Cultural Impact Of Taylor Swift
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The American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...
has influenced
popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art
f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...
or mass art, sometimes contraste ...
with her music, artistry,
performances A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...
,
image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
,
politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
,
fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...
, ideas and actions, collectively referred to as the Taylor Swift effect by publications. Debuting as a 16-year-old
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
singer-songwriter in 2006, Swift steadily amassed fame, success, and public curiosity in her career, becoming a monocultural figure. One of the most prominent celebrities of the 21st century, Swift is recognized for her versatile musicality,
songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
prowess, and business acuity that have inspired artists and entrepreneurs worldwide. She began in
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
, ventured into
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
, and explored
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
indie folk Indie folk (also called alternative folk) is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Characteristics The staff of '' Paste Magazine'' said in 2020: "No music genre ...
and
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...
styles, blurring
music genre A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Genre is to be distinguished from musical form and musical style, although in practice these terms are sometim ...
boundaries. Critics describe her as a cultural quintessence with a rare combination of chart success, critical acclaim, and intense fan support, resulting in her wide impact on and beyond the
music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...
. From the end of the
album era The album era (sometimes, album-rock era) was a period in popular music, usually defined as the mid-1960s through the mid-2000s, in which the album—a collection of songs issued on physical media—was the dominant form of recorded music expr ...
to the rise of the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
, Swift drove the evolution of music distribution, perception, and consumption across the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s, and has used
social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
to spotlight issues within the industry and society at large. Wielding a strong economic and political leverage, she prompted reforms to
recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...
,
streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
, and
distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...
structures for greater artists' rights, increased awareness of creative ownership in terms of masters and
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
, and has led the
vinyl revival The vinyl revival, also known as the vinyl resurgence, is the renewed interest and increased sales of vinyl records, or gramophone records, that has been taking place in the music industry. Beginning in 2007, vinyl records experienced renewed po ...
. Her consistent commercial success is considered unprecedented by journalists, with simultaneous achievements in
album sales Record sales or music sales are activities related to selling music recordings (albums, single (music), singles, or music video#Commercial release, music videos) through physical record shops or digital music stores. Record sales reached their pe ...
, digital sales,
streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
,
airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
,
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
sales,
record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...
s, and touring. ''
Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...
'' stated Swift is "The Music Industry", one of her many honorific sobriquets. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' described Swift as "an advocate, a style icon, a marketing wiz, a prolific songwriter, a pusher of visual boundaries and a record-breaking road warrior". Her Eras Tour (2023–2024) had its own global impact. Swift is a subject of academic research,
media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but it mos ...
, and
cultural analysis As a discipline, cultural analysis is based on using qualitative research methods of the arts, humanities, social sciences, in particular ethnography and anthropology, to collect data on cultural phenomena and to interpret cultural representatio ...
, generally focused on concepts of
poptimism Rockism and poptimism are ideological arguments about popular music prevalent in mainstream music journalism. Rockism is the belief that rock music depends on values such as authenticity and artfulness, which elevate it over other forms of ...
,
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
,
capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
,
internet culture Internet culture refers to culture developed and maintained among frequent and active users of the Internet (also known as netizens) who primarily communicate with one another as members of online communities; that is, a culture whose influence ...
,
celebrity culture Celebrity culture is a high-volume exposure to celebrities' personal lives on a global scale. It is inherently tied to consumer interests where celebrities transform their fame to become product brands. Whereas a culture can usually be physically ...
,
consumerism Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...
, Americanism,
post-postmodernism Post-postmodernism is a wide-ranging set of developments in critical theory, philosophy, architecture, art, literature, and culture which are emerging from and reacting to postmodernism. Modernism and postmodernism Most scholars would agree th ...
, and other sociomusicological phenomena.
Academic institution An academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which grants academic degrees. See also academy and university. Types * Primary schools – (from French ''école primaire'') institutions where childre ...
s offer various
courses Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
on her. Scholars have variably attributed Swift's dominant cultural presence to her musical sensibility,
artistic integrity Artistic integrity is generally defined as the ability to omit an acceptable level of opposing, disrupting, and corrupting values that would otherwise alter an artist's or entities’ original vision in a manner that violates their own preconceive ...
, global engagement, intergenerational appeal, public image, and marketing acumen. Several authors have used the
adjective An adjective (abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that describes or defines a noun or noun phrase. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Traditionally, adjectives are considered one of the main part of speech, parts of ...
"Swiftian" to describe works reminiscent or derivative of Swift.


Fame and stardom

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...
is one of the highest selling music artists of all time. She is the richest female musician and the first billionaire in history with music as the main source of income (, as of 2024). She has released 11 studio albums and four re-recorded albums, supported by a number of
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
, apart from her non-album songs and collaborations. All of her albums were commercially lucrative and positively received by music critics. ''Billboard'' noted that only a handful of artists have had Swift's trifecta of chart success, critical acclaim, and fan support, resulting in her widespread impact. Several publications note Swift's popularity and longevity as the kind of "ceaseless" fame and "global influence" unseen since the 20th century. To
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, Swift began the
2010s File:2010s collage v22.png, From top left, clockwise: Anti-government protests called the Arab Spring arose in 2010–2011, and as a result, many governments were overthrown, including when Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was Death of Muammar Gad ...
decade as a
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
star and ended it as an "all-time musical titan". ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
''
Jody Rosen Jody Rosen (born June 21, 1969 in New York City) is an American journalist and author. He is a contributing writer for ''The New York Times Magazine''. Career Journalism Rosen served as critic-at-large for '' T: The New York Times Style Magaz ...
and ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' Steve Chapman called Swift the world's biggest pop star and music star, respectively, leaving her peers "vying for second place" as per Rosen. ''
Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...
'' and ''
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...
'' have described Swift as "pop megastar at celestial echelons" and "the world's greatest female leader", respectively.


Cultural presence

Journalists describe Swift as a cultural touchstone. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' columnist Greg Jericho dubbed Swift a "cultural vitality" whose consistent popularity, accentuated by the era of
internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
, surpassed that of
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
,
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
and U2, who struggled to retain their cultural significance this far into their careers, whereas Swift continued to find success in the 18th year of hers with her tenth studio album, ''
Midnights ''Midnights'' is the tenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 21, 2022, by Republic Records. She conceived ''Midnights'' as a concept album about nocturnal ruminations inspired by her sleepl ...
'' (2022). Jericho stated that only
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
,
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
and
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
could compete with Swift in terms of popularity, while deeming Swift the most popular female artist of the 21st century; Chris Molanphy of ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' stated that Swift's career has lasted longer than that of
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, breaking the band's once-deemed "unbeatable" records. Multiple journalists have compared her fame to that of
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
or
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' author Ben Sisario felt Swift's cultural dominance competes with Jackson and Madonna in the 1980s, calling it something the "entertainment business had largely accepted as impossible to replicate in the fragmented 21st century." Many critics, including
Sam Lansky Sam Lansky (born September 23, 1988)Connelly, Sherryl (January 14, 2016)"Time magazine culture editor Sam Lansky reveals his wild days in new memoir 'The Gilded Razor'. ''NEW YORK DAILY NEWS''. Retrieved April 6, 2017. is an American journalist, ...
of ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
,'' consider Swift one of the last monocultural entities in the world. Within
celebrity culture Celebrity culture is a high-volume exposure to celebrities' personal lives on a global scale. It is inherently tied to consumer interests where celebrities transform their fame to become product brands. Whereas a culture can usually be physically ...
, Swift's music, life, and image are points of attention. Swift became a
teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers themselves. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia Ea ...
upon the release of her eponymous debut studio album in 2006, and has since become a dominant figure in
popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art
f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...
or mass art, sometimes contraste ...
, often referred to as a
pop icon A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in popular culture is regarded as constituting a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The usage of the term is largely subjective since there are no definitively object ...
or diva. Gayle Pamerleau of the
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (Pitt-Greensburg or UPG) is a state-related liberal arts college in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is a baccalaureate degree-granting regional campus of the University of Pi ...
credited
globalization Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
for Swift's fame and called her a
social contagion Social contagion involves behaviour, emotions, or conditions spreading spontaneously through a group or network. The phenomenon has been discussed by social scientists since the late 19th century, although much work on the subject was based on ...
benefitting "from existing in a time of 24-hour, global connectedness, when everybody knows what everyone else is thinking and doing." '' The Ringer'' Kate Knibbs called Swift inescapable as her music saturates "deep into the tissue of contemporary public life whether we like it or not." Hence, Swift's career choices result in reforms in the
music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...
. In a 2016 article, ''Billboard'' opined that despite having had only a decade-old career, Swift had shown an "undeniable" cultural impact. Kirsty Fairclough of the
University of Salford The University of Salford is a Public university, public research university in Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, west of Manchester city centre. The Royal Technical Institute, Salford, which opened in 1896, be ...
dubbed Swift "the center of the cultural universe." ''Billboard'' journalists felt that "her presence in popular music is the same as popular music itself. She's firing on all cylinders, across multiple mediums and eras, and has zero peers on her level", whereas
News.com.au News.com.au (stylised in all lowercase) is an Australian website owned by News Corp Australia. It had 9.6 million unique readers in April 2019 and covers national and international news, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, technology, finance an ...
asserted "there hasn't probably been anyone on the planet as culturally significant as Swift ever." Writing for
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, Scottie Andrew felt that "whenever there's a lull in the cultural discourse", Swift becomes the topic of focus. Billie Schwab Dunn of ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' remarked, "Swift has dominated the marketplace, a large portion of the cultural zeitgeist and media attention like no other artist before her".
Kyle Chayka Kyle Chayka (born ) is an American journalist and cultural critic. Early life and education Chayka grew up in New Milford, Connecticut, graduating from New Milford High School in 2006. As a teenager, he published a blog entitled "Verbal Diar ...
of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' felt Swift is a heroic figure like
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
and
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
, all of whom are "agents of the world-spirit" and symbolic of their respective periods in time. ''Time'' included Swift on its 2010, 2015 and 2019 rankings of the
100 most influential people ''Time'' 100 is a list of the top 100 most influential people, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, politicians, and journalists, the list is now a highly ...
. In 2014, she was named to ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
''
30 Under 30 ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists published annually by ''Forbes'' magazine since 2011 consisting of 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. The American list consists of 600 people, with 30 selected in each of 20 sect ...
list in the music category. Swift became the youngest woman to be included on ''Forbes'' list of the 100 most powerful women in 2015, ranked at number 64, and the first entertainer to ever place in the list's top five in 2023. She was the most googled woman in 2019 and musician in 2022, as well as the most googled songwriter of all time, and ''The Guardian'' named her the most powerful woman in U.K. media. Media outlets noted that she reached a new zenith of fame in 2023, with '' Glamour'' saying she "has officially taken over every aspect of popular culture." Describing a critical consensus, writer
Jeff Yang Jeff Yang ( zh, t=楊致和; born ) is an American writer, journalist, businessman, and business/media consultant who writes the ''Tao Jones'' column for ''The Wall Street Journal''. Previously, he was the "Asian Pop" columnist at the ''San Fra ...
said Swift is "increasingly being spoken about as an economic force of nature, a transformative creator advocate, organizer and innovator and arguably the most influential and even the most powerful figure in the music industry."


