Once again, the Forbes annual list of most powerful celebrities has hit newsstands and cyberspace. This year's "Celebrity Top 100" includes two of Country Music's pop princesses in the top 20: Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus. Swift takes the No. 12 spot, while Cyrus is a note behind at No. 13.
The upward momentum of the pair is quite an improvement from the 2009 list, in which Swift came in at 69; Cyrus at 29. Forbes said of Swift, "She's one of the few artists who can still convince millions of fans to legally buy music—her Fearless album topped the 2009 sales charts, moving 3.2 million units, while fans downloaded another 12 million tracks from iTunes and Amazon." The magazine also cited Swift's endorsement deals with companies like Cover Girl and Sony.
Cyrus was listed as raking in $48 million in the past year. The magazine noted her role in The Last Song, income from Disney and the Hannah Montana series and her huge hit, "Party In The U.S.A," have led to her powerful position.
Other notable Country Music celebs on the list include: Kenny Chesney (54), Rascal Flatts (62), Toby Keith (67) and Keith Urban (76).
