Month: September 2021

“Everyone is a shiny new toy for like two years. The female artists have reinvented themselves 20 times more than the male artists. They have to or else you’re out of a job. Constantly having to reinvent, constantly finding new facets of yourself that people find to be shiny.” – Taylor Swift

In the Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, Taylor Swift speaks about the media’s double standard for female artists to be “relevant” and interesting to the public. And ever since her debut album, Taylor has managed to stay “shiny” through her reinvention of what she calls “eras” with each studio album release. Today, we will be highlighting the top 3 best eras of Taylor Swift according to my personal opinion.

3.) Folklore/Evermore Era (Circa 2020-2021)

During the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, Taylor surprise released an indie/alternative album titled “Folklore,” which told the tales of characters such as Betty, James, and Inez. She also released a follow-up album titled “Evermore” which is arguably still categorized under the folklore era.

This album comes in at #3 because it is Taylor’s best album lyrically, in which she paints pictures regarding “your Midas touch on the Chevy door” instead of just saying the car was gold, and many other lyrics with deeper meanings. However, as it was her best album lyrically, due to the pandemic, we haven’t received many public appearances or a world tour and as a result, it rests third.

2.) Lover Era (Circa 2019-2020)

Another somewhat recent era is Taylor’s Lover album, which focused on newfound love after hate from the media and represented her rebirth from a contrasting dark, snake-filled reputation era to happier rainbows, pastels, and butterflies.

This album is overall, my personal favorite, with upbeat songs about being in love like “Paper Rings,” positive spins on breakups like “I Forgot That You Existed,” and female empowerment like “The Man.” The discography can relate to a variety of situations and listeners, thus appealing to a wider audience than previous albums. However, while every song on this album is a “bop,” this era was cut short by the pandemic and never got to live up to its full potential, lacking a world-tour. Consequently, requiring me to put the Lover period as second best.

1.) Red Era (Circa 2012-2014)

And last but not least, we have the Red Album era ranking #1. The Red album was Taylor’s last country album before making her transition into the pop genre. In which, she started debuting edgier style away from fairytale ballgowns with black fedoras and red lipstick, ultimately depicting her maturing as a singer.

This is the best era because the songs on the album are the most emotional, with classic songs like “All Too Well” tugging at our heartstrings, “22” embodying the youth and fun lifestyle of one’s 20s, and “Begin Again” representing the light at the end of a tunnel of a breakup. Therefore, this album is somewhat breakup oriented but, undoubtedly will leave you screaming the lyrics in your car on the highway.

Now it’s your turn, Speak Now and let me know in the comments your top 3 Taylor Swift eras!

Come Back…Be Here next week as we analyze the Reputation Era of Taylor Swift.

The widespread success of Taylor Swift’s music career is undeniable, with over 500 award nominations and 354 wins, but how did she manage to become the international popstar she is today?

Taylor Swift grew up on a farm in West Reading, Pennsylvania. However, she didn’t’ stay there long as her parents supported Taylor’s dreams of breaking into the music industry and sold their property, moving to Hendersonville, Tennessee to be closer to the hometown of country music: Nashville. While in Nashville, she signed a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV in 2004.

After signing on as a songwriter, Taylor continued to perform around Nashville, specifically in The Bluebird Café, where she managed to score a record deal in 2005 with Scooter Braun at Big Machine Records.

Following, at only 15 years old, Taylor first came onto the music scene with her debut single “Tim Mcgraw” in 2006. This single received unheard of success for a new artist, making its way into the top ten on the country music charts. From here, she went on to release her debut album, “Taylor Swift,” selling over 5 million copies. This success is what catapulted her into the music industry as “America’s Sweetheart,” eventually leading to the launch of a total of 9 studio albums.

Despite her hard work and paying her dues, performing in small cafes and putting herself out there to multiple labels, the media argues that Taylor’s fame is the responsibility of Scooter Braun taking a chance on a young teenage girl with blonde, curly hair. Yet, if anybody other than Taylor is to credit for her unimaginable break into country music, with this knowledge of her upbringing, it is Taylor’s parents as they uprooted the entirety of their lives just to move their daughter closer to her dreams, which, in the end, succeeded with her record deal in Nashville.

As you can see from this misconception in tabloids, Taylor’s rise to fame is fundamental to understanding the “behind the scenes” of her life. And, inevitably, this young age and inexperience, as well as lack of credit for her music career, from when she accepted her 1^st record deal eventually come to haunt her in her later years when she’s forced to fight massive music corporations to own the rights to her own discography. However, that story is for another week.

See you next Friday where I will discuss Taylor’s reinvention of herself through eras, ranking them from the most buzz-worthy to the least…

…Are You Ready For It?