I don’t get it. Her music is sometimes catchy but otherwise unremarkable, from the songs I’ve heard. How does she break all these records and accumulate so much fame and wealth?
She’s pretty, but a lot of singer songwriters are, especially those with makeup and costume people, a support staff.
Is there something else to her that people like?
I’m confused about what makes her so apparently unique or phenomenal.
Update: there are so many things that make swift unique or phenomenal.
I’ve received tons of great answers from people that have helped me understand, like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle, many factors that makes swift different and consequently more successful than her peers.
Clever lyrics, top-tier production, sharing autobiographical and emotional points in her life very directly, apparent honesty with few or no public blemishes, creating a community of fans through Easter eggs and house parties and unconventional, but always personal methods, an early start supported by wealthy parents, she keeps winning against abusers, and her music itself is popular and fun.
Those are just a few of the puzzle pieces contributed here, and a dive into this post is a pretty good explanation of many of the factors that must be contributing to her phenomenal success and recognition, that set her apart from other pop stars, even pop stars who were phenoms in their own right.
This is a very educational post, thank you to everyone who has contributed.
Think of a dish made by a world class chef, that food is probably exquisitely crafted using unique and fresh ingredients. There probably aren’t that many people out there who truly appreciate it, and probably a lot who just think it’s weird.
Now think of pizza. It’s relatively cheap and broadly appealing. It wouldn’t be put in the same class as the food prepared by the chef, but a lot more of it gets consumed.
Taylor Swift is talented, pretty, affable, has a superior work ethic, and makes music that’s catchy and easily digestible. Like pizza, her music appeals to the broadest group of people.
I like this explanation, but I feel like there are plenty of other artists who fit into that category.
Is it just random that they had to pick one brand of pizza to go crazy over do you think?
I think she shouldnt be popular, and I guess it’s because of marketing. The media companies put her in the spot light a lot, and people got used to her music I guess.
It’s not like with Michael Jackson or Madonna where the music were actually very good and creative. This is like pizza I guess, something to listen to that sounds the same as everything else.
She may not be your cup of tea, which is totally fine. No music is for everyone. But to say her music is not creative or good like Michael Jackson and Madonna is silly. It definitely reveals an unfamiliarity with her catalog. While I like Madonna, she has not competently covered as much ground as Taylor Swift has been able to.
I used to not really like Taylor Swift until I actually sat down and gave her music a real listen, then I got what all the hubbub was about. She has a lot of albums for her age, and there’s relatively little filler on them (some have none in my opinion).
I admit I haven’t listed her very much. I will give it another try. What album should I start with?
It really depends on your taste. If you enjoy pop, 1989 is a good entree. If you enjoy moodier stuff, folklore is not a bad choice. If you enjoy country, try Fearless. You could also just sample some hits and, when you find one that’s ok, try the album it’s on. If you really want to run the gamut, going in chronological order is a good way to see the evolution of her sound and songwriting. The Taylor’s Version albums are worth listening to instead of the originals, though you can skip the bonus tracks if you’re not a huge fan.
That being said, you could justifiably come out on the other side still not liking her stuff. But I hope you’d at least have an appreciation for the artistry.
Ok I listened to 1989. A few songs were actually good. Catchy, great for car.
Ok she isn’t as awful as I though. Thank you.
i love this lol r/characterarcs 🫶
Because she’s not only good at producing the right music, she’s good at business and has the right connections to launch them.
Thanks, I’m very curious about this. What are some salient examples of her business prowess?
My favorite…
Guy owns her masters.
Taylor says “can I buy my master’s?”
Guy says “nope”
Taylor says “ok” then then re-records all of those albums again in a complete “fuck you”
She makes music that a lot of people really like. Often times because they relate. It sounds like it’s not your kind of music, and that’s fine. Not really any more to it.
That doesn’t explain all of the awards. And it’s not just a lot of people, it’s often a historical amount of people right?
That many people and that many awards just because she has the same formula every other pop star has?
She’s really good at making pop music. Just because it doesn’t appeal to you doesn’t mean she’s not good.
My friend Alex is really into metal music. Like, it’s all he listens to. Every once in a while I’ll listen to some of his songs, and they all sound the same to me. The stuff he says is awful sounds the same to me as the stuff he says is incredible. That doesn’t mean there’s no variation in metal or that it’s all just formulaic, and it doesn’t mean that bands can’t be really good at making and playing metal music, it just means I can’t tell when they are, cause it’s not my kind of music.
It appears to be the same for you and pop music. It all sounds the same to you because it’s not your kind of music.
Wow! Those are pretty virulent, unsubstantiated assumptions.
I like pop music, hence my curiosity.
The reason I prefaced my statement with “it appears” is precisely because I didn’t want to assume.
A velvet glove on an iron fist.
I suggest speaking and theorizing based on your personal experience rather than the positions you assume others take.
