Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and BTS highlight Time‘s list of 2019’s “100 Most Influential People.” The newly unveiled collection is organized into “Titans,” “Icons,” “Leaders,” “Artists” and “Pioneers,” showcasing important figures in music, entertainment, politics, sports and business, among other fields.
Each selection features a blurb written by another prominent person. Shawn Mendes, who opened a run of stadium shows on Swift’s 1989 World Tour, wrote about how the singer-songwriter “makes the job of creating music for millions of people look easy.” He noted, “It all comes from her — her belief in magic and love, and her ability to be as honest and raw as possible. She’s the master of putting the perfect amount of thought into not overthinking, and that’s why her music connects so well.”
Celine Dion wrote about Lady Gaga, praising her for supporting the LGBTQ community, campaigning to end bullying and for having “one of the greatest voices in the world: powerful, convincing, passionate and sensitive.” Dion added, “She’s definitely one of the most inventive artists we’ve ever seen. Her artistic expression has no rules, no boundaries. When she first came on the scene with her outrageous style, she didn’t care what the critics said. She marched to the beat of her own drum, knowing that her message of individuality was a way to express her inner strength.”
Halsey explored how BTS, the South Korean boy band, rose to “world domination.” She wrote, “Surely it takes remarkable talent, charm, kindness, altruism and dedication. But you’d still be missing a key component: a devoted community to uplift your efforts, soften your stumbles and shoot light from their eyes into the sky in your name every single night. By these parameters, BTS has reached the top.”
Time’s eclectic list includes other musicians (Khalid, Ariana Grande), actors (Brie Larson, Emilia Clarke, Regina King, Rami Malek), politicians (President Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), athletes (Tiger Woods, LeBron James), businesspeople (Mark Zuckerberg) and religious figures (Pope Francis).