Beyoncé is officially Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, and some people, including Taylor Swift fans have feelings! Announced on December 2, the news sent her devoted fans, known as Beyhive, into celebration mode while sparking a heated debate among listeners of different artists, including Swifties and the Rihanna Navy.
Congratulations to the head DIVA herself Beyoncé on being the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century ✨#TALENTWON pic.twitter.com/ZdWxwwWFjr
— Cowboy Ky (CUNTRY ERA 🤠) (@YonceBarbie_) December 3, 2024
While Beyoncé’s decades-long career speaks for itself, not everyone agrees with the title! Some fans questioned her lack of a Grammy for Album of the Year, while others accused the decision of bias. For example, some users brought up Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z, saying that he paid for her to get the top spot. In addition, others commented that her streams do not show the popularity of a great popstar and that she is overrated:
admitting they picked her based on vibes is hilarious 😭
— mo (@everlikeme) December 3, 2024
Translation: "Taylor Swift is the actual greatest pop star of the 21st century but Beyoncé has vibes" 😭😭😭 https://t.co/MDALqS4xA6
— Brojack (@dontwannashar3) December 3, 2024
Billboard is clearly biased here because Beyoncé never deserved to be ranked above Rihanna or Taylor Swift. She is truly the most overrated artist of all time https://t.co/kpSRgy0Jca
— Noah (@NoahFentys) December 3, 2024
Despite the drama, Billboard themselves explained their choice, expressing that sales are not the only factor to take into consideration. For the publication, Beyoncé is a trendsetter, who has created fully realized artistic works that have paved her own legacy and impacted culture and the history of pop music.
