I am a big Taylor Swift fan, and I have been since high school. The reason why I love Taylor's music is because she so beautifully expresses her emotions and experiences. Her music is raw, emotional, and honest. Sometimes it hits a little too close to home; it is as if she takes my thoughts and feelings and articulates them perfectly.
Taylor writes almost all of her music, which not a lot of performers do these days. She can play four instruments as well as collaborating with and supporting other artists. Taylor started performing professionally at a very young age. She had to grow up and mature in the public eye, which is hard to do regardless of gender. She has come so far in an industry that is not supportive of women by pouring her soul into her work.
Taylor is a class act. She is easily one of the most famous people in the world, but she doesn't let it get to her head. When she makes mistakes, she apologizes, like this summer when she and Nicki Minaj had a misunderstanding over Twitter that was blown out of proportion.
Despite being bullied by Kanye West and the paparazzi, she has a good head on her shoulders and always acts rationally and maturely. She adores her fans; Taylor messages them on social media, has sent random gifts for birthdays and Christmas, and recognizes their love for her and her music. Every time she wins an award, it's her fans she thanks first.
When Taylor won the Album of the Year Award last Sunday for "1989," a lot of people were upset, thinking the award belonged to Kendrick Lamar or The Weeknd. While it is totally OK to be upset when your favorite artist doesn't win, I do not think it is appropriate to criticize an artist when you have never listened to their music. I hear a lot of people talk about how much they can't stand Taylor Swift's music when they have never listened to her work. It is so incredibly frustrating and confusing to me. When she made the transition from country to pop, Taylor was called a sellout and a fake. Call me naive, but how can you criticize or dislike music that you've never heard? Why is it unacceptable for Taylor Swift to change genres? Are musicians not allowed to grow and change? Also, it was the first time a woman had been awarded Album of the Year twice. Why isn't that being celebrated?
Taylor gracefully handled another obstacle thrown at her last week. In Kanye West's newest song, "Famous," he wrote, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that bitch famous. Goddamn, I made that bitch famous." He references the 2009 VMA's where he rudely interrupted her acceptance speech for Best Female Video. The entire Internet (including Taylor's famous squad of supermodels, singers, and actresses) exploded since the single was released. This lyric claims that Kanye made Taylor famous by interrupting her speech, which is absolutely not true. Taylor made herself famous through her own work.
In her acceptance speech for album of the year, Taylor addresses the incident with class and poise, and she gives a bit of advice to young women seeking to make their mark in the world: "As the first woman to win Album of the Year at the Grammys twice, I want to say to all the young women out there: There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you’ll know it was you and the people who love you who put you there and that will be the greatest feeling in the world."
You do you, Taylor. Keep shaking it off!
