My week’s thoughts in review: What would it take for Taylor Swift to achieve an EGOT.
Grammys 2010, 2016, 2021
It’s Grammy season! As an avid consumer of popular music, and follower of music artists, this is the most wonderful time of the year. Taylor Swift’s ninth studio album, evermore, is nominated for Album Of The Year at the 2022 Grammy Awards. Last year, she received this same award for folklore, however looking at her fellow nominees, I am not sure she will be able to defend this title. (Let’s be honest, Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR will probably be unbeatable this year. Step aside Taylor and Billie, it’s time for a new 18 year old to sweep.) Taylor Swift is also not performing at the Grammys this year, and she’s never not performed on a year that she is nominated. It might be her new “private life” rebrand, or the fact that she neglects this poor album (lol), or simply that this year will be about another pop artist.
Emmy Award- 2015
Since she has already won 11 Grammy’s in her career so far, as well as an Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media, I wanted to take a look at the possibility of Taylor joining the esteemed list EGOT winners. She’s only an Oscar and a Tony away.
Over the weekend, Taylor announced that she has written an original song “Carolina” for the upcoming movie Where The Crawdads Sing. Since she’s never been shy to submit her work for Academy Awards, I would not be surprised with we see an Oscar nomination for Taylor in 2023.
Taylor at the premiere of Cats
As for the Tony, I have always said that Taylor Swift’s work would seamlessly fit into the Broadway world. She has already written an original song for the movie adaptation of the timeless broadway musical Cats. But I think her entire discography can be used to paint a picture for a jukebox musical like Mamma Mia!.
A juke box musical is is a stage musical or musical film where a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Mamma Mia! tells the story of a mom preparing for her daughter’s wedding, while the bride has a plan and secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in the hopes of meeting her real father- based on the music of ABBA. We Will Rock You tells the story of a group of Bohemians struggling to restore the free exchange of thought and fashion- set to the music of Queen.
I think Taylor Swifts music already sets the story for a contemporary love story, a fun group of friends, or the tales of poets and artists. Her many eras of music appeal to those interested in various storylines and genres. She’s already written three songs about an imaginary love triangle between three teenagers after a summer of illicit affairs and stolen romance. She’s written about her experiences with her family and friends, and about her career as an artist. The elements she uses in her songwriting mirror those of some of the great broadway writers.
However, it is often difficult for those artists whose music is used in a jukebox production to be awarded a Tony. Mamma Mia! was nominated for Best Musical in 2002, had it won, ABBA would have been awarded a Tony for the soundtrack, however that is the closest they had gotten.
Taylor Swift and Carole King
Another way Taylor could possible acquire a Tony would be to write an original song or score for a broadway production. Singer-songwriter Carole King wrote an original score for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Singer Sarah Morales wrote the original score for the broadway musical Waitress. By writing an original score, potential Tony nomination include Best Musical and Best Original Score.
As Taylor Swift gets older, I don’t see her stopping writing music. We’ve seen in the past decade that she is the gift that keeps on giving, and is always ready to share her newest project. In the past years she’s dabbled in producing and sound mixing her music, she’s even done the directing and screen writing with her own short film. I don’t think a broadway project is a far-fetched idea for Taylor.
With that being said, I’m very interested to see what ways Taylor continues to experiment with her art, and how she may get awarded for it. And if you follow the Academy, happy awards season!
