Falling just short of the Vice President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Italy, but rocketing ahead of the CEOs of CVS and General Motors, Taylor Swift came in fifth on Forbes Magazine’s annual ranking of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the world.
Beyonce and Rihanna were also present on the magazine’s listings, published on Dec. 5, which rank prominent women based on what it claims are “four main metrics”: money, media, impact, and “spheres of influence.”
Swift's Eras Tour broke records across the globe, as well as allowing the singer to top the U.S. theatrical box office.
For Swift, who ranked No. 5, the magazine cited the singer’s recent ascension to the ranks of billionaires, due to massive earnings from her 2023 Eras Tour and the value of her catalog. Noting that Swift is the first musician to make the rankings purely based on her songs and performances — though the magazine did note that she owns some $125 million in real estate — the magazine noted that demand for tickets to her Eras Tour was so intense that it sparked a Congressional hearing, a measure of influence if ever there was one.
In addition to her No. 1 album, Midnights, from late 2022, Swift also topped the U.S. box office with her self-released concert documentary, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which has since become the top-grossing concert documentary of all time. This is Swift’s highest ranking on the list.
Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour drew massive crowds throughout its run.
For Beyonce, who ranked at No. 36, the magazine cited the singer’s massive Renaissance World Tour and her chart topping album of the same name, her collaboration with couture house Balmain, her record-breaking 32nd Grammy win at this year’s most recent ceremony, and her recent purchase of a $200 million home in Malibu in May, which was the most expensive private residence ever sold in California.
Like Swift, Beyonce also self-released a documentary, Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, which topped the U.S. box office just last week. She was ranked 80 on the Forbes list last year.
Rihanna's Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty lines helped puch the singer's net worth well beyond $1 billion.
Rihanna, who has yet to release an album since 2016’s Anti, placed at No. 74 thanks largely to the success of her Fenty Beauty cosmetics and Fenty x Savage lingerie lines, which have helped push her net worth well over the one billion mark. The singer, of course, also performed at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, and her song contribution to the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was up for an Oscar last spring.
While Swift, Beyonce and Rihanna were the only musicians to make the Forbes list, other entertainment heavyweights like Oprah Winfrey (31), Paramount chairman Shari Redstone (37), Disney co-chairman Dana Walden (39) and Amazon’s Jennifer Salke (58) also found places on the magazine's ranking.
European Commission president Ursula von Der Leyen topped the Forbes list, with European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde, U.S. VP Kamala Harris, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rounding out the top four, The first fictional character to make the list, Barbie, just snuck in under the wire at 100.
