Taylor Swift Becomes First Entertainer to Be Named Time’s Person of the Year

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has been named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023, making her the first figure from the arts to carry the honor. The superstar is the fourth solo Person of the Year to be born in the last century.

The cover story for the edition of Time features an exclusive interview with Swift from Time’s Sam Lansky, her first in-depth conversation in nearly four years.

TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs writes, “The person chosen has typically been a ruler over traditional domains of power … very often a politician or a titan of industry … And yet the person whose singular influence was revealed throughout 2023 has held none of these roles—or anything remotely similar … Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light … Swift is the rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story.”

“Much of what Swift accomplished in 2023 exists beyond measurement. She mapped her journey and shared the results with the world: She committed to validating the dreams, feelings, and experiences of people, especially women, who felt overlooked and regularly underestimated … For building a world of her own that made a place for so many, for spinning her story into a global legend, for bringing joy to a society desperately in need of it, Taylor Swift is TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year,” Jacobs wrote.

Swift’s cover shoot for Time included a photo of her posing with her cat Benjamin Button.

In the cover story, the superstar discusses life on the Eras Tour, challenges throughout her career, skyrocketing success in 2023, and her buzzy romance with Travis Kelce.

TIME has awarded the “Person of The Year” distinction since 1927, starting with aviator Charles Lindbergh. The title highlights people or groups who have done the most to influence the year’s events.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and teen climate activist Greta Thunberg have received the title in recent years.

Others who were named finalists for Person of the Year in 2022 include the Hollywood strikers, China’s President Xi Jinping, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Trump prosecutors, Barbie, Vladimir Putin, King Charles III, and  Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell.

On Wednesday Time also named Sam Altman CEO of the year, Lionel Messi athlete of the year, and Alex Newell as breakthrough artist of the year.

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