Taylor Swift, BTS, Rami Malek, Ariana Grande, and Chrissy Teigen are among TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2019.
The publication has revealed its annual list and a host of famous faces from the world of showbiz have featured, including Emilia Clarke, Lady Gaga, Brie Larson, Sandra Oh, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Regina King, Mahershala Ali, Yalitza Aparicio, Glenn Close, Chip and Joanna Gaines, Spike Lee, Ryan Murphy, Khalid, Gayle King, and Richard Madden.
A number of political figures – including President Donald Trump, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa. Also featured, as did sports stars including Mohamed Salah, LeBron James and Alex Morgan, executives such as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Disney’s Bob Iger, activists including Greta Thunberg and public figures such as Pope Francis and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed.
A number of stars wrote profiles on the honorees, with Shawn Mendes penning a tribute to his friend Taylor.
.@ShawnMendes: “The magic of @taylorswift13 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” #TIME100 https://t.co/qRVXJShEw5 pic.twitter.com/RR8BBVu8Hx
— TIME (@TIME) April 17, 2019
Robert Downey Jr. spoke of how proud he is of his “friend” Rami. He wrote: “The wild success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was a group effort … literally. Queen entrusted Rami Malek with representing their legacy, the story of their lives, and the memory of their friend and bandmate. Somewhere during said crucible, he earned it.
“He developed the skill without which his many attributes as an artist might have been squelched–principled leadership. He’s understated and kind, complicated and relatable; he’s downright mercurial. Crucially, he’s a good man evolving alongside his potential. As a fan and friend, that’s what I’m particularly proud of.”
Ariana Grande also thanked her friend Troye Sivan on Twitter who penned her tribute for the iconic achievement.
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1118572918110334977
The most notable Africans to make the prestigious list include South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah, South African athlete Caster Semenya.
Check out the full list here.