American symbol

Journalists associate Swift's fame with Americanism. According to Knibbs, with her second studio album '' Fearless'' (2008), Swift had become a "countrified celebrity solidified into industrial-grade American fame" due to her craftsmanship. Jack Dickey of ''Time'' said, Swift became "America's most important musician" by 2014. ''
Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...
'' called her career "a quintessential American success story". ''Collider'' contributor Shaina Weatherhead wrote that "Whether she likes it or not, Taylor Swift has become a pillar of the cultural
zeitgeist In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' (; ; capitalized in German) is an invisible agent, force, or daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. The term is usually associated with Georg W. F ...
", embodying
love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
,
diligence Diligence—carefulness and persistent effort or work—is listed as one of the seven Seven virtues#Seven capital virtues, capital virtues. It can be indicative of a work ethic, the belief that work is good in itself. : "There is a perennial ...
and
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
. Weatherhead added Swift's fame turned her into a staple of
American culture The culture of the United States encompasses various social behaviors, institutions, and Social norm, norms, including forms of Languages of the United States, speech, American literature, literature, Music of the United States, music, Visual a ...
beyond just American music. Journalists such as Ann Jamieson of ''
Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute ...
,''
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
's Michael A. Cohen and
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
' Kaetlyn Liddy have described Swift as an "American treasure", "the most famous and influential cultural icon" in the U.S., and "synonymous with American pop culture", respectively. Writer Anna Mark felt that the Swift's hold on popular culture impacted American culture in the process. In an
op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', Eugene Robinson opined Swift and the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
are two of the most beloved phenomena in American culture. Cultural critic
Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (né Gerstley; born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biogra ...
noted that Swift "wears the
American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...
on her face"—red lips, white skin, and blue eyes. ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'' Nate Jones and ''
El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...
'' Xavi Sancho consider Swift a cultural embodiment of American hegemony, while ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' columnist
Peggy Noonan Margaret Ellen "Peggy" Noonan (born September 7, 1950) is a weekly columnist for ''The Wall Street Journal'' and contributor to NBC News and ABC News. She was a primary speechwriter and Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan from 1984 to 19 ...
felt Americans should be thankful to the "epic American story" of Swift's career. Emily St. James of '' Vox'' wrote that Swift tells the stories of American
millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s a ...
through her songs in the manner Springsteen represented American
baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort preceded by the Silent Generation and followed by Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the mid-20th century baby boom that ...
. Writers at ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' described her as one of "America's most successful cultural symbols". Swift also
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
ically called herself as "Miss Americana" in her 2019 song "
Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her seventh studio album, '' Lover'' (2019). She wrote and produced the song with Joel Little, a few months after the 2018 U.S. midterm electi ...
", which also inspired the namesake 2020 documentary about her life and career.


Tributes and honorifics

Swift received various honorific titles and sobriquets recognizing her impact. "America's Sweetheart" is a title the media used for her in her early days, owing to her "all-American girl" image; "Princess of Country" stemmed from her mainstream popularity as a country star. Some outlets called her the "Pop Titan" or "Queen of Pop" due to her pop music dominance. ''Time'' and ''
PopSugar PopSugar Inc. is an American media and technology company that is the parent to the media property PopSugar (stylized POPSUGAR) and a monthly subscription business PopSugar Must Have. The company was founded in 2006 by married couple Brian and Lis ...
'' used "Queen of Bridges" to appreciate Swift's ability to compose well-received
bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...
. "Queen of Easter Eggs" was coined once Swift became known for the
Easter eggs Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are Egg decorating, decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter ...
and clues embedded in her album cycles. She was dubbed "The Music Industry" by ''
Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...
'' and American journalist
Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, ...
in light of her grip on the industry's fiber. In 2014, the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live celebrated Swift's career trajectory with a specially curated exhibit that broke attendance records and became the museum's "most popular exhibit to date". In 2019, Swift became the first recipient of the Woman of the Decade (the 2010s) title from ''Billboard'' for being "one of the most accomplished musical artists of all time over the course of the 2010s", and the
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
named her Artist of the Decade for her record-setting wins in the 2010s. In 2021, the Brit Awards awarded Swift the Global Icon trophy "in recognition of her immense impact on music across the world". In 2022, the
Nashville Songwriters Association International The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) is a 501(c) Non-profit organization, not-for-profit trade organization that works to help songwriters in three ways: through legislative advocacy, through education and advice about the ...
named her Songwriter of the Decade to acknowledge her success as a writer. In 2023, she was presented the Innovator Award by
iHeartRadio Music Awards The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a music awards show that celebrates music heard throughout the year across List of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia, iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital music platf ...
for "her impact on global pop culture" and named
Person of the Year __NOTOC__ Person of the Year, Man of the Year or Woman of the Year is an award given to an individual by any type of organization. Most often, it is given by a newspaper or other news outlet to annually recognize a public figure. Such awards hav ...
by ''Time'', the first time an entertainer received the designation in its 96-year history. Various objects and locations have been named after Swift. The
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, established the Taylor Swift Education Center to host curriculum-connected activities for school groups, music programs, workshops and book talks. Swift received an
honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...
Doctor of Fine Arts Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA) is a professional doctoral degree in fine arts. It may also be awarded as an honorary degree. Description Doctoral programmes leading to DFAs in the UK are of equivalent level to a PhD, with the same requirement to demon ...
degree from
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
in 2022 for being "one of the most prolific and celebrated artists of her generation". She has two organisms named after her—''
Nannaria swiftae The genus ''Nannaria'', commonly known as twisted-claw millipedes, is a genus of millipedes in the family Xystodesmidae first described by Ralph Chamberlin in 1918. In 2022, entomologists Derek Hennen, Jackson Means and Paul Marek discovered a ...
'' and '' Castianeira swiftay''.
Botanists This is a list of botanists who have Wikipedia articles, in alphabetical order by surname. The List of botanists by author abbreviation is mostly a list of plant taxonomists because an author receives a standard abbreviation only when that aut ...
named a plant
remote sensor Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...
TSWIFT (Tower
Spectrometer A spectrometer () is a scientific instrument used to separate and measure Spectrum, spectral components of a physical phenomenon. Spectrometer is a broad term often used to describe instruments that measure a continuous variable of a phenomeno ...
on Wheels for Investigating Frequent Timeseries).


