To not understand the fuss over Taylor Swift.

[Partyinthedark]

Now. I don’t dislike or have any hate for the woman at all. She is very pretty, talented and it sounds like she is a good person. Not my taste in music, but some of her songs sound good.

but omg. People seem to be bloody obsessed with the lady. £300 a ticket to the Edinburgh show. People queuing from 5am to get near the front.

as a guide leader in 2010 or thereabouts I remember some 12 year old girls declaring their love for her. But it seems like lots of adults seem to love her too!

There has always been singers and bands who cause fan hysteria and maybe it’s due to prolific SM and media coverage that you hear so much about them these days.

What I don’t get is the agonising over what to wear to her concerts - I go to see the artist not eye up my fellow audience, but then I just don’t care about fashion to that extent so it’s just me.

Taylor doesn't make music for little girls or tweens, Taylor makes music for people her own age, I've been listening to her since 2008.

The concerts themselves are an experience, dressing up for them to reflect various songs and albums, much like people cosplaying at conventions has become a huge thing via social media and the giving of friendship bracelets. Taylor didn't start those things it spread via the fans themselves, along with specific chants etc that the fans do much like global football fans.

The hype about her is less about her music or even song writing skill but over her as a person. The things she stands for, the generosity (did you know she donated thousands of dollars directly to fans who were struggling over the pandemic).

She (and her team) are also masters of marketing and social media in ways that others aren't. The relationship with Taylor and fans and the rabbit hole of clues relating to new work, hinting at things 3+ years in advance and knitting together patterns and links between songs, albums and tours.

There are something's about her, as a brand I don't like like repeatedly releasing versions of one album in different guises encouraging fans who want to support her to spend ££££ as different versions have different songs on them which is just money grabbing.

There are several documentaries on her on Amazon and netflix if you have access to them which might give you a more rounded view of her if you actually want to find out more rather than just start another thread against her which we seem to have daily.

I think top tickets to events are increasing in value anyway £300 seems pretty standard for a big star now, other sell out events like the FIFA world Cup and the US super bowl tickets go for £1000 each and that doesn't include losing a good chunk of seating as it's obstructed by screens and staging.

Well the reviews from mainstream heavyweight critics are epic. 5 stars and gushing from both the BBC and Guardian. The Guardian in particular can be quite a snooty reviewer.

Millions of fans can’t be wrong! I can’t flipping WAIT to see this with my family. We paid under £400 for four tickets. We still talk about Reputation in 2018. Lovely bonding thing to do with teens to see something like this that we all genuinely enjoy.

I would much rather people adore and support a real life person than some man made concept from Chinese whispers with zero evidence of existence….

I once went to see Steps with a friend because we thought it would be a laugh.

I was amazed to discover they had proper hardcore superfans who were obsessed with them and followed them everywhere, dressed up and knew all the dance moves.

People like what they like.

Even if you don't like TS it's a bit disingenuous so say you don't know why others do - she's a talented performer, writes all her own stuff across a massive range of genre, looks great, is relatable etc. In our house, I think she's probably the only artist that I, DH, DS18 and DD14 all like. DS17 is the only one who's not a fan!

Just listened to 'Red' on Spotify. 🤐

The only one I know already, I have on my Gym playlist: "Shake it off"
That's a good one but no, the rest are not for me..

Now ABBA on the other hand 🥰

Couldn't agree more Guava. I'm really pleased my DD is a fan (although I love her music too so will disagree there! 😀)

@butterflywingss offending so many people here by insisting a story you buy into is real. Maybe for you, that certainly doesn’t make it real for everyone, and it certainly doesn’t make it fact.
It’s the very worst of the “my truth” BS

PS Taylor swift songs I find a bit meh - don’t see the attraction but hope anyone going has fun and feels it’s worth the cash!

Here bludy here 👏👏👏

At least Taylor Swift is real!

