Billboard names Beyoncé the greatest pop star of the 21st century

Beyoncé at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles.

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/File

Beyoncé has been named the greatest pop star of the 21st century by Billboard, the music charting site announced on Tuesday as part of an ongoing series.

“Beyoncé tops our staff-chosen editorial list based on her full 25 years of influence, impact, evolution,” Billboard’s Andrew Unterberger wrote.

In their analysis, the publication wrote that Beyoncé’s place at the top of their list stems from the record-setting Grammy-winner being a performer and creator “whose commitment to innovation, evolution and all-around excellence has made her the bar against which all other pop stars this century have long been measured” over the past 25 years.

Beyoncé is the most Grammy-winning artist, with a record 32 wins, and – after earning 11 more nods for her 2024 album “Cowboy Carter” – is expected to scoop up more trophies come January.

The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer has a deep history on Billboard’s charts, as well. She has nine No. 1 songs and 24 top 10 songs on the Hot 100. Eight of her albums have claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 album’s chart, starting with her 2003 debut solo album “Dangerously In Love.” After previously dominating the airwaves as part of girl group Destiny’s Child, 11 of Beyoncé’s solo albums have charted in Billboard’s top 10.

Since August, Billboard has been ranking their staff picks for the top 25 pop artists of the past 25 years. The publication’s picks are artists who they believe have most defined pop stardom and have “exemplified pop greatness” since the turn of the millennium.

Last week, Taylor Swift was announced as Billboard’s No. 2 pick, with Rihanna claiming the third spot.

Adele, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Drake round out the top 10.

At No. 25 is Katy Perry, with other pop artists including Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, One Direction, Miley Cyrus, Eminem, Usher and others ranking in between.

Billboard names Beyoncé Greatest Pop Star of 21st Century, here’s why Taylor Swift fans are fuming

Billboard has announced Beyoncé is the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century. This didn’t sit well with Taylor Swift, who was placed at no. 2 by the magazine, fans for many reasons. In their latest announcement, Billboard has defended its decision to crown Bey the top position.

So, it’s official now! Billboard has named Beyoncé as the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century. Last week, the music magazine sparked polarising reactions from pop enthusiasts after it placed Taylor Swift in the second spot on their highly anticipated list of 25 Greatest Artists of the 21st Century. The reveal has been full of suspense and thrill, with one name being unveiled every day for the past few weeks. While the latest announcement has Beyhive beaming with joy and pride, Taylor Swift fans are fuming.

Beyoncé named the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century!

In absolute Queen behaviour, Beyoncé has claimed the throne. While the Houston diva has always been an unparalleled phenomenon in pop culture, she now has Billboard’s approval.

Explaining their decision to choose Bey as the ultimate pop icon, the magazine cited her “timeless albums and singles, to her incalculable industry impact and influence on other artists, to her peerless raw talents as a singer and performer”. Renaissance hitmaker for a reason!

“But perhaps the most important of all was her singular ability to create moments: indelible pieces of pop culture history that she has generated over her quarter century of superstardom, which is first and foremost all quintessentially Beyoncé,” Billboard added.

Why are Taylor Swift fans fuming?

Taylor Swift’s fandom, known as Swifties, cannot shake the feeling of being number 2 off. They’re not used to it after all. Well, it’s a pretty good honour if you ask us, given the impressive lineup of artists on the list. But hey, that’s just us.

The magazine defended its decision to place Bey at first, saying she earned the honour “based on her full 25 years of influence, evolution and impact.”

Despite putting Swift at no. 2, Billboard has now called the Eras Tour star the ‘biggest pop artist in the world’. This now has Swifties fuming as they believe it’s just a desperate attempt from the mag to save its face after facing brutal social media scrutiny.

One fan fiercely reacted to Billboard’s praise, writing, “They hear themselves? Cuz that s**t so funny to me. Like yeah, she’s bigger than that lady [Beyoncé] in every metric but somehow she’s #2.”

“This looks like they are trying to save face after what they did last week. If they truly believe what they have written, then why is she number 2?” another fan wrote.

A third fan wrote, “So they basically list why she is the best but just didn’t give her the title? Makes no sense tbh.”

“So they basically confirm that Tay is the biggest Popstar Like ever but still chose Beyoncé while dragging here,” commented another user.

Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, who do you think is the bigger artist? Let us know!