Swift beat out competition that included Hollywood strikers, Barbie and Britain’s King Charles III.
Taylor Swift has regularly made headlines in 2023, fueled in part by her personal relationships, the Eras Tour and a concert film that broke sales records and had the best debut of any concert film (it grossed between $126 million and $130 million, ahead of the film- a Michael Jackson concert in 2009 with $74.25 million).
This year, the singer held 66 concerts across America, and during one in Seattle, fans caused seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake.
Swift, as Christopher Nolan put it, “rubbed the noses” of studios and streaming services by signing an exclusive distribution deal with AMC, according to which she will receive about 57% of ticket sales (theaters will keep the rest of the revenue, and AMC will take a small rental fee). .
In November, the re-recorded “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” had Taylor Swift’s best album debut, selling 1.65 million copies, and Spotify named her the world’s most streamed singer, surpassing 26.1 billion global streams.
Swift has also become the subject of academic and (even more) journalistic interest: Harvard University will offer a class on “Taylor Swift and Her World,” and Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the United States, has appointed a special reporter to cover news exclusively about the singer.
“Taylor Swift has perfected her craft this year, not only through her music, but also as a master storyteller for the modern age. The world, in turn, watched, cried, danced, sang along, swooned, rushed into stadiums and movie theaters, allowing her work to voice their lives. For Swift, this is a peak,” wrote Time writer Sam Lansky.
Time has been announcing its Person of the Year since 1927 and awards the title to “the person, group or concept that has had the greatest impact on the world in the past 12 months.” Last year, the victory was given to Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the “Ukrainian spirit”, and the year before last – to Elon Musk.
In 2023, Time’s shortlist included, in addition to Swift, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Donald Trump’s prosecutors, Hollywood strikers, Barbie, Great Britain’s King Charles III, US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and authorities. The presence of candidates like the latter has often been controversial, with Time choosing Adolf Hitler as its Man of the Year in 1938 and twice giving the dubious honor to Joseph Stalin, in 1939 and 1942.
