Beyonce lands coveted cover of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People issue

Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Matthew Mcconaughey and Pharrell Williams have been named among Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.

The Crazy in Love superstar graces the main cover of the publication's annual Time 100 edition, while other portraits feature Robert Redford and Brooklyn Nets star Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly-gay professional basketball player.

Praising Beyonce for juggling her hugely successful career with motherhood and her other business ventures, Facebook.com chief operating officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg writes in the magazine, "She's the boss. Beyonce doesn't just sit at the table. She builds a better one...

"Her secret: hard work, honesty and authenticity. And her answer to the question, 'What would you do if you weren't afraid?' appears to be 'Watch me. I'm about to do it.' Then she adds, 'You can, too.'"

The singer is one of a record 41 women featured on the 2014 list, which also includes 21-year-old Cyrus, actresses Kerry Washington, Amy Adams and Robin Wright and country star Carrie Underwood.

Other celebrities to make the cut include Benedict Cumberbatch, Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen, Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, while Pope Francis, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have also been listed.