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1) The Beginning of Taylor Swift's Music Career

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1) The Beginning of Taylor Swift's Music Career

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Taylor Swift's ongoing, immensely successful career as a musician began when she was just 14; after moving to Nashville in Tennessee with her family, she signed her first ever record deal with Sony/ATV back in 2004, becoming their youngest ever signing, which could perhaps be seen as an early indication of her unique and powerful ability as a musician even from such a young age. Swift later signed to Big Machine Records in 2005, to whom she would be signed to for another thirteen years, with the hope of fulfilling her dream of becoming a country singer.

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2) Her early image as a teenage, country music star.

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2) Her early image as a teenage, country music star.

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Taylor Swift's early persona as a young yet talented country music star could be argued to have been constructed through her appearance, costume for example, her mannerisms and the nature and content of her music.

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Taylor Swift often appeared with her tight, curly hair, whether that was through promotional material for her music such as album and single covers, appearances and performances. This consistency across such mediums could be seen to successfully construct and maintain her youthful image as her hair is left in its curly, flowing and natural state.

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Album cover for 'Taylor Swift'- Swift's first album in 2006

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'Fearless' album cover, released in 2008

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2011: The album cover of Swift's third album 'Speak Now.'

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Taylor Swift at the CMT Awards in 2007.

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Swift at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

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Taylor Swift often wore cowboy boots during performances as well as red carpet appearances. This reoccurring feature of her dress code could be argued to emphasise her persona as a country star, given that this style shoe appears as a staple to her; a defining feature of her style and identity as a music artist.

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Taylor Swift attending the 2007 AMAS wearing black cowboy boots.

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Swift's very first appearance at the ACM's in 2006, incorporating the cowboy boots even her earliest appearances.

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Swift's 2007 performance at the ACM New Artist's show party, sporting Cowboy boots that have her name written on them.

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The subject matter of her early songs, for example her first singles such as 'Tim McGraw,' 'Teardrops on my Guitar' and 'Our Song' are centred around young love and her teenage crushes. Therefore once again, this notion of youth but also innocence could be seen to somewhat become part of her musician persona in her early years.

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In Swift's music video for 'Teardrops on My Guitar' she acts as a high school student, pining for her high school crush who has feelings for someone else. She portrays such longing for her crush, which paints her in a very vulnerable light. Although singing so passionately about her high school crush could re-emphasise her image as a young, innocent teen, audiences seemed to connect with her emotional vulnerability.

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@kevon302

"Wow, 'Teardrops on My Guitar' takes me back to those bittersweet moments of unrequited love. Taylor Swift's lyrics always hit home with their emotional depth. Her storytelling in this song is just incredible, and her voice adds so much to the raw emotion. This song is an absolute classic!"

@sammichaels3757

The way she says “I bet she’s beautiful”… man oh man. That hits hard since she’s absolutely beautiful herself. Very powerful knowing some people can’t see it. We need to tell them! It’s not always as obvious as we think

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Evidence that even Taylor's earliest music really connected with audiences on an emotional level, given the clear relatability of her lyrics, thus positioning her as a relatable music artist right from the start of her career.

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This video depicts Taylor Swift's first ever win at the CMA's in 2007 and it could be argued that through her initial reaction to her victory and certain elements of her speech not only strengthen the country roots of her star persona but also, a strong sense of realism and authenticity.

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Taylor Swift winning CMA 2007 Horizon Award

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When Taylor is announced as the winner of the Horizon Award, she appears completely shocked, repeatedly covering her mouth in surprise whilst hugging her loved ones. She even somewhat runs up to the stage to collect her award, perhaps unable to contain her excitement.

Her shocked reaction indicates that she did not expect to win, connoting such a sense of humility and modesty to her character. Furthermore the unfiltered emotion evoked from her victory could be argued to create a layer of authenticity to her image as she isn't holding back in anyway

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"...This is definitely the highlight of my senior year"

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"...This is definitely the highlight of my senior year"

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Her mention of being in senior year is a reminder of just how young she is to be winning such an accolade, whilst still a high school student. It could also connote a sense of normality and realism to her persona here; that underneath it all she still remains a normal teenager who has normal teenage responsibilities, this enforcing that idea of relatability.

However, this quote could also reveal a paradoxical nature to her star image. Although her mention of senior year could be argued to place her with in the bounds of normal and relatable, the fact that most teenagers wouldn't also have received the award she just has, could be argued to place her 'above' them in that respect.

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Compilation of Taylor Swift winning awards.

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Compilation of Taylor Swift winning awards.

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Shows Swift winning awards throughout her career from 2007-2021. The video highlights the consistency in her reactions to winning awards- there's continuously an element of shock despite the ongoing progression of her career, which could imply that her persona is deep rooted in success, she has never truly lost her humility.

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Taylor Swift winning awards for 6 minutes

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4) The Significance of Taylor Swift's second album 'Fearless'

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4) The Significance of Taylor Swift's second album 'Fearless'

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'Fearless' was Taylor Swift's second album, released in 2008, in the midst of her star image as a country artist.

The album itself claimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 in the US, holding on to said spot for eleven weeks and eventually being certified Diamond. Interestingly, 'Fearless' is considered somewhat of a crossover of music genres- both country and pop. Therefore, the album's commercial success despite Swift's slight movements away from her sole country genre and incorporation of more mainstream sounds like the genre of pop, could be argued to construct her as the type of singer who can be successful across more than just one genre.

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One of her most successful singles from the album. The song's composition consists of the banjo and guitar, typically country elements, but certain pop elements are also incorporated such as the drums and electric guitars. This cross genre song gave her her highest charting debut of her career thus far on the Billboard Hot 100, at number 25, further demonstrating that her developing sound as a country/pop star was taking her career to new heights.

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Peaked at number two in the Billboard Hot 100, a song also described as a 'crossover' style song. Furthermore, it went to number one on the all genre Radio Songs Chart, the first country song to do so; further suggesting that Swift as an artist who crosses over different musical genres, is incredibly successful.

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6) The Beginning of the Kanye West Feud.

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6) The Beginning of the Kanye West Feud.

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It is important to note that Taylor Swift won a VMA for 'You Belong With Me' however was interrupted by Kanye West stating that "Beyoncé had one of the best music videos of all time" before exiting the stage. It could be argued that by doing this, Swift's persona as a hugely successful musician, having just won a VMA, was completely dismissed by that of West. However, it could also be argued that this brutal treatment of Swift, positioned her as the initial victim in a feud that would be on going.

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HD Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards

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7) The significance of Taylor Swift's relationships in the construction of her Star image.

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7) The significance of Taylor Swift's relationships in the construction of her Star image.

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Although thus far through primary media, in the form of Taylor's Swift's music, allowing her to be constructed as talented and record breaking and successful, one of the key factors within the construction of this image, is her romantic relationships, in particular, the media's depiction of them.

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Early TV appearance: Swift promoting 'Fearless' in 2008

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Early TV appearance: Swift promoting 'Fearless' in 2008

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Taylor Swift about Joe Jonas: "I'm not even going to be able to remember the boy who broke up with me over the phone in 25 seconds when I was 18."

A quote from the conversation about her break up song about her relationship with Jonas. She is extremely open to audiences here, with such personal details about her dating life. Themes around love and dating were clearly prominent even in the early stages of her career, with her relationships under a microscope.

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Memorable Moment: Taylor Swift on Joe Jonas

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Addresses her break up with Joe Jonas, but also her relationship with Taylor Lautner at the time. Perhaps a pattern emerging in the sense that, the more high profile relationships Swift has, the more hand in hand they become with her image as a musician, thus being incorporated into live performances like so.

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The Press' construction of Swift's relationships.

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The Press' construction of Swift's relationships.

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This idea of exposing her privacy with regard to her relationship; emphasises the microscope on her relationships, she can't hide anything.

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The list of names of people she has dated, almost makes it seem excessive, perhaps pushing this image of her as a serial dater.

