Taylor Swift Named Time's Person of the Year 2023
Esteemed American magazine Time has announced singer Taylor Swift as the "Person of the Year 2023," recognizing her record-breaking achievements with The Eras Tour. The publication referred to her as the "leading protagonist of the world" this year.
Time highlights Swift's incredible success in both cultural and commercial realms, comparing her impact as a performer to Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, and as a songwriter to Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and Joni Mitchell. Swift has also built an empire valued at over a billion dollars.
"To tell her story, she uses the most effective means today—the genre of popular song. However, over time, she has harnessed the power of media, both traditional and new, to create something entirely unique—a narrative world where her music is just part of an interactive, shape-shifting story. Swift is the architect and heroine of this story, both protagonist and narrator," describes the magazine, highlighting Taylor Swift's uniqueness.
This year, the artist became a billionaire thanks to the successful tour, The Eras Tour, achieving such success in the music industry. Her concert film broke sales records even before its release. Streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify recognized Taylor Swift as the artist of the year, with Spotify paying her royalties of $100 million this year.
"Analysts have talked about the 'Taylor effect,' where politicians from Thailand, Hungary, and Chile pleaded for her to perform in their countries. Cities, stadiums, and streets were renamed in her honor. Every time she arrived in a new place, a mini-economic boom occurred: hotels and restaurants filled with visitors," Time journalists report about the Taylor Swift phenomenon.
Taylor Swift is known for her love of cats—she has three (Olivia, Meredith, and Benjamin). They regularly appear on social media, in music videos, and in the singer's commercial spots. On one of Time's covers, Swift poses with Benjamin.
It is worth noting that nine nominees made it to this year's Time shortlist. In addition to Taylor Swift, the list includes King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Barbie doll, Hollywood strike participants, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Russian President Vladimir Putin, prosecutors of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The inclusion of Putin in the list of contenders is justified by the fact that in various years, dictators such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin have also received this title. Among the nominees were groups of people — American scientists and participants in the #MeToo movement, as well as an inanimate object — a computer.
Last year, the "Person of the Year" was "the spirit of Ukraine" and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as its embodiment.