Musicianship


Country music revival

Swift reshaped the 21st-century
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
scene, and has been one of the most acclaimed country artists of her generation. According to Tom Roland of ''Billboard'', the country landscape is "much different today" due to Swift and her career that several critics regarded "unorthodox". Rosen described Swift as the first country act whose fame extended beyond the U.S. and marked internationally, as she offered "
modernity Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period (the modern era) and the ensemble of particular Society, socio-Culture, cultural Norm (social), norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the ...
,
cosmopolitanism Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizen ...
,
youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...
" in a genre traditionally representing
conservatism Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, Convention (norm), customs, and Value (ethics and social science ...
,
parochialism Parochialism is the state of mind whereby one focuses on small sections of an issue rather than considering its wider context. More generally, it consists of being narrow in scope. In that respect, it is a synonym of " provincialism". It may, pa ...
and older adults. Her chart success extended to Asia and the U.K., where country music had not been popular. As of February 2011, ''Fearless'' sold 400,000 copies in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Following her rise to fame, country record labels became interested in signing young singers capable of writing their own music. In 2008,
Sasha Frere-Jones Alexander Roger Wallace "Sasha" Frere-Jones ( né Jones; born 1967) is an American writer, music critic, and musician. Frere-Jones was pop critic of the ''New Yorker'' from 2004 to 2015. In January 2015, he left the ''New Yorker'' to work for ' ...
of ''The New Yorker'' called Swift a "preternaturally skilled student of established values". Frere-Jones wrote, as the
opening act An opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, supporting act or opener, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform ...
for
Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...
, Swift " truttedacross stage platforms, performing a
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
duet on garbage cans, and switching gears without pause—her voice, all the while, light and breathy and without affectation—she returned the crowd's energy with the professionalism she has shown since the age of fourteen." ''Rolling Stone'' said Swift's country music had a large impact on 2010s pop music. The
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...
recognized Swift's "long-term positive impact on the appreciation of country music for generations to come" by awarding her with the second-ever Pinnacle Award in 2013. According to Roland, Swift insisted on writing her songs, mining inspiration from her real life. She entered country music, which has historically been "a place where adults sang grown-up songs for other adults". With her autobiographical songs of romance and heartbreak, Swift introduced the country genre to a relatable younger generation. Although the U.S.
country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. T ...
's target audience was between ages 25 and 54, listeners were generally limited to those older than 35 years. Various country music acts, label executives, and radio programmers have unsuccessfully attempted to lower this
median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...
age since the early 1980s, but with Swift's rise in the mid to late
2000s File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center (1973–2001), World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty on the left during the September 11 attacks, terrorist attacks on Sep ...
the median age dropped below 25 with the genre attracting teenagers. According to programmer John Shomby, Swift "wrote for that specific age and was the first one to ever do that." Critic Gavin Edwards opined in 2020 that although
LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and o ...
achieved major commercial success as a teenage country singer in the 1990s, she could not have Swift's longevity as "most modern country radio stations are narrowly focused on women over thirty". He attributed Swift's rise to fame to "a rare blend of goofy teenager and polished saleswoman, which has let her tap into a huge market of country-loving teens". Swift was one of the first country acts to employ the
internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
as a
marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
tool, promoting her music through
Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
, which was the largest social networking website in the world from 2005 to 2009. She created her MySpace page the day before her then-label,
Big Machine Records Big Machine Records is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta and ...
, was launched (August 31, 2005), and eventually amassed over 45 million streams via MySpace, which label CEO
Scott Borchetta Scott Borchetta (born July 3, 1962) is an American record executive and founder of the Big Machine Records#Imprints, Big Machine Label Group. He started the label in 2005 with Taylor Swift as its first signed artist and 13 employees, he served ...
cited to convince "skeptical" country radio stations of Swift's niche audience. Social media followings and streaming service data have since been used "to prove an act's viability to radio". Sisario credited Swift with widening the appeal of country music, introducing it to younger audiences, and contributing to country radio surpassing
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
as the largest format in the U.S.


Poptimism

Journalists highlighted how Swift redefined the 21st-century pop music direction by expanding pop's perceived boundaries to bring forth emotional engagement and artistic ambition without forfeiting commercial success, defying critical beliefs. In 2013, Rosen described the ''Red''-era Swift as a prim figure—"a
rock critic Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
's darling who hasn't the faintest whiff of
countercultural A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
cool about her", setting her apart from pop stars that followed the "raunchiness" trend of the period. In 2016, Roland said Swift "managed to conquer country and, in an unprecedented move, transition fully into life as a pop artist with her latest album, ''
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
'', without even a hiccup." ''1989''s commercial success transformed Swift's image from a country singer to a full-fledged pop star. Its singles received heavy
rotation Rotation or rotational/rotary motion is the circular movement of an object around a central line, known as an ''axis of rotation''. A plane figure can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise sense around a perpendicular axis intersect ...
on U.S. radio over one and a half years following its release, which ''Billboard'' noted as "a kind of cultural omnipresence" that was rare for a 2010s album.
Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
academic Shaun Cullen described Swift as a figure "at the cutting edge of
postmillennial In Christian eschatology (end-times theology), postmillennialism, or postmillenarianism, is an interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation which sees Christ's second coming as occurring ''after'' (Latin ''post-'') the "Millennium", a ...
pop". Retrospectives from '' GQ'' Jay Willis, ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'' Sasha Geffen, and ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' Hannah Mylrea note how ''1989'' avoided
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and R&B crossover trends, influencing younger artists to explore "pure pop" and cultivating a trend of nostalgic 1980s-styled sound. Ian Gormely of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' deemed Swift a leading figure of 21st-century
poptimism Rockism and poptimism are ideological arguments about popular music prevalent in mainstream music journalism. Rockism is the belief that rock music depends on values such as authenticity and artfulness, which elevate it over other forms of ...
who replaced
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
and
urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
trends with ambition. He wrote that her transition to pop proved "chart success and clarity of artistic vision aren't mutually exclusive ideas." Geffen attributed Swift's pop transition success to her lyrics rooted in layered, emotional engagement rather than superficial themes that dominated mainstream pop. According to Lucy Harbron of '' Clash'', pop stars like
Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...
would not exist if Swift had not normalized blending various pop music genres in ''1989''—an explicit trend among pop artists since the album. It paved the way for artists "who no longer wish to be ghettoised into separated musical genres", for
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's Neil Smith. Critics Sam Sanders and
Ann Powers Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and popular music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also written for other publicat ...
regarded Swift as a "surprisingly successful composite of megawatt pop star and bedroom singer-songwriter" while Philip Cosores of ''Uproxx'' felt Swift does not completely conform to either the traditional pop star or the "classic rocker" aesthetics, presenting a novel type of artistry. Robert Steiner of ''Variety'' felt that Swift's touring ushered a shift in the live music industry, helping pop acts dominate the stadium concert business instead of rock acts.


Versatility

Swift has ventured into diverse genres and undertaken artistic reinventions throughout her career. ''Pitchfork'' opined in 2021 that Swift changed the music landscape forever with a "singularly perceptive" catalog that accommodates musical and cultural shifts. Harbron stated Swift's genre-spanning career encouraged her peers to experiment with diverse sounds. The BBC and ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' designated Swift a "music
chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this Family (biology), family are best known for ...
". Swift stated that she "knew she had to keep innovating" to stay ahead of record labels working to replace her. Swift's fourth album ''
Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...
'' (2012) intensified the critical debate over her genre categorization, as she was a country artist at that time, but ''Red'' contained heavy pop,
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...
and
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
elements. Swift said that she opts to let others label genres. Critics felt that ''Red'' signified Swift's inevitable transition to mainstream pop. Randall Roberts of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' claimed that ''Red'' is "perfectly rendered American popular music" irrespective of whether it is a pop or country record. ''The New York Times'''
Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
dubbed Swift "a pop star in a country context". According to Harbron, ''Red'' proved the industry that
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
is not the only experimental approach in music and that Swift "opened a door for every other musician" in 2012 to coalesce multiple genres into an album. After ''1989'', Swift released her 2020 albums ''
Folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
'' and ''
Evermore ''Evermore'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the ninth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was surprise-released on December 11, 2020, by Republic Records. Swift conceived ''Evermore'' as a "sister record" to its p ...
'', which were described as a mix of
indie folk Indie folk (also called alternative folk) is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Characteristics The staff of '' Paste Magazine'' said in 2020: "No music genre ...
,
chamber pop Chamber pop (also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other components drawn from t ...
, and
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
styles. They expanded the perception of Swift's discography, with many critics describing her catalog as a musically heterogeneous collection of songs. Having demonstrated an
emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...
appeal, Swift's songs are often covered by
pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
and
metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...
acts. American singer-songwriter
Noah Kahan Noah Kahan ( ; born January 1, 1997) is an American singer-songwriter who signed with Republic Records in 2017. His breakthrough single, " Hurt Somebody", achieved gold status in the United States and charted in multiple international markets. T ...
said that ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore'' helped reignite popular interest in folk music, and ''Billboard'' credited Swift with the power "to pull any sound she wants into mainstream orbit".


