Having recently released the newest music video for yet another song from her chart-topping album, Taylor Swift seems to be going from one success to another. The hugely popular 1989, released in late 2014, has been given accompanying videos for the tracks ‘Shake it Off’, ‘Blank Space’, ‘Style’, and the latest, ‘Bad Blood’, the latter containing an array of female stars posing as assassins. This show of strength seems to be a continuing theme which is shown in her covers for both Maxim and Time magazine featuring just her face. The Time photo exhibits the musician looking directly down the lens, at the viewer, a pose which has been coined by many powerful male figures. Whilst generally being a popular artist, since the release of 1989, Taylor has certainly gained more publicity, leaving people with one question: ‘Why?’ What has she done so differently, which has suddenly made her such a public figure?
In 2004, Aged 14, Taylor was signed with the independent label Big Machine Records, and began to pursue her career in country music. The release of her first album ‘Taylor Swift’ in 2006 made her the youngest ever songwriter/singer hired by Sony. The majority of her songs, however, fit neatly into the genre of Country music, which some may certainly find enjoyable, but is hardly ever the genre of any ‘hit song’. The transition from a Southern voice accompanied by a guitar, to minimalistic beats with slightly synthesised music in the background is certainly a factor in improving the popularity of Taylor. This alteration in style has been picked up by such shows as Saturday Night Live, one sketch detailing a medication called ‘Swiftamine’ which is: ‘For when one of her songs forces your brain to fight your ears. The brain says ‘Oof. Taylor Swift. She’s always wearing, like, a 1950s bathing suit.’ But, the ears argue ‘Shut up. This is a perfect song’.
Another factor in boosting her popularity may be that she, simply, seems to have matured. As a teenager, in one of her songs, she threatened to spread a rumour that the subject of the song was gay, because he refused to date her. In another, she argued that because a girl ‘wore short skirts’, she was less deserving of a boy than Taylor herself. The casual homophobia and shaming of her earlier songs was a cause for many, including me, to dislike her, but she has certainly grown as a person. A self described feminist, Taylor, unlike many other famous figures, is constantly interacting with her fans, inviting them to her house, even paying off the crippling college debt that one girl was experiencing. This bout of generosity, as well as her critique of the media (The ‘Blank Space’ music video) is definitely something that Taylor should be appreciated for.
‘The Power of Taylor Swift’ was certainly an apt title for her Time magazine edition. Taylor’s new image, one of power, control, and generosity, is undoubtedly a popular one, judging from the amount of new Swift fans. Hopefully, her positive messages of strength, loving yourself, and loving others will inspire and reassure so many of her fans who need it. Swift demonstrates how celebrities who understand their responsibility as a public figure can utilise change, for the better.
Images: http://www.timeinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/taylor.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/Taylor_Swift_-_1989.png
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