The US business magazine “Forbes” has been identifying the most powerful women in the world every year since 2004 – including pop stars. In 2022, Taylor Swift was still in 79th place in the rankings, but now she is in 5th place – and Swift is now overtaking Rihanna and Beyoncé. At 33, the pop and country singer is also the youngest woman on this year’s list and also the highest-ranked musician overall on the list.
For an overview: In first place is the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. She is followed by the President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde. In the ranking comes Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris in third place and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in fourth place.
The “Taylor Swift Effect”
The reason for Swift’s high ranking is, among other things, her recently acquired status as a billionaire. Forbes estimates her current net worth at $1.1 billion, of which $500 million comes from royalties and tours, $500 million comes from her music catalog, and about $125 million comes from real estate. Also the new recordings of their albums (most recently “Taylor’s Version”) and the ticket sales of their “Eras“-trip had an influence on their fifth place. Forbes also noted that the 33-year-old pop star is the first female musician to “make the ranking based solely on her songs and performances.”
In general, one can speak of a “Taylor Swift effect” for the economy. For example, two nights of her tour in Denver contributed $140 million to Colorado’s gross domestic product. Fans spent an average of $1,300 per person on hotels, restaurants and shopping. The US Travel Association estimates that the US leg of the “Eras” tour injected a total of more than five billion US dollars into the US state economy.
This is how the ranking is made up
How do you find out which women are the most powerful in the world? According to Forbes, this can be determined by four main categories: “Money, Media, Influence and Spheres of Influence.” And further: “For the political decision-makers, we took the gross domestic product and the population into account; for the company bosses, revenue, ratings and the number of employees were decisive. Media mentions and social reach were analyzed for each. The result: 100 women who help shape the politics, the products and the political struggles that determine our world.” The ranking includes female politicians, entrepreneurs, activists and even artists.
Beyoncé and Rihanna also made the Forbes list
Beyoncé is at number 36 on the Forbes list, moving up 44 places from last year (number 80). The 42-year-old won a historic Grammy in February – making her the most awarded artist in Grammy history. Coupled with the success of her “Renaissance” tour, this earned her the spot in the ranking, according to Forbes.
Rihanna has made it to the 74th most powerful woman. Forbes highlights the 35-year-old singer’s lucrative ventures Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty, as well as her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show.