Time Magazine named Taylor Swift as the “Person of the Year” for 2023, crediting her for “transcending borders.”
“The esteemed title is given to a person, group, concept or object that has influenced the events of the year, Sam Jacobs, the magazine’s editor-in-chief said. “In a divided world, where too many institutions are failing, Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light. No one else on the planet today can move so many people so well,” Time wrote in its profile.
Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) is TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year https://t.co/oyjR55azCZ pic.twitter.com/m2qbIbd5TX
— TIME (@TIME) December 6, 2023
The highly esteemed title is traditionally issued to a male, and is the first person to receive this honor for success in the arts, proving the true power behind Swift’s name.
“While her popularity has grown across the decades, this is the year that Swift, 33, achieved a kind of nuclear fusion: shooting art and commerce together to release an energy of historic force,” Time wrote.
“Achieving this feat is something we often chalk up to the alignments of planets and fates, but giving too much credit to the stars ignores her skill and her power,” they said.
The magazine listed a variety of Swift’s successes and accolades, including her sheer tenacity when it came to re-recording her catalogue to maintain exclusive rights to her art. Swift’s wildly successful Eras Tour, and her ability to continuously sell out Super-Bowl sized arenas was also noted in Time’s profile of the star.
TIME editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs explains why Taylor Swift is the 2023 Person of the Year https://t.co/rNebt68fXF
— TIME (@TIME) December 6, 2023
“She did it by embracing what she does better than anyone, entertaining and writing songs that connect with people,” Jacobs wrote.
“Swift is also a symbol of generational change: she is only the fourth solo Person of the Year born in the past half century,” he said, as he credited the famous singer for having the “Midas touch.”
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The magazine also interviewed the famous artist, and gave her the opportunity to express her thoughts on being named with a title of honor. (RELATED: Taylor Swift Dominates At The iHeart Radio Awards)
“This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been,” Swift said.
Previous winners of Times’ Person Of The Year title include U.S. presidents, world leaders, popes and other high-powered figures.