Every year, the world patiently awaits Time Magazine’s announcement of their Person of the Year.
And for 2023, very few people were surprised when Time selected the one and only Taylor Swift for the great honor.
The Beloved Taylor Swift
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve likely heard of one of the most popular singers of all time, Taylor Swift.
The superstar has released ten studio albums, each more popular than the one before, won three Grammy awards and was the first and only woman solo artist to win Album of the Year at the Grammys for three of her solo albums. She is undoubtedly one of the most beloved musicians of all time.
Taylor Swift in 2023
While Swift has been a big name in the music world for more than ten years, 2023 was a hallmark year for the star.
She traveled the world performing 151 times throughout her Eras Tour, which was the highest-grossing tour ever by a woman and the second highest-earning tour of all time.
The Most-Streamed Musical Artist of the Year
In addition to wowing the world with her incredible and elaborate performances on stage, millions upon millions of people also listened to Taylor Swift night and day while at home.
In fact, Swift was the most streamed artist of all time in 2023. And while some may be surprised, anyone who knows a “Swiftie” knows they listen to their favorite singer of all time pretty much constantly.
Swifties Know How to Support Their Idol
Taylor’s fans are known around the world as “Swifties,” and they are undoubtedly some of the most dedicated fans in the music industry.
As well as buying all her albums, watching her documentaries, and paying thousands of dollars to attend her concerts, Swifties also spend their hard-earned cash on Taylor paraphernalia, which is why it’s available at almost every retailer.
People Can Now Study Taylor Swift at Harvard
And Swifties aren’t just preteen girls; students at the wildly prestigious Harvard University can now study Taylor Swift’s unbelievable talent and success in a class called “Taylor Swift and Her World.”
Also, The New York Times assigned one of their best reporters, Bryan West, to work exclusively on articles that cover everything and anything Taylor Swift because so many of their readers can’t get enough of the star.
Taylor May Have Changed the Game of Football
Even though most real football fans will deny this wholeheartedly, some argue that Taylor Swift even increased the country’s love of football, at least for American women.
In 2023, Taylor announced her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ star Travis Kelce by attending one of his games. Since that day, women around the country have been watching his games just to get a glimpse of their favorite singer in the box.
Taylor as Time’s Person of the Year
Although Swift has fans in every corner of the world, there was no voting to make the superstar the Person of the Year; that was all Time.
But as Time wrote in their article, “Swift’s accomplishments as an artist — culturally, critically, and commercially — are so legion that to recount them seems almost beside the point.”
Time’s Person of the Year Is the Most Influential
It’s important to understand that Time’s Person of the Year is always “the individual, group, or concept that has had the most influence on the world throughout the previous 12 months.”
And while this year, that person is Taylor Swift, they have previously chosen some seriously unique and even debatable choices for the award.
Previous Recipients of Time’s Person of the Year
Over the years, Time has made some interesting choices for its Person of the Year, including the “Endangered Earth,” Aldolf Hitler, Stalin (twice), and even “You” in 2006.
The bottom line is that Time always attempts to select a person, group of people, or even an idea that represents the population of the entire planet that year.
This Year, There Was No Other Choice
Sam Jacobs, the editor-in-chief at Time, told NBC, “Picking one person who represents the eight billion people on the planet is no easy task. We picked a choice that represents joy. Someone who’s bringing light to the world.”
And while other years, the Person of the Year has not embodied that profile, Jacobs explained, “[Taylor Swift] was like weather, she was everywhere.”
Love Her or Hate Her, Taylor Swift Is Big News
The truth is that while the superstar has millions of devoted fans, she also has quite a few haters who don’t understand all the hype.
But the truth is that there is no denying Taylor Swift has been big news in 2023, and whether or not you like her music, she is influential, newsworthy, and now, Time’s Person of the Year.
