Beyoncé vs Taylor Swift: Billboard defends choice for artist of the century

Billboard caused a stir when it crowned Beyoncé as the Artist of the Century over Taylor Swift.

Billboard unveiled its ranking Tuesday, December 3, with Beyoncé on the top stop and Swift trailing close behind on number two, sparking heated debates between the Beyhive and Swifties across social media.

In an editorial by Andrew Unterberger, the publication explained its reasoning, acknowledging that "Taylor Swift is the century's biggest pop star by the numbers." However, Beyoncé edged out the competition due to her " full 25 years of influence, impact, evolution.”

Unterberger noted that while Taylor has a "clear statistical lead" in other areas like No. 1 albums and singles, her relatively shorter career meant she couldn’t match the “expansiveness” of Beyoncé’s “quarter-century of dominance.”

He then boldly wrote, “If you go by the sheer numbers, Taylor would easily top this list… even with her late start, she has more No. 1 albums and as many No. 1 singles this century as Beyoncé “

“When you’re talking about greatness for the 21st century specifically, no one has a longer or fuller track record than Beyoncé,” Unterberger concluded.

Still, Swifties were quick to voice their frustrations. “Taylor had more impact in the last five years than Beyoncé in her whole career,” one fan fired back on X (formerly Twitter). Another quipped, “Beyoncé only won because Taylor started at 15.”

Beyoncé’s fans weren’t backing down either. “No one has been able to have the staying power Beyoncé has over the past three decades. For that alone, she’s the biggest artist alive,” a supporter argued.

While the debate rages on, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift continue to reign as undisputed music royalty.