Beyoncé Named Billboard's Greatest Pop Star Of The 21st Century

Beyoncé can add another award to the already-packed trophy case, with entertainment publication Billboard naming her the greatest pop star of the 21st century.

The honour was announced today following a four-month campaign which saw Billboard naming a new artist each week as a way to close out the first quarter of the century.

Launching in August with a list of honourable mentions, the list – as with any ranked list –attracted some controversy at times due to the placings or omissions of certain artists. While The Weeknd (#18) criticised Lana Del Rey’s status as only an honourable mention, Justin Bieber’s wife Hailey lashed out after he was placed at a lowly #8.

However, following the reveal of a top ten – which also included Adele, Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Drake, and Rihanna, the race for the top spot has concluded, with Taylor Swift conceding the first place to Beyonce.

“The greatness of Beyoncé as a pop star is both immediately obvious on its surface and worthy of extensive exploration in its vastness,” Billboard wrote in their essay of the singer.

“You can watch her on stage for half a minute and instantly recognize that she’s an all-timer; her inherent combination of dazzling beauty, impeccable fashion, captivating staging, otherworldly physicality and simultaneously earthy and skyscraping vocals all speaks for itself.

“But to understand the full scope of her impact also requires a deep knowledge of 21st century American pop music and culture, and the ways in which she has dominated it, elevated it and transformed it over the past 25 years,” they added.

Beyoncé’s appearance atop the list is the latest in a number of milestones for the artist this year alone. In addition to her Cowboy Carter album receiving her eighth consecutive appearance atop the Billboard charts, it also received 11 nominations at the Grammy Awards – the most ever for a female artist.

Notably, Billboard previously named Beyoncé their 37th greatest artist of all time in 2019 – placing her beneath many acts she topped for this latest list. However, the focus of her work in the pop realm, and her musical excursions in recent years, likely contributed to this nascent honour.