With approximately 78 billion streams, American pop icon Taylor Swift is one of the best-selling artists. Known for exploring different genres, Swift has experimented with country, pop and alternative music.
“She has a lot of different genres and styles, so some of her songs appeal to me more than others,” said senior Michelle Jin. “I feel like her lyrics are always fun to sing along to.”
Many people enjoy Swift’s pop music, while others look to the versatility and relatability her music provides.
I specifically like [Swift] because … her whole discography isn’t just one [genre] of music,” said senior Sierra Dozier. “If I’m in a sad mood, I can listen to [a specific] hour and a half of [an] album.”
Early in her career, Swift signed with Big Machine Records. She released her debut album, “Taylor Swift,” in 2006, which sold more than one million copies in the U.S. As she received more attention, she released five more albums under Big Machine Records, including “Fearless” in 2008 and “Speak Now” two years later in 2010. She then released “Red” in 2012, “1989” in 2014 and “Reputation” in 2017.
Because Big Machine Records owned the rights to her masters, in 2018, Swift signed with Republic Records and Universal Music Group. Swift is re-recording the first six albums she released with Big Machine Records, allowing her to own their masters — the songs’ original recordings and how they are used.
“[Swift] has a lot of different genres and styles, so some of her songs appeal to me more than others”
After Swift signed with Republic Records and Universal Music Group, she released “Lover” in 2019 and the sister albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” in 2020.
Swift has re-recorded two of her six earlier albums. She released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” in April 2021 and “Red (Taylor’s Version)” in November 2021. Fans speculate that Swift will release either “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” or “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” next.
“Midnights,” Swift’s most recent album, was released Oct. 21, 2022. The album features 13 songs, exploring topics such as anxiety, insecurity, self-confidence and insomnia.
“A lot of people think that she just writes about heartbreak,” said sophomore Mia Thurrell. “But some of her music also goes into insecurities and things that she’s felt within herself that people can relate to.”
The album mixes indie pop, technopop and electronic music. Swift explores different vocal effects and vintage synths, exploring moodier and more tranquil hues, accentuating a late-night feel.
“I love Taylor Swift,” said senior Natalie Kantor. “I also love her music. I’m caught up to every album. ‘Midnights’ … has been on repeat every single day.”
Swift is known for hiding Easter eggs within her music videos, lyric booklets, interviews and even her outfits since the beginning of her career, resulting in fans guessing her next move, like her next re-recording or album release.
“Normally if I’m watching the music video, I don’t really look out for the Easter eggs,” Kantor said. “But I definitely see a lot of people [noticing Easter eggs] on TikTok. Some of the predictions are right. Some of them are also really funny because they’re huge stretches.”
Swift has collaborated with many different artists over the years including Ed Sheeran, Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton. In her recent collaboration with Lana Del Rey in the song “Snow On The Beach,” some listeners complain about how they could barely hear Del Rey. Fans also noticed a trend where female collaborators often provide backup vocals, while past male collaborators have dedicated verses.
“A lot of people think that she just writes about heartbreak … but some of her music also goes into insecurities and things that she’s felt within herself that people can relate to”
“[Swift] kind of does that with a lot of female artists,” Dozier said. “You can’t really hear their voices that much. But with her male [collaborators], they can have a full verse.”
Due to her popularity, some people think Swift is overrated, which has led to her receiving a lot of hate throughout the course of her career in the music industry.
“I think that she’s a great artist,” Dozier said. “I feel like people put too much hate on her for no reason. I feel like they do that mostly because she’s a woman too. I think people should give her a chance because she doesn’t just do one genre of music.”
Swift has amassed many fans over the years, earning 11 Grammy awards total and breaking plenty of records. Although people have differing opinions on her, many would likely agree that she writes music that people can relate to in some regard.
