Why Taylor Swift Will Never Go Out Style

There is no denying the fact that in recent years Taylor Swift has taken the world by storm with the global phenomenon which is her Era’s World Tour along with award-winning successful music albums. 

She is currently THE most talked-about and listened-to artist on the planet thanks to her legion of devoted super fans, better known as Swifties and one of the most powerful figures in modern music. Her self-titled debut album was released in 2006, 17 years later, she’s more popular than ever before and if I may say it, probably one of the most iconic singer-songwriters of our time – speaking from a self-proclaimed Swiftie in her 40’s who’s now living through another exciting era of the pop mogul through her tween daughter.

But how has she maintained her ever-growing popularity all these years later? How has she achieved 12 number one albums on the US Billboard charts, the most by a woman artist ever, overtaking Barbara Streisand? She began as a country music singer in 2005. She then shifted into pop, rock, indie and even folk music.  That clever shift into a wider array of music gave her the ability to reach a broader audience whilst eliciting powerful emotions in her listeners and fan base with her song lyrics. It certainly paid off because last year she became the first female artist in Spotify history to reach 100 million monthly listeners.  Some of her most popular songs such as “22” and “Shake It Off” which make listeners feel happy and confident, contrast greatly with other works like “All Too Well’ and “Speak Now”.  Her albums take you on an emotional journey, they speak to people, her lyrics resonate with so many, and she is by far the most relatable artist out there.  Swifties anxiously await each new album over and over again so that they can learn what emotional journey her music will take them on.  With each hit album and single releases, she transports her listeners and gives them a glimpse into what it is like to be Taylor Swift. She’s able to not take herself seriously with some of the songs she has written along with responding to haters (usually the media) and ex-boyfriends by writing a song about them. Songs such as “Look What You Made Me Do” and “You Need To Calm Down” were written in response to negative media she has received.  Rather than crying about her haters or trying to please them, she has created hit after hit instead, letting it be known that she’s not the innocent country singer ‘people-pleaser’ many thought her to be.  This attitude towards turning hate or criticism into award-winning songs is something that draws her fans towards her.

Along with being the most celebrated music artist of all time, the philanthropist in her is exceptional and her compassion towards humanity is widely known.  She actively supports several causes monetarily (also supporting beliefs through her lyrics) plus has participated in causes such as gender inclusivity, racial equality, pro-choice and gun control.  On her recent Era’s Tour stint in the UK, Taylor Swift donated enough money to cover the food bills for an entire year across 11 food banks and community pantries in Liverpool.  She did this for every city she toured in the UK, meaning she’s done more than the government has in 14 years to eradicate food poverty.

Since the moment Taylor Swift announced the Eras Tour in 2022, there was no denying that it was going to be the tour of the decade, break every possible record and make headlines before it even began.  The Eras Tour is the highest-grossing tour of all time and the first ever to hit $1 billion! She’s not only currently delivering the tour of the last two years, it’s the tour of her generation.  The three-and-a-half-hour show has THE most cultural impact I personally have ever witnessed whether you were there or not there.  Seeing all ten of her eras represented in massive stadium-sized crowds by Swifties wearing some sort of reference (many hand-made outfits) to their favourite song or album is equal parts meaningful and remarkable.  Despite the controversial ticketing frenzy, the tour has caused – believe me, if you were caught in that ticketing stress, you know all about it – Taylor Swift broke a Ticketmaster record in the US with more than 2.4 million tickets sold – the most by an artist in a single day – in the presale alone.

There is no doubt that there aren’t many artists out there these days, as talented as Taylor Swift and who have the most loyal following.  Her fandom crosses generations.  She’s a quintessential millennial who many fans have grown up with over the past two decades.  Some have started to bring their children along to the concerts, posting videos of them singing to the lyrics of ‘Long Live’.  Taylor is also huge amongst the TikTok generation (Gen Z) with SwiftTok creating a community of young Swifties to engage and share everything Taylor Swift and Era’s Tour related.

Taylor Swift continues to dominate the cultural conversations through her music, business decisions and legions of devoted fans.  Right now, her popularity is at an all-time high and it could be easy to dismiss this hype as a passing trend.  But if these first 17 years are anything to go by, Taylor has proven she’s in it for the long haul and worthy or our time. Her relatability, integrity and sartorial storytelling mean for generations to come, she will never go out of style.

// Irene Feeney Steele