On Taylor Swift's Longstanding Cultural Impact

 

Fans of Taylor Swift’s music have been eagerly anticipating her rereleased music ever since she announced her intentions to rerecord her first six albums (Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation) in order to gain ownership of her own music, and today the rerecorded version of her 2008 classic Fearless dropped.

Despite the original version of popular Fearless single “Love Story” having been released almost 13 years ago, the release of “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” was incredibly well-received, with the song garnering nearly 6 million streams within its first day of release on February 12. The lasting popularity of “Love Story” is a testament to Swift’s longstanding cultural impact: from the release of her album in 2006, she has maintained extensive popularity as one of the world’s most successful female artists. Today, she is the second most-streamed female artist of all time on Spotify, only after Ariana Grande. Following the release of her eighth studio album, folklore, she became the female artist to have released the most songs (128) to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, surpassing Nicki Minaj. 

To have maintained this level of popularity and success over a period of 15 years is a feat achieved by few artists. So how has Taylor Swift maintained such long-lasting relevance in the music industry?

It would be difficult to write about Taylor Swift’s impact without mentioning her reputation in the media. Her public life has received a great deal of attention from the media, with a particular interest in her relationships and her former and current friendships with other high-profile celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss, and Ryan Reynolds. Swift has received a great deal of criticism from those who believe that she has dated too many man or written too many songs about her ex-boyfriends. She is also known for her feuds, most notably with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. While Swift is often portrayed in an unfavorable manner by the media, this portrayal has shaped her into a feminist icon among her fans, who rebuke the criticism given by the media to her personal life. These portrays have also, in part, inspired Swift’s recent political activism.

While Swift has received a great deal of attention due to her controversial media portrayal, the media is certainly not the primary factor behind her popularity. Few can deny her talent at singing and songwriting: even if her music doesn’t fit your personal taste, everybody’s jammed (or cried) to at least one of her songs before. Particularly impressive is the ease with which her musical style has transitioned from country to pop to now alternative/indie. While Swift’s most well-known songs are generally her most radio-friendly, upbeat songs (think “You Belong With Me,” “Shake It Off,” and “22”), she has received the most critical acclaim for her sadder, more personal songs. In particular, songs like “Dear John,” “All Too Well,” and “Cardigan” have received great praise for their lyricism and storytelling. Swift has also received commendation for how personal songs such as “Marjorie” and “Soon You’ll Get Better” about her family are. 

Taylor Swift’s success may also be, in part, due to the level of intimacy she maintains with her fans. Most well-known are her “Secret Sessions,” in which she invites groups of her most active fans from social media to her home and plays her albums for them before they’re released to the public. Swift has also been known to send personalized gifts to fans and invite her most eager fans backstage after her concerts to meet her. She’s also interacted with her fans by leaving intricate easter eggs and puzzles in her music videos, album memos, and social media posts, often using such clues to hint at upcoming music releases. As a result of these interactions, Swift has been able to maintain a unique and incredibly personal relationship with her fanbase over the years.

Another factor in Swift’s success has been how she has rebranded herself with each album release through different “eras” and aesthetics correlating to her albums. For instance, 2017’s Reputation was accompanied by a primarily black wardrobe with snake motifs. By contrast, her following album, 2019’s Lover, brought about an incredibly colorful pastel theme with heart and butterfly motifs. Swift has effectively incorporated aesthetics into her brand as a musician, heightening public interest in each album by accompanying relevant color schemes and motifs into her outfits, concerts, and music videos for each era.