TIME magazine crowned Taylor Swift as the 2023 Person of the Year, a decision that has sent waves of excitement across the globe. Swift's electrifying rise to a whole new level of stardom has shattered record after record, firmly establishing her as a musical juggernaut.
However, her impact on fans in Latin America set her apart this year, vaulting her achievements beyond the legendary status of icons like Michael Jackson and The Beatles.
The only Latino to ever be named TIME Person of the Year is still Argentina's Pope Francis in 2013.
Taylor Swift's devoted Latino fans
Swift's 13-show run in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil catapulted the excitement for her "Eras Tour" to unprecedented heights. The TIME interview highlights the response of her Latin American fans as the catalyst that propelled her influence to new, soaring levels.
"Standing in the arena, it's not hard to understand why this (Swift's concert) is the biggest thing in the world. "Beatlemania and Thriller have nothing on these shows," says Swift's friend and collaborator Phoebe Bridgers. Fans in Argentina pitched tents outside the venue for months to get prime spots, with some quitting their jobs to commit to fandom full-time", Sam Lanzy wrote for the magazine.
As well as Argentina, Swift captivated her Mexican audience during a four-day run at Foro Sol. She made history as the first woman to sell out four shows at the 65,000-seat venue, sparking the heartfelt chant, "Taylor, hermana ya eres mexicana"
With her fourth show, Swift broke Madonna's 30-year record of three nights at the venue set during her "The Girlie Show World Tour". Last year, Daddy Yankee filled Foro Sol for five consecutive nights and RBD did it last week for six nights. Swift's figures tie her with Coldplay and The Rolling Stones, each with four sold-out shows.
Force majeure and tragedy
The Latin America leg of the "Eras Tour" also faced Taylor Swift with some new challenges. In Argentina she had to cancel one of her shows due to "inclement weather"
"She wasn't too happy about it obviously, she kind of prides herself on performing through weather or rain and things like that," said her boyfriend, Football player Travis Kelce in his podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce ."But when it's unsafe to her and her crew and everybody in the stadium you gotta do what you gotta do."
In Buenos Aires, Swift experienced the fervent passion of the Argentine audience, whose energy and devotion left her amazed. She particularly enjoyed the "ole ole" chant. Even Kelce got into it.
The shows in Sao Paulo went according to plan. But the high temperatures in Río de Janeiro brought tragedy to the "Eras Tour" with the death of Brazilian fan Ana Clara Benavides Machado, who reportedly collapsed during the show in Río de Janeiro and later died.
She rescheduled the next show because of unsafe conditions. Swift spent time with Benavides Machado's family on her final tour date in Brazil.
@dailymail Taylor Swift invites the heartbroken family of Ana Clara Benevides Machado - the 23-year-old Swiftie who tragically died before her Rio show - to her Eras Tour performance in Sao Paolo #fyp #taylorswift #swift #swifttok #swiftie #anaclarabenevidesmachado #anaclarabenevides #restinpeace #rip #saopaolo #riodejaneiro #rio #brazil #erastour #erastourtaylorswift
♬ original sound - Daily Mail
TIME's announcement further enhances Taylor Swift's remarkable 2023. She was also crowned Artist of the Year by both Spotify and Apple Music. Additionally, she sold an impressive 4.1 million tickets for her 2023 shows, including over 2 million on the first day alone, setting a new record.
The magazine also recognized OpenIA's CEO Sam Altman as CEO of the Year, Lionel Messi as Athlete of the Year, and actor Alex Newel as Breakthrough of the Year.
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