In early December, Billboard released its editorial ranking of the greatest pop stars of the 21st century, crowning Beyoncé at number one, followed by Taylor Swift. While the list celebrates two extraordinary women, it upset many fans, including myself.

We were particularly disappointed given Billboard’s own acknowledgement that Swift’s numbers make her the century’s biggest pop star. Nevertheless, their list leaned to Beyoncé’s “25 years of influence, impact, evolution” to justify her spot at number one.

As a Swiftie, I do believe that Beyoncé’s cultural impact is exuberantly monumental. She holds the record for the most Grammy wins, with 32 victories out of 99 nominations. She broke boundaries set by the music industry as the first African-American woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with her 2024 song ‘Texas Hold ’Em’. She has empowered generations with her philanthropic efforts, such as supporting young girls in their education.

But if this list is about pop dominance in the 21st century, then Swift is undeniably deserving of the top spot. 

Her recently concluded Eras Tour changed the music industry with its 149 sold-out shows across five continents, boosting local economies in the process while grossing more than $2bn – the first tour in history to do so. It is estimated that demand was so astronomical that she could have filled 900 stadiums globally. Though her impact may mean something different for each of her fans, during the 3.5-hour concert fans both old and new become a community unified by their love for her music. 

Nonetheless, Swift’s tour is not the only thing that means she should be number one. She has been one of the most influential artists in the industry since 2007 when she was named Best New Artist by the Country Music Association. In both 2023 and 2024, she was Apple Music and Spotify’s top global artist in terms of streams. 

She is also the first and only artist to take all the top ten spots of the Billboard Hot 100 – twice – first with her 2022 album Midnights and again in 2024 with The Tortured Poets Department. During the latter album’s first six days on streaming platforms, it became the most-played album in a single week, hitting a record-breaking 799 million streams. 

She is also the first and only artist to win Album of the Year four times at the Grammys, which is known to be the most prestigious of all 94 categories.

Overall, her industry-acclaimed success is one of a kind and definitely the greatest of the 21st century. Her ability to connect with her fans like no other, boost economic growth and win countless awards proves that she deserves the number one spot on Billboard’s list.

When her spot at number two was revealed, her fans were upset, but also understood that Swift could not take every victory. However, it was when Billboard released their congratulatory video for Swift that fans started to riot. The video contained a scene from Kanye West’s music video for ‘Famous’, a song he wrote in 2016 with a very vulgar attitude towards Swift. 

West falsely claimed that Swift had been OK with the release of the song. The conflict between the two artists resulted in massive amounts of hate aimed at Swift, and to include the object of that feud in a video meant to uplift and congratulate her was distasteful and wildly inappropriate. Billboard apologised for their mishap, but the damage was already done.

Even though critics love to pit artists against each other, Beyoncé and Swift have voiced their support for each other on multiple occasions. In October 2023, Beyoncé came to support Swift at the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film premiere in Los Angeles. A month later, Swift returned the favour at the premiere of Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé in London.

@taylorswiftMy soul = broken. In the best way possible. Honestly can’t even remember my own name 😇🙏🥹 📷: Mason Poole♬ Halo – Beyoncé

In such a competitive industry, Beyoncé and Swift’s friendship shows us that both can be appreciated as the top of their field with each others’ mutual support. Still, if someone has to fill the number one spot, it should definitely be Taylor Swift.