Taylor Swift ‘couldn’t be happier’ for Beyoncé after Billboard crowned the music icon the biggest pop star of the 21st century.
The publication caused a stir last week when it revealed that Swift, 34, had been placed at number two, a decision her devoted ‘Swifties’ branded a “complete joke.”
But Swift holds no ill will toward the 43-year-old mother of three, whom she has long viewed 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 tried to take the award from her. At the time, Taylor was just starting out and Beyoncé was already a huge superstar.
The pair have enjoyed a long friendship since they crossed paths at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where Kanye West interrupted Swift as she accepted an award.
In the years since, they have spent time together privately, and Swift recently described Beyoncé as a “guiding light” throughout her meteoric rise to pop stardom.
Taylor Swift ‘couldn’t be happier’ for Beyoncé after Billboard crowned the music icon the biggest pop star of the 21st century
“Since the VMAs, Taylor has looked to Beyoncé as a source of inspiration,” the source continued. “She knows she’s been in this game longer and she’s had a huge influence.”
Fans hoping for a collaboration between pop’s two biggest women might be in luck, and neither party is ruling out the possibility.
“She’s not against collaborating with her one day,” the source added. “The two are close and in contact all the time.”
In response to the online backlash Billboard has faced from Swift’s extremely passionate fan base, the source added: “While she is flattered that her fans are upset because they think she should be number one, Taylor “she is honored by the fact that she has built an empire.” .’
Billboard predicted that the controversy would “spread across the Internet because she was just a small space below No. 1,” something they described as “another testament to her power.”
They also reminded readers that Swift had a start “much later” in the millennium in both “the genre and music in general.”
Still, Swifties were, predictably, infuriated by the editorial decision made by the Billboard staff, who undertook the difficult task of ranking the 25 biggest pop stars of the 21st century.
Below the announcement on Instagram, several Swift fans expressed outrage by referring to the list as a “joke” and adamantly insisted that the Fortnight hitmaker had been “robbed.”
The outlet caused a stir last week when it revealed that Swift, 34, had been placed at number two, a decision her devoted ‘Swifties’ called a “total joke” and were furious.
A source revealed: ‘Since the VMAs, Taylor has looked to Beyoncé as a source of inspiration. “She knows she’s been in this game the longest and she’s had a huge influence.”
“This is pathetic and REALLY should be fixed,” one commented. ‘Who approved this list? First of all, all your lists of bs are always incredibly inaccurate.
Another wrote: “She deserved number one, don’t even lie, she’s the greatest artist of all time, not just the century.”
Their anger was further exacerbated when Billboard included images of a nude wax figure of Swift in a tribute video celebrating her second-place finish.
The image was from the music video for his nemesis 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 accomplishments, we included a clip that falsely represented her,” the publication wrote in an apology post shared on X.. “We have removed the clip from our video and are sincerely sorry for the damage we caused with this mistake.”
Beyoncé won the honor “based on her full 25 years of influence, evolution and impact,” according to Billboard, even though Swift is “the biggest pop star of the century by numbers.”
Beyoncé and Swift have only shown love and support for each other in public.
It all started the night West humiliated Swift by interrupting her VMA winner’s speech and claiming that Beyoncé’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) should have won Best female video for You Belong With Me by Swift.
The bond between Beyoncé and Swift was born unexpectedly after Kanye West stormed the stage at the 2009 MTV VMAs and interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech.
In the years since, the couple has spent time together privately, and Swift claims that Beyoncé has been a “guiding light” throughout her career.
Her rude comments were met with gasps from the audience as the camera panned to a mortified Beyoncé.
When he later received the award, he called on Swift to finish her speech and “have her moment.”
In a video interview with reporters after the show, Swift reacted to Beyoncé’s kind gesture, saying, “She’s always been a great person first and foremost.” Before the talented artist, the superstar, she has always been a great person. “And I just thought I couldn’t love Beyoncé more… and then it happened tonight and it was just amazing.”
Then in 2014, Beyoncé and her husband, rap mogul Jay Z, attended Swift’s 25th birthday party, and the couple danced the night away at their home in New York City.
A few days after the birthday celebrations, the two women attended Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience Tour at the Barclays Center.
A year later, Swift gushed about Beyoncé in a UK radio interview with Kiss FM when she declared, “I love her more than usual… I try really hard not to like (my fandom) to get creepy.
“I really like to channel it into joyful admiration and appreciation.”
After many years of exchanging friendly hugs and catching up at award ceremonies, Swift took the time to wish Beyoncé a happy 40th birthday in September 2021.
Beyoncé proudly supported Swift at the premiere of her Eras Tour concert film in Los Angeles in October 2023.
Months later, Swift returned the favor while flying to London for the premiere of the film Renaissance.
The Red singer joined a host of other celebrities in recognizing the birthday girl for reaching the huge milestone.
In a video, she said: “The fact that you paved the path that all the female artists are walking down now.”
“The fact that you did it with such kindness and such grace.” He then added: “To say I admire you… there just isn’t a word to describe it.”
That same year, Swift’s Folklore won the Grammy for album of the year, and Beyoncé had nothing but praise for the star.
Swift revealed that she had been sent a beautiful congratulatory bouquet of flowers with a note that read, “Taylor, congratulations on your GRAMMY.” It was great seeing you on Sunday night.
‘Thank you for always being so supportive. Sending love to you and your family. B.’
The couple showed their friendship again in 2023 when they released feature films about their tours, The Eras World Tour and Renaissance World Tour.
First, Beyoncé attended the Eras Tour premiere and Swift took to Instagram shortly after the big event to pay tribute to her idol.
In a boomerang, Swift and Beyoncé sat together in the theater and shared a bowl of popcorn that Beyoncé playfully tossed into the air.
In the caption, Swift gushed, “I’m so glad I never knew what my life would have been like without @beyonce’s influence.”
‘The way she taught me and all the artists here to break the rules and challenge industry norms.
‘His generosity of spirit. Its resilience and versatility. “She has been a guide throughout my career and the fact that she showed up tonight was like a true fairy tale.”
Months later, Swift returned the favor while flying to London for the premiere of the film Renaissance.
The singers were seen smiling as they posed arm in arm in front of the film’s poster.
Swift shared the photo on Instagram and Twitter with the cute caption: ‘The Queen invited me to London!’