
Chaka Khan	1953-03-23	Snake	Critics
Charlie Rich	1932-12-14	Monkey	Critics
Cher	1946-05-20	Dog	Best-sellers
Chet Baker	1929-12-23	Snake	Critics
Chris Brown	1989-05-05	Snake	Best-sellers
Chris Cornell	1964-07-20	Dragon	Critics
Chris Stapleton	1978-04-15	Horse	Critics
Chrissie Hynde	1951-09-07	Cat	Critics
Christina Aguilera	1980-12-18	Monkey	Critics
Chuck Berry	1926-10-18	Tiger	Critics
Corin Tucker	1972-11-09	Rat	Critics
Courtney Love	1964-07-09	Dragon	Critics
Curtis Mayfield	1942-06-03	Horse	Critics
D’Angelo	1974-02-11	Tiger	Critics
Darlene Love	1941-07-26	Snake	Critics
David Bowie	1947-01-08	Dog	Critics and best-sellers
David Ruffin	1941-01-18	Dragon	Critics
Debbie Harry	1945-07-01	Rooster	Critics
Dennis Brown	1957-02-01	Rooster	Critics
Diana Ross	1944-03-26	Monkey	Critics and best-sellers
Dion	1939-07-18	Cat	Critics
Dolly Parton	1946-01-19	Rooster	Critics
Don Henley	1947-07-22	Pig	Critics
Donna Summer	1948-12-31	Rat	Critics and best-sellers
Donny Hathaway	1945-10-01	Rooster	Critics
Drake	1986-10-24	Tiger	Best-sellers
Dusty Springfield	1939-04-16	Cat	Critics
Ed Sheeran	1991-02-17	Goat	Best-sellers
Eddie Vedder	1964-12-23	Dragon	Critics
El DeBarge	1961-06-04	Ox	Critics
Ella Fitzgerald	1917-04-25	Snake	Critics
Elton John	1947-03-25	Pig	Critics and best-sellers
Elvis Presley	1935-01-08	Dog	Critics and best-sellers
Eminem	1972-10-17	Rat	Best-sellers
Emmylou Harris	1947-04-02	Pig	Critics
Enya	1961-05-17	Ox	Best-sellers
Eric Burdon	1941-05-11	Snake	Critics
Eric Clapton	1945-03-30	Rooster	Best-sellers
Erykah Badu	1971-02-26	Pig	Critics
Etta James	1938-01-25	Ox	Critics
Fela Kuti	1938-10-15	Tiger	Critics
Fiona Apple	1977-09-13	Snake	Critics
Flo Rida	1979-09-16	Goat	Best-sellers
Florence Welch	1986-08-28	Tiger	Critics
Françoise Hardy	1944-01-17	Goat	Critics
Frank Ocean	1987-10-28	Cat	Critics
Frank Sinatra	1915-12-12	Cat	Critics and best-sellers
Frankie Valli	1934-05-03	Dog	Critics
Freddie Mercury	1946-09-05	Dog	Critics
Gal Costa	1945-09-26	Rooster	Critics
Garth Brooks	1962-02-07	Tiger	Best-sellers
George Jones	1931-09-12	Goat	Critics
George Michael	1963-06-25	Cat	Critics and best-sellers
George Strait	1952-05-18	Dragon	Critics and best-sellers
Gladys Knight	1944-05-28	Monkey	Critics
Glenn Danzig	1955-06-23	Goat	Critics
Gloria Estefan	1957-09-01	Rooster	Best-sellers
Gregg Allman	1947-12-08	Pig	Critics
Hank Williams	1923-09-17	Pig	Critics
Héctor Lavoe	1946-09-30	Dog	Critics
Howlin’ Wolf	1910-06-10	Dog	Critics
Iggy Pop	1947-04-21	Pig	Critics
IU	1993-05-16	Rooster	Critics
Jackie Wilson	1934-06-09	Dog	Critics
James Brown	1933-05-03	Rooster	Critics
James Taylor	1948-03-12	Rat	Critics and best-sellers
Janet Jackson	1966-05-16	Horse	Best-sellers
Janis Joplin	1943-01-19	Horse	Critics
Jay-Z	1969-12-04	Rooster	Best-sellers
Jazmine Sullivan	1987-04-09	Cat	Critics
Jeff Buckley	1966-11-17	Horse	Critics
Jerry Lee Lewis	1935-09-29	Pig	Critics
Jim Morrison	1943-12-08	Goat	Critics
Jimmie Rodgers	1897-09-08	Rooster	Critics
Joan Baez	1941-01-09	Dragon	Critics
João Gilberto	1931-06-10	Goat	Critics
