The person of the year has been named for 2023, and we know her All Too Well.

Taylor Swift has been all over everyone’s social media and dominating the charts for years and was this week named Time Magazine’s person of the year – what a perfect way to end 2023. Chanelle Lanoe, Orchard’s resident Swiftie, looks at why Taylor got the accolade.

Sam Jacobs, Time Magazine’s editor said: ‘We picked a choice that represents joy. Someone who is bringing light to the world’. In 2023 alone, Swift produced three number 1 albums, sold out stadiums for ‘The Eras Tour’, been named the most streamed artist of 2023 by Spotify and Apple Music, and earned the title of the fifth most powerful woman in the world and the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry. So not a bad year…

Swift’s strategy is simple – she creates stories within her songs and connects with her fans through her lyrics. This is why I believe her current tour has been such a huge success, as her fans can relate to her on a deeper level seeing her live. In August 2023, Swift wrote: ‘The tour isn’t the only thing we’re taking worldwide’ on Instagram, to announce that the film of The Eras Tour would be hitting theatres. This move gives people the chance to re-live the concert and hear songs they did not get the chance to hear at their own show. Fans went mad for the merch that came with the release of the film which included popcorn buckets and cups.

Swift loves to keep her fans on their toes. In September of 2023, she announced that she would be releasing five vault tracks on her re-record of 1989 album – but there was a catch; In order for fans to find out the names of the vault tracks, internet users had to solve 33 million puzzles before Swift announced the names of the songs. This was a brilliant way to keep people invested and up the excitement for the release of the songs. And her plan worked, as ‘Is it over now?’ hit number one on the billboard top 100. This was a perfect way to keep fans engaged as the puzzle became huge on social media from fans posting how many puzzles, they had solved in order to prove they were huge fans - everyone got involved as the game was everywhere people began to feel left out if they weren’t playing! Swift is a mastermind, and from using this game as a way to promote her new album she instantly became the most searched topic on Google.

Keeping her fans engaged is why she is so successful in her career. In 2021, Swift re-recorded her albums to secure the rights to all her music herself - proving she is a powerful woman in the music industry. Since 2021 alone, Swift has released four re-recorded albums which makes her fans, and fellow musicians, go wild. In one of Drake’s songs, he mentioned that Swift is the only artist that would make him drop the album a little later than he had planned, avoiding a clash with one of her releases. This would work well for both artists as it means their fans will be focused on their music and their music only, coming from a PR perspective this a smart move as it means listeners will be focusing on Swift’s music and her brand with no distractions.

Many people question whether she is worthy of winning person of the year. But I believe she has had such an impact on people's lives that she has earned her place. If you are pondering how she has influenced your life, just think about how many times you have heard her on the radio this year or look at the impact she has on young people all over the world with her brand.

Taylor remains a force to be reckoned with – dominating the music industry, and achieving every award possible, and now being named Time’s person of the year. Go Taylor!