For this yr’s replace of our ongoing Biggest Pop Star by 12 months mission, Billboard is counting down our workers picks for the highest 10 pop stars of 2023 all this week. At No. 3, we bear in mind the yr in Beyoncé — who, 25 years into her superstardom, proved as soon as once more that each time she places her imprint on a yr, she must be talked about among the many handful of biggest energetic pop stars.
With the groundbreaking 2022 she had, Beyoncé may have taken a yr off, basking within the success of her Billboard 200 chart-topping album, Renaissance. Nonetheless, a Queen by no means rests, and Bey continued her reign by way of 2023.
She kicked off the yr with the expansion of “Cuff It,” her second hit from Renaissance following “Break My Soul.” The track finally hit the highest 10 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 (peaking at No. 6 in February), boosted by a TikTok-viral dance, and acquired a “Wetter” remix (primarily based on a viral mashup of the unique “Cuff It” with Twista’s 2009 hit “Wetter”) with new vocals, which was additionally very well-received by followers.
Billboard’s Biggest Pop Stars of 2023:
Introduction & Honorable Mentions | Rookie of the 12 months: Peso Pluma | Comeback of the 12 months: Miley Cyrus | No. 10: Drake | No. 9: Doja Cat | No. 8: Dangerous Bunny | No. 7: Olivia Rodrigo | No. 6: Karol G | No. 5: Morgan Wallen | No. 4: Beyoncé
Inside two months of 2023, Beyoncé made historical past. On the sixty fifth annual Grammy Awards in February, whereas she controversially misplaced the highest album of the yr award to Harry Types’ Harry’s Home – which means she’s nonetheless but to take house the highest prize at Music’s Greatest Night time – she nonetheless finally took house 4 awards, two within the dance classes and two within the R&B classes. The victories introduced her to 32 whole for her profession, and previous conductor Georg Solti for the all-time report of most Grammy wins.
“I’d wish to thank the queer neighborhood in your love and for inventing [the dance/electronic] style. God bless you,” she stated partially throughout her historic acceptance speech – a robust public show of allyship on a serious award present, proving as soon as extra that Queen Bey’s kingdom contains everybody.
Simply when followers thought Bey couldn’t “get no increased than this,” she raised the bar once more. After releasing a celebratory, high-octane remix of “America Has a Drawback” that includes Kendrick Lamar – which helped return the track to the Sizzling 100 at a brand new peak inside the highest 40 – Beyoncé kicked off her long-awaited Renaissance World Tour stadium present in Stockholm, Sweden, in Could, full with dazzling costumes, a hit-filled setlist and jaw-dropping choreography. Whereas many have been unable to snag the prized tickets to the present, each element of the tour flooded social media, permitting for followers at house worldwide to benefit from the glitz and glamor of the Renaissance exhibits.
The tour was a present that stored on giving all through 2023, with numerous celebrities in attendance each night time, together with pop stars like Selena Gomez and Dua Lipa, rock legends like Paul McCartney and even Bey’s former Future’s Baby groupmates Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett. The “mute problem” turned a outstanding a part of the set throughout “Power”: When Bey sang, “Go searching, all people on mute,” the gang would truly fall silent, a hilarious but superbly uniting second of stillness – resulting in even-funnier moments of followers failing the problem and scolding one another for it.
Following within the footsteps of her mom, Blue Ivy Carter additionally had her time to shine all through the 56-show run, changing into a fan-favorite a part of the set, as she danced onstage throughout “My Energy” and “Black Parade” night time after night time. The tour wrapped up simply as impressively because it started, claiming the title of 2023’s top-grossing tour amongst those that reported numbers to Billboard Field Rating, with $579.8 million and a pair of.8 million tickets bought.
A Queen additionally is aware of when to present her fellow Queens their roses, with Beyoncé setting the instance for girls in every single place along with her fixed help for Taylor Swift, who was additionally making waves all year long along with her personal Eras Tour. With the 2 pop superstars attending one another’s live performance movie premieres and posing fortunately with one another, earlier than sharing public phrases of adoration, the world watched in actual time because the powerhouses labored collectively to shift the tradition of ladies being pitted in opposition to one another to girls lifting one another up – maybe Bey’s most essential accomplishment in 2023.
Talking of live performance documentaries, Renaissance: A Movie by Beyoncé — which the famous person wrote, directed and produced —arrived in December to shut out Bey’s history-making yr robust. On its opening weekend, the movie opened in first place with a whopping $21 million in North American ticket gross sales, sitting at a formidable 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a coveted A+ CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences who have been polled. Regardless of having a full album of hits freshly on her arms, Bey nonetheless snuck in a brand new track in 2023, the shock “My Home,” which arrived on the identical day because the movie.
Total 2023 felt like a yr of solidification for Beyoncé after greater than twenty years within the highlight, re-confirming her standing as considered one of music’s most essential modern icons for a few years to return. If we’ve realized something from this yr, Beyoncé goes to proceed to point out her energy in 2024 – however she’s but to disclose if meaning her unveiling the following a part of her Renaissance collection, or dabble in a brand new style, like along with her long-rumored nation album. No matter she decides on subsequent, the BeyHive has their Queen’s again.