Taylor Swift fans fume over ‘disgusting’ post in Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star countdown

Billboard’s ranking of the century’s greatest pop stars is causing yet more controversy, this time over what fans are calling a “colossal f**k-up.”

Taylor Swift fans have been left fuming after respected US music outlet Billboard used an infamous image of the star’s likeness to announce her as the “second greatest” pop star of the 21st century.

Billboard had been counting down the 25 “greatest” pop stars of the century in a ranking first launched in August when Katy Perry was announced as coming in at number 25.

The ranking, chosen by Billboard staff, takes in a number of factors beyond pure record sales, including each artist’s cultural impact and legacy across the first 25 years of the century so far.

This week, the top two artists were revealed – with Swift making it to number two, while Beyonce took out top spot.

That was enough to rankle some Swifties, who thought their world-dominating idol deserved top spot, but a video Billboard created to announce Swift’s placing truly made them see red.

Among a selection of highlights from Swift’s 20-year career to date, Billboard included a shot from Kanye West’s controversial 2016 music video for the song Famous.

Billboard's video announcing Swift's spot in the countdown.

The pair’s beef dates back to the 2009 MTV Awards. Picture: AP

That track, which included the lyrical claim that he and Swift “might still have sex” because he “made that b***h famous,” came with a video that featured naked wax works of a number of celebrities, Swift included.

The song and video added fuel to an already burning feud between Swift and West, one which exploded again in 2020 when a 25-minute phone conversation between the pair surfaced online.

Swift’s ongoing beef with West – and his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian – was sparked in part by this unauthorised use of her naked likeness in his music video.

Needless to say, fans weren’t happy to see it being used as evidence that she is the world’s “second greatest” pop star.

“@billboard was mentioning the kanye feud and the famous video and lyrics really important in announcement video for taylor in greatest artists list?? how’s that relevant to her legacy and accomplishments??” asked one fan.

Others called it “disgusting” and a “colossal f**k up”, while another fan tweeted at the outlet: “there’s no justification for digging up that footage and including it in an homage to taylor that was supposed to celebrate her artistry.”

Billboard awarded Beyonce the greatest pop star of the 21st century. Picture: AFP

Another likened the image to “revenge porn” and also called out Billboard for mentioning Chris Brown’s violence against her in their write-up for Rihanna, placed third on the list.

West himself also has a spot inside the top 10, ranking as Billboard’s seventh greatest pop star of the 21st century.

The ranking, drip fed over several months, has caused much controversy among fans – and even a celeb, with Justin Beiber’s wife Hailey publicly slamming his #8 position when it was announced last week.

“Billboard is a f**king joke as per usual!” she wrote under a post announcing his ranking in the lower reaches of the top 10.

Perhaps Bieber should be thankful he made the list: Aguably the biggest pop star for Australian audiences this century, Pink, had to settle for a spot in the longer list of 25 singers who didn’t quite make the cut. Billboard’s reasoning? “She’s never strung enough huge hit songs and albums together in any one era to truly dominate the pop landscape” (tell that to the 900,000-odd people who made her biggest album, 2008’s Funhouse, a 13 x platinum hit in Oz).

Christina Aguilera, Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar and Jennifer Lopez are among other stars who had to settle for an “honourable mention” and a placing outside the coveted top 25.