Music, Film, Academia: Taylor Swift Person of the Year 2023

“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,” said Sam Jacobs, TIME magazine’s editor in chief, on NBC’s “Today” program

There were 7 other finalists in the running including King Charles III, Barbie, Hollywood Strikers, Xi Jinping, Jerome Powell, Sam Altman, Trump Prosecuters and Vladimir Putin.

Swift was also named Person of The Year alongside 3 other in 2017 as one of the Silence Breakers who inspired women to speak out about sexual misconduct. This year she made history as this achievement marks the first time a person was selected because of her achievement in the arts. She is also the fourth individual selection who was born in the last 50 years and the first woman to be recognized more than once. This puts her alongside a small group of repeat designees, alongside several U.S. presidents and world leaders.

“Swift’s accomplishments as an artist — culturally, critically, and commercially — are so legion that to recount them seems almost beside the point.” TIME Wrote

What Taylor managed to accomplish this year goes far beyond grabbing headlines, ticket sales, box office numbers, and broken records. Taylor Swift has contributed to the economy of different countries across the world in multiple ways. “Analysts talked about the “Taylor effect,” as politicians from Thailand, Hungary, and Chile implored her to play their countries. Cities, stadiums, and streets were renamed for her. Every time she came to a new place, a mini economic boom took place as hotels and restaurants saw a surge of visitors.”

When it came to her film The Eras Tour Movie, Taylor chose to bypass studios and streaming sites and instead enter an exclusive agreement with AMC theatres. She ended up breaking the record for the Highest Grossing Concert Film domestically and internationally, as well as the Best Concert Movie Opening.

This year Taylor also released the re recorded version of her iconic pop album 1989. Which soon became the top-selling album in America for 2023 in under one week. It topped the Billboard 200, along with the vinyl albums and streaming albums charts, with over 1.6 million units sold in the U.S. and over 3.5 million globally. The achievement makes her the first artist to score six No. 1 album debuts with over 1 million units sold in history. This year Taylor officialy became a Billionaire.

Of course you can’t mention Taylor Swift’s 2023 without mentioning Travis Kelce. Swift managed to take somethingthat was already insanely famous and make it even more so, football.

Taylor also became the subject of academic interest as Universities started announcing they will now offer courses on the star. Harvard will offer a course titled “Taylor Swift and Her World”, Stanford has invoked the Swift song “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version)” with a course planned for next year titled “All Too Well (Ten Week Version),” and Arizona State University has offered a psychology class on Swift’s work. Next year, the University of California, Berkeley plans to offer “Artistry and Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version.” Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the United States, appointed a special reporter to cover nothing but Swift.

“I’ve been raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion so many times in the last 20 years, I’ve been given a tiara, then had it taken away. It feels like the breakthrough moment of my career, happening at 33, and for the first time in my life, I was mentally tough enough to take what comes with that.” – Taylor Swift

Time awards this title to “the individual, group, or concept that has had the most influence on the world throughout the previous 12 months”. Now look back and think “How many conversations did you have about Taylor Swift this year? How many times did you see a photo of her while scrolling on your phone? Were you one of the people who made a pilgrimage to a city where she played? Did you buy a ticket to her concert film? Did you double-tap an Instagram post, or laugh at a tweet, or click on a headline about her? Did you find yourself humming “Cruel Summer” while waiting in line at the grocery store? Did a friend confess that they watched clips of the Eras Tour night after night on TikTok? Or did you?” TIME writes.

The influence she had has spread far beyond her music and her film to billions across the world. The impact of Swift’s cultural and economic influence resonated globally, from her groundbreaking achievements in music and film to her contribution to various countries’ economies. However, her influence transcends mere statistics; it’s about the conversations she ignited, the people she brought together, the way she drew crowds, the academia she inspired and and the media empire she created. Yes she broke multiple records this years, many that were set by herself, but it was about more than the accolades; it was about redefining the way we perceive artistry, entrepreneurship, and resilience. As TIME crowns her the Person of the Year, it’s a testament to her enduring impact that reached far beyond the confines of her industry.