As it is Women’s History Month let’s talk about the icon and legend who I absolutely love! Taylor Swift has made so many commendable accomplishments through her career from her music to what she has done to achieve justice. I grew up listening to Taylor’s music and it has been with me ever since, and I have seen her in concert four times! Her songs are so beautiful, strong and heart wrenching in the best way, they are practically poems. I could go on and on about what makes her so amazing, so here are some reasons why she is a perfect person to highlight for this month’s occasion!
The Music
Swift’s music is off the charts, I am just as wowed after every album release. She has been able to have versatility and range in her stylistic approaches which can be difficult for artists to do sucessfully. Taylor has released albums consisting of country, pop and alternative while still holding her ground. Many had differing opinions about Taylor taking the pop route in her career, but the album 1989 was a major hit defying the odds against her by those who disapproved of the genre change. In 2020, she dropped two dominating albums: Folklore and Evermore. These two are incredible; I honestly cannot pick between the two masterpieces as they are both so compelling. Some of my favorite songs by them are “the one,” “my tears ricochet,” “august,” “marjorie,” “dorothea” and “champagne problems”! When I was young one of my favorite songs growing up was “Mean,” I would listen and watch the video 24/7 lol! Everyone has the opportunity to resonate with Taylor’s music from the experiences of heartbreak, sadness, growing up, happiness and nostalgia. She is for sure the lyrical genius of our time, every song she writes strikes a cord in the deepest yet best way possible!
Complex Music Videos
Along with her songs comes the music videos; they are all amazing, I love the one for “22”! They are all so creative, I really do not know how she does it and thinks of all of those details. She is known for putting “Easter Eggs” in her videos for hints of what is to come or to convey who/what the song is about, so smart! My sisters and I always watch the new ones together in our family room trying to spot all of them lol. One of her most recent videos that came out was the “All Too Well” short film featuring Dylan O’Brian and Sadie Sink. It is for the 10 minute version of the song and the acting is so great!
Miss Americana (2020) Documentary
There is so much to unpack in the documentary, it is one that I love to rewatch! There is so much to learn about Swift in this, even if you are a Swiftie. I think that a lot of people can relate to her because of what is addressed to Taylor’s experience with bullying, anxiety, eating disorders, the stresses of getting through life and encouragement to find happiness. We are not celebrities like her, but we all understand what those feelings are like, even on a smaller scale. It was sad, but empowering to watch; Taylor displays even more of how much of a role model she is. For those of you who have not seen her documentary, put it to the top of your list you will definitely not regret it!
A Triple Threat: Singing, Dancing and Acting
Honestly, what can Taylor Swift not do? Along with these the singer is an amazing baker; I want to try making her chai cookies! Her voice is impeccable, I mean Taylor is the literal definition of range. Taylor’s performances are always on point with the dancing, especially with her live ones. My favorite tour that I saw was Speak Now, the sequences were super theatrical and the dance numbers had the best costume themes. For films she has starred in Cats (2019), The Giver (2014), The Lorax (2012), Valentines Day (2010) and Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)! The part in the Hannah Montana film where Swift sings “Crazier” is my favorite scene, sometimes I will only watch it for that because it is just the best. I would love to see Taylor in more films and bigger roles at some point in her career, she would win so many awards!
Her Re-recordings
For those of you who may not know, Taylor got the ownership taken away from her albums up to Reputation. Scooter Braun originally purchased the rights to her master recordings, then sold them to Shamrock Holdings. Her music was taken away not only once, but twice. Despite the wrong-doings and setbacks Swift did not let this stop her; she decided to re-record her older music. Doing this allows for Taylor to have legal ownership of the music that she wrote and get the proper earnings. So far she has released the new versions of Fearless and Red. It is crazy with how different the new and old versions are, doing this really highlights her growth as an artist! On these albums Taylor released “vault,” or never heard before, songs that did not make the final cuts which was a clever marketing tool. I am obsessed with so many of them—it’s like how they did not make the cut?! I am looking forward to what she releases next and the new vault songs!
Taylor Swift is ultimately a legend who will forever be a prominent woman in history; on top of her achievements she is overall a beautiful human being. Swift is genuine to her fans, is an activist for many communities, is supportive of her loved ones and is big into philanthropy. We love a queen who supports those who identify as LGBTQ+, is a feminist and a cat lover! Taylor is someone that I will always look up to because of her career, work ethic and respect that she has for the world. She has made so much history in her 32 years that it is mind-blowing. The woman never stops and will continue on that slope through the rest of her career making history.