Nobody was particularly surprised when it emerged last week that demand for tickets to see Beyoncé at this year’s V Festival is outstripping that for 2011 headliner Rihanna by a factor of two to one.
Despite fierce competition in recent years from the likes of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry andthe aforementioned Rihanna, it’s generally accepted that the Bootylicious singer is the reigning queen of modern music (and if you don’t believe us, try asking someone the first name that comes to mind when you say ‘biggest pop star in the world’).
But why? A quick look at the stats shows Rihanna’s had more UK number ones (seven to Bey’s five), Gaga’s got almost four times as many Twitter followers, while it’s Ms Perry, not Mrs Carter, who is tied with Michael Jackson for most US number one singles from the same album.
Not only that but, whisper it, she’s not had a bona fide global smash hit since 2008.
So what is it about Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter which makes her the preeminent pop star of modern times? Here’s 10 reasons for a kick-off.
1. She’s the complete performer
Without casting aspersions on any of her rivals, Beyoncé is a better singer and dancer than all of them. In this respect, she is to the current era what Michael Jackson and Prince were to the 1980s. No matter how many records they sell, everyone else is basically Madonna.
2. She’s a writer
With the notable exception of Elvis, no popular musician ever attained all-time great status without writing most of their own stuff. Although co-credits make it impossible to know the exact extent of her contribution (her name always appears alongside a raft of writers and producers), Beyoncé’s discography stands in stark contrast to that of Rihanna, who doesn’ t have a single writing credit to her name.
3. Crazy In Love is the best debut single ever
Being part of an all-conquering group is no guarantee of solo success. Just ask Gary Barlow. Or Victoria Beckham. Or give it a month and ask Shane from Boyzone. All doubts about Beyoncé’s prospects away from Destiny’s Child were dispelled, however, the moment the world heard thatChi-Lites-sampling opening horn riff. Can you think of a better debut single? Actually, scrap that, can you think of a better single full stop from the 10 years since it was released? Hmmm… maybe Crazy by Gnarls Barkley but you get the point.
4. She’s one half of the most powerful showbiz couple in history
Beyoncé would be the queen of modern pop even if she lived in a bedsit with only a gang of mangy cats for company. As things are, she’s one half of the most powerful couple in showbiz history, with International Business Times recently estimating Beyoncé and Jay Z’s combined wealth to be north of one billion dollars. It’s not all about money either. While just about everyone in the American music business voted for Barack Obama, how many of them have his mobile number? You can bet your life Beyoncé has.
5. She isn’t a publicity whore
While we’re on the subject of Mr and Mrs Carter, have you ever seen a photo from their 2008 wedding? Nope? That’s because you’ve more chance of seeing a snap of Osama Bin Laden’s dead body. Unlike pretty much all their A-list mates (Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin being the obvious exception), Beyoncé and Jay Z have never sought publicity for its own sake. In a world where it seems compulsory for celebs to po st every last detail of their lives online, the Carters have shown that a little old-school mystique goes a long way. Do you know how many times Beyoncé has tweeted since her account was activated in April 2012? Six times. Six! That’s a quiet day for Rihanna.
6. She’s sexy without being slutty
Any red-blooded male (and a fair few females) will agree that Beyoncé is one of the sexiest women in the world. And if they don’t, show them the video for Why Don’t You Love Me. Or Crazy In Love. Or Single Ladies. Or any of her videos. But for all the smoking hotness, Beyoncé has never come across as cheap or slutty like so many of her contemporaries. We won’t name names. You know who they are and so do they.
7. She’s a feminist icon
Beyoncé’s been singing about female empowerment since the early days of Destiny’s Child, and Single Ladies is as explicit a demand for respect from men since Aretha Franklin spelled it out back in the 1960s, bu t it wasn’t until earlier this year that she used the f-word about herself. Speaking to British Vogue, Beyoncé described herself as a "modern-day feminist", adding, “I do believe in equality and that we have a way to go and it's something that's pushed aside and something that we have been conditioned to acceptâ€. Putting her money where her mouth is, her touring band consists exclusively of female musicians.
8. She’s a class act
When Kanye West made a proper tool of himself by interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs, not only did Beyoncé look mortified (West had gallantly declared the video for Single Ladies more deserving than Taylor’s winning effort), she gave up her own acceptance speech later in the evening so Taylor could finish hers. Now that’s a class act.
9. She’s not a complete goody two-shoes though
While Beyoncé might be dignity personified, that’s not to say she’s some sort of pushover. Listen to Ring The Alarm from her 2006 album B’Day for a taste of what Jay Z might be up against if she ever catches him cheating. We’re scared just thinking about it.
10. She absolutely killed it at Glastonbury
Although hubby Jay-Z’s headline performance at Glastonbury in 2008 was more controversial, Beyoncé’s appearance in the same slot three years later was every bit as ground-breaking. The first solo female to enjoy top billing at Worthy Farm in two decades, and the first female ever playing RB, Beyoncé didn’t simply do herself justice, she absolutely killed it. Check out her smile when the lights go up at the start and she sees the crowd for the first time. She knows she’s in charge from that point on. The inevitable American mispronunciation of “Glaston-berry†aside, she doesn’t put a foot wrong for the next hour and a half.
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