The annual Forbes list of the world's most powerful women includes political leaders, media moguls, CEOs of global companies and world-famous entertainers.

And at number nine on this list is Houston's biggest star, Beyoncé Knowles.

Forbes notes her $80 million earnings this year, as well as pop culture domination, earning her 118 million record sales, seven films, and 16 Grammy awards. Her business ventures span beyond music to include modeling contracts with L'Oréal and Coty and a partnership in House of Dereón, her fashion line with mother Tina.

With nearly eight million Facebook fans, 800,000-plus Twitter followers (despite the fact she hasn't sent out a single Tweet) and 29 million search results, Beyoncé essentially IS pop music — her tunes are reported to be on playlists of the likes of Michelle Obama (who has the top spot on the Forbes list) and the gold-medal-winning U.S. Women's Olympic hockey team.

The list has some peculiarities — First Lady Obama beats out women with more traditionally powerful roles in American politics, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (#5) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (#11), and tops other female heads of state, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel (#4).

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (#19) beats out benchmates Elena Kagan (#25) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (#31); Heidi Klum (#39) controls the catwalk over Gisele Bundchen (#72); and CBS news anchor Katie Couric (#22) towers over her ABC counterpart Diane Sawyer (#46) despite Sawyer's lead in the ratings.

Beyoncé is also the fourth-youngest female on the list, behind Lady Gaga (#7), Danica Patrick (#93) and Serena Williams (#55).

This list is notable for its diversity, especially among the business elite. The prevalence abroad for successful female leads, particularly in the financial sector, hints at one area in which America could use some global influence.