Joe Cocker	1944-05-20	Monkey	Critics
Joe Strummer	1952-08-21	Dragon	Critics
John Fogerty	1945-05-28	Rooster	Critics
John Lee Hooker	1917-08-22	Snake	Critics
John Lennon	1940-10-09	Dragon	Critics
Johnny Cash	1932-02-26	Monkey	Critics and best-sellers
Johnny Hallyday	1943-06-15	Goat	Best-sellers
Joni Mitchell	1943-11-07	Goat	Critics
Juan Gabriel	1950-01-07	Ox	Critics
Julio Iglesias	1943-09-23	Goat	Best-sellers
Jung Kook	1997-09-01	Ox	Critics
Justin Bieber	1994-03-01	Dog	Best-sellers
Justin Timberlake	1981-01-31	Monkey	Best-sellers
Kanye West	1977-06-08	Snake	Best-sellers
Karen Carpenter	1950-03-02	Tiger	Critics
Karen O	1978-11-22	Horse	Critics
Kate Bush	1958-07-30	Dog	Critics
Katy Perry	1984-10-25	Rat	Best-sellers
Kelly Clarkson	1982-04-24	Dog	Critics and best-sellers
Kenny G	1956-06-05	Monkey	Best-sellers
Kenny Rogers	1938-08-21	Tiger	Best-sellers
Kurt Cobain	1967-02-20	Goat	Critics
La India	1969-03-09	Rooster	Critics
Lana Del Rey	1985-06-21	Ox	Critics
Lata Mangeshkar	1929-09-28	Snake	Critics
Lauryn Hill	1975-05-26	Cat	Critics
Leonard Cohen	1934-09-21	Dog	Critics
Levon Helm	1940-05-26	Dragon	Critics
Lil Wayne	1982-09-27	Dog	Best-sellers
Linda Ronstadt	1946-07-15	Dog	Critics and best-sellers
Lionel Richie	1949-06-20	Ox	Best-sellers
Little Richard	1932-12-05	Monkey	Critics
Loretta Lynn	1932-04-14	Monkey	Critics
Louis Armstrong	1901-08-04	Ox	Critics
Luke Bryan	1976-07-17	Dragon	Best-sellers
Luther Vandross	1951-04-20	Cat	Critics
Madonna	1958-08-16	Dog	Best-sellers
Mahalia Jackson	1911-10-26	Pig	Critics
Marc Anthony	1968-09-16	Monkey	Critics
Mariah Carey	1969-03-27	Rooster	Critics and best-sellers
Marianne Faithfull	1946-12-29	Dog	Critics
Martha Reeves	1941-07-18	Snake	Critics
Martha Wash	1953-12-28	Snake	Critics
Marvin Gaye	1939-04-02	Cat	Critics
Mary J. Blige	1971-01-11	Dog	Critics
Mavis Staples	1939-07-10	Cat	Critics
Meat Loaf	1947-09-27	Pig	Best-sellers
Mercedes Sosa	1935-07-09	Pig	Critics
Merle Haggard	1937-04-06	Ox	Critics
Michael Jackson	1958-08-29	Dog	Critics and best-sellers
Michael Stipe	1960-01-04	Pig	Critics
Mick Jagger	1943-07-26	Goat	Critics
Minnie Riperton	1947-11-08	Pig	Critics
Miriam Makeba	1932-03-04	Monkey	Critics
Morrissey	1959-05-22	Pig	Critics
Muddy Waters	1913-04-04	Ox	Critics
Neil Diamond	1941-01-24	Dragon	Best-sellers
Neil Young	1945-11-12	Rooster	Critics
Nicki Minaj	1982-12-08	Dog	Best-sellers
Nina Simone	1933-02-21	Rooster	Critics
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	1948-10-13	Rat	Critics
Odetta	1930-12-31	Horse	Critics
Ofra Haza	1957-11-19	Rooster	Critics
Olivia Newton-John	1948-09-26	Rat	Best-sellers
Otis Redding	1941-09-09	Snake	Critics
Ozzy Osbourne	1948-12-03	Rat	Critics
Patsy Cline	1932-09-08	Monkey	Critics
Patti LaBelle	1944-05-24	Monkey	Critics
Patti Smith	1946-12-30	Dog	Critics
Patty Loveless	1957-01-04	Monkey	Critics
Paul McCartney	1942-06-18	Horse	Critics and best-sellers
Paul Rodgers	1949-12-17	Ox	Critics
Paul Westerberg	1959-12-31	Pig	Critics
Phil Collins	1951-01-30	Tiger	Best-sellers
