The Evolution of Taylor Swift

One of my favourite Christmas presents was receiving Taylor Swift’s 1989 album CD in 2014 when I was ten years old. Granted, CDs are basically extinct now but I was still beyond excited when I unwrapped the gift. That was the year I had memorised a ton of Taylor’s songs, and at any given moment, I could be heard singing Blank Space or You Belong with Me at the top of my lungs. Like most people at that time, I absolutely adored her.

The Beginning

Starting off as a country music singer, Taylor released her first album Taylor Swift in 2006, which included songs like Tim McGraw and Teardrops on My Guitar. The songs are written from a teenage Taylor’s perspective on first loves, heartbreaks, insecurities; experiences that people could relate to. Taylor made history by being the first solo female country artist to write or co-write every song on a platinum debut album. Her music created a younger demographic in country audiences who had mainly consisted of middle-aged listeners. It was clear that Taylor was on the rise to fame.

The Rise of Taylor Swift

Fearless followed two years after the release of Taylor Swift. This album too covered the same themes as the first, but with a more mature tone. Love Story will always remain a personal favourite of mine, and the ten-year-old in me never tires of rewatching the music video. Taylor’s third album was in response to claims that she was not actually the one who wrote her songs. Speak Now consisted of songs purely written by her, and was highly successful, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200. Taylor was steadily gaining popularity. Her fourth album, Red, was a completely different sound and look than her previous albums. She slowly began moving away from her country music roots, and her songs in Red included elements of pop and rock. By the time 1989 (2014) was released, Taylor Swift had completely shifted to a pop star. 1989 won the Album of the Year, making her the first female artist to win that award twice, the first being Fearless. Taylor had reached what seemed to be the peak of her career.

Criticism and Controversy

As the internet always manages to do whenever someone or something begins to become popular, there was an inevitable media backlash that Taylor began facing. During her first three albums, she was seen as the sweet girl next door, an image loved by many. As she gradually moved to pop music, and her Red era, she became the target of the media. It was around this time that everyone became obsessed with her love life. Tabloids were constantly making speculations about her dating life. She was shamed by the media for all the men she was supposedly seeing, and received criticism for always singing about her relationships. As soon as Taylor stopped fitting the mould that people were comfortable with, the hate and criticism began piled up.

“When I was a teenager, I would hear people talk about sexism in the music industry, and I’d be like, I don’t see it. I don’t understand. Then I realized that was because I was a kid. Men in the industry saw me as a kid. I was a lanky, scrawny, overexcited young girl who reminded them more of their little niece or their daughter than a successful woman in business or a colleague. The second I became a woman, in people’s perception, was when I started seeing it. “It’s fine to infantilize a girl’s success and say, How cute that she’s having some hit songs,” she goes on. “How cute that she’s writing songs. But the second it becomes formidable? As soon as I started playing stadiums—when I started to look like a woman—that wasn’t as cool anymore.” – Taylor Swift, Vogue 2019

The “Fall”

In 2016, Kanye West released a song titled Famous which a reference to Taylor Swift. The song received a lot of attention due to its demeaning lyrics that stated Kanye was the reason Taylor was famous. This was in reference to their infamous encounter at the 2009 VMAs. Taylor highly disapproved of the song, calling it misogynistic and sending a wrong message. There was an outpouring of hate towards the young star. She was accused of always playing the victim, and the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty was trending on Twitter. The people who had loved her so much suddenly turned their backs on her. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon of “cancelling” Taylor, with no justifiable reason. This is a perfect example of the treatment of female artists in the industry. They are constantly torn apart and subjected to unfair judgements. This whole situation led to the creation of Reputation, whose stadium tour became the highest grossing concert tour in the US. Taylor had created a whole new look, a whole new persona that was the opposite of the dreamy-eyed teenager she had been. She completely stopped doing interviews and was never seen in public anymore. In 2020, Netflix released a documentary about Taylor Swift entitled Miss Americana. In the documentary, Taylor talks about her side of things. With reference to her disappearance she said, “No one physically saw me for a year”. She talked about the struggles she faced with the spotlight on her from such a young age.

Comeback

Taylor released her seventh album, Lover, in 2019, with songs full of joy and peace. She then saved the terrible year that was 2020, not just once, but twice, by the release of Folklore and subsequently Evermore. These are some of my favourite albums, the song-writing in both albums make you feel like you are reading a storybook set in a fairy-tale land.

In my opinion, Taylor Swift is one of the most influential and talented artists of the 21st Century, and I am not just saying that because I personally love her music. She has such a huge fanbase because of the way she articulates complicated feelings we have all felt into the most beautiful songs. The way she picks herself back up after every setback is admirable. Even now, with Scooter Braun owning the master recordings of her old songs, she refuses to back down. Last year, she released the re-recorded version of Fearless. The re-recorded version of Red is due towards the end of 2021, and I know I am not the only one excited for that.

Time and time again, Taylor has dealt with backlash and criticism that no one, including her, should have to endure. She has been painted in negative ways in the media very unfairly. She should not be judged based on the controversy around her but rather appreciated for the art she has created and shared with the world. Her songs are masterpieces, and she has inspired a whole generation of artists, which include the up-and-coming Conan Gray and Olivia Rodrigo. Her music has touched hearts, and I can bet that every individual can sing along to at least one of her songs. Taylor has proven herself to have the ability to adapt and change up her music style, while also remaining true to herself and telling her own story through music. Whether you like her music or not, the fact is that she is one of the greatest lyrical geniuses of all time. Whatever said and done, with all the ups and downs, there is no denying that Taylor Swift always comes back, stronger than a 90s trend.