Beyoncé Crowned Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century by Billboard
As the first quarter of the 21st century comes to a close, Billboard has officially crowned Beyoncé the greatest pop star of the era, beating out other music industry giants like Taylor Swift, who came in at No. 2. The publication made its staff-chosen pick this week after carefully considering key categories of pop stardom, such as commercial success, performance abilities, critical acclaim, and cultural influence.
Billboard praised Beyoncé for her unparalleled dominance in all of these areas. While Taylor Swift leads in some statistical categories, including commercial success, Billboard acknowledged that Beyoncé’s 25-year career, marked by an extraordinary catalog of achievements, has allowed her to achieve a level of influence and consistency that is unmatched.
“Few artists this period can match her in any of the most critical basic categories of pop stardom – commercial success, performance abilities, critical acclaim and accolades, industry influence, iconic cultural moments – and absolutely no one can equal her in all of them,” Billboard stated. “Even Taylor Swift, the lone artist who really challenged Beyoncé for the top spot on these rankings… simply hasn’t been around for long enough to be able to match the expansiveness of her quarter-century of dominance.”
Beyoncé’s long list of accolades since the beginning of the 21st century speaks volumes about her impact on music and pop culture. She boasts 12 No. 1 singles, 10 No. 1 albums, 32 top 10 singles, and holds the record as the most-awarded artist in Grammy history with 32 trophies. She’s even been nominated 11 times for the upcoming 2025 Grammy Awards, further solidifying her ongoing relevance and dominance.
Beyoncé’s greatness transcends her musical achievements. It was recently announced that Yale University will offer a course titled Beyoncé Makes History in the Spring 2025 semester, a testament to her profound cultural influence. Taught by Professor Daphne Brooks, a specialist in African American Studies and Music, the class will focus on Beyoncé’s artistic journey from 2013 to 2024, analyzing her work through the lens of Black history, intellectual thought, and performance.
The course is an extension of Brooks’ earlier course at Princeton University, Black Women in Popular Music Culture, which became highly popular due to Beyoncé’s immense cultural relevance. According to Brooks, the class will explore Beyoncé’s music, fashion, and visual media, as well as the experiences of Black women in the media and politics. Students will engage with scholarly readings, participate in visual album screenings, and even create playlists that connect Beyoncé’s music to her influences.
“Beyoncé is just so ripe for teaching at this moment in time,” Brooks explained. “The number of breakthroughs and innovations she’s executed and the way she’s interwoven history and politics… There’s just no one like her.”
As Beyoncé continues to break barriers, her legacy as the greatest pop star of the 21st century is firmly cemented. Whether through her music, performances, or influence on culture, Beyoncé’s impact remains profound, and she shows no signs of slowing down.
