Taylor Swift is TIME's Person of the Year for 2023.
Just one day after Forbes called her the fifth most powerful woman in the world, TIME has published an interview with the global superstar, the first she has given in four years. Swift is the first musician to ever receive the honour.
In the article, Swift reflects on 2023, calling it “the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been."
In discussing her record-breaking Eras Tour, she thanks the fans and explains that she felt it necessary to give them a show of a lifetime to reward them for getting the tickets in the first place.
“They had to work really hard to get the tickets," she says. "I wanted to play a show that was longer than they ever thought it would be, because that makes me feel good leaving the stadium.”
She adds that the day after performing a three-hour concert she basically does nothing, to relieve the toll it takes on her mind and body.
“I do not leave my bed except to get food and take it back to my bed and eat it there. It’s a dream scenario," she admits. "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.”
Swift also gives a rare glimpse into her personal life, giving some candid details about her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell," she says. "We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. 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.”
Up next she teases the "Taylor's Version" of Reputation is on its way. She calls the vault tracks "fire," and describes the re-recording as "a goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure. I think a lot of people see it and they’re just like, Sick snakes and strobe lights.”
“I’m collecting horcruxes,” she continues. “I’m collecting infinity stones. Gandalf’s voice is in my head every time I put out a new one. For me, it is a movie now.”
TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs explained the decision to put Swift on the cover, saying, "In a divided world, where too many institutions are failing, Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light. No one else on the planet today can move so many people so well."
You can read the full interview here.
Time Magazine: We’d like to name you Person of the Yea-
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 6, 2023
Me: Can I bring my cat. https://t.co/SOhkYKSTwG