Writing

Swift is Google's most searched songwriter of all time. She has keenly presented herself as a writer from the beginning stage of career, "steeped in
Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as ...
's values of craftsmanship and storytelling" as per Rosen. Her lyrics are known for their passion and intense emotions. According to Zoya Raza-Sheikh of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', Swift is able to balance universal themes with hyper-specificity, possessing "an uncanny talent for reflecting the world's emotional angst through her own lens." Brian Hiatt of ''Rolling Stone'' opined that Swift is the reason why some popstars write their own material. In being personal and vulnerable in her lyrics, music journalist Nick Catucci felt Swift helped make space for other singers like
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
, Halsey, and
Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes (song), Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her broth ...
to do the same. Professor Hannah Wing of
Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
attributed Swift's popularity to the intimacy in her music, cultivating a "feeling of closeness". According to Raza-Sheikh, ''Fearless'' and ''
Speak Now ''Speak Now'' is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 25, 2010, by Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the album entirely herself while touring in 2009–2010 to reflect on her transitio ...
'' (2010) depicted Swift's adolescent innocence that resonated with a large audience, followed by her matured records ''Red'' and ''1989'', which exhibited her confidence in defining her narrative, becoming "unafraid of upsetting the
status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...
and critics". She explored "the role of the
villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
" in her sixth studio album, ''
Reputation The reputation or prestige of a social entity (a person, a social group, an organization, or a place) is an opinion about that entity – typically developed as a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria, such as behavior or performance. ...
'' (2017). It was not until ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore'' some critics began to "take her songwriting seriously". Commentators regarded both ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore'' as poetic reinventions, contextualizing them as "
lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
projects" or archetypal "
quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...
albums". ''Uproxx'' noted that ''Folklore'' changed the tone of music in 2020. Critic Tom Hull wrote that Swift "caught the spirit of the times" with ''Folklore''. ''The New York Times and
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
'' named ''Folklore'' one of the best moments of the "
COVID Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
era". The rock critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
remarked that Swift's consistent artistic outputs made her an enduring songwriter, labelling himself a "longtime admirer of Swift". Swift's songs have reportedly helped non-native speakers, especially fans beyond the
Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...
, learn the English language. British scholar
Jonathan Bate Sir Andrew Jonathan Bate (born 26 June 1958) is a British academic, biographer, literary critic, broadcaster, and scholar, known for his work on Shakespeare, Romanticism, and ecocriticism. He is currently Foundation Professor of Environmental ...
dubbed Swift a "real poet" with a "literary sensibility" evoking the likes of
Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...
and
Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Nicholls (; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855), commonly known as Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ), was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë family, Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novel ...
that was rare in pop music.
Stephanie Burt Stephanie Burt (formerly published as Stephen Burt) is a literary critic and poet who is the Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English at Harvard University. ''The New York Times'' has called her "one of the most influential poetry cr ...
, an English professor at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, described Swift's songwriting skills as rare "at both the macro level of songwriting—presenting a story or an idea—as well as the micro level of fitting together vowels and consonants." According to the
University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...
literature professor Matthew Green, Swift has developed "a rich literary tradition" in her songs. According to Scarlet Keys, songwriting professor at
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...
, Swift "mixes
poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
with a very
colloquial Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation amo ...
, current language", and frequently uses
poetic devices Poetic devices are a form of literary device used in poetry. Poems are created out of poetic devices via a composite of: structural, grammatical, rhythmic, metrical, verbal, and visual elements. They are essential tools that a poet uses to create ...
but also knows to be "practical", such as in "
Mean A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...
" (2011) or "
Shake It Off "Shake It Off" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the lead single from her fifth studio album, '' 1989'' (2014). She wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. Inspired by the media scrutiny on Swif ...
" (2014). Similarly, Sam Corbin of ''The New York Times'' described Swift as "a linguistic maverick, writing lyrics that toggle between mixed metaphor and catchy confessional." American record producer
Ryan Tedder Ryan Benjamin Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, and lead vocalist for the pop rock band OneRepublic, while also serving as a prolific cont ...
described Swift as "the most talented top liner I've ever been in a room with" and praised her ability to write lyrics and melody in a "more adept ..focused, efficient" manner. The term "Swiftian" has been used in music journalism to describe works similar to or derivative of Swift.


Commercial success

Swift has gained a reputation as a "perennial chart topper" as per ''Time''. Her discography has achieved huge commercial success across all formats and sectors. Rosen felt it was historically unprecedented—disproving the presumed notions of music's commercial success in the 21st century. In the late 2010s, publications considered her million-selling albums a peculiarity in the
streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
-dominated industry, as the end of the
album era The album era (sometimes, album-rock era) was a period in popular music, usually defined as the mid-1960s through the mid-2000s, in which the album—a collection of songs issued on physical media—was the dominant form of recorded music expr ...
was marked by decline in album sales. Apart from publications like the ''Financial Times'',
musicologists Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...
such as Mary Fogarty, Gina Arnold and Paul Théberge have dubbed Swift's commercial success an anomaly. On Swift's success enduring into the 2020s, ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' opined that her "reign" defies the notion that the prime of an artist's commercial success lasts for few years only, whereas ''Rolling Stone'' considers her "a genre on her own", forming a major portion of total music consumption figures. In 2024, Joe Coscarelli of ''The New York Times'' attributed Swift's long-lasting success to "a mix of prolific artistic output and relentless business savvy, plus cultural dominance as a celebrity". Dorian Lynskey of ''The Guardian'' and Nora Princiotti of ''The Ringer'' declared Swift is unrivalled in terms of commercial success.


Domestic

A highly successful artist on multiple ''Billboard'' charts, Swift has been credited with pushing the boundaries of commercial success. She ranks eighth on Greatest of All Time Artists—a ''Billboard'' list ranking music acts based on chart success, and was named the most successful artist of the 21st-century. Surpassing the Beatles to set a new record, she is the longest-reigning act of the ''Billboard'' Artist 100 (100 weeks); the soloist with the most cumulative weeks atop the ''Billboard'' 200 (86); the woman with the most ''Billboard'' 200 number-ones (14), Hot 100 entries (212), Hot 100 top-10 entries (42), and weeks atop the
Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...
chart (99); and the act with the most
Digital Songs The Digital Song Sales (previously named Digital Songs and Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Luminate and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally started tracking ...
number-ones (26), the most number-one
Pop Airplay Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...
songs (12), and the longest song to top the Hot 100 ("
All Too Well (10 Minute Version) "All Too Well" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Written by Swift and Liz Rose, the song was first produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman for her fourth studio album, ''Red'' (2012). After a 2019 dispute regarding the ow ...
"). Swift is the first and only act to monopolize the Hot 100's top 10 as well as top 14, and place as the ''Billboard'' Year-End number-one artist in three different decades (2009, 2015 and 2023). Critics describe Swift's commercial power as unrivaled, as her success is evenly distributed across streaming, pure
album sales Record sales or music sales are activities related to selling music recordings (albums, single (music), singles, or music video#Commercial release, music videos) through physical record shops or digital music stores. Record sales reached their pe ...
, and track sales. She is the only act in
Luminate Data Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellig ...
history to have seven albums (or more than two albums)—''Speak Now'', ''Red'', ''1989'', ''Reputation'', ''Midnights,'' ''
1989 (Taylor's Version) ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' is the fourth re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 27, 2023, by Republic Records, as part of Swift's re-recording project following the Taylor Swift masters disput ...
,'' and ''
The Tortured Poets Department ''The Tortured Poets Department'' is the eleventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on April 19, 2024, by Republic Records. Swift developed the album amidst the Eras Tour in 2023, with the resultant, ...
''—sell over one million copies in a week. To ''New York'' magazine, her sales figures prove she is "the one bending the music industry to her will". ''Financial Times'' and ''
I-D ''i-D'' is a British biannual magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art, film and youth culture. The magazine was launched in 1980 by Terry Jones, originally as a hand-stapled fanzine it has since evolved into a glossy publication. In 2023 the ...
'' called Swift "the last pop superstar", given her ability to generate sales figures unseen since the "1990s boy bands" era, which was regarded as the commercial peak of the U.S. music business.