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Claiming to know and reveal such intimate details about her romantic relationship- once again highlighting the lack of privacy Swift has when it comes to her relationships; the prominence of such articles help to create a very relationship centric aspect to her public image.

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"Pop singer's love life is a sham"

The use of the word "sham"- creates the sense that her love life is somewhat fraudulent and fake, perhaps implying a lack of authenticity with her relationships, and that they are actually performative aspect of her image.

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Speculation of pregnancy.

The question "Who's the Dad?" almost suggesting that it could be anyone, further enhancing this depiction of her as a serial dater.

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Taylor Swift's newfound relationship with Travis Kelce has dominated recent reports concerning her, showing how even now, who she is dating contributes hugely to her public persona.

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The media's investment in Taylor Swift's love life is evident here. Tracking all the significant moments throughout her romantic relationship highlights how much the media pushes this side of her star image- they deem it so important to produce a full time line.

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Travis Kelce’s Rep Shuts Down Taylor Swift Engagement Rumors

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Despite speculation, there aren’t “any official engagement plans in place,” the rep said

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Taylor Swift showing support to Travis Kelce from the stands.

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Taylor Swift showing support to Travis Kelce from the stands.

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Taylor Swift All Smiles With Donna Kelce to Cheer on Travis AGAIN!

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Videos depict Taylor in the stands with Kelce's family, cheering him on and embracing his family members, creating this image of her as a loving, supportive girlfriend.

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Taylor Swift is a regular at the Chiefs and Travis Kelce games!

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The '1989' album, released on 27th October 2014, marked Taylor Swift's transition from country-pop artist and creating cross genre music and albums, to being solely of the pop genre. Despite the genre transition, the subject matter of a lot of the songs on 1989 were also about love and relationships, a common motif in her four previous albums. It could be said though, that whilst this subject matter remains, Swift at this point was writing with more complexity, and not all the songs were about her relationships.

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First single released from 1989 was 'Shake It Off." This song was Taylor's response to much of the media scrutiny and hate she received so far in her career. Exclaiming that she's just going to "Shake It Off" highlights that she isn't bothered about what people think, thus establishing a very strong, self assured image of herself

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'Blank Space' is somewhat of a comedic spin on the media's portrayal of Swift as a serial dater. It could be seen as taking the criticism and mockery she received from the media, and not only jokingly acknowledging it, but turning the joke back on to the media in a way and mocking their construction of her that she deems false.

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Taylor Swift's view of construction of her as a serial dater.

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Taylor Swift's view of construction of her as a serial dater.

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"It was just kind of excessive and, you know, at first it was hurtful and then I kind of found a little comedy in it."

"so opposite to my actual life" (Swift's description of media's construction of her dating life, suggesting a distinction between her image and who she actually is).

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Taylor Swift is reentering her 1989 era with the release of her rerecorded version of the album.

Originally released on Oct. 27, 2014, Swift's fifth studio album was a major transitional moment in the singer's career. Inspired by her move to New York City and various relationships during that period in her life, the album also marked her first full-fledged pop album as she transitioned from country music.

"The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways," Swift wrote on Instagram as she announced 1989 (Taylor's Version). Additionally, she referred to the new album as her "most FAVORITE re-record" thanks to the "insane" five vault songs. "I can't believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!" she added.

Over the years, Swift has shared a few details about the inspirations behind her 1989 hits, from "shaking off" the naysayers to parodying the public's perception of her dating life.

From "Style" to "Bad Blood," here's everything Swift has said about the inspirations behind her 1989 songs.

"Welcome to New York"

After moving to New York City in early 2014, Swift was inspired to write a song about the Big Apple for her 1989 album. "I wanted to start the album with this song because New York has been an important landscape and location for the story of my life in the last couple of years," she told Good Morning America. "I dreamt about moving to New York. I obsessed about moving to New York and then I did it."

"The inspiration that I found in that city is kind of hard to describe and hard to compare to any other force of inspiration I've ever experienced in my life," she continued. "I approached moving there with such wide-eyed optimism and sort of saw it as a place of endless potential and possibilities. You can kind of hear that reflected in this music and this first song especially."

"Blank Space"

Swift's hit song "Blank Space" was written in response to media scrutiny surrounding her dating life at the time. "[From] 2012 to 2013, they thought I was dating too much because I dated two people in a year and a half, but whatever - we'll leave it there," Swift told NME. "'Oh, a serial dater. She only writes songs to get emotional revenge on guys. She's a man hater. Don't let her near your boyfriend.' It was just kind of excessive and, you know, at first it was hurtful and then I kind of found a little comedy in it."

Though Swift noted that the way "gossip websites" described her was "so opposite my actual life," she decided to lean into the character for the song's music video. "Half the people got the joke," she explained. "Half the people really think that I was really owning the act that I'm a psychopath, which is fine. Either one is fine as long as they know the semblance of the words, even if they're incorrect."

Swift's single "Style" is largely rumored to be about her relationship with Harry Styles. Not only does the song's title seemingly reference the singer's last name, but the lyrics appear to reference various One Direction projects such as their song "You & I," and their second studio album, Take Me Home.

During an appearance on On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Swift delved deeper into the song's inspiration, noting that it was about "one of those relationships that's always a bit off."

"The two people are trying to forget each other and they both [have] been out with other people and they both tried to forget the other," she explained. "And so it's like, 'Alright, I heard you went off with her and you came back and well, I've done that too.'"

When Seacrest tried to press further about how she heard about the romantic interest "being with someone else," Swift played coy, noting that if she answered that question, "we'll be talking about an individual person and people will write headlines about it."

She concluded, "This song is about my life ... but the song kind of speaks for itself."

"Out of the Woods"

In addition to "Style," Swift's song "Out of the Woods" is rumored to be about Styles and the headlines their relationship made at the time.

"It just kind of conjured up all these feelings of anxiety I had in a relationship where everybody was watching, everybody was commenting on it," Swift said of the inspiration behind "Out of the Woods."

"You're constantly just feeling like, 'Are we out of the woods yet? What's the next thing gonna be? What's the next hurdle we're gonna have to jump over? Are we gonna make it to next week?' It was interesting to write about a relationship where you're just honestly like, 'This is probably not gonna last, but how long is it gonna last?'"

Swift expanded on the song's meaning in a video shared on her YouTube channel, saying it was about a relationship where you "never feel like you're standing on solid ground." She added that the song is meant to capture "that frantic feeling of anxiety and questioning."

"All You Had to Do Was Stay"

Though Swift hasn't revealed who exactly the song is about, she confirmed it was inspired by a dream she had about an ex during an interview with GQ.

"I had a dream that my ex showed up at my door, knocked at my door, and I opened it up, and I was about ready to launch into the perfect thing to say," she explained of the song's inspiration.

"Instead, all that would come out of my mouth was that high-pitched chorus of people singing, 'Stay!'...and then you go to say something else, and it's just like 'Stay! Stay! Stay!' And I woke up, I was like 'Oh, that was mortifying. But that's kind of a cool vocal part.'"

"Shake It Off"

"Shake It Off" served as the first single from 1989, which Swift debuted during a Yahoo live stream. During a sitdown with ABC News, Swift noted that she wrote the song in response to the media scrutiny she received during her rise to fame.

"We don't live just in a celebrity takedown culture, we live in takedown culture," she said. "You have to not only live your life in spite of people who don't understand you, you have to have more fun than they do."

"I've had every part of my life dissected ... When you live your life under that kind of scrutiny, you can either let it break you, or you can get really good at dodging punches," she explained to Rolling Stone in another interview. "And when one lands, you know how to deal with it. And I guess the way that I deal with it is to shake it off."

"I Wish You Would"

In a video shared on her YouTube channel, Swift noted that "I Wish You Would" was the first song she ever wrote with Jack Antonoff and was meant to convey a "John Hughes movie visual" of two people pinning over each other but neither one confessing their feelings for each other.

"I had this happen in my life and so I kind of wanted to narrate it in a very cinematic way where it's like they're seeing two scenes play out." She added that the relationship portrayed is a "dramatic love that's never quite where it needs to be and that tension that that creates."

