Music · Queen of pop, this century · Take No. 038
Taylor or Beyoncé?
The biggest tour in history against the most Grammys in history. One writes the songs a generation grew up on; the other sets the standard every performer is held to. Pick the queen.
The case for each side, then the verdict. Then the floor is yours.
The verdict
It's Beyoncé. Taylor is the bigger phenomenon; Beyoncé is the better artist.
Taylor's scale right now is unlike anything in music: the biggest tour ever, four Album of the Year wins, a catalogue millions can sing start to finish. As a cultural force in the 2020s, nobody is close.
But asked who's the better all-round artist, Beyoncé's range, her voice, her shows and the sheer standard of her work across thirty years take it. Taylor is the biggest star of the decade; Beyoncé is the standard. Beyoncé.
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