International

The
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...
(IFPI) named her
Global Recording Artist of the Year The Global Recording Artist of the Year is an award presented by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) to honor the year's commercially best-performing musician, based on global album-equivalent units earned, which inclu ...
in 2014, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for being the most consumed artist in those years; she is the only artist to achieve this five times. Charlotte Kripps of ''The Independent'' said Swift led an international resurgence in country music, introducing the genre to a new U.K. audience. Swift also became the first country act to find chart success beyond the Anglosphere. Rosen described her as the genre's "first truly global star", cultivating dedicated fandoms in foreign markets such as Ireland, Brazil, Taiwan, and China, where country music was not popular.
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
and Singapore are among her biggest cities on streaming platforms. She holds several unique all-time chart feats in Australia, Ireland and the U.K. In 2021, she became the first act to have three number-one albums on the U.K. Albums Chart in less than a year, besting the Beatles' 54-year-old record. On Chinese music platforms, her albums are some of the best-selling of all time and have earned her the highest income for a foreign artist (). She was the world's highest-grossing female touring act of the 2010s. According to Annabelle Heard, CEO of the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA), "Swift has completely reset the narrative for what a solo artist can accomplish."


Streaming

On
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
, Swift is the most streamed artist of all time globally, the only artist to have received more than 200 and 300 million streams in one day, and the first female act to reach 100 million monthly listeners. ''The Tortured Poets Department'' is the most streamed album in a single day, with 315 million streams, and the first to collect one billion global streams in a week; ''Midnights'' and ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' hold the second and third places, respectively. ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' dubbed Swift the "Queen of Stream". Swift is also
Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...
's most streamed woman ever and set the platform's all-time record for most listeners for any artist in a single year. The platform's vice president, Oliver Schusser, stated, "She is a generation-defining artist and a true change agent in the music industry, and there is no doubt that her impact and influence will be felt for years to come."


Physical

Swift is noted for her vast CD and
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
sales in the 21st century, when music consumption had largely shifted to digital formats. Having driven the
vinyl revival The vinyl revival, also known as the vinyl resurgence, is the renewed interest and increased sales of vinyl records, or gramophone records, that has been taking place in the music industry. Beginning in 2007, vinyl records experienced renewed po ...
, she is regarded as a champion of independent record shops. Swift has made LP variants of her albums available exclusively at small businesses, driving their sales; during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, she shared her LPs to record shops for free. Due to her support of independent record shops,
Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
(RSD) named Swift their first-ever global ambassador. ''Evermore'' held the record for the biggest sales week for vinyl LPs in the U.S. since Luminate Data's inauguration in 1991, although it has since been surpassed by Swift's own ''
Red (Taylor's Version) ''Red (Taylor's Version)'' is the second re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on November 12, 2021, by Republic Records, as part of Swift's re-recording project following the Taylor Swift masters d ...
'' (2021) with 112,000 vinyl LP sales, and ''Midnights'' with 575,000 LPs. The latter is the first 21st-century album to sell over one million LPs in the U.S. and over 80,000 LPs in a year in the U.K. ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' sold 1.014 million copies on vinyl in the U.S. in 2023, becoming the first vinyl album to sell one million copies in a calendar year since data tracking began, and Swift accounted for 7% of vinyl sales in 2023. ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' also helped annual U.K. vinyl sales reach nearly six million copies, the highest in 33 years. For the first time since 1992, the U.K.
Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; ) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible fo ...
(ONS) designated vinyl records as one of the select
goods and services Goods are items that are usually (but not always) tangible, such as pens or Apple, apples. Services are activities provided by other people, such as teachers or barbers. Taken together, it is the Production (economics), production, distributio ...
in assessing the national
cost of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...
and rate of
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
. In 2023, Swift became the first artist to concurrently occupy the top three positions of the IFPI Global Vinyl Album Chart with her albums.


Peers

Swift has helped other artists achieve wider success. Swift's " Me!" (2019), "
Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
" (2020), " No Body, No Crime" (2020), " Snow on the Beach" (2022), and " Florida!!!" (2024) marked the highest-charting songs on the Hot 100 for the music acts
Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004 by high school friends Ryan Ross (guitar) and Spencer Smith (musician), Spencer Smith (drums), who recruited classmates Brendon Urie (vocals and ...
,
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...
,
Haim Haim can be a first name or surname originating in Hebrew or derived from the Old German name Haimo. Etymology Hebrew Chayyim ( ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim, Hayim, Chayim'', or ''Chaim'' (English pronunciat ...
,
Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...
, and Florence and the Machine, respectively. Initially lesser-known artists have been propelled to mainstream fame after Swift invited them on her tours as
opening act An opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, supporting act or opener, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform ...
s, such as Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Sabrina Carpenter, and Gracie Abrams. ''USA Today'' dubbed it the "Taylor Swift School of Career Growth", stating artists who join "Swift's orbit" skyrocket in popularity. Filipino-British singer Beabadoobee, an opening act on the Eras Tour, stated that touring with Swift was one of her dreams growing up. American musicians Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner acknowledged Swift's role in expanding their careers as record producers. Antonoff stated, "Taylor's the first person who let me produce a song. Before Taylor, everyone said: 'You're not a producer'. It took Taylor Swift to say: 'I like the way this sounds'." Antonoff worked extensively with Swift and went on to produce albums for other artists such as Lorde's ''Melodrama (Lorde album), Melodrama'' (2017), St. Vincent (musician), St. Vincent's ''Masseduction'' (2017), and Del Rey's ''Norman Fucking Rockwell!'' (2019), while Dessner began working with artists such as Sheeran, Abrams, and Maya Hawke.


Entrepreneurship

Swift established a reputation as a savvy businesswoman. Journalists often distinguish her as an "unparalleled marketing genius" with "high-minded business acumen" and an entrepreneurial role model. According to Steele, Swift's "winding and winning" career presents management lessons beyond the music industry. Economist Paul Krugman argued, "Being a congenital cynic, I'd like to attribute her fame to marketing hype, but the sad truth is that she's a highly talented songwriter and musician with remarkable stage presence." In 2024, ''Billboard'' placed Swift atop its annual Power 100 list of the most influential music industry executives, a recognition typically given to male record-label heads. Author Melinda Newman commented, Swift is an enduring force in the music business committed to innovation and risks that "reap remarkable rewards" for the rest of the industry. Universal Music Publishing Group CEO Jody Gerson said that Swift "taught me more about my own power than anyone else" and praised Swift's "unapologetic ambition".


Name and brand

Various authors have compared Swift to media franchises, Conglomerate (company), conglomerate companies or a one-woman brand. Knibbs and Elamin Abdelmahmoud described Swift as an omnipresent musical institution with economic, commercial and cultural consequences. Labour economics, Labor economist Carolyn Sloan likened Swift to "a big corporation, essentially, operating in many Economic sector, sectors". Her brand power has been compared to that of the DC Extended Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Internet survey company QuestionPro, Swift's hypothetical net promoter score would make her the fourth most admired brand in the world. CNN journalists have described the impact of her brand; Bryan Mena opined, Swift "didn't have to run a major company or helm a central bank to wield an immense economic power, and she has achieved remarkable feats that would be impressive for any typical business leader running a Fortune 500, ''Fortune'' 500 company", whereas Scottie Andrew remarked that news outlets and companies often use her name in headlines, interviews, branded content and products to capitalize off of her fame. Per Professor R. Polk Wagner at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Swift associating her lyrics with a range of
goods and services Goods are items that are usually (but not always) tangible, such as pens or Apple, apples. Services are activities provided by other people, such as teachers or barbers. Taken together, it is the Production (economics), production, distributio ...
through trademark applications represents her understanding that "she is bigger than the music". He added, "It's more of a branding right, thinking of Taylor Swift as a conglomerate." The Lewis Silkin LLP attorney Cliff Fluet opined that, while business-minded artists like Mick Jagger or Metallica's Lars Ulrich have been criticized for it in the past, Swift removed the "ickiness" from commerce and allowed new artists aware of the business: "Now it's like, 'I'm an industry, a conglomerate. I'm Taylor Swift Inc.'." Additionally, in a practice called "Cybersquatting, domain squatting", Swift bought the Pornography, pornographic website domain names "taylorswift.porn" and "taylorswift.adult" to prevent them from being misused.


