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Hold on now, I may be anxious and a political cupcake, but, uhh... What was that other thing you said?
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this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2023
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Taylor Swift
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She is just standard pop music. She has a few strong qualities that make her fans more devoted than your typical pop star.
First, she writes a lot of her own music. The lyrics, the stories, they are personal explorations. Fans feel closer to her because of the perceived intimacy and shared experiences. Her songs are often about her own flaws, her vulnerabilities and insecurities, and that humanizes her in a way that doesn't happen with most pop singers.
The second is that she's had a prolific career. She's been writing and performing chart-topping hits for nearly 20 years, and shows no signs of slowing down. Her catalogue is deep and varied in both style and content, and yet because it is personal, it is all distinctly associated with her. Whether it's bubblegum country, moody introspective electronica, dance hall woo-girl sing-alongs, or just a straight torch song about a bad breakup, her music is consistently high quality music without being stale or repetitive. And when she performs, it's her best work. She's obviously having fun, giving it her all, and connecting with the crowd.
Yes, it's pop music. But it's good pop music, crafted and performed by a professional who cares about the quality. It's not manufactured, artificially sweetened one-hits assembled in a lab by marketing gurus. I'm sure there's some of that, but she wouldn't have made it this far if she weren't the genuine article.
not just pop - her older albums were country/pop with rock influence, which imo was great
But “this artist writes most of their own music”…is literally the least we can expect from an artist.
I guess that’s just your point though. She does just make regular ass pop music, which is engineered to be an ear worm. Coupled with the fact that she’s this larger-than-life star and looks flawless and has every single person pumping this image, we wouldn’t expect her to put any effort in because she has this all at her feet. But because she is already on that plane of stardom AND expresses actual stuff in her music, the celebrity machine basically made it otherworldly that she can be this famous while actually revealing things about herself.
Is that what you’re saying? That’s how I took it. Because you said she’s just standard pop music. But the fact that she is such a star and is as large of a public figure as she is, being at all personal in her music was like a key when you reach that level to pure obsession. Because we have this weird celebrity culture, and when they get that high, we expect just a face and an image, but she’s the first one to use the key to be personal and share things that turn that megastar celebrity status into the obsession we see, because she “lets people in” by writing things that actually have to do with her as a person.
Are we saying the same thing?
Hardly any pop stars write their own songs. Frank Sinatra wrote exactly one song, and if anybody knows it, it's because they know it as the one song he wrote. It would be far easier to list the pop stars who did write their own music, because it's like the Beatles, Prince, and Lady Gaga. Taylor Swift, for what it's worth, writes lyrics and collaborates on the tune, so I wouldn't even put her in that list with the others I mentioned. I'm sure there are a few big ones I'm missing.
You asked why she's so big right now. She's big because people enjoy her music and feel a personal connection with her. It's not that complicated. You understand "pop" is short for "popular" right? The music is catchy, and she is likeable for all the aformentioned reasons.
As for celebrity culture and the unhealthy obsession with fame, that's not new. Swift is just currently at the top of the pyramid.
If that's what you're saying, then yes, we're saying the same thing.