You would be hard pressed to find someone with equal or greater star power than Bey in all of the entertainment industry, let alone just music.
Media frenzies and paps in helicopters following her over a hair cut, senate hearings about her vacation, legitimate college courses about her, everyone discussing constantly from the regular celeb gossips on to the political pundits and talking heads...the insane crazes she's able to cause over the most mundane and regular stuff...

she's able to keep people's attention like this by just existing.

It's incredibly interesting that she is virtually peerless as far as media and public interest yet she's possibly the least controversial of any major mainstream pop star. No wild partying and drugs, crazy stunts and personal drama, weird antics and breakdowns etc.