US magazine Time selected Grammy-winning musician Taylor Swift as their Person of the Year, defeating contestants such as King Charles III of the United Kingdom and the first-ever live-action Barbie film.
Swift is going through something strange that hasn’t happened before in the modern era. She uses the pop song, which is currently the most effective medium, to communicate her narrative, the magazine noted.
The article went on to say, “Swift’s accomplishments as an artist – culturally, critically, and commercially – are so legion that to recount them seems almost beside the point,” drawing comparisons between Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and others.
Swift became the first woman to appear twice on a Person of the Year cover when the magazine awarded her on Wednesday for her “preternatural skill for finding the story.” TIME selects a Person of the Year based on the editors’ evaluation of the person who most influenced the headlines over the previous 12 months, for better or worse.
Person of the Year is an annual event that originates from the Great Man Theory of history, which holds that people possess the ability to change society. Over time, there have been several trends that the choices have tended to follow. Traditionally, the selected individual has ruled over established spheres of influence. He—yes, it has typically been a “he”—is frequently a giant of business or a politician. Three Popes, five Russian or Soviet Union leaders, and fourteen US presidents have all received recognition.
Nevertheless, none of these positions—or anything even somewhat comparable—have been held by the individual whose unique influence was made clear during 2023. There is light and gloom in every year, and 2023 had a disproportionate amount of the latter. In a divided world where too many institutions are collapsing, Taylor Swift managed to be a lighthouse that could cross boundaries. Nobody else in the world today is as good at moving as many people as he is. We frequently attribute this achievement to the planets’ and destinies’ alignments, but putting too much stock in the stars diminishes her strength and ability.
Swift is one of the few people who can craft her own story and still come out on top. She has known for some time that her route is unexplored. Swift said, “I can’t find anyone who’s had the same career trajectory as mine,” when she debuted on the TIME cover in 2014 to promote her fifth album, 1989. Thus, while I’m feeling upbeat, I wish that my life’s path won’t coincide with anyone else’s.
Swift, 33, achieved a type of nuclear fusion this year, firing art and commerce together to release an energy of historic force, despite her popularity growing over the years. She achieved this by focusing on her strengths, entertaining others, and creating songs that speak to a broad audience. In a year that brought us back to the forefront of concerns about the ownership and creation of our cultural expressions, she is now the first Person of the Year to receive recognition for her achievements in the arts. Since Swift is only the fourth Person of the Year to be born in the last 50 years, she also represents a generational shift.
Swift has more No. 1 albums to her credit than any other female artist in history in the 17 years since her debut. She had three only this year. In 2023, she was everywhere, packing stadiums and smashing records, so we had to come up with new ways to gauge her reach. Seismograms were utilized to demonstrate the actual damage her fans had inflicted. Swift’s financial contributions were measured against the gross domestic products of the countries she supposedly made her way to as a billionaire. It was announced that Swift would be studied in university courses covering law, business, and literature. Street signs bearing Swift’s name were changed, and she was showered with keys to cities.