The (Taylor) Swift Phenomenon
By: Amelia Cheng
Edited by: Nadhifah Zahran Laili
Taylor Swift needs no introduction. Her impact on the music industry and the world has been groundbreaking, phenomenal, and profound. Affectionately referred to as ‘the Music Industry’ itself, Taylor Swift is a mega popstar who has found it second nature to shatter records and make an extraordinary name for herself.
The 12-time Grammy Awards winner (with six more nominations for the Grammy Awards 2024), Global Icon Award recipient, and even crowned ‘Woman of the Decade’, has managed to rewrite her narrative and change the game for not only herself but the lives of many.
Taylor Swift is currently in the midst of her “Eras Tour”, her headlining world tour across five continents and 150 countries. And, just a month ago, her self-produced movie was released, shattering box-office records.
However, why does Taylor Swift mean so much to many, creating a devoted fan base that is referred to as the ‘Swifties’? How is it possible that she frequently shatters numerous records, remaining constantly relevant, and producing chart-topping after chart-topping hits?
Generally, an everyday person is unable to state that they could relate to any aspect of the dazzling life of a celebrity. It is baffling that Taylor’s music could have brought countless people all over the world together. How is it possible that so many people with diverse backgrounds and starkly different personalities can feel the connection to one celebrity’s music primarily by sharing her personal feelings and experiences?
In 2016, the world appeared to turn against Taylor, when she was caught in a rift between Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. The spectacle appeared wholly blown out of proportion. However, the damage was done. Taylor effectively disappeared and fell off the grid. However, in 2017, Taylor released her sixth studio album entitled ‘reputation’ in a strikingly different tone from the previous upbeat and enthusiastic ‘1989’ album released in 2014. The stylistic design, theme, and tone were a stark contrast from anything she has produced up to that point. However, they all harped on one overarching message: Taylor Swift was back and better than ever.
Taylor’s ability to capture the world's attention and shift the media’s narrative is a remarkable and rare talent. More often than not, the media’s ruthless portrayal of celebrities is uncontrollable, and different headlines pop up over a thousand times a minute.
Over the years, Taylor’s fame has continued to skyrocket and not only successfully captured the attention but also the absolute adoration of fans across the world.
Taylor’s current “Eras" world tour and “Eras” movie effectively journey through all her musical “eras” and celebrate her success. Past that, it is celebrating her exceptional story.
Taylor’s Lyricism
Taylor has a remarkably clear talent in writing. In fact, she received an honorary doctorate from New York University in 2023. Past her dynamic performances and her euphonious voice, one of the biggest reasons why many connect to this singer is her enthralling ability to craft stories and evoke emotion.
Taylor consistently utilizes numerous literary devices and clever diction, creating clear imagery over a melodious tune.
Nothing done by this singer is ever unintentional, which makes it particularly fun for fans to dissect each word, lyric, music video, and even video or picture ‘casually’ posted on Instagram.
For instance, “Gold Rush” from Taylor’s album “evermore” in 2020 is a song, amongst many others, that is a testimony to her brilliance. Taylor had spoken about a song as a ‘free-write’ where she ‘pen(ned) down (her) stream of consciousness’. Although at first listen, the song appears to be her singing of a past idealized love or lover. However, upon a closer look, you realize she talks about far more than it just.
In fact, Taylor likens the situation and her emotions to the historic California Gold Rush from 1849 to 1855. Many people scrambled to California in hopes of searching for gold, but the majority came up empty-handed. Regardless, the event substantially transformed the state’s landscape and population. Similarly, the song speaks of a love dreamed of and desired but a journey never embarked on.
Another fan-favorite song from Taylor is “Mirrorball” from her album “folklore” in 2020. Taylor sings from a first-person perspective of a glittering and spectacular mirrorball hanging in the middle of a room. The metaphor connects with many as it perfectly articulates the double-edged sword of being a human. It speaks about the beauty of being seen, being perceived, and feeling the joy as you reflect on what the person who was looking at you wants to see. Conversely, it addresses how being a human is essentially a heartbreaking tale of morphing into different people for different people. The song describes someone feeling that they were shattered a million times and always putting on a show.
In Taylor’s interview from “folklore: the long pond studio sessions”, she states, “We have mirror balls across a dance floor because they reflect light. They are broken into a million times, and that is what makes them so shiny. We have people like that in society too, they hang out there, and every time they break - it entertains us. And when you shine a light on them, it is this glittering and fantastic thing, yet then a lot of the time when the spotlight isn’t on them, they’re still there up on a pedestal, but no one is watching them (…) Everybody has to be duplicitous or feels they have to be (that). And, that’s part of the human experience but it’s also exhausting.”
The Relatability of a Star
Taylor Swift: Years of Stardom
Her world tour pays homage to her extensive years in the music industry and celebrates her different ‘eras’ over the years.
Taylor, first, released her first single, ‘Tim McGraw’ in 2006 and has since released 243 songs as of October 2023.
A constant generalized impression used is: “All Taylor Swift does is write breakup songs”. Swifties generally heard the repeated statement used as an insult against Taylor since her breakout into mainstream fame. This misconception was due to Taylor’s most popular songs up to 2014 being about her past relationships. However, there was an overfixation of her love life and criticism about her music and the extension career.
Taylor’s abilities and talents were largely discredited and reduced to writing ‘cheap love songs’. However, she has addressed this clear sexism multiple times. In an appearance on the Australian radio show, ‘Jules, Merrick & Sophie’, she pointed out, “You’re going to have people who are going to say, “Oh, you know, like, she [herself] just writes songs about her ex-boyfriends.” And I think frankly that is a very sexist angle to take. No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They’re all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life, and no one raises the red flag there.”
Taylor teaches us that it’s okay to feel how she feels, express it in a manner she wants to, and acknowledge as well as celebrate the little things. This is aptly captured in her different ‘eras’ through her albums. If there is one thing that is clear about Taylor is that she has mastered the art of subtlety and being understated - yet creative, loud, dynamic, and trail-blazing. The reason why fans can effortlessly pull together unique costumes and string together unique friendship bands to represent each of Taylor’s musical eras is simple - because they relate to it. Taylor’s jarringly different eras perfectly articulate and communicate human emotions, thoughts, and experiences that most fans have felt at one point.
The star’s ability to capture these moods makes it easy and captivating for her audience. As she grows and tackles a new unique set of problems and articulates it in a tidy set of lyrics with a tune that fills in the blanks, each fan can accurately feel and connect with that.
We were all ‘Fifteen’ at one point, anxiously walking through school halls and secretly wishing some mildly attractive popular kid would look our way. We had all lost a love that never was. At one point, we have felt suffocated by our minds. If we are lucky, we, too, meet someone that we want to take every weekend grocery store trip with.
She connects to people through music and allows others to connect through her music.
Taylor Swift has many talents, and the one particular driving force that led to her resounding fame is her ability to make listeners feel seen.
In Taylor Swift’s lifetime, she has contributed significantly to the music industry, pop culture, and the world in general. At the end of the day, her story is of a woman who tries her best to navigate different obstacles, has dreams, sets ambitions, and has flaws and strengths. In hindsight, she is a woman in her early thirties who has lived most of her life in the spotlight. She goes through human heartbreaks and joys, just like us.
The best thing was said by Taylor herself in her New York University’s Commencement speech in 2023: “We are led by our gut instincts, our intuition, our desires and fears, our scars, and our dreams. And you will screw it up sometimes. So will I. And when I do, you will most likely read about it on the internet. Anyways … hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it.”