Social media presence

Swift, one of the most followed people on social network services, is a "social media powerhouse", according to ''Entrepreneur (magazine), Entrepreneur''. She was the most followed person on Instagram from September 2015 to March 2016, and has consistently been influential on Twitter, placing first in Brandwatch's annual rankings three times. ''The Washington Post'' additionally noted, "Swift is one of few foreign celebrities who have gained more than 10 million followers on Weibo, China's answer to Twitter". Ticketing executive Nathan Hubbard said that Swift was the first musician "to be natively online." Culture critic Brittany Spanos opined that Swift's social media presence is one of the reasons she is still "really relevant" after years: Swift "grew her fan base on Myspace. She was using Tumblr way past its prime. Twitter. She's now on TikTok, commenting on people's videos." Swift's marketing is a combination of social media engagement and television. Cision called Swift a "master of New product development, product launch", with knowledge of "a strategic and well-balanced communications campaign". According to public relations (PR) academic Sinead Norenius-Raniere, Swift's Marketing communications, integrated marketing strategy consists of timed announcements across marketing channels, harnessing the potential of both traditional and digital media, authentic and "intimate" communications with consumers to build trust, and usage of multimedia to offer "sneak peeks". ''Billboard'' attributed Swift's "enduring relevance" in part to how she "understands her audience" and employs campaigns that "don't neatly fit industry narratives". Her novel promotional efforts, such as ''Midnights#Release and promotion, Midnights Mayhem with Me'', were a subject of critical praise for innovation. Bond Benton, an associate professor in Means of communication, communication and media at Montclair State University said "there is a memetic quality to the way Swift is presented online", which has since been repurposed by other celebrities to increase their engagement.


Album cycles

Swift is known for her traditional, conceptual album rollouts, often referred to as "eras", each of which consists of a variety of promotional activities. ''Rolling Stone'' described her eras as an inescapable "multimedia bonanza". She is credited with making the "two-year album cycle" approach of releasing and promoting albums the industry standard and helped popularize the term and concept of "eras" in broader media contexts. Nevertheless, journalists also praised Swift's fast-succeeding release of ''Evermore'' less than five months after ''Folklore''. ''Variety'' compared it to similar moves by the Beatles and U2, while ''Rolling Stone'' found it reminiscent of Prince (musician), Prince in 1987 and David Bowie in 1977. Easter eggs and cryptic teasers similar to Swift's became a common practice in pop music. Publications describe her discography as a music "Shared universe, universe" subject to analyses by fans, critics and journalists. Swift's outfits, accessories, diction, color coding, numerology, and elaborate album packaging have also been Easter eggs. ''
El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...
'' critic Iker Seisdodos called her "a master of the art of suspense". According to journalist Ashley Lutz, her marketing style is "an ever-changing burlesque act of selectively revealing details while maintaining an aura of mystery and excitement"—a strategy that goes beyond the music and entertainment industries. ''Vulture'' noted, "It’s probably impossible to build a successful pop career these days without borrowing from the Taylor Swift tool kit. The Easter eggs, the signature color, the rabid fans." Each of Swift's eras is characterized by a unique aesthetic, color palette, fashion style, and an associated mood or emotion. ''The Conversation (website), The Conversation'' described her album releases as cultural moments. Reinventing her image and style throughout her career, Swift has popularized several aesthetic trends, such as Instant film, Polaroid motifs with ''1989'', and cottagecore with ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore''. Lutz opined that the era shifts helped broaden her fan base and critical appeal. Pop culture commentator Jeetendr Sehdev asserted Swift has managed to remain interesting by constantly reinventing herself "while remaining authentic". However, in a counterview, Fairclough claimed that Swift's "shifting aesthetic" indicates her struggle with a lack of identity.


Corporate relations

Swift embraces corporate Sponsor (commercial), sponsors. Her marketing incorporates strategic business partnerships with companies, which were once regarded as a "taboo" among musicians. Marketing expert Christopher Ming wrote, "Sure, working with brands like
Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...
, Elizabeth Arden, and Diet Coke feel like no-brainers. But it takes a certain amount of marketing ingenuity to make campaigns with EA Sports College Football, NCAA Football, United Parcel Service, United Postal Service, and Papa John's work. Yet they all did." Swift promoted ''Red (Taylor's Version)'' and ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' using Starbucks and Google Search, respectively. Journalists stated that the impact of her album releases is "felt across social media", with brands and companies often endorsing her to capitalize on her "momentum", leveraging her cultural relevance.


Industry and economy

The economic impact of Swift's career has been termed as Swiftonomics. Abrdn's Bred Wilhite considers Swiftonomics a branch of economics that deals with the intersection of consumer emotions and capitalism. Economists and industry academics have studied Swift's Macroeconomics, macroeconomic influence on businesses worldwide, comparing her to countries. According to trade publication ''Pollstar'', if Swift were a country, she would be the 199th largest economy on earth, analogous to a small Caribbean nation. Katie Atkinson of ''Billboard'' equated Swift's 2023 earnings (an estimated $2 billion) to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Timor-Leste, East Timor. QuestionPro estimated her 2023 economy at $5 billion, higher than the GDP of 50 countries. According to critic Kitty Empire, Swift is a "geopolitical and macroeconomic disruptor". She has also had a Microeconomics, microeconomic impact, benefitting various small businesses. MarketWatch termed Swift's influence on Market (economics), markets as "the Taylor Swift stock-market effect". Swift's tours are channels of "economic enrichment". According to author
Peggy Noonan Margaret Ellen "Peggy" Noonan (born September 7, 1950) is a weekly columnist for ''The Wall Street Journal'' and contributor to NBC News and ABC News. She was a primary speechwriter and Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan from 1984 to 19 ...
, Swift altered "the rules of entertainment economics". Analyses of her economic impact includes studying the "booming" economy around her concert tours, which escalates travel, lodging, Cosmetic industry, cosmetic, fashion, and food businesses, and tourism revenues of cities by millions of dollars. ''Vogue (magazine)#Vogue Business, Vogue Business'' dubbed Swift a "global socioeconomic phenomenon".


Challenging industry norms

Swift has been instrumental in reforming the business aspects of music, often considered a flag-bearer for artists' rights. Journalists praise her ability to question industry practices, noting how her moves changed streaming platform policies, prompted awareness of
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
among upcoming musicians, reshaped the concert ticket model, and negotiated better financial compensations from labels for all music artists. ''Elle'' described the Swift-enabled reforms to streaming services as "a milestone moment in the history of music".


Streaming reforms

Swift contested music streaming services to regulate corporate policies for better preservation of
artistic integrity Artistic integrity is generally defined as the ability to omit an acceptable level of opposing, disrupting, and corrupting values that would otherwise alter an artist's or entities’ original vision in a manner that violates their own preconceive ...
. She said digital streaming services have become a dominant form of media consumption since 2013, causing a gradual decline in traditional album sales. In November 2014, Swift announced that ''1989'', her then-upcoming album, would not be released on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
, which was growing in popularity at the time, in protest of the platform's "minuscule" payment to artists (US$0.006 to 0.0084 per stream). In an
op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
for ''The Wall Street Journal'', she expressed her belief that the value of works of art should be fixed by artists: Karim R. Lakhani and Marco Iansiti, business administration professors at Harvard Business School, reviewed the issue and upheld Swift's belief that musicians should set the prices. For academic Jessica Searle, Swift proposed music as a "non public good". Nilay Patel, writing for '' Vox'', criticized Swift's beliefs about albums and said she "doesn't understand supply and demand"; Patel stated that the internet has "killed" the album format, claiming most consumers would not shop for a Swift CD anymore. Eventually, Swift withdrew her entire discography from Spotify, prompting it to say "We hope she'll change her mind and join us in building a new music economy that works for everyone." ''1989'' was a commercial success upon release, and another ''Vox'' journalist Constance Grady regarded this a "major blow" for Spotify, which attempted to bring Swift back by releasing playlists dedicated to Swift. Her music stayed off Spotify for nearly three years, until Swift released it back on June 9, 2017, in celebration of Swift's milestone 100 million certified units from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Spotify CEO Daniel Ek stated on ''CBS This Morning'' that he convinced Swift to bring her music back on Spotify by meeting her in Nashville, "explaining the model, why streaming mattered", and how her fans want her music back on Spotify. In June 2015, Swift wrote an open letter to Apple Inc. on Tumblr, addressing the three-month free trial that Apple Music had chosen to offer their users while not paying the artists whose catalogs are streamed by users during the trial period. Swift said she finds it "shocking" that they had opted not to pay "writers, producers, or artists" for the three months. She explained: Swift asserted ''1989'' would not be on Apple Music either and urged the company to change the policy before its launch on June 30, 2015. Eddy Cue, an Apple executive, apologized and promised to reverse the policy. Cue told Associated Press, "When I woke up this morning and I saw Taylor's note that she had written, it solidified that we needed to make a change." When Apple Music officially launched, it paid royalties to artists during the three-month trial. Various musicians, music organizations and industry commentators expressed their gratitude to Swift. Following the expiration of her six-album Big Machine contract in 2018, Swift signed a new global contract with Republic Records, a label owned by Universal Music Group. She revealed that, as part of the contract, any sale of Universal's shares in Spotify would result in non-recoupable Equity (finance), equity shares for all Universal artists. Grady called it a huge promise from Universal "far from assured" until Swift interceded. ''Financial Times'' Jamie Powell said, "Swift, on her own, is as powerful as an entire Trade union, union", and dubbed the equity negotiation "Comrade Swift's special dividend". Yang opined that it demonstrated "the full weight of Swift's power: In an unprecedented move that seals her status as a kind of Joan of Arc, joan of arc for creator rights". In 2023, American businessman Elon Musk asked Swift to release her music or concert videos to Twitter; highlighting the pleas of Ek, Cue and Musk, ''Fast Company'' opined Swift is "arguably the most powerful person in tech".