Fans have theorized that the song is also about Styles, because Swift previously compared the lyrics of "Style" to "I Wish You Would," telling Ryan Seacrest that they were both about relationships that were not "synced up."

During a cover story with Rolling Stone in 2014, Swift teased that the song was about a fellow female pop star who "tried to sabotage an entire arena tour" by hiring "a bunch of people out from under me."

At the time, fans quickly assumed Katy Perry was the inspiration (the two were touring around the same time, and several dancers had worked for both of them), and the "Hot N Cold" singer seemingly addressed the rumors when she tweeted, "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing" following the story's publication.

A year later, Swift reflected on the song's inspiration even further during a sitdown with Rolling Stone. "You sit there, and you know you're on good terms with your ex-boyfriend, and you don't want him - or his family - to think you're firing shots at him," she explained. "So you say, 'That was about losing a friend.' And that's basically all you say. But then people cryptically tweet about what you meant."

Their feud continued until May 2018, when the "Look What You Made Me Do" singer revealed that Perry had extended a literal olive branch along with a handwritten note. In June 2019, the two publicly made up as Perry posted a plate of cookies that read "Peace at last" written in frosting, tagging Swift in the post. The duo later shared a hug in Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" music video, quashing their beef, once and for all.

"Wildest Dreams"

There has been much speculation about the inspiration behind "Wildest Dreams," with names from Styles to Swift's The Giver costar Alexander Skarsgård being mentioned, however, she hasn't weighed in. Instead, she told NPR that the song reflected her new approach to writing about personal heartbreak.

"In the past, I've written mostly about heartbreak or pain that was caused by someone else and felt by me," she explained. "On this album, I'm writing about more complex relationships, where the blame is kind of split 50-50. I'm writing about looking back on a relationship and feeling a sense of pride even though it didn't work out, reminiscing on something that ended but you still feel good about it, falling in love with a city, falling in love with a feeling rather than a person."

"If I meet someone who I feel I have a connection with, the first thought I have is: 'When this ends, I hope it ends well. I hope you remember me well,'" she continued. "Which is not anything close to the way I used to think about relationships. It's that realization that it's the anomaly if something works out; it's not a given."

"How You Get the Girl"

While many of Swift's 1989 songs are about her own relationships, she previously insinuated that "How You Get the Girl" was inspired by a close friend's heartbreak. (Based on the timing of the song's release, fans have theorized the song could be about Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber's on-and-off-again relationship.)

"'How You Get the Girl' is a song that I wrote about how when we're young, which most of my friends and most of my peers are, a lot of the time, we take for granted a really good relationship and let go of it and go out into the world and then realize that you want it back," Swift said during her 1989 Secret Session with iHeartRadio.

"This song is kind of an instruction manual for a guy who has broken up with his girlfriend and lets six months go by and the lengths he will need to go to to get her back. It's not gonna be as simple as just sending a text message, it's like 'Sup? Miss you,' it's not gonna work. He will need to do all the things in this song."

Like many other songs on 1989, Swift explained that "This Love" is about a relationship where the timing isn't quite right. "It's about an experience I've had where, if you truly care about someone and you know they're not fully ready to be in a relationship, you will let them go," Swift said during her 1989 Secret Session with iHeartRadio.

She continued: "And it sucks to be the one who has to let something go and cut someone loose when you don't want to, but I think you have to be selfless in relationships when you know that that is not the right time. And if you make that decision and that person is supposed to be in your life, they'll come back. And this was the way that I felt when that came back around."

"I Know Places"

During a sitdown with Grammy Pro, Swift talked about her inspiration behind "I Know Places," noting that it was a similar love to the one featured in "Out of the Woods" (which is rumored to be about Styles).

"I had this idea of like, you know, when you're in love - along the lines of 'Out of the Woods' - it's very precious, it's fragile," she explained, per Billboard. "As soon as the world gets ahold of it, whether it's your friends or people around town hear about it ... it's kind of like the first thing people want to do when they hear that people are in love is just kind of try to ruin it, if they're not the greatest human beings."

"I kind of was in a place where I was like, 'No one is gonna sign up for [a relationship]. There are just too many cameras pointed at me. There are too many ridiculous elaborations on my life. It's just not ever gonna work'," she recalled. "But I decided to write a love song, just kind of like, 'What would I say if I met someone really awesome and they were like, hey, I'm worried about all this attention you get?' So I wrote this song called 'I Know Places' about, like, 'Hey, I know places we can hide. We could outrun them.'"

Speaking with Elle in 2015, Swift opened up about writing "Clean," noting it was one of the last songs she wrote for the album. "It shows you where I ended up mentally," she said of the track.

"'Clean' I wrote as I was walking out of Liberty in London," she continued. "Someone I used to date - it hit me that I'd been in the same city as him for two weeks and I hadn't thought about it. When it did hit me, it was like, Oh, I hope he's doing well. And nothing else."

She added that the song was meant to capture how, as time passes, your heartbreak slowly fades. "You get used to not calling someone at night to tell them how your day was," she said. "You replace these old habits with new habits, like texting your friends in a group chat all day and planning fun dinner parties and going out on adventures with your girlfriends, and then all of a sudden one day you're in London and you realize you've been in the same place as your ex for two weeks and you're fine. And you hope he's fine. The first thought that came to my mind was, I'm finally clean."

"Wonderland"

Swift hasn't said too much about the inspiration behind "Wonderland," which served as a bonus track on 1989. However, it's obvious that she was inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland books as she makes many literary references to it, comparing a whirlwind romance to falling down a rabbit hole.

"You Are in Love"

Swift's love song was inspired by her friend Lena Dunham's relationship at the time with Jack Antonoff (who produced 1989).

"I wrote that song about things that Lena has told me about her and Jack," Swift told Elle. "That's just basically stuff she's told me. And I think that that kind of relationship - God, it sounds like it would just be so beautiful - would also be hard. It would also be mundane at times."

"New Romantics"

Though the track was featured on the deluxe version of 1989, it has become a fan favorite among Swifties. Like the rest of the songs on the album, this track shows Swift's new approach to love as she sings about being more carefree with her romantic prospects with lyrics like, "Heartbreak is the national anthem / We sing it proudly."

Just as "Blank Space" plays into the narrative surrounding Swift's dating life, "Slut!" takes a similar approach by saying she'll accept the media's branding of her as long as she gets to be with the person she loves. Interestingly enough, in a voice recording shared by Tumblr Music, Swift revealed that when it came to deciding the final track list for 1989, she chose "Blank Space" over "Slut!"

In the chorus, she echoes similar lyrics from "Style" - such as "good girl faith and a tight little skirt" - as she sings, "But if I'm all dressed up / They might as well be lookin' at us / And if they call me a slut / You know it might be worth it for once."

Just like the "crooked love" Swift sings about in "I Wish You Would," Swift continues that narrative by singing about a relationship that is filled with uncertainty at every turn. As she watches the relationship slowly fade, she pleads with her lover to say, "Don't go."

"Now That We Don't Talk"

Following an intense breakup, "Now That We Don't Talk" sees Swift document changes in her ex's life now that they don't talk anymore. Though it's one of Swift's shortest songs, she said on Tumblr Music that it's one of her favorite vault tracks from the album and "packs a punch." Like many of her songs, Swift hasn't delved into the inspiration too much, however, fans have clued in on various lyrics, namely, the second verse which calls out her ex's longer hair following their breakup, leading many to think the song is also about Styles.

"Suburban Legends"

From the lyrics to the production, many fans have compared "Suburban Legends" to Swift's Midnights track "Mastermind." In the 1989 vault track, Swift sings about two star-crossed lovers who just couldn't make things work in their relationship.

"Is It Over Now?"

In the final vault track of 1989, Swift reflects on a relationship coming to an end, as she constantly asks her lover, "Is it over now?" Swift told Tumblr Music that she always saw the track "as sort of a sister to 'Out of the Woods' and 'I Wish You Would,'" leading many to believe the track is about Styles.

