Billboard has officially named Beyonce the greatest pop star of the 21 st century. The music industry magazine made the announcement on Tuesday as part of its ongoing series highlighting the artists “who have most defined pop stardom for the last 25 years.”
“The reasons why Beyoncé captured the top spot on our list were beyond numerous,” Billboard said, “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.”
“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.”
The selection of Beyonce evoked mixed responses in Goa. Mavil Maulingkar a counsellor response was a pithy, “ "Beyon-who?". Reisha D'Cunha , 24 a pr executive and a fan said, “ Calling her the 'greatest' is subjective, but I can see why she deserves it. Her long career and timeless music have stayed relevant and loved by many, including me. I grew up listening to her and have always enjoyed her music, so I’m fine with her being named the greatest pop star of the 21st century. Doesn't really matter though (to me)”. Then there were those who disagreed with the selection. Khiara Godinho a student from Panjim said, “ I do not agree cause i personally would not even be able to name 3 of her songs. She just does not stand out to me and i don’t know how her music is even relevant these days. In my opinion it should have been given to someone like Bruno Mars or Lady Gaga who has actually made an impact on the music industry or even taylor swift tbh (for the record, i'm not a swiftie)”
In the month of November, the superstar singer became the most Grammy nominated artist of all time after receiving 11 nods for her album “ Cowboy Carter” . With a record 32 wins already under her belt, she now boasts a total of 99 nominations throughout her career.
Beyoncé has a storied history on the Billboard charts, amassing nine No. 1 hits and 24 top 10 songs on the Hot 100. Eight of her albums have notched the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200, starting with 2003’s “Dangerously in Love” — her solo debut. She previously dominated the airwaves and sales charts as the front woman of Destiny’s Child.
Last week, Billboard announced Taylor Swift as No2 on its list of the greatest pop stars of the 21 st century with Rihanna coming in third. Drake, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Adele round out the top 10, in that order.