Taylor Swift is everywhere. From magazine covers to music award shows, America’s favorite country starlet turned pop icon has been taking the world by storm with her recent successes. Her latest album, 1989, sold 4,000,000 copies within the first 12 weeks, and her publicity has only grown in the months since. Swift recently made Forbes Magazine’s list of 100 Most Powerful Women at number 64 alongside Melinda Gates and Michelle Obama, as well as fellow pop star Beyoncé Knowles.
When Swift began her career, she was the youngest songwriter ever hired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Now, at 25, she is one of seven musicians who has had multiple albums at the top of Billboard’s album chart for over 10 weeks. She has also spent the last six months at #1 on the Billboard Top Artist chart.
“I am extremely proud of Taylor’s recent publicity as I have loved her since the beginning. I like how I have watched her transform from her long haired country-singing days to her bob- cut pop star fame era,” said senior Eliza Scheckner.
At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, which aired on May 17, Swift racked up 14 entries and won eight awards, including Top Artist and Top Streaming Song. Swift also debuted her music video for “Bad Blood” ft. Kendrick Lamar at the awards. In just two weeks, the video went viral, with over 100 million views. The video currently has a 94% like ratio, not only for the music and video, but also for the powerful female message it portrays.
“I really like how the females are portrayed as very ruthless and strong,” said freshman Isabella Henderson.
As can be seen in her music video, Swift’s feminist views and empowering messages speak to boys and girls everywhere.
Over the years, Swift has amassed a large and dedicated group of followers. This is largely due to the way that she connects with her audience. Swift is known for her involvement with her “Swifties.” A video of her sending personalized Christmas presents to her fans went viral on YouTube, which put her in the books as one of the most down-to-earth and accessible stars today.
“One of the reasons I became so obsessed with Taylor Swift is because of the way she interacts with her fans,” said junior Talia Silverstein. “I was lucky enough to meet her at one of her concerts and she was the most genuine human I had ever met.”
Swift launched her 1989 World Tour on May 5 in Tokyo, and it will be running until Dec. 12. There will be a total of 78 shows in nine countries, including several shows in the U.S. Swift has special surprises lined up for her audiences, like Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds, who visited Detroit to surprise her fans with a live version of his hit song Radioactive, and she undoubtedly has more in store for future shows.
Swift is making strides to connect more with her audience, and her hard work has paid off. Her recent success has shown that she is quickly taking over the music industry. After years of being a lesser known country singer/songwriter in Nashville, Swift has strayed from her roots and has become one of the biggest faces in pop music. Swift’s blend of small town values and poppy tunes have earned her a place as a megastar.