Intellectual property

Swift's "battle" against exploitative recording contracts for the ownership of her masters has been described as "revolutionary". In June 2019, after Swift moved to Republic Records, Braun acquired Big Machine for $330 million, making him the owner of all the Big Machine Mastering (audio), masters, including those of Swift's first six studio albums. Swift responded she attempted to purchase the masters but was offered unfavorable conditions, while Borchetta claimed she declined a chance to purchase them. Swift alleged the label blocked her from performing her music at the American Music Awards of 2019, 2019 American Music Awards, and claimed Borchetta and Braun were "exercising tyrannical control" over her. Big Machine then released ''Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008'' (2020), an unreleased live album by Swift, without due diligence. The controversy was highly publicized, becoming one of the most widely discussed and covered news topics of 2020 and 2021. ''Evening Standard'' called it "music's biggest feud". Re-recording (music), Re-recording the albums was the only viable option to gain full ownership of her music, as per Swift. Braun sold the masters in October 2020 to Shamrock Holdings for $405 million under the condition he would continue profiting. Swift disapproved again, rejected a Shamrock offer for Partnership#Equity vs. salaried partners, equity partnership, and began releasing the re-recordings via Republic. The re-recorded albums were met with critical and commercial success, breaking multiple commercial records. When "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" became the longest song ever to top the Hot 100, Jack Antonoff, the song's producer and a frequent collaborator of Swift, told ''Rolling Stone'' that a 10-minute-long song topping the Hot 100 teaches artists to "not listen" to what the industry has to say. Numerous music artists, politicians, journalists and legal experts supported Swift's actions regarding the issue, deeming it trailblazing and inspirational. Publications observed, while the issue of master ownership and conflicts between labels and artists such as Prince, the Beatles, Janet Jackson, and Def Leppard have been prevalent earlier, Swift was one of the few to make it a public discourse on artists' rights, private equity and industry ethics. Dubbing the dispute one of the 50 "most important moments" of the 2010s decade, ''Rolling Stone'' journalists noted Swift's role in shifting the public perception of the concept of re-recording or re-mastering. Dominic Rushe of ''The Guardian'' said Swift's battle marked a change in the digital music era, with artists more aware of their rights without the need to rely on record labels anymore. ''Pitchfork'' critic Sam Sodomsky recognized the visibility she brought, saying Swift "can enact change by wielding the leverage of the reliability of her success" and that it is "financially lucrative for the industry to listen" when she speaks. ''The A.V. Club'' and MarketWatch interpreted Swift's statements as a criticism of private equity, highlighting The Carlyle Group, one of Braun's investors. U.S. Congress members like Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backed Swift and stated that she is "one of many" creative businesses threatened by private equity firms that harm the Economy of the United States, U.S. economy. Music attorney James Sammataro observed that "any time Taylor brings attention to an issue, it gets magnified... She has a very loud megaphone and she's not afraid to use it. She's had great success in effectuating change." ''Billboard'' declared the outcomes of the re-recording venture unprecedented. Kornhaber opined that the re-recordings disproved critics who doubted Swift. When Swift successfully reclaimed her masters in May 2025, Sheffield declared that "Swift owning her life's work is a historic victory with enormous ramifications for other artists, and the entire music world."


Distribution models

The concert industry shifted to a "slow ticketing model" after Swift, who is known for her stadium concerts and commercial "dominance of the touring industry", first implemented it with the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). It replaced the selling-out of tickets in minutes with a demand-driven ticketing approach that requires consumers to register in advance and allowed them to purchase tickets at any time and price level upon access. This meant higher ticket prices in the beginning and a gradual drop as the concert date approached, replacing "momentum with consumer choice and experience" and bypassing scalpers, according to David Marcus of Ticketmaster. The model was initially criticized by journalists, who thought it was an attempt at camouflaging Swift's dull ticket sales following her unfavorable press in 2016; however, the tour was a sold-out success, surpassing the Beatles to become the highest grossing North American tour of all time, after which critics favored the model. In November 2022, the Taylor Swift–Ticketmaster controversy, pre-sale of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour was mismanaged by Ticketmaster, attracting widespread public and political criticism. Due to the "astronomical" demand for tickets, with 3.5 million people registering for the on-sale program, the Ticketmaster website Crash (computing), crashed within an hour of sale but still sold 2.4 million tickets, breaking the record for the most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day. Ticketmaster attributed the crash to "historically unprecedented" Internet traffic, site traffic. Fans and Consumer organization, consumer groups accused Ticketmaster of deceit and monopoly. Several members of U.S. Congress claimed that Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment should be separated as their merger led to substandard service and higher ticket prices. The United States Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice opened investigations into Live Nation–Ticketmaster and United States v. Live Nation Entertainment, sued them, alongside several fans who also sued separately for intentional deception, fraud, price fixing, and United States antitrust law, antitrust law violations. Bipartisanship, Bipartisan members of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee censured the companies at a United States congressional hearing, hearing. Under pressure from the National Economic Council (United States), National Economic Council, Ticketmaster and other ticketing companies agreed to terminate Fee#Hidden fees, junk fees—additional fees revealed at the end of ticket purchases. American legal scholar William Kovacic termed it the "Taylor Swift policy adjustment." For the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, 2023 concert film of the Eras Tour, Swift adopted an unconventional release strategy that partnered with movie theaters to bypass the major film studios; critics viewed the move as an alternative to the Film distribution, distributor-Movie theater, exhibitor model of the film industry. She also broke the Universal Music Group (UMG) boycott of TikTok by putting her music back on the platform after the label group pulled the songs of its artists roster due to a lack of agreement between the companies; UMG subsequently signed a deal with TikTok. ''The Washington Post'' proclaimed Swift has "an unbreakable hold on our increasingly fractured world—and its discourse—in a way that almost no one else can."


Press and media

Swift is widely covered in mass media, which has generated a range of public perceptions of her. She and her music have been referenced or used in numerous books, films, and television shows. A subject of incessant scrutiny in the News media, press, her relationship with the mainstream media has been described by critics as an example of the celebrity–industrial complex. Swift is considered "polarizing", receiving both favorable and unfavorable press throughout her career. She is regarded as a Feminism, feminist figure. She has criticized the way media depicts women, as her dating life and disputes have attracted Tabloid journalism, tabloid scrutiny and widespread online attention. She has been vocal about the impact of press coverage on personal health, discussing issues such as eating disorders, self-esteem, and cyberbullying; various academics and journalists have opined that Swift's openness regarding these topics are crucial for raising mental health awareness. Additionally, Swift is often dubbed a Millennials, millennial cultural figure, as well as a fashion influencer. The evolution of her style has been the subject of media coverage and analysis. She has reinvented her image and aesthetic throughout her career, matching respective album cycles with distinct themes, impacting fashion trends in the process. Her street style, in particular, has received acclaim. Authors regard Swift as the most powerful music personality in American politics. Having used her fame to incite political action, Swift was the second most influential celebrity in Joe Biden's win in the 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 U.S. presidential election, after LeBron James. Various surveys have deemed her a deciding factor in elections, one that can bridge Political parties in the United States, the polarization in Politics of the United States, American politics. Swift has inspired a number of Legislature, legislative proposals and laws.


