Beyoncé is Billboard’s greatest pop star of 21st century

Beyoncé, the American singer, has been crowned the greatest pop star of the 21st century by Billboard.

In a publication on Tuesday, the music industry magazine cited her “25 years of influence, impact, and evolution” as the reasons she topped the ranking.

“The reasons why Beyoncé captured the top spot on our list were beyond numerous, ranging from her 25 years of timeless albums and singles, to her incalculable industry impact and influence on other artists, to her peerless raw talents as a singer and performer,” Billboard wrote.

“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 the course of her quarter century of superstardom, which are first and foremost all quintessentially Beyoncé.”

In November, the songstress became the most Grammy-nominated artiste after receiving 11 nominations. She boasts a total of 99 nominations and record-breaking 32 wins.

Beyoncé debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 18, 2000, as a member of the now-defunct group Destiny’s Child.

The music group secured the top spot on Billboard in 1999 with their hit song ‘Bills, Bills, Bills’.

On March 2, 2024, Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ album topped the Billboard Hot 100, making it her 12th time this century. Eight of her albums have secured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Billboard announced Taylor Swift in the second position while Rihanna claimed the third spot. Adele, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Drake round out the top 10.

See the list below:

25. Katy Perry

24. Ed Sheeran

23. Bad Bunny

22. One Direction

21. Lil Wayne

20. Bruno Mars

19. BTS

18. The Weeknd

17. Shakira

16. Jay-Z

15. Miley Cyrus

14. Justin Timberlake

13. Nicki Minaj

12. Eminem

11. Usher

10. Adele

9. Ariana Grande

8. Justin Bieber

7. Kanye West

6. Britney Spears

5. Lady Gaga

4. Drake

3. Rihanna

2. Taylor Swift

1. Beyoncé