Music artist, business woman, actress and mother Beyoncé is the cover star of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2014 issue.

The star's profile has been written by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and begins: "Beyoncé doesn’t just sit at the table. She builds a better one. Today she sits at the head of the boardroom table at Parkwood Entertainment (Beyoncé 's production company)."

"In December, she took the world by surprise when she released a new album, complete with videos, and announced it on Facebook and Instagram. Beyoncé shattered music-industry rules — and sales records," wrote Sandberg. The singer sold 828,773 copies of her eponymous album in just three days, breaking an iTunes record.

In a short video of the magazine cover shoot (watch below), Beyoncé says, "I feel like my mother and my daughter have been probably the most influential [to me]. And being a mother, becoming a mother, looking at my daughter and her eyes, made me into a woman and made me very very strong.

"Shooting for Time magazine... Is something important for me as an artist because it's not about fashion or beauty or music. It's about the influence I've had on culture. And to be amongst the other influential people is a huge honour for me."

The annual list from Time, which largely includes figures from music, film and the political world, features a record number of 41 women this year, including Hillary Clinton, Miley Cyrus and Amy Adams.

In addition to Beyoncé, each of the 99 other honorees are profiled in a piece written by figures as notable as themselves.

Some of the most high profile pairings include Pharrell Williams who was interviewed by Justin Timberlake, Hillary Clinton who was interviewed by Malala Yousafzai (who last year became one of the youngest females ever to appear on Time's 'influential' list), Miley Cyrus interviewed by Dolly Parton and Marina Abramovic interviewed by James Franco.

In other Beyoncé news, it's recently been rumoured that the star and husband Jay-Z have purchased a £5.5million townhouse in Mayfair and are looking to move to London, allegedly ahead of a string of concerts in the UK later this year.

Watch the full clip of Beyonce's Time magazine cover shoot below:

(Images: Time magazine, Rex Features)