The lyrics also make pointed references to their relationship in the second verse (Whеn you lost control/ Red blood, white snow/ Blue dress on a boat/ Your new girl is my clone), including the reported snowmobile accident referenced in "Out of the Woods," the infamous photo of her wearing a blue dress on a boat after their reported breakup and Styles' relationship with Kimberly Stewart, who bore a resemblance to Swift, shortly after the split.

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Who Are Taylor Swift's 1989 Songs About? What She Has Said About the Inspirations

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Taylor Swift has released 1989 (Taylor's Version) and it has fans reminiscing about the meaning behind the songs' lyrics. Here's everything the singer has shared about the inspirations behind her songs, including her new vault tracks "Is It Over Now?" and "Now That We Don't Talk."

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1989 won Album of the Year at the Grammys. Her image continues to be rooted in musical shift despite the genre shift. This constructs her as someone who is able to successful in many genres.

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Taylor Swift | Album of the Year | 58th GRAMMYs

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Starting in May 2015 and ending in December, the 1989 world tour was the highest grossing tour of 2015 and was met with rave reviews.

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After more than six months of touring, Taylor Swift knows exactly what she's doing, to quote from New Romantics, the final track of her indomitable album 1989 and the second of her live setlist.

On the first of her seven shows in Australia, the final leg of her world tour, there's no pose held that isn't obscenely flattering, no introduction that doesn't seem scripted.

You could hold that up as evidence of her being "calculating", the word often applied to her intense involvement in her public brand and career, or you could accept it as par for the course of being the biggest pop star in the world today: a visible, worked-for commitment to putting on a spectacular show that she upholds from the opener Welcome to New York to the crowd-pleasing closer Shake It Off.

Take the wristbands - given out on entry at ANZ Stadium - programmed to light up in time with her songs. It's a sure-fire way to get tens of thousands of hands in the air, but it's also a present from Swift to her fans, transforming the charmless, concrete dead zone into an infinite star-scape.

On the Mrs Carter tour of 2013, when Beyoncé ruled the world, the sense was that she was the gift. Swift isn't just accessible to fans; she works at a relationship with them, as you would an old friend you risk taking for granted. She thanks us for choosing her show over any other event Sydney has to offer: "I know there's a lot of other places you could be", as though any of the 76,000 people at her show had given serious consideration to the Supercross open or the short-course swimming championships on at the stadium complex the same night.

There are moments this "your friend, Taylor Swift" act wears a bit thin, like the coy disclosure "I put out an album called 1989" when we'd already heard at least three songs from it.

By this stage of Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour, there's no pose held that isn't flattering. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

The video interviews of her famous friends extolling her virtues as a home baker seem particularly self-serving, a bid to shoehorn Lena Dunham and the Haim sisters into a set in which her "squad" risked going unmentioned. Even some of her most enthusiastic fans sit down as soon as Selena Gomez pops up on screen to chew the cud about what true love might be. (Disappointingly, she does not introduce a "special guest" tonight, despite much speculation as to who it might be.)

But the cynicism I feel at the start of her speech introducing Clean - about overcoming insecurities and negative self-talk and coming to terms with your mistakes - dissipates when I see the young girls hanging off her every word. There aren't many celebrities with her profile and influence telling preteen girls that they are not somebody else's opinion of them, that they are "not going nowhere just because you haven't got to where you want to be yet".

Pop stars don't have to be good role models, but Swift takes her responsibilities seriously; there must be parents who are grateful to her for it. This earnestness extends to the rest of her performance as she mimes taking a Polaroid picture, winks at every click in Blank Space and flashes her eyes malevolently as she sings "I can make all the tables turn".

She approaches her songs as her fans might lip-synch them alone in their bedrooms or (the older ones - and there are plenty of them here tonight, even without children as a cover) drunk at karaoke, all exaggerated gestures and literal interpretations.

There's no doubt that Swift is a workhorse: the dance steps don't come easy, and she leaves the flashy legwork to her all-male dancers. She seems much more at ease with her guitar for This Love and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, and at a piano for the stripped-back take on Enchanted and Wildest Dreams.

The singles from 1989 receive the most rapturous reception from the crowd, not because they're the best-known (she could've sung an early B-side and this crowd would have known every word), but because they're the better songs. Over-saturation or snobbishness make it easy to forget what brilliant pop songs Style and Blank Space are: stylish, original, witty.

Swift's performance tonight is a reminder that her clothes, her cats, her squad aside, it's her songwriting that has won her enormous global fandom. Her great gift is treating love with such specificity - moving the furniture to dance ("is her apartment that small?" wonders my friend), driving at 2am - that it evokes your own experiences of it.

In Out of the Woods, giant paper airplanes circling above her, she sings about being in a snow mobile accident with Harry Styles; I think about an exchange in a burger bar in Melbourne. It was about my theory: once you've felt every emotion that Taylor Swift has sung about, life has no more highs or lows to offer you, and you keel over, spent. I ran through a lot of them on Saturday night.

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Taylor Swift review - polished perfection remains accessible as 1989 tour winds down

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You can call it calculating or you can see it as Swift's commitment to putting on a spectacular show. Or you can just surrender to the emotions

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Welcome to New York! Ish! Taylor Swift brought it all back home last night, or at least to New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, for her 1989 Tour. Never one to do things halfway, Swift has made this a pop show - or rather the pop show, as far as 2015 is concerned. The whole night was a two-hour pop-blitz spectacle, where the songs retain all the teardrops-on-my-guitar intimacy of her early days, except blown up into massive electro-warrior emotional avalanches pushing the can't-even-ometer into the red. This show had it all: life lessons ("You are not the opinion of someone who doesn't know you!"), synth-disco raves, acoustic ballads, explosions, video interviews with her cats, sparkle-intensive costume changes, a Weeknd duet and oh yeah, the U.S. Women's Soccer Team parading through the crowd to "Style" in front of 60,000 screaming fans. That kind of night.

When Bruce Springsteen plays NYC, he likes to joke about how the city's beloved hometown icons - Sinatra, the Statue of Liberty, the sports teams - are rooted in Jersey. There was an element of that when Swift kicked off with her new theme song "Welcome to New York," explaining, "Although we're in New Jersey, our story opens in New York." But these songs aren't really about any particular city any more than they're about any particular boy - they all take place in the galaxy Taylor creates in her songs, one where everything orbits around one girl's mood swings, where boys are disposable and cats are keepers, where girlfriends matter and lying about your feelings is not how things are done around here. (A handwritten sign taped to a door backstage: "Cats Roaming. Do Not Open." Only on Planet Tay.) It was the kind of show that could only make emotional sense in a stadium this size.

As always, the hardcore fans were a crucial part of the spectacle, in full gear with their costumes and glowsticks. The crowd was, as Taylor said, "jumping and dancing and loud and lit up and dressed up." There was a gang of girls with their birthdates bedazzled on their shirts a la the 1989 logo-2004, 2007, etc-while their moms proudly repped 1976. Two girls with matching lightboards, one saying WE'RE TOO BUSY DANCING and the other TO GET KNOCKED OFF OUR FEET. A couple of girls with homemade Mean Girls-style shirts announcing, "You Can't Swift With Us." The fan faves were probably the girls carrying giant Starbucks venti cups as big as they were, with the logo tweaked to STARBUCKS LOVERS and Taylor's face in the middle. That's how a Swift show works: You love the players and you love the game.

"We all have different insecurities, different fears, different scars," Taylor announced. "There are many different types of people here tonight. But we have one thing in common: When we feel great amounts of joy or great amounts of pain, we turn to music, and that's why we're here tonight." The show was a marathon-19 songs, stretching almost to midnight. The new songs, despite their studio sheen, really kick live-especially synth-pop epiphanies like "New Romantics" (where Taylor's male harem of private dancers toted her around on a park bench) and "Blank Space." She rocked a glow-in-the-dark polka-dot ensemble for "How You Get The Girl," as her dancing boys twirled neon umbrellas and her band staged an extremely welcome twin-guitar duel. She picked up her trusty acoustic guitar for "Can't Feel My Face" with the Weeknd, whose hair might have been the most truly 1989 thing in sight.

