Apple Music’s 2023 Artist of the Year is Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has been crowned Apple Music’s Artist of the Year after a spectacular performance throughout 2023. Dominating Apple Music’s Global Daily Top 100 with 65 songs, Swift has outshone all other artists on the platform in the first 10 months of the year, said Apple on Wednesday.

“I am so honored to be Apple Music’s Artist of the Year,” said Swift. “Thank you to every single one of you for making this year the most incredible, joyful, celebratory year ever. From streaming the music nonstop to screaming it together in real life at the shows, dancing chaotically in movie theatres, none of this would have been possible without you. Thank you so much.”

“Taylor Swift’s impact on music is absolutely undeniable — not just this record-breaking year, but throughout her entire career,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “She is a generation-defining artist and a true change agent in the music industry, and there is no doubt that her impact and influence will be felt for years to come. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate her achievements.”

Apple Music is spotlighting Swift’s ‘Eras’ era, a cultural phenomenon that revitalized songs from her past catalog, making them chart-toppers again in 2023. The platform features special programming, including interviews and playlists that cover the singer’s two-decade career.

Swift’s streaming numbers soared, especially during her ‘The Eras Tour,’ with the week of its launch seeing a 61% global increase. Her song “Cruel Summer” resurfaced as a summer anthem, and her latest album ‘Midnights’ broke records as the biggest album by a female artist on Apple Music. Swift holds the title of the most-streamed female artist in the history of Apple Music.

The Artist of the Year award from Apple Music includes a custom award. “Each Apple Music Award features Apple’s custom silicon wafer suspended between a polished sheet of glass, and a machined and anodized aluminum body,” says Apple. Last year’s winner was Bad Bunny, known as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.

Swift will be on tour in Canada in 2024 as part of ‘The Eras Tour’, with stops in Vancouver and Toronto. #SwiftiesUnite