To ask what the appeal is for Taylor Swift?

[lingo1234]

Maybe it's just me, but I find her music really average and I don't think she's anything special.

The Chief's Super Bowl win seems overshadowed by her and I don't understand why. I watch a lot of sports and I don't recall a team's final win ever being mostly about one of the players' spouse/partner.

AIBU to just not understand the appeal?

Btw I don’t mind TS. But I think she has an issue with accountability.

Ive heard her comment on a double standard existing between herself and male singers who sing about their love lives.

But Taylor’s MO is to drop Easter eggs into her songs referencing her relationships, designed specifically to whip the swifties into a ferver for
profit. She knows what she is doing.

People who think she's just 'pop fluff' or 'mediocre' have only heard her radio singles. These releases are the more generic, radio-friendly songs that are likely to be hits. But dig deeper than that, and you find the song-writing gold. Because that's Taylor's biggest talent - her voice is nice enough, but there's a reason she's got hundreds of awards for her song-writing.

Folklore and Evermore are lyrically and musically gorgeous. It's the way she weaves a story, like in Champagne Problems:

You booked the night train for a reason
So you could sit there in this hurt
Bustling crowds or silent sleepers
You're not sure which is worse

Because I dropped your hand while dancing
Left you out there standing
Crestfallen on the landing
Champagne problems

Your mom's ring in your pocket
My picture in your wallet
Your heart was glass, I dropped it
Champagne problems

You told your family for a reason
You couldn't keep it in
Your sister splashed out on the bottle
Now no one's celebrating

Dom Pérignon, you brought it
No crowd of friends applauded
Your hometown sceptics called it
Champagne problems

You had a speech, you're speechless
Love slipped beyond your reaches
And I couldn't give a reason
Champagne problems

Your Midas touch on the Chevy door
November flush and your flannel cure
"This dorm was once a madhouse"
I made a joke, "Well, it's made for me"

How evergreen, our group of friends
Don't think we'll say that word again
And soon they'll have the nerve to deck the halls
That we once walked through

One for the money, two for the show
I never was ready, so I watch you go
Sometimes you just don't know the answer
'Til someone's on their knees and asks you

"She would've made such a lovely bride
What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said
But you'll find the real thing instead
She'll patch up your tapestry that I shred

And hold your hand while dancing
Never leave you standing
Crestfallen on the landing
With champagne problems
^^
Your mom's ring in your pocket
Her picture in your wallet
You won't remember all my
Champagne problems

@Viohh Taylor buys double the green credits that is required to offset all her carbon emissions which are then used to improve eco infrastructure, rewild etc. The press seem to have ignored that fact.

I'd not ocme across Ronan. Oh my, a beautiful tribute

Im not an Uber fan but I get her appeal. She has good girl friends, writes all her own music, interested in politics, she isn't in your face sexual. I remember in her docufilm she was getting worked up about something and then apologised for being loud and then said something along the lines of "why do we always apologise? Like I'm sorry for being loud. In my own house. That I bought with the money I earned. Writing songs about my life". It's so true. Why do we always apologise

She did it live for Stand Up 2 Cancer, it's gorgeous but how she kept it together to sing I will never know.
All proceeds to Ronan's charity too.

I totally agree. Do you remember when she sued that creep who pinched her bottom? She sued him for $1, it was the principle of it. I loved that.

Absolutely this. 7yo dd loves her, and I'm very happy she does. A lot of her songs are very catchy with quirky/ funny lyrics. Dd and I always laugh at the "I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, cos she's dead." She's my guilty pleasure.

I think she’s incredibly talented with a broad range of music (I’d be surprised if there’s nothing you liked in her entire catalogue as it covers a range of styles and genres).

She has stood up to misogyny in the industry, has shown how one can deal with adversity and public humiliation, and then coming back stronger. She is an incredible and savvy business woman, just look at the reworks of her albums to own the rights to all of her music. She has built a loyal following, and her career is thought out years in advance - and she trails this with ‘Easter Eggs’ to keep her fans engaged.