She radically revised the oldies, which did not stop anyone from singing them. "I Knew You Were Trouble" began with a slow creepy goth-industrial intro - loads of the Sisters of Mercy's Andrew Eldritch in her vocals! Floodland, holla! - before the drums kicked in and turned it into a rock-me-Amadeus stomp. "Love Story" became a synth ballad, as she whisked around the stadium on her magic levitating catwalk. Even better was the hair-metal version of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," which has never-ever-ever sounded this nasty-Taylor in leather at the lip of the stage, doing a perfect version of the Slash guitar slouch, shoulders hunched, hair falling over face. Who knows, maybe Tay will do an full-on Headbanger's Ball album next time.

And because she's Taylor, she talked the talk. You have never heard a pop star say "Let me clarify that statement" more times in one night. It got heavy, like when she confessed, "Real talk, Jersey: I haven't always felt like I have real friends, or any friends at all." She gave the crowd her list of friendship requirements ("You have to like me" and "you have to want to spend time with me," with various codicils and subclauses). She also told us, "If I had my way, everything would be simple for all of you. I wish nobody would ever mess with your mind. I wish nobody would wait two days to text you back, when you know they had their phone with them the whole time!" That line got one of the biggest roars of the night.

But the hugest moment had to be "Style," when she brought out the U.S. soccer team, just a few hours after their ticker-tape victory parade. They looked like they were having a blast, strutting down the catwalk, waving giant flags. (After the show they gave her a SWIFT #13 team jersey.) She also brought out Project Runway host Heidi Klum, who if memory serves is from one of the countries the U.S. team aufed in the tournament. (Let the healing begin!) Tay's been preaching the girl-bonding gospel so long, it's easy to take that part of her game for granted - but that's just a measure of how much she's changed the pop-star landscape. For "Bad Blood," she struck a pose with video comrades Hailee Steinfeld, Lily Aldridge, Gigi Hadid and Lena Dunham - she shows off her girlfriend collection the way rock bands like Guns N Roses or Great White used to make videos where the girlfriends lounge around the soundstage.

(And speaking of Taylor girlfriends, a sincere question: have Haim always been this good? I wasn't a fan going in but their opening set was fire, roughing up their pop hits and doing a fantastic version of "Oh Well," by the Peter Green edition of Fleetwood Mac, which sounds sounds so snotty as a sullen-teen-girl anthem - "Don't ask me what I think of you / I might not give the answer that you waaant me toooo." Somewhere, Peter Green must be proud these black magic women have given this song a new life.)

As usual for a Swift show, the quiet moments were some of the most intense, especially "Clean," "This Love" and the piano medley of "Enchanted" and "Wildest Dreams," where she whipped out the piano-hair windmills. One of the highlights was "You Are In Love"-not just a deep cut, but a bonus track-where she led the whole crowd in a sing-along. Funny how all the state-of-the-art special effects can't hold a glowstick to the visceral power of 60,000 fans singing about love pains.

It all ended with "Shake It Off," with fireworks, confetti and dancing boys in purple Angus Young schoolboy outfits. All night, the Eighties concept took many different forms - from the pre-show mix tape (Human League, Toto, Fine Young Cannibals and my girl Tiffany) to the beats. But mostly, it's in the way she embodies the Eighties ideal of a pop star - Madonna, Prince, Bruce - as an auteur who makes every album, every tour something new. Honestly, if Taylor Swift had just done the Red tour all over again, plugging in the new songs with some greatest hits, that would have been fine with absolutely everyone. Taking the easy way would have been 100 percent good enough. It just wasn't what she wanted to do. Instead, she wanted to push a little harder and make a gloriously epic pop mess like this. What a night.

Set List:

1. "Welcome to New York"
2. "New Romantics"
3. "Blank Space"
4. "I Knew You Were Trouble"
5. "I Wish You Would"
6. "How You Get the Girl"
7. "I Know Places"
8. "All You Had to Do Was Stay"
9. "Can't Feel My Face" with The Weeknd
10. "You Are in Love"
11. "Clean"
12. "Love Story"
13. "Style"
14. "This Love"
15. "Bad Blood"
16. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
17. "Enchanted"/"Wildest Dreams"
18. "Out of the Woods"
19. "Shake It Off"

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Taylor Swift's Epic '1989' Tour: Rob Sheffield's Report

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Taylor Swift brings out the U.S. Women's Soccer Team, Heidi Klum and the Weeknd at her New Jersey stadium show. Rob Sheffield's reviews the epic show.

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 10) Why was this tour significant for Taylor Swift's star image?

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 10) Why was this tour significant for Taylor Swift's star image?

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Taylor Swift as Olaf and Idina Menzel as Elsa perform on Taylor Swift's "The 1989 World Tour" at Raymond James Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. Tim Boyles/LP5/Getty Images for TAS

From musicians to models (and even the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team!) see everyone who joined Taylor Swift on stage for her "1989 World Tour"!

Taylor Swift as Olaf and Idina Menzel as Elsa perform on Taylor Swift's "The 1989 World Tour" at Raymond James Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. Tim Boyles/LP5/Getty Images for TAS

Taylor Swift as Olaf and Idina Menzel as Elsa perform on Taylor Swift's "The 1989 World Tour" at Raymond James Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. Read the story.

Taylor Swift & Allesia Cara

Image Credit: Tim Boyles/LP5/Getty Images

Taylor Swift and Allesia Cara perform "Here" on Taylor Swift's "The 1989 World Tour" at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 31, 2015 in Tampa, Fl.
Read the story.

Greatest of All Time

When it comes to music, there's no objective right or wrong, good or bad - but that never stops passionate music fans from sharing and defending their favorites. From pop hooks to album covers to beats, we're rounding up some of the greatest of all time in music on Billboard. We spent months discussing, researching and reflecting on music from artists old and new, considering everything from sales to impact to innovation to longevity. The results won't please everyone - and that's as it should be. Everyone has their own takes on the greatest in music - this is ours.
Check it out.

Taylor Swift & MKTO

Image Credit: Michael Loccisano/LP5/Getty Images for TAS

Taylor Swift performs with Malcolm Kelly and Tony Oller of MKTO at Gillette Stadium on July 25, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
Read the story.

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Taylor Swift & Allesia Cara

Image Credit: Tim Boyles/LP5/Getty Images

Taylor Swift and Allesia Cara perform "Here" on Taylor Swift's "The 1989 World Tour" at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 31, 2015 in Tampa, Fl.
Read the story.

Greatest of All Time

When it comes to music, there's no objective right or wrong, good or bad - but that never stops passionate music fans from sharing and defending their favorites. From pop hooks to album covers to beats, we're rounding up some of the greatest of all time in music on Billboard. We spent months discussing, researching and reflecting on music from artists old and new, considering everything from sales to impact to innovation to longevity. The results won't please everyone - and that's as it should be. Everyone has their own takes on the greatest in music - this is ours.
Check it out.

Taylor Swift & MKTO

Image Credit: Michael Loccisano/LP5/Getty Images for TAS

Taylor Swift performs with Malcolm Kelly and Tony Oller of MKTO at Gillette Stadium on July 25, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
Read the story.

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Taylor Swift's 1989 Tour: See All of Her Special Guests!

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From Nick Jonas and The Weeknd to Karlie Kloss and Lena Dunham, see everyone who joined Taylor Swift on stage for her "1989 World Tour"!

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Selena Gomez

Avril Lavigne

Mary J Blige

The Weeknd

Jason Derulo

Mick Jagger

Idina Menzel

Shawn Mendes

Justin Timberlake,

And many more.

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Having so many famous, high profile guests on her tour could be seen to construct Swift as supportive and full of admiration for other artists by having them share the stage with her.

It could also elevate her image, being associated with so many different musicians, could result in even more exposure for Swift, featuring artists that appeal to vast audiences.