Pink	1979-09-08	Goat	Best-sellers
PJ Harvey	1969-10-09	Rooster	Critics
Poly Styrene	1957-07-03	Rooster	Critics
Post Malone	1995-07-04	Pig	Best-sellers
Prince	1958-06-07	Dog	Best-sellers
R. Kelly	1967-01-08	Horse	Best-sellers
Ray Charles	1930-09-23	Horse	Critics
Rihanna	1988-02-20	Dragon	Critics and best-sellers
Rob Halford	1951-08-25	Cat	Critics
Robbie Williams	1974-02-13	Tiger	Best-sellers
Robert Johnson	1911-05-08	Pig	Critics
Robert Plant	1948-08-20	Rat	Critics
Robert Smith	1959-04-21	Pig	Critics
Roberto Carlos	1941-04-19	Snake	Best-sellers
Rocío Dúrcal	1944-10-04	Monkey	Critics
Rod Stewart	1945-01-10	Monkey	Critics and best-sellers
Roger Daltrey	1944-03-01	Monkey	Critics
Ronnie James Dio	1942-07-10	Horse	Critics
Ronnie Spector	1943-08-10	Goat	Critics
Rosalía	1992-09-25	Monkey	Critics
Roy Orbison	1936-04-23	Rat	Critics
Russell Thompkins Jr.	1951-03-21	Cat	Critics
Sade	1959-01-16	Dog	Critics
Sam Cooke	1931-01-22	Horse	Critics
Sam Moore	1935-10-12	Pig	Critics
Sandy Denny	1947-01-06	Dog	Critics
Selena	1971-04-16	Pig	Critics
Shakira	1977-02-02	Dragon	Best-sellers
Shania Twain	1965-08-28	Snake	Best-sellers
Sly Stone	1943-03-15	Goat	Critics
Smokey Robinson	1940-02-19	Dragon	Critics
Solomon Burke	1940-03-21	Dragon	Critics
Steve Perry	1949-01-22	Rat	Critics
Steve Winwood	1948-05-12	Rat	Critics
Steven Tyler	1948-03-26	Rat	Critics
Stevie Nicks	1948-05-26	Rat	Critics
Stevie Wonder	1950-05-13	Tiger	Critics and best-sellers
SZA	1989-11-08	Snake	Critics
Tammy Wynette	1942-05-05	Horse	Critics
Taylor Swift	1989-12-13	Snake	Critics and best-sellers
Teddy Pendergrass	1950-03-26	Tiger	Critics
The Weeknd	1990-02-16	Horse	Critics and best-sellers
Thom Yorke	1968-10-07	Monkey	Critics
Tim McGraw	1967-05-01	Goat	Best-sellers
Tina Turner	1939-11-26	Cat	Critics and best-sellers
Tom Petty	1950-10-20	Tiger	Best-sellers
Tom Waits	1949-12-07	Ox	Critics
Toots Hibbert	1942-12-08	Horse	Critics
Tupac Shakur	1971-06-16	Pig	Best-sellers
Usher	1978-10-14	Horse	Critics and best-sellers
Van Morrison	1945-08-31	Rooster	Critics
Vicente Fernández	1940-02-17	Dragon	Critics
Wanda Jackson	1937-10-20	Ox	Critics
Whitney Houston	1963-08-09	Cat	Critics and best-sellers
Wilson Pickett	1941-03-18	Snake	Critics
Youssou N’Dour	1959-10-01	Pig	Critics

Method How it was done

Singers: Rolling Stone, The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time (2023) and The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time (2008); English Wikipedia, List of best-selling music artists (solo people only).
Birth dates: Wikidata and MusicBrainz must agree to the day. Singers whose date could not be confirmed are left out rather than guessed.
Chinese signs from CUE’s engine, using the true lunar new year (so Elvis, born 8 January 1935, is a 1934 Dog) and Cat rather than Rabbit.
Expected counts: each singer contributes the twelve years around their birth, one full zodiac cycle, so the baseline follows each generation without assuming anyone’s sign.
All twelve signs are tested the same way, with correction for testing twelve.