Taylor Swift makes Forbes’ Most Powerful Women list

Taylor Swift has made Forbes’ annual 100 Most Powerful Women list, making her the youngest entry at age 25.

Ranking at #64, the pop superstar can attribute her new power status to success of her most recent album 1989, which sold over 3 million units in the first week.

Forbes states that Swift’s power, wealth and the blockbuster success of her album stems from the business decision to pull her music from Spotify.

“The new state of affairs is partly due to the rise of streaming, a distribution system of which Swift has become one of the most outspoken critics, pulling her music from Spotify in November,” Forbes says.

Forbes suggest that Swift’s decision to remove her music from Spotify paid off, with 1989 subsequently having the biggest first-week sales in 12 years and becoming the top-selling album of 2014. In Australia, 1989 was the fastest selling album of the year, moving 43,428 copies in under four days.

Swift was one of the only three artists with a Platinum album in 2014. As a result, she was named the most successful artist of 2014 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

Forbes reports that alongside trade marking her lyrics, Swift has also partnered with the NY Tourism board and announced that proceeds from her song, Welcome to New York, will be donated to public schools in NYC.

Joining Swift on the 100 Most Powerful Women list was Shakira at #81, and Beyonce at #21. Taylor Swift, Shakira and Beyonce were the only three musicians to feature on the list this year.

Ranking in at #1 was German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has topped the list 9 times previously. US politician Hillary Clinton followed closely at #2.