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 11) The Downfall: The Peak of Taylor Swift Vs. Kanye West, 2016

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 11) The Downfall: The Peak of Taylor Swift Vs. Kanye West, 2016

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Despite this feud looking like it was over, Kanye West released his song 'Famous' that features derogatory lyrics about Swift.

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"I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex.

Why? I made that bitch famous"

These lyrics imply that Kanye West is taking the credit for Swift's success whilst being rather misogynistic towards her.

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Kanye West's then wife Kim Kardashian, later released a phone call between West and Swift in which it appears that she approves of the lyric, which contrasts with her statement that she in fact did not. The release of this footage positioned Swift as a liar in this situation, completely tarnishing her image, and leading to immense public backlash.

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Due to the backlash from this, Taylor Swift's comment sections became flooded with snake emojis.

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Released in November 2017, 'Reputation' is Swift's sixth album. It takes on a much darker image than she's had before, a big contrast to 1989. Through the album art and a number of songs on the album, there is a darker, vengeful image created of Taylor, seemingly in response to her unfortunate downfall in the media and public eye.

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Following Swift's departure from Big Machine Records, owner Scooter Braun acquired the albums she recorded there, thus she did not own her music herself, so her first six albums didn't belong to her, despite it being all of her music. Despite maintaining an image as a powerful force within the music industry, this situation positioned her as powerless.

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A documentary following the life of Taylor Swift through various moments in 2018/2019.

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Swift directed a short film for her song 'All Too Well.' This could be seen to showcase her as a director as well as a singer/songwriter, thus emphasising her star image as multifaceted- she is able to tell stories to people through many mediums, like this short film.

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Taylor Swift - All Too Well: The Short Film

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During this interview, Taylor talks about how when her album 'Red' was originally released, she describes how she let slip that her song 'All Too Well' started off being ten minutes long. She explains that her fans "would not let it go" therefore, on Red: Taylor's Version, she gave them the ten minute version. Not only does this showcase how dedicated Taylor's fan base is, but how she is also a star that listens to her fanbase and tries to them happy with her choices- it showcases a positive aspect of her image; that she is dedicated to her fans.

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Taylor Swift's Extended Interview | The Graham Norton Show

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18) Taylor Swift Receives an Honorary Doctorate From NYU

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18) Taylor Swift Receives an Honorary Doctorate From NYU

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 15) Surprise Albums: Taylor releases 'Folklore' and 'Evermore' in 2020

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 15) Surprise Albums: Taylor releases 'Folklore' and 'Evermore' in 2020

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These two 'sister' albums as described by Swift, indicated her movement into the genre of folk music.

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'All Too Well: The Short Film' was the first ever short film to win Best Music Video at the Grammys, and it was solely directed by Taylor. The fact that Taylor broke this boundary with her short film could be argued to elevate her image not only as a singer, but highlight that her creativity in other forms such as film making and directing also has brought her immense success.

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TAYLOR SWIFT Wins Best Music Video For "ALL TOO WELL" | 2023 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech

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19) November 2022: The Eras tour is announced.

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19) November 2022: The Eras tour is announced.

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Within this world wide stadium tour, Taylor performs songs from each of her musical eras, each coinciding with every album she has ever released, and takes her audience through each era one by one. The fact that Swift is acknowledging that her music career can be broken down into eras could be seen to highlight a sense of self awareness of her changing image, and image reinvention throughout time. The fact that she takes time to sing from every one could show how she feels that all of those eras will always remain a part of her image.

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The three and a half hour concert is available to stream on Disney+. This perhaps allows fans who couldn't attend the concert to watch.

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In order to promote this album, following a deletion of all of her social media posts, Swift posted a series of snake videos, a big reference to the influx of snake emojis that flooded her instagram as a result of the 2016 scandals. The snakes became a recurring motif throughout the Reputation Era. To use what was once an unescapable insult thrown at her to her strength could be seen as a similar move to Blank Space.

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Taylor Swift Snake Video (Stitched) | Reputation Album

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The first single from Reputation. The video is interesting for a number of reasons:

The beginning features Swift, coming back from the dead, clawing her way out of a grave as a zombie- her comeback after the scandals.

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Taylor Swift announces that she is re-recording her albums.

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Taylor Swift announces that she is re-recording her albums.

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"Artists deserve to own their work."

In response to this scandal, Swift announced that she would be re-recording the albums she recorded at Big Machine Records, so that she could own her work. Not only does this display immense dedication to her music but could also display her as a rather inspirational figure within the music industry, by taking back what is hers.

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Taylor Swift says she'll re-record her old albums | Live on GMA

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It's the same music, but different because these albums are what are described as Taylor's Version. This phrase added to every album title creates a strong sense of authenticity to these records, as though this music is done her way. Therefore she is giving her fans the most authentic version of her music, further establishing a level of authenticity to her image as a musician.

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Taylor Swift has broken her long-held public political silence in an Instagram post encouraging her followers to vote in the November midterm elections and slamming Republican Tennessee representative Marsha Blackburn.

"In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," Swift began the post, which was accompanied by a moody, black-and-white photo of the superstar.

"I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country," she wrote. "I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent."

"I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love," the post continues.

Swift went on to call out Blackburn, who's running for Bob Corker's open Senate seat, stating that although Swift supports having more women in office, she cannot vote for Blackburn due to her political track record. She goes on to list several policies Blackburn supports, including the idea that businesses have a right to turn away gay patrons, finishing with, "These are not MY Tennessee values."

"I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives," she wrote. Bredesen and Cooper are both Democrats. Cooper currently represents the fifth congressional district based in Nashville, and Bredesen is a former Tennessee governor and mayor of Nashville.

She included a plea to her followers to get engaged with the political process: "Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway."

She finished the post by encouraging her followers to register to vote, including the registration deadline of Oct. 9 for Tennessee.

Swift has faced criticism in the past for not using her enormous platform to advocate for political and social causes, with some speculating that she intentionally stayed silent regarding politics so as not to alienate any of her fan base. She posted a since-deleted photo of herself voting during the 2016 presidential election, but did not state who she voted for.

See the full post below.
RELATED:

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Taylor Swift Breaks Political Silence, Endorses Tennessee Democrats

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Taylor Swift broke her long-held political silence Sunday, writing a length post on Instagram encouraging her followers to vote.

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@_joshuajoe_

13 days ago

I love how she put everything people were saying about her on the media and put it all in the song and video honestly I love how she does these kinda things

@missameric_ana

4 years ago

ok, but let’s be honest, this was the comeback of the century.

@rebeccaleitman6616

1 year ago

Taylor taking control of her image and coming back stronger than a 90s trend. She turned all the backlash and hate into an amazing piece of work. Proud fan.

elia881020

2 years ago

four years later it still shocked me how iconic this is, even shed tears thinking about what she went through at that time and somehow she's strong enough to turn this into one of her most successful comeback in her career, i'll always gonna be so proud of her :(

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"The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now...why? Oh, because she's dead.

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"The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now...why? Oh, because she's dead.

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The 'old' Taylor- she is leaving her past self behind, highlighting a shift towards a new image, a new persona, especially as the old her is 'dead'

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"She concluded by encouraging fans to “please, please educate yourself on the candidates” and directing followers to Vote.org. What followed was a major spike in voter registrations; Vote.org reported that 169,000 people registered to vote within 48 hours of Swift’s post."

Her image at this point has grown beyond a powerful singer/ songwriter, but now a strong political influence too, once again broadening the layers to her persona, in a way that it hadn't been prior to this. Her powerful image as a popstar, allowed her to develop her image further.

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Here's the full timeline.

Taylor Swift has grown up in the public eye, and we've gotten a firsthand look at her creative and political development. In this timeline tracking Taylor Swift's politics, we take a look at how the pop icon's views have evolved over the years - including the ways some fans feel they haven't evolved enough. At the start of her career, Swift mostly kept her views to herself. But over time, she started to speak up, encouraging her fans to vote, calling out anti-LGBTQ politicians, and blaming Donald Trump for "stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism."

