“Swift’s accomplishments as an artist – culturally,critically,and commercially – are so legion that to recount them seems almost beside the point.
“As a pop star,she sits in rarefied company,alongside Elvis Presley,Michael Jackson,and Madonna;as a songwriter,she has been compared to Bob Dylan,Paul McCartney,and Joni Mitchell.
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“As a businesswoman,she has built an empire worth,by some estimates,over $1 billion. And as a celebrity – who by dint of being a woman is scrutinised for everything from whom she dates to what she wears – she has long commanded constant attention and knows how to use it.”
It’s the second time Swift has madeTime’s person of the year cover,but the first time she has been honoured on her own for her music and her broader cultural impact.
The singer was included in a group of women named as“Silence breakers” in 2017 – at the height of the #MeToo movement – for speaking out against sexual misconduct.Swift famously counter-sued a DJ who assaulted her during a photo call.
The singer toldTime she felt as if 2023 had been a defining year for her. “It feels like the breakthrough moment of my career,happening at 33,” she said. “And for the first time in my life,I was mentally tough enough to take what comes with that.”