Taylor Swift Tops ‘Billboard’ Artist 100: Move Over Rihanna And Selena Gomez

Taylor Swift once again proves to be the current Queen of Pop for the 31st straight week. Billboard elaborates on her achievement.

“With Swift atop the 52nd Artist 100, dating to the chart’s launch (July 19, 2014), she extends her mark for the most weeks tallied at No. 1. And her lead is immense: Sam Smith is next with three total weeks at No. 1, followed by Drake, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5 and Meghan Trainor (two each).”

Taylor Swift is currently hitting the heights that no other female artist in history, except for Madonna, has achieved. Her album 1989 has sold almost 5 million copies in the United States, which is probably the equivalent of 15 million 10 years ago since albums rarely sell a lot of copies anymore. Swift has also recently scored three No. 1 hit singles: “Shake it Off” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood.”

However, the biggest indicator of Taylor Swift’s star power is on stage. She is playing huge football stadiums every night. Swift’s 1989 tour just played to 65,000 people at London’s Hyde Park. Glamour gave the show an excellent review.

“Playing to 65,000 people, Taylor Swift’s 1989 sell-out tour was everything we wanted in a concert. A set list of hit-after-hit, throwbacks to her early stuff when she was Nashville’s queen of country and a stage that transformed every three songs from skylines to burning fires of hell, a sparkling arena to a neon stage that jutted out over the crowd.”

The review goes on to note that Taylor Swift’s show was about female empowerment. The Telegraph was also impressed with the 1989 World Tour.

“On stage, with her big, bold voice, bright white smile and constantly changing wardrobe of glittering skirts and tiny shorts, the singer exuded an all-American, cheerleader-esque perfection.”

The review goes on to compliment Swift for her personal speeches, which fans ate up like candy. Taylor Swift also brought famous friends Kendall Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and Cara Delevingne on stage with her. The critics unanimously believe that Swift is giving her audience their money’s worth.

Taylor Swift is so powerful right now that she was able to convince Apple CEO Tim Cook to pay artists during the Apple Music three-month trial period. In the letter, Swift let Cook know how upset she was that writers, producers and artists will not be paid for three months and that she was shocked that a progressive company would be so disconcerting to artists.

The music industry certainly has Swift to thank for as an advocate. She has her critics, but not only will Taylor Swift likely top the Artist 100 chart next week, she’ll continue laughing herself all the way to the bank.

[Photo Credit: Billboard]