I probably shouldn’t have to tell you about Beyoncé because, well, she’s Beyoncé. One of the biggest popstars of this generation, she has become a legend in the music industry.
Beyoncé, while already well-established, solidified herself among other music legends after her very successful Cowboy Carter Tour. Beyoncé’s show became the highest-grossing country music tour of all time, and the shortest tour ever to surpass the $400 million mark. This has sparked some interesting debate around how good she really is– even getting to the point of listeners comparing her to Michael Jackson. While Jackson fans say this shouldn’t even be a debate, to be honest, I do believe this argument has merit, as their careers have been similar. I think that it really is Beyoncé and Jackson ahead of the rest of the pack.
Born on September 4th, 1981, Texas native Beyoncé Giselle Knowles has been singing her whole life. At the age of just 9 years old, Beyonce, along with her childhood friends Kelly Rowland, Latavia Robinson, LeToya Tuckett, and later, Michelle Williams, created one of the most famous musical groups ever, Destiny’s Child. Deciding to go solo in 2003, Beyonce has spent the last two decades releasing nine albums. Each project shows her evolution, blending sounds from R&B, Pop, Hip Hop, Dance, Electronic, Country, Afrobeat and more. It was around this time that various music legends, like Prince and Whitney Houston, started to recognize her.
Even fellow artist Rhianna was quoted at the 2005 Jingle Ball saying:
“…the first thing I saw was her beauty and how beautiful she was and I listened to her music and I loved her music. She’s incredibly talented. I think she’s what every female artist should strive to be like. Despite all her success, she still remains humble.”
As conversations arise about who the greatest artist of our time is, Michael Jackson is often placed at the top as the undisputed “King of Pop.” His contributions to music, dance, and popular culture are undeniable, a legacy that still lives on. Yet, since the end of Jackson’s reign, Beyoncé has emerged as an artist whose achievements, artistry, and cultural impact position her not only on par with Jackson– but in many ways, beyond him. Yes I said it, crazy take huh, but you’ve gotta hear me out. Beyoncé is more than a global superstar, she is a cultural force, a visionary innovator, and the modern blueprint for what it means to be an icon.
Let’s talk about breaking boundaries. One of Beyoncé’s most remarkable qualities is her ability to transform her art into a platform for representation and empowerment. While Michael Jackson broke racial barriers in the 1980s by achieving unprecedented success on platforms like MTV, a network that had never showcased black art before, Beyoncé also has broken boundaries as well.
The entertainment industry for women, especially black women, is like a ticking clock. You can be limited and restricted due to issues like racism, sexism etc. I will say Beyoncé has benefited from colorism as a lighter skinned black woman– as talented as she is, the industry’s favoritism to lighter skinned people compared to those with darker complexion, as seen with Jackson’s struggles with vitiligo, has boosted her. That being said, Beyoncé has used this benefit to uplift black culture and art, regardless of skin tone.
Whether it was becoming the first woman to headline a stadium world tour, or stirring up national controversy with her 2016 Lemonade album, Beyonce has always used her music to push the status quo. Her art has also always been true to her values, like when honored the tradition of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with her 2018 Coachella performance. Another example is her Renaissance album which shined light on the LGTBQ+ community. More than musical achievements, these are cultural milestones that inspire pride and recognition for marginalized communities.
Her most recent Cowboy Carter tour, which sparked the Jackson debates, explored themes of Black history and identity, reclaiming country music. Throughout the tour, Beyoncé projected the message, “Never ask permission for something that already belongs to you” on a large screen, serving as the central mantra.
Artistically, Beyoncé has continually reinvented herself while maintaining extraordinary commercial success. Just as Jackson revolutionized music videos with Thriller, Beyoncé has redefined the concept of the visual album, creating immersive, cinematic projects that merge music, film, and storytelling. In late 2013, Beyonce released her self titled visual album, in a surprise drop on a Friday, completely shifting the norm.
Typically, musicians would release their work on Tuesdays, to have five full days of chart tracking. Beyoncé changed all that, dropping her album on a Friday, and proving that it could be successful in just three days with the 617,000 units she sold.
When it comes to live performances, this is a personal preference. I will say Michael Jackson, while he did not invent the moonwalk, largely popularized the dance move in 1982. I would give the dancing edge to Jackson, but when it comes to vocal ability, Beyoncé takes the cake, while Jackson is a great singer, Beyoncé’s 3.5-4 octave range puts her over the top. When it comes to singing she is a vocal powerhouse, and a technical marvel, but it’s her vocal flexibility and inflections that makes Beyoncé the talent she is. Each one of her tours like “The Beyoncé Experience”, “The Renaissance” tour, and the “Cowboy Carter” tour, exemplify her exceptional vocal talent. While Jackson is a great singer, Beyoncé’s 3.5-4 octave range puts her over the top.
With all that said, the biggest reason why Beyoncé really has thrusted herself in this conversation for many people is because of her longevity. As amazing Jackson was, and his run in the 80s was and is unprecedented, he became a legacy act for people after that. Jackson was still successful in his early work with the Jackson 5 and later in the 1990s for a period of time. However it never reached the height he had in the 80s artistically and commercially, Beyoncé on the other hand is still going. In her 40s, like Lebron James as an example, she is still at the top of her game and has gotten better and better with each album cycle, constantly pushing the artistic lens as much as possible, and giving out amazing stadium tours. For proof of this, Beyoncé won album of the year award at the 2025 Grammys for “Cowboy Carter”, the first time a black woman won said award since Lauryn Hill in 1999, and she won for the first time ever in her career.
Speaking of Lebron, two of my friends were having a Lebron and Michael Jordan debate, and my Lebron loving friend brought up an interesting point. “If Lebron came in the league before Jordan, he would be thought of as the goat.” This applies to this debate. It was obviously extremely hard for a black artist to really shine and even get to half of the spotlight Jackson got in the 80s, However I do think that it was easier to be a mega superstar back then than it is now. Mainstream media was controlled by a few powerful platforms like the previously mentioned MTV. With that being said artists were guaranteed huge amounts of exposure because of sparse entertainment options. Streaming also was not a thing, so people went out there to buy physical albums, which heavily pushed artists’ album sales. Today, streaming pays far less per listen, and album “sales” are harder to achieve at that scale, so even hugely popular artists don’t always have the same level of cultural dominance. With the lack of social media, this added a mystique to artists, a “bigger than life” type of way to people back then. Also add on to the fact that there was way fewer competition back, less people to have to share the spotlight to. I fully 100% agree that Beyoncé would be seen as even bigger than she is now. Her talent, spectacle, and how she pretty much only lets the music do the talking, it would have thrived in that era to be that type of figure.
Beyoncé is someone who deserves to be recognized on the same level as Michael Jackson because she embodies the very qualities that define a true musical icon: unmatched talent, groundbreaking artistry, cultural influence, and lasting legacy. Like Jackson, she has redefined what it means to be a performer, setting new standards for live shows, music videos, and full-length albums as cultural events. She has broken barriers for women and for Black artists while commanding a global stage for over two decades, a longevity few artists achieve. While Michael Jackson shaped the 1980s, Beyoncé has shaped the 2000s and beyond with just as much force, proving that she is not only his equal but, in many ways, his modern counterpart. To place her on par with him is not to diminish Jackson, but to acknowledge that Beyoncé has earned her place in the same pantheon of untouchable, generation-defining legends.
Sources:
BBC Radio 1 – Nick Grimshaw – 11 celebs who have openly fangirled over Beyoncé
Iweka • Sep 17, 2025 at 1:10 pm
This was amazing!