- Jan 1 Naughty Boy [Shahid Khan], British DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician ("La La La"), born in Watford, England
- Jan 6 Mike Jones, American rapper, born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 10 Brian Joo, Korean-American K-pop and R&B singer ("Fly to the Sky"), born in Absecon, New Jersey
- Jan 11 Jamelia Niela Davis, British singer, born in Birmingham, England
- Jan 11 Tom Meighan, British singer (Kasabian), born in Leicester, United Kingdom
- Jan 13 Jason James, Welsh heavy metal bassist (Bullet for My Valentine, 2003-15), born in Bridgend, Wales
- Jan 14 Rosa López, Spanish pop singer, born in Láchar, Spain
- Jan 15 Howie Day, American pop-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Collide"), born in Bangor, Maine
- Jan 15 Pitbull [Armando Christian Perez], American rapper, born in Miami, Florida
- Jan 16 Nick Valensi, American rock guitarist (The Strokes), born in New York City
- Jan 17 Ray J. [William Ray Norwood Jr.], American singer and actor (Everything You Want), born in McComb, Mississippi
- Jan 20 Nathan Connolly, Northern alt-rock guitarist (Snow Patrol - "Chasing Cars"), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Jan 21 Andy Lee [Lee Sun-ho], Korean K-pop singer (Shinhwa), and actor, born in Seoul, South Korea
- Jan 21 Gillian Chung [Yan-tung], Hong Kong Canto-pop singer (Twins), and actress (Beyond Our Ken), born in British Hong Kong
- Jan 22 Willa Ford [Amanda Lee Williford], American pop singer, and actress, born in Ruskin, Florida
Alicia Keys (43 years old)
Jan 25 American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, and pianist ("Girl On Fire"; 'No One"), born in New York City
- Jan 25 Toše Proeski, Macedonian pop-rock singer, born in Prilep, Macedonia (d. 2007)
- Jan 26 Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan Spanish conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic), born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- Jan 26 Reminisce [Remilekun Khalid Safaru], Nigerian singer-songwriter and rapper (Vibes & Insha Allah), born in Kaduna, Nigeria
- Jan 29 Álex Ubago, Spanish-Basque pop-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (¿Qué pides tú?), born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Spain
- Jan 29 Jonny Lang, American blues musician, born in Fargo, North Dakota
- Jan 30 Josh Kelley, American pop and country singer songwriter ("Amazing"; "Georgia Clay"), born in Augusta, Georgia
Justin Timberlake (43 years old)
Jan 31 American singer-songwriter ("Can't Stop The Feeling!"; "Sexyback"), and actor (Friends With Benefits), born in Memphis, Tennessee
About January 1981
How Old? 43 years old
Generation: Millennial
Leap Year: No
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers