Taylor Swift's Impact 

Taylor Swift. It’s a name most of us have heard. Whether you love her or not, it’s hard not to respect the money and power she’s gained in the last few years. But what has she done for the music industry? How has she made an impact on people? That’s what we’ll be diving into in this article. 

Swift defined what it meant to bend genres. Her first album, “Taylor Swift”, was released at just 17 years old. As a country album, it set the stage for her initial cross into pop stardom. She only went up from there. In the span of six years, she released three albums: Fearless, Speak Now, and Red. But it was her next album, 1989, in 2014, that set her place as a pop icon. It notably includes some of her most famous tracks: “Shake it Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood” (though it’s important to note those tracks do not showcase her ability as a songwriter as much as the rest of the album does). 

Yet this wasn’t the end of her genre shifts. Her 6th album, “Reputation,” featured hip-hop, trap, R&B, and electropop tracks. During her “cancellation” due to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, she was bullied off the internet. #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty was the number one trending hashtag on X, and her career was considered over. But, the album marked her unexpected return after a one-year break from social media. Her comeback album was a hit, and the tour was majorly successful- and suddenly, Swift had gotten back the respect she had lost just a year ago. 

Thankfully, she wasn’t done. During COVID-19 in 2020, Swift released two critically acclaimed sister albums. “Evermore” and “Folklore” were yet another genre we hadn’t seen out of Taylor. They were indie/folk-pop albums, the type you would never expect out of a woman who built her career off of hard-hitting, get-up-and-dance songs. They are described as her lyricism and poetry at its finest, with lyrics like “When did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt?” and “I’d give you my sunshine, give you my best, but the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me.”

Swift has long been a champion of artists’ rights, but in 2019, she lost the rights to her first six albums. After Swift had decided to leave her recording label, Big Machine Records, the rights to all her albums went to her manager, Scooter Braun. Long story short, Swift didn’t have the rights to her albums. In November 2020, Scooter Braun sold all 6 of her albums for $300 million. 

It wasn’t over for Swift, though. She began re-recording the albums, one by one. This ordeal was the birth of “Taylor’s Versions.” Any song/album with “Taylor’s Version” following it is a re-recorded album, meaning that she will earn full profits from it. Taylor’s taking her time with the re-recordings! So far, we’ve had “Red (Taylor’s Version),” “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” and, in October: 1989 (Taylor’s Version). All that’s left for her to claim is “Taylor Swift” and “Reputation”. 

Additionally, Swift changed the way stars interact with their fans. In 2014, 2017, and 2019, Switft held “secret sessions” for her albums 1989, Reputation, and Lover. What were secret sessions? Swift would handpick nearly 100 of her most passionate fans worldwide and invite them to her home to have an album listening party, a meet and greet with Swift, and enjoy hand-baked cookies from her! 

Furthermore, in September 2022, Swift started a TikTok series titled “Midnights Mayhem with Me,” promoting her new album, Midnights. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Swift would spin a bingo wheel, get a track number 1-13, and reveal the song title for it (if she rolled a 3, she would announce track 3 was called "Anti Hero”). 

Last but not least, The Eras Tour. A testimony to her long and complicated music career, step by step through each of her eras. A massive success, the tour is expected to bring in an income of $2.2 billion (wow!) just in the North American leg. 

And there, it sparks a conversation about the economy. Swift performs the economic equivalent of “two to three Super Bowls each weekend.” That does not include all the extra money spent on costumes, merch, dining, and travel expenses- she boosted the economy by over $100 million dollars in one weekend. After her performance in Chicago, she was mentioned in a federal report due to her part in the tourism industry there. 

And, of course, the cultural impact. Cities have gone as far as changing their name to something Swift-themed whenever she’s in town- (Minneapolis’s renamed to “Swiftie-apolis” for a weekend). Prime ministers and political leaders asked her to bring the tour to their countries. She was the honorary mayor of Santa Clara, too. Even the FBI tweeted a “Speak Now” themed post last July! There are no limits. 

To conclude, this article is not supposed to convince anybody to become a Taylor Swift fan. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, with some Lakesiders thinking, “I respect her and her music, but I think she’s overrated.” Others say, “I love her music- it’s relatable yet vibey at the same time, you know?” So whether you like her “cheesy” love songs or hate them, never shame others for loving something/someone- even if you think they’re overrated. Or, in Taylor’s words, “The worst kind of person is someone who makes someone feel bad, dumb or stupid for… like being excited about something.” To summarize, Taylor Swift has become one of the most culturally and musically impactful stars. No doubt.