Some Taylor Swift fans aren’t too thrilled with Billboard’s ranking of the biggest pop stars of the century.
Billboard announced Beyoncé as their number one pick for the greatest pop star of the 21st century, and many Swifties seem to be struggling to understand how she could take the number one spot over Swift. The “Cruel Summer” singer earned second place on the list.
“I disagree with her being Number 2 and Beyonce number 1. Sorry Billboard but this is not the real case and we all know it,” one fan wrote on Instagram, while another added, “as talented as beyoncé is, taylor out did her on every level. she deserves the number one spot.”
“No other artists has occupied all ten top spots, not just once, but twice! she should’ve been the #1 artist.. there’s no comparison,” another fan added about Swift. “THIS IS A JOKE RIGHT? Taylor is THE MUSIC INDUSTRY! Lit No artist has ever filled the top 10 spots on the top 100 and Taylor has done it twice!!!!!!!” an additional comment read.
While many fans continued to express their shock over Swift’s placement on the list, others in the comments section defended Beyoncé’s placement, claiming while Swift has had a great few years, Beyoncé’s impact has spanned a greater amount of time.
“You got this right, Billboard. Everyone calling out sales needs to look up the word impact. A true legend is one that other legends consistently admire for pushing the envelope and and culture forward. UNIQUE,” one user wrote in defense of Beyoncé.
“Beyonce been number 1 since 1997. Taylor first song was in 2006 while Beyonce was winning Grammys in 2001. I’m surprised Taylor’s even on the list just because she’s been doing good past 3 years,” another fan wrote.
Both Beyoncé and Swift began major tours in 2023, with Beyoncé starting her Renaissance tour in May and Swift starting The Eras Tour in March. Beyoncé’s tour grossed $579 million throughout its five-month run, making it one of the highest-grossing tours ever, according to Forbes.
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Beyoncé began her career as a child, before joining the popular girl group Destiny’s Child in the ’90s. After releasing many iconic songs with the band, including “Say My Name,” “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Survivor,” Beyoncé left the band in 2005, and kicked off a successful solo career. She’s since released eight albums, including “Dangerously In Love,” “Lemonade” and “Cowboy Carter.”
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Swift’s tour, which is set to conclude its nearly two-year run on Sunday with her final show in Vancouver, Canada, has set many records, including becoming the first tour to gross over a billion dollars, becoming the highest-grossing tour of all time, per Guinness World Records.
She began as a country artist, releasing her first album, “Taylor Swift,” in 2006. Her second album, “Fearless,” released in 2008, won album of the year at the Grammy Awards that year, making her the youngest artist to win the award. She made the switch to pop music in 2014 with the release of her album “1989,” and has since released six more pop albums, including “Midnights,” “Reputation” and “Evermore.”
Billboard seemed to acknowledge the reaction many Swift fans are having on their website, where they wrote, “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.”
