Billboard Defends Choosing Beyoncé Over Taylor Swift as #1 Pop Star of the Century Despite the Numbers

Beyoncé is officially the current greatest pop star, according to Billboard.

The publication has officially crowded Queen Bey as the greatest pop star of the current century despite many who believe it should be Taylor Swift. In defense of their decision, Billboard released a statement about their decision.

"While Taylor Swift is the century's biggest pop star by the numbers — from album sales to streams to touring dominance — our editorial staff has chosen Beyoncé as our No. 1 Greatest Pop Star of the Century, based on her full 25 years of influence, evolution and impact," they said.

Notably, Swift has only been in the industry for 18 years since she released her debut album in 2006. However, some fans thought that Swift should have the honor of the biggest pop star of the century due to her massive impact, sales and streaming figures.

"Taylor deserved tbh. The list is crap anyway. If it's not based on sales, there's a few who should have been in the top 10," one fan wrote on X.

"Seriously, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is breathtaking records all over the world and it's not over yet, what is so special about Beyoncé," asked another.

When writing about Swift getting the No. 2 spot on tier list, Billboard said "her sharp pen, her relatable girl-next-door awkwardness, her hopeless romanticism – and rejecting culture's previous expectations for female artists to be overtly sexy, pliable and cool, she was able to forcefully, gravitationally bend culture to her will and become one of the world's biggest undisputed pop stars, despite her eight-year late start in country music."

Over the course of her career, Beyoncé holds many records, including most Grammy awards won by a vocalist and the most nominated artist in Grammy history. Additionally, she helped to change the way music was released when she surprise dropped her self-titled album on a Friday, shifting the music release dates from Tuesday to Fridays.

She has received acclaim for many of her albums with her landmark Lemonade album receiving a Peabody award for its impact. In 2024 she made the pivot into country music with her Cowboy Carter album. Another critically acclaimed album, the project helped to make Beyoncé the first Black woman to debut on top of the country charts.

The full list of the top 10 stars that has been announced and can be found below:

1. Beyoncé
2. Taylor Swift
3. Rihanna
4. Drake
5. Lady Gaga
6. Britney Spears
7. Kanye West
8. Justin Bieber
9. Ariana Grande
10. Adele

Justin Bieber's wife, Hailey Bieber, was not happy with his placement on the list, believing he should have been higher.

"Billboard is a f—king joke as per usual," she said under Billboard's Instagram announcement of the news.

Tags

Beyonce, Beyonce Knowles, Taylor Swift