She writes all of her own music, and has continued to write and release hit albums while performing at a record breaking tour in terms of gross revenues.

She continues to live her life how it pleases her, despite backlash from the media (in terms of her ‘squad’ and relationships), and has called out the hypocrisy of how men and women are treated in the media.

I think she’s an incredible role model for young girls and is actually more impressive as a businesswoman than a musician.

She has fans of all ages, though. There are a LOT of Swifties in their thirties, forties, fifties, and older. Musically, I prefer Lana Del Rey (that voice!) but Taylor has a very broad appeal and I also love her sense of style. I would far rather read about Taylor that see yet another topless picture of poor Britney.

And as she said at the time, she had seven witnesses and a photograph and she still had to fight to get people to believe her.

I don't get it either, and it's getting harder and harder to avoid her 'hype' because it's everywhere. I do understand different people like different things, and am happy folk enjoy her music, just wish I didn't have to see her face all the d**n time! I also have a perhaps irrational dislike of the term 'swiftie', it's just so nauseating as a word!

I think most people realise that the credits are the rich persons way out of not having to be accountable in their actual behaviour. She isn't the only celebrity who behaves like this, but in reality, it does shake her so called wholesome image.

There is literally no evidence to suggest “offsetting” works. It’s greenwashing at its finest

Even if it did work to some extent, it still basically means the rich paying some of their billions to essentially pollute as much as they like. I get that she maybe does need to fly more than the average person, but she could also use a tour bus within many countries - that's what lots of acts did in the past.

She seems like a nice person
Very talented
Very clever business woman
Very close to her family
Handsome boyfriend and she makes an effort with his family too

What's not to like? The TS hate is just odd

Except she has been around for quite a while.

I find it odd that people feel they can conclude anything real about her personality. Many celebrities only paint the image they want us to see, and she and her PR machine excel at doing that - promoting her image to be something that the real TS may or may not actually be. Her fans jump to her defence, when in reality they don't really know if what they are defending is correct or not. That's my issue with the hype.
I have no issue with people enjoying her music - it does nothing for me but then other folk might find the music I enjoy does nothing for them!

This is like the issue with the Royals using planes etc. The point is that it's not as simple as just saying, "take a bus". The security issues etc are so different for them. Taylor Swift on a tourbus? Can you imagine the CHAOS that would cause?! It's like saying that the Princess of Wales should take the tube - sure but my god, can you imagine how badly that would go?! and how terrifying it would be for her?!

So the option is not travelling at all or doing what you can to offset.

Why doesn’t Lawrence Stroll or The Rolling Stones get the same hate for their use of private jets? Oh wait. They have a penis and she doesn’t. 🙄

Most of you would do the same if you had her life and money.

TS using a tour bus is not the same as the Princess of Wales taking the tube, far, far from it!

If you look at the pop stars who have been absolute phenomena with the same sort of circus involved, one thing stands out; they were male. Elvis, the Beatles, Take That, many others. Even the young Frank Sinatra had girls fainting and screaming and spending every waking moment concentrating on him. These guys predominantly young, female audiences may have liked the music a lot, but the core was romantic adoration, even for those of us whose tastes were more niche.

This isn't the case with TS. I know next to nothing about her music and little about her, but she seems smart, hardworking and clearly has created and kept a loyal, predominately female fanbase while making sure that she doesn't become "product" to enrich others to her own detriment. The only comparison I can really draw is with Madonna, but she rose to fame well pre internet, social media etc and was much more provocative generally.

The camaraderie of fandom is a powerful thing when you're young, most of us have been there to one degree or another and from my perspective, it is quite refreshing that a woman is the focus for once.

If you use a private jet more than you need to, and then pay silly money to 'offset' it, while apparently speaking about environmental issues, then you will lose respect from me, whether you are male, female or other!
The issue with TS is her fans trying to defend her actions.

@Uricon2 are we ignoring Madonna?