- By Mark Savage
- BBC Music Correspondent
Taylor Swift told Time she is “the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt”
Taylor Swift has capped off a stellar 2023 by being named Time Magazine’s person of the year.
The star, whose Eras tour broke box office records and provoked an inquiry into Ticketmaster’s sales practices, follows the likes of Barack Obama, Greta Thunberg and Volodymyr Zelensky.
She told the magazine that she is “the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt”.
The singer also admitted the toll of her 180-minute Eras concerts often left her feeling physically wrecked.
After a run of shows, “I do not leave my bed except to get food and take it back to my bed and eat it there,” she said.
“I can barely speak because I’ve been singing for three shows straight. Every time I take a step my feet go crunch, crunch, crunch from dancing in heels.”
Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs said the US pop icon was “the rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story”, adding that Swift had “found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light”.
On Monday, Time Magazine announced its shortlist of nine candidates for the title. Those included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Barbie and the striking Hollywood actors and writers.
As well as her tour, Swift has also released the biggest-selling record of 2023 – a re-recording of her decade-old album 1989.
Incredibly, she also has the second and third biggest-sellers of the year in America, with Midnights and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).
Amongst her other achievements this year:
- The Eras tour film became the biggest concert movie of all time, taking $249m (£197m) at the global box office.
- Swift became the first living artist to have five albums in the US Top 10 simultaneously, with 1989, Midnights, Folklore, Lover and Speak Now.
- She broke the record for the most number one albums by a woman in US chart history – 13 in total – overtaking Barbara Streisand.
- Swift became the first songwriter to score seven Grammy nominations for song of the year, overtaking Sir Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie.
- With eight sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium, Swift equals a UK touring record set by Take That.
- Boosted by her tour, Swift was named the most-streamed female artist in the history of Spotify and Apple Music.
Image source, Getty Images
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie overtook Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never as the most profitable concert film of all time
Last month, the star was declared a billionaire by business publication Bloomberg, which estimated her net worth to be $1.1bn (£907m).
Only three other musicians have achieved billionaire status – Rihanna, Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
However, Swift is the first to reach the milestone based on music alone, as her rivals’ fortunes incorporate business ventures in fashion, beauty products and hi-fi equipment.
Swift is currently on a break before launching the Asian and Australian legs of her Eras tour in February.
The shows come to Europe in May, and Swift is also expected to release a re-recorded version of her Reputation album in the new year.
Her decision to re-make all of her first six albums came after her old record label, Big Machine, sold her master tapes to music mogul Scooter Braun in 2019. He later sold them to an investment company.
Speaking to Time, she said she had initially recoiled at the idea, which had been suggested by both her father and fellow pop star Kelly Clarkson.
“I’d look at them and go, ‘How can I possibly do that?’ Nobody wants to redo their homework if on the way to school, the wind blows your book report away.”
In the end, she went ahead with the project as an act of rebellion.
“It’s all in how you deal with loss,” she says. “I respond to extreme pain with defiance.”
Speaking to Time, Swift also discussed her relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce – which hit the headlines after Swift was first seen attending one of his games in September.
“By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple,” she explained. “I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard-launch a first date.”
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
