The singer has been named the second greatest pop star of the 21st century by Billboard magazine, which has been gradually unveiling its ranking in a series of articles. Billboard describes the list as consisting of "the artists who have most defined pop stardom for the last 25 years."
In a write-up explaining the choice, Billboard's Hannah Dailey said that Swift, "through honoring all the traits that made her different," was "able to forcefully, gravitationally bend culture to her will and become one of the world's biggest undisputed pop stars, despite her eight-year late start in country music."
But Dailey predicted backlash over Swift not being given the #1 slot.
"The fact that controversy will likely tear through the internet over her being just one small space below No. 1 is just another testament to her power, but regardless, her placement shouldn't leave Swifties upset for too long -- especially considering how much later in the millennium she got her start, both in the genre and music in general."
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The honor comes near the end of another massive year for Swift, who in February made history by becoming the first person to win the Grammy for album of the year four times. She was named Time magazine's person of the year for 2023, and as of October, Forbes estimated that she is the richest female musician with a $1.6 billion net worth.
Swift is also wrapping up her hugely successful Eras Tour, the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Her latest album "The Tortured Poets Department" dropped in April and became the first album to receive more than 300 million streams on Spotify in a single day.
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Billboard's choice for #1 greatest pop star of the 21st century hasn't been revealed, but fans widely believe it will be Beyoncé, who has yet to appear on the list.
As Billboard predicted, some Swifties took issue with the ranking on social media.
"What a joke, she's the biggest," one reply on X said.
Others, who presumed Beyoncé would be #1, were fine with the placement.
"Taylor has been bigger in recent years but Beyoncé has been huge since the very beginning of this century," one person, who said they are a fan of both singers, wrote on Reddit.
Here's the full list of Billboard's picks so far for the greatest pop stars of the 21st century:
Contributing: Jay Stahl