Taylor Swift said she ‘couldn’t be happier’ for Beyoncé after Billboard named her the best pop performer of the twenty-first century. The publication sparked a sensation last week when it revealed Swift, 34, had been put at number two, a choice dubbed a ‘total joke’ by her devout ‘Swifties.’
But Swift has no ill will towards the 43-year-old mother of three, whom she has long regarded as a’source of inspiration.’ “Taylor couldn’t be happier about this,” a source told DailyMail.com. ‘Beyoncé has had her back since day one, when Kanye attempted to seize her trophy. Taylor was just getting started, while Beyoncé was already a huge star.
The two have had a long friendship since they met at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where Kanye West interrupted Swift while she was accepting an award. In the years after, they’ve spent time together privately, with Swift recently hailing Beyoncé as a ‘guiding light’ in her rapid rise to pop superstardom.
‘Since the VMAs, Taylor has looked up to Beyoncé for inspiration,’ the insider added. ‘She understands that she has been in the game longer and has made a significant impact.’ Fans wishing for a collaboration between the two biggest ladies in music may be in luck, since neither party has ruled out the prospect.
‘She is open to collaborating with her someday,’ the person stated. ‘The two are always in contact.’ In response to the online outrage Billboard has received from Swift’s immensely ardent fan base, the insider added: ‘While she is thrilled that her followers are furious because they believe she should be number one, Taylor is humbled by the fact that she has built an empire.’
Taylor Swift and Gigi Hadid were recently photographed on a date. taylor swift and gigi hadid at the waverly inn in west village nyc for dinner tonight (12/3) – just them two in booth, seemed like some gossip was being spilt. lots of giggling and whispering. whole
restaurant was on major high alert and the staff was so rude about it lol. shushing anyone that even mentioned “that’s taylor swift”
Taylor and Gigi at waverly inn tonight! Came in through the kitchen.
Billboard anticipated that debate will ‘rip through the internet over her being just one short slot below No.1,’ which they described as ‘another proof to her influence.’ They also reminded readers that Swift started’much later’ in the decade in both ‘the genre and music in general.’
Still, Swifties were outraged by Billboard’s editorial choice, which involved rating the top 25 greatest pop stars of the twenty-first century. Following the announcement on Instagram, a lot of Swift supporters expressed their indignation, calling the list a ‘joke’ and insisting the Fortnight hitmaker had been ‘robbed.’
‘This is pathetic and should ACTUALLY be corrected,’ wrote one. Who approved this list? First and foremost, your bs lists are always extremely wrong. Another commented, ‘She deserves #1, don’t even lie, she is the greatest artist of all time, not just of the century.’
Their outrage was fueled by Billboard’s inclusion of a naked wax model of Swift in a video tribute celebrating her second-place finish. The image was taken from the music video for her adversary West’s controversial song Famous.
“We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her,” the publication wrote in an apology post shared on X. ‘We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.’
Beyoncé received the award ‘based on her full 25 years of influence, evolution, and effect,’ according to Billboard, despite Swift being the ‘century’s biggest pop star by the numbers. Beyoncé and Swift have only expressed love and support for one another in public.
It all started when West embarrassed Swift at the VMAs by interrupting her acceptance speech and suggesting Beyoncé’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) should have won Best Female Video over Swift’s You Belong With Me.
