MANILA, Philippines — Some of the biggest musical artists worldwide like BTS, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift were recognized by Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential of the World” this year.
Swift is the only musician featured on one of the issue’s six different covers. She and Lady Gaga are featured under the category “Icon,” while the others appear under “Artists.”
Swift’s blurb was written by her friend Shawn Mendes who said she “makes the job of creating music for millions of people look easy.”
“It all comes from her—her belief in magic and love, and her ability to be as honest and raw as possible,” Mendes added.
Meanwhile, Grammy-winning singer Celine Dion had nothing but words of praises for Lady Gaga. She said, “I think she’s got one of the greatest voices in the world: powerful, convincing, passionate and sensitive.”
“She’s definitely one of the most inventive artists we’ve ever seen. Her artistic expression has no rules, no boundaries,” she pointed out.
American singer-songwriter Halsey wrote for global Korean boy group sensation BTS whom she recently collaborated with for the song “Boy With Luv.”
“How exactly does one accomplish world domination? Surely it takes remarkable talent, charm, kindness, altruism and dedication,” Halsey wrote of BTS.
“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,” she added.
Meanwhile, Troye Sivan said of Grande, “Through just about the craziest storms and whirlwinds I can imagine, Ariana Grande remains the most real person I’ve met.”
“I’ve always thought the world is privy to actual, genuine emotion—be it heartbreak, empathy, generosity, resilience, strength—and I believe that’s exactly why the world keeps falling deeper in love with Ariana,” he added.
Other prominent musicians included in the list released Wednesday were Khalid and Ozuna.
21-year-old Khalid also made it to the list and Grammy award-winning artist Alicia Keys wrote for him, saying “He’s a beautiful writer with the ability to take human concepts and make you understand and feel them.”
“He has a full, powerful voice that is somehow unassuming and smooth at the same time,” she added.
Puerto Rican singer Daddy Yankee paid homage to reggaeton and Latin trap singer Ozuna and said: “He shows kids that anything is possible—that you can become a global star if you work hard enough. He is a great competitor, a good friend, and he never hesitates to give back to his community.” /cbb
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