Dear Taylor Swift,
I’ll start off by saying that I know you have no idea who I am. I don’t have a fan account, I’ve never met you and I’m certainly not famous. You don’t know me and that’s okay, because I know you, and you have changed my life.
So, let me give you a quick recap of our history. When I was six years old, your debut album came out and I completely fell in love. “Our Song” was my first favorite song, and every time it came on in the car my sister and I would sing our little hearts out. I also remember playing the “Tim McGraw” and “Dear John” music videos on repeat. I’m not kidding when I say I probably watched them a hundred times each. When I was 10 years old, I remember every girl in my grade wanting to sing “Back to December” for the school talent show and jamming out on the playground. I’m not going to lie, when Red (your first pop album) came out, I was a little distraught. That was mainly because I was a huge country fan at the time, but as you evolved, so did my love for you. By the time 1989 came out, I was thrilled and it quickly became one of my favorite albums.
When you took time away from the spotlight, I completely understood. I made sure to listen to all of your songs on repeat. During this time I developed anxiety, but your music got me through it. When I was feeling anxious or alone, I could put your music on and feel better. When I was 17 and graduating from high school, my friends and I listened to “Long Live” and “Never Grow Up” on repeat as we cried about leaving each other and leaving home. On August 14, 2018, I saw you in person in Tampa, Florida. That day, you shared the story of your sexual assault case and how you had won it a year prior. I cried for you and for the girls that don’t get justice. I can’t tell you what that day meant to me, but it was definitely one of the best days of my life. This past spring, I won tickets to see you in April in Atlanta, Georgia. Unfortunately, since COVID-19 hit, that never happened. Despite this, in July you gave us folklore, and I was finally able to get my Taylor Swift fix in. This is just a brief glimpse of what you have meant to me throughout my life. I’ve loved you through every era of your music and every era of my life.
So, I guess I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for growing up with me and for providing me with such a strong, brave, and kind role model to look up to. You have given me so much in this life, things that you probably have never even thought of. You have brought me joy in the worst and best of times. So thank you for being my light.
I just wanted to write this letter as a reminder to you, though you’ll probably never read it. You have so many fans that love you, so many more than you can ever imagine. You have inspired a generation of girls, boys, women and men who love you as a performer and as a person. If you ever feel that you’re not good enough or that you haven’t made a significant impact — remember that you changed my life and so many others like mine. We will never be able to repay you for that. So thank you again.
Love,
A six-year-old girl you inspired, a ten-year-old girl you brought joy to, a fifteen-year-old girl you comforted, a seventeen-year-old girl you set free, an eighteen-year-old girl who cried for you, and a twenty-year-old girl who still loves you very much.