Ok, so take this same disdain that you have for other people assuming your thoughts and feelings, and apply it to your own views on Taylor Swift’s fans. Just like you, they have their own thoughts and feelings, and unlike you, they don’t find her music unremarkable.
fucking based
She makes music that a lot of people really like.
That doesn’t explain all of the awards.
Yes it literally does. Disappointed to see OP approach this with such bad faith—it’s clear you don’t want to have your predetermined conclusions challenged. :(
This is an open-ended question, and there have been tons of useful, insightful answers that have changed my views if you cared to read, as to why this particular pop star, who doesn’t seem to differ much from most other pop stars, is rewarded so much more and is so much more popular.
Yes, people like her music, but that isn’t the question, which is why do people like her music?
Why are Israel and Palestine fighting?
“They don’t like each other.”
Phew, case solved, now you don’t have to learn anything new and you understand nothing more than you did before.
live feed of the goalposts being moved:
what makes taylor swift so popular? (post title)
what explains all of taylor swift’s awards? (your first comment in this thread)
that isn’t the question, which is why do people like her music? (this comment)
idk what to say buddy lol.
I wish people would stop using the goalposts comment when you obviously don’t know what it means.
Let’s look at these three questions.
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What are the mechanisms that explain Taylor Swift’s popularity?
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What are the mechanisms that explain Taylor Swift’s recognized popularity?
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What are the mechanisms that explain Taylor Swift’s recognized musical popularity?
Pretty on message.
If you look at the threads of this post, you’ll find the most people recognize that and are contributing to the answer.
someone provides their answer to number #1 and you dismissed it without evidence. i find this gross and in bad faith; this is all im pointing out. 👍
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-Very skilled songwriter. I don’t necessarily like all her stuff but I legitimately think she’s the best songwriter (meaning, composing music and writing lyrics) of her generation. Probably since Bruce Springsteen or Billy Joel.
-Very attractive and a good performer
-Well connected in the music industry let her get an early start/inside track
-obsessed with being popular. I don’t mean that in a negative way, but her primary objective with her music is to please as many people as possible. I think the documentary “Miss Americana” on Netflix explains that very well-at one point she straight up says “I just want people to like me” or something like that. That means her music/career has always focused on mass appeal as opposed to making more… limited-appeal music like most artists do at some point in their career
-she’s kept a remarkably clean image even through being famous for close to two decades. It’s very telling that the worst thing her haters can say about her is “but her plane uses a lot of carbon!” This means parents let kids listen to her, brands love her as a sponsor, nobody boycotts her, etc.
-one last thing, I think people love her songs because they feel like they’re true. Her songs have a very intimate, almost confessional quality that a lot of artists strive for buy often comes off as fake.
She’s just lately a decent songwriter. For most of her career, her songs were written for her by the heavy hitters behind virtually every top 100 hit. Her producer/mixer/writer Jack Antonoff still does most of the heavy lifting.
I am tired of seeing the sentiment that she’s some brilliant songwriter–she really only kind of plays the guitar. The reality is that if anyone is made to be a billionaire, and work with one of the best musical minds of our time (Antonoff), and collaborate with the other top song writers/ghost writers, of course, a decade later, they’ll be able to write songs. It was never some innate talent of hers, or else the songs she truly did write early in her career would have been the hits, instead of the mutually agreed upon worst on the album.
The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has written or co-written every song in her discography, with the exception of several cover songs and two guest features, alongside some songs released by other artists
Source?
Co-writing means nothing at the mega-pop industry level, and starts having little meaning far before that. But, if you are genuinely under the impression that it has meaning, I have a bridge to sell you.
The source for my claims of brilliant songwriters writing her entire early career is visible in Genius for everything pre-Lover.
this commenter is lying and the sources they claim to cite contradict their own claims.
By early in her career do you mean when she was like 18? I’m not saying she hasn’t had a lot of help. But I disagree with the idea that she’s just a figurehead. She is listed as a writer for pretty much all her songs, and you can usually tell a Taylor Swift song just by the sound/lyrics, which isnt something i can say for a lot of pop artists. If it was Antonoff the whole time then Bleachers would be more popular (relative to Swift).
No, she really only started to write with “Lover”. Prior to that, it was Antonoff, and prior to that it was a lot of different writers/ghost writers.
I also don’t think she’s just a figure head. I appreciate everything she’s done to get artists paid more, I think she’s a good role model for girls/women, etc. But, I do not think she’s a talented song writer. She’s not a multi-instrumentalist. And, she is a billionaire, hoarding wealth like all the others.
your analysis is correct. the commenter you are replying to is like literally lying and i’m making an effort to point that out because they are getting far too many upvotes for someone whose sources contradict their own statements. check out my other comments if interested lol and have a great day 😊
i am sick and tired of this misogynistic bile. i do not write this comment for your sake commenter, but for the sake of anyone who might be swayed by your bullshit rhetoric.
let’s break this down:
“sHe ReAlLy only PlAys ThE GUitaR” you can’t even get that factoid right. Taylor Swift plays at least four instruments.
