Billboard explains why they named Beyoncé the greatest pop star of the 21st century over Taylor Swift
Beyoncé is officially Billboard’s no. 1 pop star of the 21st century, followed by Taylor Swift.
According to the music entertainment agency, Beyoncé ranked first on the list for her “25 years of influence, evolution, and impact,” beating Swift’s commercial success.
“While Taylor Swift is the century’s biggest pop star by the numbers—from album sales to streams to touring dominance—our editorial staff chose Beyoncé as our Greatest Pop Star of the Century, based on her full 25 years of influence, evolution and impact,” they wrote.
As stated in her Billboard profile, Beyoncé first topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2000, when she was a member of the Pop&B quartet Destiny’s Child, which is known for the hits Brown Eyes, Say My Name, and Bills, Bills, Bills.
Since she debuted as a solo artist in 2003 with the studio album Dangerously In Love, the 43-year-old pop star has produced multiple hits, including Crazy In Love, Single Ladies, Irreplaceable, and more.
Just recently, she marked her 12th time topping the Billboard chart with her Texas Hold ‘Em hit under the Cowboy Carter album released in March this year.
“The greatness of Beyoncé as a pop star is both immediately obvious on its surface and worthy of extensive exploration in its vastness,” they wrote, noting her “dazzling beauty, impeccable fashion, captivating staging,” and astounding vocals when she performs on stage.
“To understand the full scope of her impact also requires a deep knowledge of 21st century American pop music and culture, and the ways in which she has dominated it, elevated it, and transformed it over the past 25 years,” they continued, saying only a few artists in this period can match her stardom from commercial success, performance abilities, critical acclaim and accolades, industry influence, and iconic cultural moments.
“Even Taylor Swift, the lone artist who really challenged Beyoncé for the top spot on these rankings—and who does have a clear statistical lead on Bey in many key categories; more on that later—simply hasn’t been around for long enough to be able to match the expansiveness of her quarter-century of dominance,” they added.
This came after some Swifties aired their reaction to her placement in the Billboard list, with some expressing their disappointment over Swift not getting the top spot.
“Even Beyonce fans are shocked she's #1 [because] they know that even if you combined Destiny's Child's and Beyonce's total career sales, it's still nowhere close to Taylor's. There are no metrics supporting this achievement, just sympathy and vibes,” an X user wrote.
“Love Beyoncé, but commercial success matters. If an artist of her caliber can’t keep an album on the charts for a year, how can she be the greatest pop star? Taylor’s record-breaking sales and longevity make her deserving of the top spot,” another one posted.
Other artists that made it to the list are Rihanna, Drake, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Adele. Check out the full list here.