Having not left the house for a year due to public pressure, Taylor Swift at the age of 33 dominated the music industry and was honored by Time as “Person of the Year”.

When awarding the title to Taylor Swift on December 5, Time magazine compared her influence to a nuclear reaction: “She perfectly combines artistic and commercial elements, creating historic energy.” history”.

Taylor Swift took a photo on the occasion of winning “Person of the Year”. Photo: Time

During her 20-year career, Taylor Swift experienced many ups and downs, but her smart thinking and will to strive helped her become a top star. Joining the music industry in 2003, she pursued country music. Taylor admires Shania Twain because her idol’s songs make her “want to run around the neighborhood and daydream about everything”.

In 2006, she was invited to open the show for country music star Kenny Chesney. A few weeks passed, and while she was eagerly looking forward to it, she caught her mother crying in front of the house. She said Taylor couldn’t participate because the beer company sponsored the tour and she was too young to participate. “I was devastated,” the singer told Time. A few months later, at her 18th birthday party, Chesney’s sponsor gave her a letter with a check to compensate Taylor.

Taylor Swift at the CMA Awards in 2006. Photo: Wire Image

After receiving her biggest paycheck ever, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee and signed with Big Machine Records. Taylor’s outstanding songwriting ability was revealed from the first single Tim McGraw: “That night, he said my blue eyes made the stars in Georgia afraid.” She became the youngest self-composed artist to have a song reach number one on the US country music chart. In 2008, her second album Fearless won four Grammy Awards and was the best-selling album of 2009 in the US.

Since then, she created many hits with more than billion views on YouTube such as Love Story, You Belong With Me. The media said her work was like a love poem, Taylor was dubbed the princess of country music. The girl with flowing blonde hair, holding a guitar and singing, became the muse of young people.

 

 

 

While on the rise, Taylor’s career slowed down because of the scandal with Kanye West. At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, while she was accepting the award for Best Video by a Female Artist, the rapper grabbed the microphone, saying the win should go to Beyonce. According to Billboard, the then 20-year-old girl shed tears in the wings.

“I realized every record label tried to replace me. However, I was determined to transform myself into a new person,” Taylor said. After the scandal, she composed and used music to convey her inner feelings. The album Red (2012) represents the singer’s strength and resistance. The song New Romantics references the hardships she experienced: “Because of you, I can build a castle from all the bricks they throw at me.” The singer switched to the pop genre and found success with the album 1989 (2014) – winning three Grammy awards.

A few years later, the singer got into another scandal with Kanye. He mentioned her in the song Famous (2016): “I feel like me and Taylor could have sex. Why? Because I made that bitch famous.” The rapper said Taylor agreed with the lyrics, but she denied it. Kim Kardashian – Kanye’s wife at the time – released a video of a conversation between the two artists, seemingly proving that Taylor approved of the song. Media and audiences say Taylor is a snake, implying a sinister personality.

“My career was taken away from me. I had never been so devastated. I moved to another country, didn’t leave my rented house for a year, was afraid to talk on the phone. I shunned almost everyone. everyone because they no longer trust anyone,” she said on Time. The singer said the recording was edited and staged, turning her into a liar.

MV “Look What You Made Me Do”. Video: YouTube Taylor Swift

One year after the incident, Taylor returned, “transformed” in the MV Look What You Made Me Do. Many newspapers analyzed the song as her response to public opinion and enemies. In the video, the quote “The old Taylor is dead” combines the image of her rising from a grave, with snakes appearing throughout to represent the singer’s new self. In one segment, she stood on top and kicked “old Taylor Swift” – the image from the MV Shake It Off, You Belong with Me – down the cliff.

The same year, the singer ended his contract and had a music copyright dispute with Big Machine Records. She lost most of the copyrights to her first six albums and was sold for $140 million to Ithaca Holdings. Taylor once urged fans to oppose the above agreement but was powerless. Even though her album Reputation (2017) continuously topped the charts, she still felt sad and confused. At that time, she thought that the negative image would stick with her for the rest of her life.

Facing challenges and pressure, the singer gradually overcame them and continuously developed. In 2018, she signed a contract with Republic Records, having more control as well as creative freedom, gradually regaining her position. From 2021, she re-recorded the songs with the Taylor’s Version making them hot again.