I used to host overseas students and years ago had a lovely danish 18 year old. She came back from the language school baffled saying everyone called her Taylor Swift. Neither of us knew who she was then and my kids were tiny so not into music. We googled her yep she was her doppelgänger. Such a lovely girl we stayed in touch then my girls grew up and became super TS fans as did I and I still feel in a mad way that she lived with us for a few weeks!

I'm 31, I grew up with her music, her music has also captivated my 9YO daughter. We have tickets for Wembley N3 (paid £100 per ticket). I love her music as so many of her songs have attached themselves to core moments of my life, I love that I can share this with the next generation of fan. She is a star I 100% like my daughter having as a role model due to her moral compass and just general demeanour.

No one is bashing her! People are saying they like her music but don't understand the absolute obsession.

I think her music is fine

I'm not a fan but I would have gone to see her live, it looks like quite the show. I admire her songwriting and did make a point of downloading the Taylor's Version of her back catalogue because quite frankly, a man (a despicable one at that) totally underestimated her and thought he had scored a hat trick.
She is incredibly shrewd and knows exactly how to get her fans, and their parents, to spend spend spend. Good for her. The woman works her backside off.

There was a bbc article about this yesterday, in 2018 there was something like 10,000 empty seats at her Manchester stadium. Today she’s sold out 17 UK dates (and many more around the world) a combination of creating and engaging with a solid fan base, growing her music from country/pop to other genres, incredibly relatable lyrics, ambition, there is a TS song for every way you’re feeling, she has songs from her teens to her 30s so people of all ages relate. I have always been a fan, wouldn’t call myself a swift or though, didn’t know her albums inside out but always liked her music. Went to the tour and omg it was incredible, I’m a swiftie now! What a woman, no idea how she does it.

I don’t think she’s particularly talented. Emperors new clothes I think. Also her carbon footprint is exceptionally uncaring of her fellow human beings. Not my taste in music but each to their own. Hopefully a good role model in other ways.

Taylor has spent like a year on this tour so far so I think it’s natural that the fans will be delighted that she’s arrived to their country and they can join the international excitement . The marketing has been extensive and very smartly executed.

There are no events that get everybody excited. For example I wouldn’t care if England won the Euros or World Cup and the only royal wedding I watched was the ones that school made us watch. This is a site for parents so surely most people have watched their kids develop different interests over time and been sick of watching Frozen or whatever for the millionth time?

There are endless amounts of these threads. I’m not sure what it is about TS that causes this reaction, there have been other artists over generations that have caused the same frenzy - Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyoncé… yet people showing the same adulation for Taylor seems to cause a very odd ‘I just don’t get it’ response. She not for you, you don’t need to ‘get it’.

as a guide leader in 2010 or thereabouts I remember some 12 year old girls declaring their love for her. But it seems like lots of adults seem to love her too!

Those 12 year old girls are now 26 year old women, that’s what happens when someone is popular over more than one generation. It transcends childhood - I’d probably go a bit mad if the Spice Girls reunited!

I am obsessed with her songs they are amazing. Horses for courses with music taste yes but how you can say “she’s not talented” is baffling and frankly arrogant. Like me as a non football person saying to a football fan that Ronaldo is crap. Sure most football mad people would take issue with that.

Of course he is.. you're just not looking close enough

Exactly. Not another one. So boring now 🥱

Lots of hypes I don’t get, but don’t start threads about.

As real as the fairy’s in my garden… 🪴

Young people always have obsessions. Just ask the Beatles, Spandau Ballet, Britney Spears etc. While it's not the sort of thing I generally listen to, good for her. Even I love Shake it Off!

Shake it off is definitely her most shit song. Sadly I am obsessed with her music - but far from young!

You don’t think she’s talented? Or you’re confusing yourself with ‘I don’t like her music/brand so will say she has little talent’?

Im not a fan of Beyoncé, I think a lot of her songs are actually quite bland. But she is a humongous talent. Powerful voice, incredible performance stamina, stage presence - she is the very definition of X Factor. I don’t buy her music, I’d not want to see her in concert, but I absolutely get why others do.