Taylor Swift has been announced as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2019, alongside an array of the most powerful politicians, artists and thought leaders in American and world culture.

Swift appears in the Icons section of Time's editorial choices, in the company of Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Spike Lee and more. Pop singer Shawn Mendes wrote a tribute to Swift, who launched her career and rocketed to country music superstardom before leaving the genre to go pop. She has become one of the biggest pop icons in the world, cementing that position with the success of her most recent album, Reputation, and her massive Reputation Stadium Tour.

Mendes says he's been a Swift fan "for as long as I can remember. But it wasn't until I met and got to know her that I understood how wonderful a person she truly is."

He says the appeal of her music can't be separated from her appeal as a human being.

"It all comes from her — her belief in magic and love, and her ability to be as honest and raw as possible," he writes, adding that when he opened for Swift on some dates of her 1989 World Tour, he "quickly learned that the magic of Taylor Swift doesn’t come from the lights, dancers or fireworks (although all of that is incredible) but from the electrifying connection that she has with the people who are there to see her."

Mendes hopes to learn to emulate that kind of connection in his own career.

"Taylor makes anyone older feel young again and anyone young feel they can do anything. It's so rare and so special," he writes. "If there is one thing I want to achieve in my career and life, it's that."

Time's 100 Most Influential People of the Year also features a number of world leaders and influential political figures, including President Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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