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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NCSU chapter.

If you’re reading this, then Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, “Midnights,” has been released. I have been a fan of hers for over a decade and have so many memories attached to her and her music, so I thought I’d start by sharing a few.

I remember when I got my first iPod, “You Belong with Me,” was the first song I downloaded. I remember watching the music video while getting ready for my first school dance in first grade.

I remember listening to “Back to December” on the radio and pretending I was in a music video while it rained outside and my head was pressed against the cold window.

I remember making a music video to “22” with my best friend before dance class that unfortunately was lost.

I remember her being the first person I followed when I created my Instagram.

I remember listening to 1989 for the first time and instantly becoming obsessed. I was lucky enough to attend the 1989 Tour when it stopped in my hometown, and after the show, I sent her the most embarrassing DM telling her how I loved the show and asking if she could follow me back (I still cringe every time I read it).

I remember the silence during her hiatus but the excitement when her social media was wiped. I remember going to my best friend’s house to listen to “reputation” right when it dropped, then going to the Reputation Stadium Tour in Atlanta with our moms.

I remember watching the live stream of her announcing “Lover.” Then its subsequent release on the day of the first football game of my junior year, which I made all of my friends listen to it on the way there.

I remember waking up to texts on July 23rd, 2020, saying she was releasing “folklore” that night and then again a few months later with “evermore.”

Most recently, I remember watching the VMAs and her announcing “Midnights,” where my best friend (now college roommate) and I practically woke up our entire apartment complex with our screaming. 

taylor swift miss americana netflix
Netflix

That said, I have to say my thank yous to Taylor (even if she’ll never see them). Thank you for releasing music that will help me through every life situation. Thank you for teaching me to stand up for myself and not take hate from anyone. Thank you for teaching me to be proud of my accomplishments. Thank you for making me feel confident in my height. Thank you for teaching me that it is okay to be meticulous about things and that being creative and precise is not bad. Thank you for putting on the best concerts I have ever been to. Thank you for teaching me that making fun of yourself is okay. Thank you for teaching me that friendships don’t have to last forever and your true friends will show themselves. Thank you for helping me believe that karma is real. Thank you for being such a huge part of my life. Thank you. 

I hope to see her on her upcoming tour (which has not been announced at the time of writing this but hopefully will have been announced by the time this is published) because her concerts are truly unlike anything else. The last time I saw her in concert, I was freshly fifteen. The next time I (hopefully) see her, I will most likely be freshly twenty, which is hard to wrap my head around, but she is one of the few celebrities that I feel like I have grown up with, and I am so excited to see what she accomplishes next.

Cameron Crews is the president of Her Campus at NC State. She is responsible for publishing all articles, leading meetings, encouraging all staff, and overseeing the entire chapter. This is her third year on Her Campus and her second year as President. Outside of Her Campus, Cameron was the Editor-in-Chief of her high school’s yearbook, which she helped lead to being awarded the best book in the entire state and honored at Columbia University’s scholastic journalism awards. She worked as an intern at Southpark Magazine in Charlotte, NC, where she edited articles, conducted interviews, and assisted the editors. In the Summer of 2023, she attended Regents University in London, England, where she took fashion classes from high players in the fashion industry who have worked with the likes of Andy Warhol, Alexander McQueen, Christian Siriano, and more. She also had the opportunity to interview Brendan Fraser immediately after he won his “Best Actor” Oscar at the 2023 Academy Awards. She is a junior at NC State University majoring in Communications with a minor in Journalism. After graduation, she hopes to move to New York, LA, Paris, or London and work in the fashion industry as either a fashion editor or celebrity stylist. Cameron was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, with her younger brother and dog, George Bailey. She enjoys shopping, watching movies, listening to music, writing, hanging out with friends, and traveling in her free time. She is a huge Taylor Swift and Harry Styles fan and has seen them both in concert multiple times. She is also a huge Timothee Chalamet aficionado and is a huge movie fan–with some of her favorites being Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, Barbie, Lady Bird, the Breakfast Club, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.