From late 2022 to now in 2023, Taylor Swift has become a very popular and prominent figure in the music industry.
“Whether you’re a fan of Taylor Swift or not, it’s hard to deny the cultural and financial juggernaut the pop superstar has become this year,” [The Harvard Gazette].
Taylor Swift started her career as a country singer. She got her first taste of fame with the immediate success of her first album, “Taylor Swift” and single, “Tim McGraw.” She continued to experience fame throughout the rest of her career. Swift eventually outgrew the country genre and has released a string of hits, including “Shake It Off”, “Bad Blood”, “You Belong With Me”, “Look What You Made Me Do”, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and many others. “Swift is revolutionizing the modern pop genre with her catchy chorus, motivational lyrics, and upbeat music, giving her the distinction of being one of the most popular performers of our time,”[Re-Edition Magazine]. Her fanbase is called by the name, “Swifties”, and she is also the proud receiver of 12 Grammy awards.
Since the year 2022, her fame has skyrocketed to the top of the music industry. After the release of her latest album, “Midnights”, and the start of her tour, “Eras”, there has been a huge increase in her popularity. Swift’s “Midnights” album has reached critical acclaim from music critics and has passed five billion streams on Spotify alone. Her “Eras” tour has also been a major success, with millions of fans paying extremely high prices to see her in perform. “Eras” is so popular that it has even helped boost the economy of travel and tourism in the United States. “A projected gross of $2.2 billion in North American ticket sales alone, and hundreds of millions of streams, reaching a nearly 80% spike in those listening to her music catalog in the weeks after the tour kicked off,” [Time].
But even in the brightest lights, there are the darkest of shadows. Taylor Swift, like any other celebrity, has had her fair share of hate and criticism. People who don’t like her mainly argue that Swift tends to write the same songs over and over again. Many say how they feel like nearly every song she writes is about another breakup with a boyfriend. “Well, music is about stories, and to me, her music sounds close to the same. I just don’t think her music is that good as people say it is,” senior Bryce Robel said. Opponents of her music also argue that her music sounds too generic and bland. But some people, despite liking her music, simply don’t understand or agree with all the hype that Swift has been receiving for the past year.
But despite the negative things that people have said about her music, she is still loved by millions. Swift still continues to perform in sold-out stadiums and release trending chart toppers. Reasons for her major success stem from her incredible songwriting skills, her growing and loyal fanbase, and her relatability. “I love the way her music makes me feel. Her bouncy love songs make me want to dance around; but also, maybe more so, the deeper, lovely, lyrical songs that make me feel so seen. In a way that makes you wonder if she knows exactly what you went through, and how to put it into the most poetic words,” said Chloe Raab, a passionate and loyal Swiftie. The power and natural flow of her lyrics backed with catchy choruses touches the emotions of many of her listeners. Her older fans have stayed loyal to Swift while the younger fans are joining her fanbase. Swift’s relatable personality has also been a major factor in her success. There’s no doubt, despite people’s different views, that she will go down as one of the greatest performers of the 21st century.