Taylor retired from the stage for five years to focus on creating quality products, experimenting with the indie folk and alternative rock genres in Folklore and Evermore, thereby attracting new listeners. After a long period of silence, since the release of the album Midnights in October 2022, Taylor has made good use of the media coverage strategy by regularly updating social networks.

MV “Anti-Hero” from the album “Midnights”. Video: YouTube Taylor Swift

The Eras Tour which kicked off in March was a huge success for Taylor. Forbes said the show “swept” the world, earning about 14 million USD per night, and is currently the most profitable tour of all time after 60 music nights. The tour is expected to have a revenue of more than $4 billion when it ends at the end of 2024, with the singer now joining the ranks of billionaires.

Taylor invested heavily in the show to recreate her singing career. She started practicing six months before the first performance, practicing on the treadmill while singing a series of songs loudly. Songs with fast tempos will make her run faster and vice versa. Taylor also spent three months practicing dancing. Each music night, for more than three hours, the singer performs about 44 songs and two songs not on the list to create surprises, changing 16 costumes.

She said: “The success of the Eras Tour makes me the proudest and happiest. I have been lifted up and brought down by public opinion many times in the past 20 years. It feels like the breakthrough moment in my career happened at the age of 33. For the first time in my life, I am mentally tough enough to cope with what happens.”

Some moments of Taylor Swift at Eras Tour. Video: Taylor Swift Instagram

Taylor’s influence goes beyond the music industry, positively impacts the economy and education, and is identified by Time as a symbol of American “soft power”. According to research company AskPro, the singer helps the places she visits attract tourists, contributing to generating about $5.7 billion for the US economy. Politicians of many countries look forward to her appearance, and many places temporarily change their names to pay tribute to the singer. Time said that in each city she performed in, the economy immediately grew, and hotels and restaurants attracted customers.

In addition to buying concert tickets, fans pay for costumes, accommodation, attractions and meals. According to Fortune, Chicago’s economy saw record growth in demand for accommodation and public transportation, reaching 96.8% with an average of 44,383 hotel rooms rented each night Taylor performed. In Philadelphia in May, the tour helped the tourism industry “come back to life” and was no longer gloomy, with the highest revenue since Covid-19.

Taylor’s tour film also created records at the box office. According to Box Office Mojo, The Eras Tour earned nearly $250 million, breaking the advance ticket booking record of the blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The project is many times more profitable than the production budget of 10 to 20 million USD. The singer does not have to share profits with the studio because she produces and distributes it herself through AMC Theaters.

Singer performing in Kansas City. Photo: Taylor Swift Instagram

Taylor also became a lecturing subject at many American universities such as Harvard and Arizona. The course will analyze the singer’s psychological changes in all aspects, including work, love, scandals and her growth over the past decade.

Many experts say Taylor Swift is loved because of her smart image strategy and lyrics that touch listeners. The songs are like confessions and reports about life stages from happiness and sweetness to sadness and anger. “She is the architect and the hero, the protagonist and the storyteller,” Time commented.

Harvard professor Alexandra Gold said the singer’s songs tap into the emotions of love, friends and relationships of audiences of many ages. Poet Stephanie Burt said: “She has great musical ability and songwriting talent. Taylor’s lyrics can be imprinted in your mind and draw many stories.”

Besides her success in the music industry, Taylor attracted attention because of her quick romances with many stars such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Jonas, Harry Styles, Calvin Harris, and Tom Hiddleston. Currently, her love with football player Travis Kelce is of interest to the audience. The pair have been dating since July after Travis took the initiative to get to know the singer.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce had dinner at Waverly Inn on October 15. Photo: GC Images

Unlike her ex-lovers, the singer openly shows her affection and support for her boyfriend, often coming to watch him play. She spoke up about the two for the first time on Time: “Opening our relationship means I get to watch Travis do what he loves. We support each other, regardless of the presence of people around us. We are proud of each other.”

The player said it was his girlfriend who motivated him. “Every day, paparazzi stand in front of her house, outside every hotel she goes to or after every flight, and Taylor simply lives and enjoys life,” Kelce said on The Wall Street Journal.