Here's what to know about Swift's politics.

Early 2010s: Dodges the subject

At the beginning of her career, Swift famously avoided sharing her political views. In one 2012 interview with a Norwegian journalist, she explained why that was: "I just figure I'm a 22-year-old singer and I don't know if people really want to hear my political views. I think they just kind of want to hear me sing songs about breakups and feelings."

During this period, the only label Swift adapted was that of feminist, a term she'd previously skirted. But in a 2014 interview with the Guardian, she identified as a feminist and credited pal Lena Dunham with helping her embrace the word: "Becoming friends with Lena - without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for - has made me realize that I've been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so," Swift said. (Not coincidentally, this was also the time Swift's (very white) "squad," which counted Dunham in its ranks, rose in girlboss-approved ascendancy.)

Taking Swift's silence on other political topics as a green light, by 2016, some white supremacist circles were calling Swift their "Aryan goddess," claiming she would make her alt-right views known once Trump had become president. At the time, Swift didn't publicly address or, more importantly, denounce the alt-right's adoption of her, waiting years to make her views on white supremacy known. But we'll get to that.

October 29, 2015: Sues over sexual assault

In September 2015, a Denver DJ, David Mueller, sued Swift for defamation after losing his job two years prior when Swift reported he'd groped her at a meet-and-greet. Swift responded by doubling down on what had happened and countersuing Mueller the following month, taking her case to court and, in 2017, winning her requested single dollar in damages. By taking the case to trial, Swift said she'd wanted to serve as an "example to other women," Later, she'd credit the experience with inspiring her to get political - although it would still be awhile before broader evidence of that was seen.

January 21, 2017: Women's March tweet draws controversy

Swift, who hadn't publicly shared any views about the 2016 election beyond a painfully neutral Election Day photo and didn't attend the Women's March, shared in a now-deleted tweet: "So much love, pride, and respect for those who marched. I'm proud to be a woman today, and every day."

The post immediately drew ire among some critics, who pointed out her silence during the run-up to Trump's win and called the tweet "spineless" and "far too little, far too late."

March 23, 2018: Posts in support of March For Our Lives

When Swift broke with her prior apolitical patterns to tweet in support of gun reform following the deadly Parkland High School shooting, some saw it as a potential turn in the pop star's political tides.

"No one should have to go to school in fear of gun violence. Or to a nightclub. Or to a concert. Or to a movie theater. Or to their place of worship," Swift wrote, referencing other major U.S. mass shootings and adding she was making a donation to "show my support for the students."

October 7, 2018: Makes a political endorsement for the first time

In what's widely seen as her first time getting head-on political, for the 2018 midterms, Swift came out in support of Tennessee Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen (for Senate) and Jim Cooper (for the House of Representatives) in a lengthy Instagram post that remonstrated Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn and addressed Swift's own record of political science.

"In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," Swift wrote, going on to say, "I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love."

She concluded by encouraging fans to "please, please educate yourself on the candidates" and directing followers to Vote.org. What followed was a major spike in voter registrations; Vote.org reported that 169,000 people registered to vote within 48 hours of Swift's post. Although Blackburn won regardless, Swift's political influence had, for the first time, been made known, informing early references to the "Taylor Swift Effect."

October 30, 2018: Continues repping her Senate choice alongside mom

In another Instagram post supporting Bredesen for Senate, Swift wrote that "we want leadership, not fear-based extremism."

June 1, 2019: Writes an open letter urging support of the Equality Act

Within the first few minutes of Pride Month, Swift shared an open letter she'd penned to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander urging him to support passage of the Equality Act, a bill meant to expand federal civil rights protections for LGBTQIA+ people by prohibiting discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

In addition to sharing her two-page letter, Swift appealed to fans both to write similar letters to their senators and to sign a Change.org petition she'd started in support of the act. "Let's show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally," she wrote.

June 17, 2019: Releases "You Need To Calm Down" music video

Later that month, Swift promoted the Equality Act again, this time in the form of a music video wrapping with a call to sign her Change.org petition. Reception of the video was decidedly mixed, particularly among queer viewers.

In the video, Swift essentially makes herself the central resident of a technicolored LGBTQ+ trailer park populated by queer celebrities like Billy Porter, RuPaul, the "fab five" from Queer Eye, and Hayley Kiyoko. (Plus, for some reason, Ryan Reynolds painting a portrait of Stonewall?) Some called out the way homophobia was depicted in the video, which seemed to make anti-LGBTQIA+ views and rural, blue collar, and Southern identities synonymous.

Others took issue with the video's finale, in which Swift reconciles with then-rival (and fellow straight woman) Katy Perry. Not only did it turn attention away from LGBTQ+ allyship and back toward Swift's own personal drama, it played into a longer-standing pattern, per Vox's Constance Grady, who wrote Swift was "playing one of her worst games here: She's linking criticism of her as a celebrity and as a musician with homophobic and anti-feminist bullying, and she's suggesting that they're all equally wrong."

Ultimately, a lot of listeners couldn't un-see the video's commodification of queerness; per Spencer Kornhaber in The Atlantic, it had, after all, been "released in the middle of Pride Month with all the precision of a bank's new credit-card rollout." But the video did also help drive a spike in donations to GLAAD, the LGBTQ+ organization Swift donated to and names in her lyrics, "Why are you mad? / When you could be GLAAD?"

For her part, Swift took to Tumblr to deny any claims of queer-baiting, writing: "To be an ally is to understand the difference between advocating and baiting. Anyone trying to twist this positivity into something it isn't needs to calm down." It was a response that, in essence, quickly shut the door to more nuanced acknowledgements of the concerns voiced by, among others, the queer fans for whom Swift was supposedly advocating.

March 6, 2019: Shares intention to "do more to help" in next election, criticizes Trump

In a " 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30" essay she wrote for Elle, Swift shared she was "finding my voice in terms of politics."

"I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life," she wrote. "I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change."

Referencing Trump without naming him, she added: "Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric. I'm going to do more to help. We have a big race coming up next year."

August 24, 2019: Comes out as "obviously pro-choice" and says she would've endorsed Hillary Clinton

In an interview with The Guardian, Swift called Trump's presidency an "autocracy" and shared her regrets about staying silent during the 2016 election. She hadn't felt educated enough to speak about politics then, she said - and she also emphasized the number of times she'd heard in the country music scene to, at all costs, not be like the Chicks. "I watched country music snuff [the Chicks'] candle out," she said. "The most amazing group we had, just because they talked about politics. And they were getting death threats. They were made such an example that basically every country artist that came after that, every label tells you, 'Just do not get involved, no matter what.'"

Saying she would have "of course" endorsed Hillary Clinton had she been vocal about politics at the time, Swift vowed not to make the same mistake again, telling The Guardian: "I just wanna do everything I can for 2020. I wanna figure out exactly how I can help, what are the most effective ways to help."

August 26, 2019: Calls out White House at the VMAs

While accepting the MTV Video Music Awards for video of the year for "You Need to Calm Down" - which won, despite the criticisms it had drawn - Swift spoke about the Equality Act petition featured in the video.

First addressing fans, Swift said that "you voting for this video means that you want a world where we're all treated equally under the law." The petition, she added, "now has half a million signatures, which is five times the amount that it would need to warrant a response from the White House," looking to her wrist as if checking a past-due time.

January 23, 2020: Shares her "need to be on the right side of history" in Miss Americana

Swift's Netflix documentary Miss Americana took fans behind-the-scenes of her choice in 2018 to come out against Marsha Blackburn, who she referred to as "Trump in a wig." It also exposed some of the mandates Swift received from record label executives and advisors to not share that message.

