Taylor Swift has been named TIME's Person of the Year for 2023, to absolutely nobody's surprise.
But even though this choice seems to make so much sense—after all, which individual person has been talked about more over the past year?—you may be surprised to find out that Swift is actually the first person ever to receive the accolade solely as a result of her work as an entertainer. Previously, the honor has been bestowed on major politicians, tech moguls, religious leaders, activists, scientists and the like.
Still, nobody but Swift felt like the right choice for the magazine this year.
"The person chosen has typically been a ruler over traditional domains of power. He—and yes, usually it has been a 'he'—is very often a politician or a titan of industry," said TIME editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs in an editorial.
"And yet the person whose singular influence was revealed throughout 2023 has held none of these roles—or anything remotely similar," Jacobs continued, adding that Swift "found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light," notably with her epic Eras Tour performances.
Swift posed for three different cover photos, each more beautiful than the next: one pensive and Folklore-like, one glamorous and glittery, and one featuring her youngest cat, the adorable and extremely fluffy Benjamin Button.
In her interview for the cover story, Swift reminded us of the times in her career when she wasn't so universally praised.
"I’ve been raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion so many times in the last 20 years," she said. "I’ve been given a tiara, then had it taken away."
For her, the phenomenal success she's experiencing right now feels like a summit of sorts. "It feels like the breakthrough moment of my career, happening at 33," she explained. "And for the first time in my life, I was mentally tough enough to take what comes with that."
This honor from TIME comes on the heels of her being named Spotify's Global Top Artist of 2023, AND People's Most Intriguing Person of the Year. I hope you're prepared for her to win a whole lot more accolades in the months and years to come, because rest assured they're on their way to her. As they should!
