Taylor Swift named Time Magazine's Person of the Year 2023

Pop star described as a 'rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story'

Taylor Swift on the cover of Time magazine after the accolade. AFP

Taylor Swift has been named the 2023 Person of the Year by Time magazine after a period in which the singer/songwriter undertook a sprawling world tour, broke records at the box office, earn billionaire status and dominated the media landscape.

“Swift is the rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story,” wrote Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs.

“For building a world of her own that made a place for so many, for spinning her story into a global legend, for bringing joy to a society desperately in need of it, Taylor Swift is Time’s 2023 Person of the Year.”

Swift held off a diverse pool of other finalists that included the UK's King Charles III, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Barbie and Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.

Her Eras Tour, which she launched earlier this year, has been credited with revitalising local economies that suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic.

She also re-released two albums this year – Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version) – the latter becoming one of the fastest-selling albums in US history. In November she received six Grammy nominations including Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year for the 2022 album Midnights.

Swift has already won numerous awards this year and was named Spotify's most-streamed artist of 2023. The pop star's music was streamed 26.1 billion times this year, according to the streaming service.