In one scene, Swift argues with her father and a slate of all-male team members about her desire to publicly oppose Blackburn. One member of her team indicates that getting "involved in politics or religion" could cut her audience in half, and her father references a need to buy armored cars. But Swift responds that Blackburn has voted against LGBTQ+ legislation, as well as voting not to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

"I can't see another commercial [with] her disguising these policies behind the words 'Tennessee Christian values.' I live in Tennessee. I am Christian. That's not what we stand for," Swift says while voicing regret for not coming out against Trump sooner. "I can't change that...(but) I need to be on the right side of history."

May 29, 2020: Responding to Trump's stance on protests for Black lives and against police brutality, says: "We will vote you out"

After a tweet from then-President Trump referred to Black Lives Matter protesters as "THUGS," adding that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," Swift took aim at Trump directly for the first time on Twitter.

"After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? 'When the looting starts the shooting starts'???" she wrote. "We will vote you out in November."

June 9, 2020: Advocates for removing Confederate statues in Tennessee

On June 9, Swift tweeted, using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, that "racial injustice has been ingrained deeply into local and state governments, and changes MUST be made," along with a (not super-specific) reference to the "need to elect people" who will make those changes. A few days later, in a series of 10 tweets, Swift zeroed-in on at least one concrete impact: the removal of Confederate statues.

"As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things," Swift wrote, naming two such monuments. She added: "Taking down statues isn't going to fix centuries of systemic oppression, violence and hatred that black people have had to endure but it might bring us one small step closer to making ALL Tennesseans and visitors to our state feel safe - not just the white ones."

August 11, 2020: Celebrates Harris' nomination as Vice President

With a simple, all-caps "YES," Swift retweeted Harris' message announcing she'd joined Biden as the Democratic nominee for Vice President. Swift fans have recently pointed to this message as they wait for a similar pro-Harris statement ahead of the 2024 election.

August 14, 2020: Criticizes Trump's attack on the U.S. Postal Service

In a series of tweets, Swift condemned what she called Trump's "calculated dismantling of USPS" during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it proves "he is WELL AWARE that we do not want him as our president."

"He's chosen to blatantly cheat and put millions of Americans' lives at risk in an effort to hold on to power," Swift wrote before urging followers to "request a ballot early" and "vote early"

October 7, 2020: Endorses Biden for president

In her first-ever endorsement of a presidential candidate, Swift posted her plans to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket alongside the earlier-mentioned cookie plate and an interview with V Magazine.

She told V: "The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included. Everyone deserves a government that takes global health risks seriously and puts the lives of its people first. The only way we can begin to make things better is to choose leaders who are willing to face these issues and find ways to work through them."

October 30, 2020: Allows music to be used in a political ad

On the heels of her first presidential endorsement, Swift allowed one of her songs - "Only the Young," written as a protest song - to be used in a political ad for the first time. The ad, for California Democrat Eric Swalwell's re-election campaign, was targeted at young voters.

February 25, 2021: Celebrates the Equality Act getting through the House

After the House voted to pass the Equality Act, Swift took to Twitter to voice her hope the Senate would do the same. (FYI: More than three years later, we're still waiting to find out. Facing a filibuster in the Senate, the bill has still not become law - despite eight in 10 Americans supporting legal measures to protect LGBTQ+ folks from discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing.)

June 24, 2022: Says she's "terrified" by the overturning of Roe V. Wade

Retweeting an open letter by Michelle Obama, Swift used her message in the immediate aftermath of Roe 's fall to say that she was "absolutely terrified that this is where we are."

October 19, 2022: Urges followers to participate in midterm elections

In a message posted to her Instagram Story, Swift told followers there were "only 20 midnights until the 2022 United States Midterm Elections on November 8" and included specific information for her fans in Tennessee. In a reminder post on the 8th, she made the stakes clear to fans: "This year, more than any year in modern history, the Midterm Elections will affect our access to fundamental rights, basic reproductive healthcare, and our ability to make our government work for us." The post did not include any specific candidate endorsements.

June 2, 2023: Calls out anti-LGBTQ+ legislation from the "Eras Tour" stage

After performing "You Need to Calm Down" at a Chicago "Eras" stop, Swift referenced legislation across the country threatening the rights and well-being of queer Americans. "Right now and in recent years," she said, "there have been so many harmful pieces of legislation that have put people in the LGBTQ and queer community at risk. It's painful for everyone: every ally, every loved one, every person in these communities."

Again, Swift's call to action was to vote - though she didn't name any specific candidates to back or bills to oppose. (Admittedly, it would be a long list to get through between songs.) Swift did encourage fans to ask candidates if they're "advocates," "allies," and "protectors of equality," though, before voting for them.

September 21, 2023: Drives voter registrations en masse

Following the success of her similar plea in 2018, Swift used National Voting Day in 2023 as an opportunity to ask fans to register to vote, directing them to Vote.org. Her Instagram Story ultimately netted 35,000 newly registered voters and drove 157,041 eligible voters to the site. Vote.org's CEO, Andrea Hailey, called it a "highly encouraging sign of voter enthusiasm," reporting they'd seen a "1,226% jump in participation the hour after Taylor Swift posted. Our site was averaging 13,000 users every 30 minutes - a number that Taylor Swift would be proud of."

December 23, 2024: Attends a Gaza relief event - although it might not be what it sounds like

Alongside Selena Gomez, Swift was seen attending a comedy show organized by actor Ramy Youssef. Given Youssef had announced he'd be donating "100% of the proceeds" from upcoming shows to American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) for "humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza," fans who'd long called on Swift to break her silence about the war in Gaza, where Palestinian health authorities say more than 39,000 people have been killed, were hopeful.

But as Newsweek reported, there was "no indication that Swift or other celebrities at the event donated money, and Swift has not publicly spoken about the war." Swift, whose involvement was also sought by Israeli leaders to locate a "19-year-old Swiftie" they said had been missing since Hamas' October 7th attack on Israel, has additionally not spoken about the release of Israeli hostages.

As of this writing, her silence has continued - despite pro-Palestine Swifties penning an open letter to her in May urging her to speak up, saying her "silence has been deafening."

March 5, 2024: Urges fans to vote on Super Tuesday

Posting to Instagram Stories, Swift made her first and (so far) only reference to voting in 2024, keeping her message basic: "Today, March 5, is the Presidential Primary in Tennessee and 16 other states and territories," she wrote. "I wanted to remind you guys to vote the people who most represent YOU into power. If you haven't already, make a plan to vote today."

By this point, time had considerably lapsed since Swift last named a candidate or shared a more specific voting message. Calling the post "brief and nonpartisan," The New York Times wrote that "Taylor Swift wants you to vote today, though she's not saying for whom" while also noting that even this vague message still had the potential to "provoke outrage on Fox News."

That, to date, marks the last we've heard from Swift politically.

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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Everything You Need to Know About Taylor Swift's Politics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We track how Taylor Swift's politics have evolved over the years in a comprehensive timeline of her endorsements, social posts, and interviews.

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"Honey I rose up from the dead I do it all the time."

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"Honey I rose up from the dead I do it all the time."

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Constructs Taylor as very strong and powerful, that her image can be tarnished so much, but she has the ability to bounce back and fight back.

"...all the time"- could be a reference to her problematic relationship, and disapproval of how she is painted by the press. The fact she has to bounce back "all the time" constructs her as a victim of the images created of her by the press.

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"I got a list of names and yours is in red underlined."

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"I got a list of names and yours is in red underlined."

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Suggests that she is out for revenge, perhaps on the media for painting her in certain ways being one. The idea of Swift with a vengeance creates a much darker image of Swift than we've ever seen before. A huge shift from a young, sweet country singer or huge pop star, to a strong fearless woman who is standing up for herself more than ever.

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The Celebrity Metronome-Sean Redmond (2012)

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The Celebrity Metronome-Sean Redmond (2012)

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Talks about how repeating certain behaviours help to construct a star image: Taylor's early career for example; the cowboy boots, the curly hair, the youthfulness.

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Martin Shingler- Star Studies: a critical guide (2012)

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Martin Shingler- Star Studies: a critical guide (2012)

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Describes how a star image can be formed through several identities throughout someone's career- is Taylor acknowledging this with The Eras Tour?