Global music icon Taylor Swift has been making headlines all year, and now she is gracing the cover of Time Magazine as the Person of the Year for 2023.
Swift has long been one of the biggest musical artists in the world and a wealthy entrepreneur, leading an entertainment empire that has peaked at $1 billion, according to some estimates, writes Time editor Sam Lansky.
“But this year something changed,” Lansky said. “Discussing her moves was like discussing politics or the climate – a language spoken so widely that it needed no context. She became the main character of the world.”
Swift has been performing for large crowds during her ‘Eras Tour,’ which continues next year with international dates in cities like Tokyo, Paris, and London. One company estimated that the tour’s U.S. leg may have generated nearly $5 billion in consumer spending.
Additionally, she released a concert film titled ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,’ a three-hour IMAX film drawn from her performances in Los Angeles that allows even more fans to enjoy the show. The distributor, AMC Theatres, earned over $250 million from the film at the end of last month.
But Swift’s massive success on stage and screen pales in comparison to the attention given to her personal life this year. The singer-songwriter’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce has drawn overwhelming attention, uniting Swifties and American football fans in a common cause.
The public is getting more information about this romance than it did about some of Swift’s previous relationships. The couple frequently appears publicly together. Swift cheered for the two-time Super Bowl champion at Chiefs games, while Kelce stopped by an Eras Tour performance.
Also this year, Swift inspired a surge in voter registration, participated in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Ticketmaster’s practices, and made history on Billboard.
It was just another year of work for Swift. And 2023 isn’t even over yet.
Source: NPR and Time Magazine