“she doesn’t write her songs herself and the ones she does write are mutually agreed to be the worst”—
outright false:
Many critics selected “Dear John” [on which Swift is credited as the sole songwriter] as Speak Now’s best song for its production and emotional impact. Such critics include Jon Caramanica in The New York Times (lauding the blues production for expanding beyond Swift’s country-music comfort zone),[15] Mikael Wood in Spin (saying it was “epic pop-country poetry”),[17] and Willman in The Hollywood Reporter (underscoring the “chills-inducing climax”). wikipedia
too late for you? Our Song (2006, written solely by Swift) was one of the “Award-Winning Songs” at the 2008 BMI Country Awards, which honors the year’s best songwriters.[35] It featured on Rolling Stone’s 2019 list of the best female country songs from 2000.[36]
“Jack Antonoff does the heavy lifting” Antonoff is a FUCKING incredible artist and I do not deny that, but who sings the songs with a critically acclaimed voice? who performs the music live to meticulous, hours-long choreography? spoiler: not Antonoff, buddy! you might be shocked to hear it was a woman.
Next time you want to just lie on the internet maybe ar least try to find some supporting evidence instead of making empty assertions like a freshman in high school. Like damn. 🗿
I wanted to chime in, since I’m in the unique situation of not being a “Swiftie” but still having an above-average knowledge of Taylor Swift due to being married to a Swiftie.
For starters, her songs are very relatable for women. Especially in women around her age, she was routinely writing songs that spoke to the emotions during each periods of their lives. My wife, for example, was in middle/high school when Taylor was releasing her romantic country songs, and met me right around when Taylor released Lover. This is all because Taylor is extremely autobiographical with her lyrics and was writing about what she was experiencing at the time. She wrote lovesongs in Speak Now because she was in high school and early college when she produced the album. She wrote Lover because she had met a man who, at the time, she perceived to be a man she could spend the rest of her life with. Since Red, very few of her songs are about hypothetical situations. Almost all of them are about her real experiences as a person and as a woman, with the exception of folklore and Evermore, and that speaks to women in a very strong way. Her lyrics and reasons behinds songs are deep, much deeper than most give her credit for.
Additionally, she is extremely good at marketing. Many of her songs and albums have Easter eggs in them that only true fans will be able to find. She also drops a lot of cryptic hints, which her fans love to dissect and interpret to try and predict major releases or announcements. It’s just good fun for them, and it increases the hype significantly. Also, her concerts are not just live music, they’re a whole show. The Eras concert is 3 hours long, and she is singing and running the entire time. She rarely lip-syncs - I say rarely because I’ve heard claims that she does but I have never seen it - and gives it her all every single concert. Her band and many of her dancers and support staff have been with her for a decade or more now, and they have continued to routinely put on shows to the best of their abilities without fail.
Finally, she is, most Swifties believe, a genuinely good person. The worst thing I’ve ever heard of her doing is loaning her private jet out to her friends and families which caused her to break the news because her jet was causing a lot of emissions. Beyond that, she seems to be a grounded woman who genuinely loves her fans and the people around her.
If you take nothing else away from this post, this is the most important fact: She is relatable to women. She sings about her lived experiences, many of which are relatable to her fans.
I’m not a huge fan or anything, but I think she’s a really talented musician and really good at managing her fame. She keeps a strong relationship with her fans, her music spans numerous genres, and her father is a wealth manager.
Watching her Tiny Desk concert helped me get more into her music so I could enjoy it with my daughter.
OP, can you explain why any other celebrity whom you do not follow is popular?
if not, i think your question is unfairly asked
you are framing this as though fame is a question with a simple y=mx+b formula for an answer, as though pop music isn’t a billion dollar industry of hundreds of thousands of creative professionals (not just musicians) vying against one another for their opportunity to make a mark.
with full respect and appreciation for your curiosity, it’s fine to “not get” a person’s music, but that doesn’t mean you are owed an explanation for the entire raison de’tre of the pop culture industry.
I’m not curious about the whole industry, just about this hyper-successful artist who appears unremarkable to me and isn’t the first to pioneer any particular pop movement like other hyper-successful artists before her.
I’m assuming there must be things I don’t see.
I don’t think I’m owed an explanation, but I think it’s perfectly fair to ask for an explanation that others with more experience in the subject can choose to provide.
If you look into the comments here, there are a lot of really good explanations and answers.
+1 for pointing out facts and elements of her character that changed your perspective in recent comments. i was getting really off-put by your earlier replies, hence my abrasion.
i want to point out that a lot of the things you “discovered” here could easily have been found out by instead reading some music journalism. nothing has been said here that hasn’t already been said hundreds of times by well-known music critics you can find on google.