Creative inspiration

Swift has influenced numerous music artists across genres since her debut. Critics began noticing her influence on popular music in 2013, and credit her albums with inspiring an entire generation of singer-songwriters. Paul McCartney was inspired by Swift's artistry and fans to write the 2018 song "Who Cares (Paul McCartney song), Who Cares". Other acts who cited Swift as an influence include: Various musicians were inspired by aspects of Swift's career, such as her work ethic and appeal. Swift's comments on artists' rights influenced Bryan Adams, Ashanti (singer), Ashanti, The Departed (band), the Departed, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Joe Jonas, Zara Larsson, Niki, Offset (rapper), Offset, Rita Ora, Rodrigo, and SZA. Ashanti commented, "Taylor is amazing for what she's done and to be able to be a female in this very male-dominated industry, to accomplish that is amazing. Owning your property and getting a chance to have ownership of your creativity is so so important. Male, female, singer, rapper, whatever, I hope this is a lesson for artists to get in there and own." SZA said, "Taylor letting that whole situation go with her masters, then selling all of those fucking records. That's the biggest 'fuck you' to the establishment I've ever seen in my life, and I deeply applaud that shit." Swift has been the most Cover version, covered artist since the 2010s, replacing the Beatles who were the most covered artist from the 1960s through 2000s. Swift also has been referenced or mentioned in songs by other artists. Examples include Eminem's "Killshot (song), Killshot", Drake's "Red Button (Drake song), Red Button" and "Taylor Made Freestyle", Kanye West's "Famous (Kanye West song), Famous" and "Carnival (¥$ song), Carnival", ASAP Rocky's "Tailor Swif", Cupcakke's "Marge Simpson", Fletcher's "Her Body is Bible", "Award Show Taylor Swift" by Bowling for Soup, "I Wish (Taylor Swift)" by the Knocks, "Total Entertainment Forever" by Father John Misty, Kitty (musician), Kitty's "Orion's Belt", Zahara (Spanish musician), Zahara's "Taylor", and Evan Taubenfeld's "Merry Swiftmas". Outside the music industry, Swift has inspired authors, novelists, film directors, and screenwriters, including Sina Grace (''Superman (comic book), Superman: The Harvests of Youth''), Jenny Han (''The Summer I Turned Pretty (trilogy), The Summer I Turned Pretty''), Abby McDonald (''Bridgerton''), Jac Schaeffer (''WandaVision'' and ''Agatha All Along (miniseries), Agatha All Along''), and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (''Someone Great (film), Someone Great'' and ''Do Revenge)''. Canadian film director Shawn Levy described Swift as "a culture magnet unlike anything I've seen". Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro opined, Swift is "a very accomplished director, she's incredibly articulate and deep about what she's trying to do—and what she will do." Television producer Shonda Rhimes praised Swift's generational cultural impact. A number of Romance novel, romance and Young adult literature, young adult writers have been inspired by Swift's song titles and lyrics in naming their books. A number of actors, such as Elisabeth Moss, Sarah Snook and Park Eun-bin, have drawn inspiration from Swift; American actress Sadie Sink said Swift is among the people who shaped her professionally, helping her step into mature and emotionally complex roles as an actress. Swift has inspired impersonators such as Ashley Leechin, Jade Jolie, and Taylor Sheesh, and fictional characters such as popstars; for instance, Lady Raven from ''Trap (2024 film), Trap'' (2024) and Skye Riley from ''Smile 2'' (2024).


Fandom

Swift's close connection with her fans, Swifties, is considered unique for artists of her stature. Swifties have been described as a loyal fanbase with high levels of participation and creativity. Author Amanda Petrusich described Swifties' allegiance as both "mighty and frightening". The fandom has been the subject of journalistic and academic interest; critical analysis of Swift is referred to as "Swiftology" in the media. To business scientists Brendan Canavan and Claire McCamley, the relationship between Swift and Swifties represents Post-postmodernism, post-postmodern consumerism. The fan frenzy, generally termed "Swiftmania", # # has been considered the 21st-century equivalent to Beatlemania by journalists such as Jon Bream of ''Minnesota Star Tribune, Star Tribune'', who said "Swift has achieved a once unthinkable monoculture, a zeitgeistian redux of Beatlemania". As Swift has been a source of myth in popular culture, journalists describe her works, celebrity, and the fanfare surrounding them as a world on its own. ''Glamour'' and ''The Washington Post'' termed it the Taylor Swift Cinematic Universe; ''Entertainment Weekly'' called it Taylor Swift Musical Universe. In ''The Guardian'', Adrian Horton said "Swiftverse" is a subculture of mass media cultivated by "years of worldbuilding and Swiftian mythology", while Alim Kheraj and ''Billboard'' wrote that Swift turned pop music into a "multiplayer puzzle" with a fanbase commitment that other artists have subsequently attempted to reproduce.


Subject of study


Cross-cultural effect

Critics opine that Swift affects all facets of culture. In attempting to define and analyze her impact on various fields, a number of publications have generally termed it the "Taylor Swift effect". Marcus Collins, professor of marketing at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, described the effect as a network effect. He said that Swift's stature is "such that when she does something people follow ..She's influencing a group of people and those people are influencing each other and other people. There's a network effect that's at play." Chris Bibey, in Yahoo! Finance, opined the Taylor Swift effect "could have an impact on your future business and Investment, investing endeavors" irrespective of one's own interest in Swift. Various phenomena have been attributed to the effect, such as: * The upsurge in guitar sales to women, a previously ignored demographic, following Swift's image as a female guitarist and her affinity for guitar in her performances. * The record-setting Voting, voter registrations reported whenever Swift encouraged her followers to register as voters via social media. * The Consumerism, consumerist phenomenon of purchasing any product or service related even peripherally to Swift. * The increased law, legal attention towards the machinery of the music industry and recording contracts. * The economic enrichment or "wide financial Halo (religious iconography), halo", in the words of ''Forbes'', that Swift casts on places she visits, especially on tours, and the open requests from politicians and Head of government, heads of government to Swift, asking her to tour territories under their jurisdiction. * The significant Public image of Taylor Swift#Press and television, increase in viewership and Brand valuation, brand value that media franchises, television programs, and sports organizations enjoy following Swift's engagement with them; Swift has had a visible impact on the popularity of American football, and the small businesses of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City following her relationship with Travis Kelce. * The string of Bill (law), law bills passed or drafted by legislatures, inspired by Swift. * The
vinyl revival The vinyl revival, also known as the vinyl resurgence, is the renewed interest and increased sales of vinyl records, or gramophone records, that has been taking place in the music industry. Beginning in 2007, vinyl records experienced renewed po ...
in the 2020s decade. According to ''Time''
Sam Lansky Sam Lansky (born September 23, 1988)Connelly, Sherryl (January 14, 2016)"Time magazine culture editor Sam Lansky reveals his wild days in new memoir 'The Gilded Razor'. ''NEW YORK DAILY NEWS''. Retrieved April 6, 2017. is an American journalist, ...
, the "real" Taylor Swift effect is psychological. It has influenced people, especially women who have been "conditioned to accept dismissal, gaslighting, and mistreatment from a society that treats their emotions as inconsequential", to believe that their emotions and perceptions matter. Kyle Chayka of ''The New Yorker'' coined the term "Swiftularity" to refer to Swift's cultural "inescapability". Chayka opined that Swiftularity is a media funnel, "siphoning [the public] toward an increasingly narrow set of subjects", wherein contemporaneous objects or topics in popular culture become part of Swift's influence one by one, ranging from politics and sports to technology like artificial intelligence (AI). Hao Xu and Yuzheng Li, academics in the areas of communication and marketing, opined that "it's hard to think of a single artist that has had more profound implications on so many facets of contemporary life—from gender and fandom to economics, popular culture to politics" than Swift.


Scholarly interest

Swift is a subject of academic research. Her artistry, fame, entrepreneurship and societal impact are broadly the topics of scholarly
media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but it mos ...
. In ''The New York Times'' article "Taylor Swift is Singing Us Back to Nature", conservation scientist Jeff Opperman opined that Swift's songs are "filled with the language and images of the natural world", revitalizing themes of nature in popular culture after a reported decline in nature-themed words. "Love Story (Taylor Swift song), Love Story" (2008) is amongst the songs studied by Evolutionary psychology, evolutionary psychologists to understand the relationship between popular music and human mating strategies. In explaining why Swift has become a subject of scholarly study, literature professor Elizabeth Scala opined that Swift's creativity is "contagious" and of particular interest to academics as she is a perceived "bridge" between contemporary and historical fiction. Literary scholar Burt stated, "humanities ought to study culture, including the culture of the present day, and Taylor Swift is all over that culture" and claimed that future historians and anthropologists will study Swift's art, fame and reception to understand the contemporaneous society and Cross-cultural studies, deduce cross-cultural patterns. Fellow academic Green opined, studying Swift combines critique with feminist biography, and that her discography is "very bit as profound, significant and foundational" as the works of novelists Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker, posing the public with "deep questions about selfhood and culture". In 2025, Canadian historian Elizabeth Vlossack dubbed Swift a "modern-day historical figure" who engages with the historical figures and events of the past within her music. Some authors consider Swift a Philosophy, philosopher.


Academic programs

Various higher educational institutions offer Undergraduate degree, undergraduate and elective courses focusing on Swift. Many of the courses employ a dissection of Swift's work as "an entry point into criticism, analysis, and broader cultural issues and touchstones." A number of universities, such as Indiana University Bloomington, University of Birmingham, University of Kent, University of Liverpool, and University of Melbourne have hosted academic conferences or symposia dedicated to researching topics of Swift's impact. In 2024, her lyrics were the subject of two questions in the University of São Paulo's FUVEST test, the foremost entrance examination to List of universities in Brazil by state, Brazilian universities.


Footnotes


References


Cited literature

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