I was first introduced to the music of Taylor Swift eight years ago in the sixth grade when "Love Story" was released. The catchy tune quickly became something I sang along to during car rides to and from school, and that year my Christmas Present was her second album "Fearless." Every day I would come home from school and ritualistically load the CD into my boom box, blasting lyrics throughout my room. I have been obsessed with Taylor and her music since my middle school days. With her recent self-reinvention and latest album "1989," I have given thought to why I and everybody else are über obsessed with Billboard's 2014 Woman of the Year.
She released her debut album at 16.
Her self-entitled album, "Taylor Swift," hit the charts and peaked at number 3, according to Billboard. If a sixteen-year-old girl can release her first album and have it reach number 3 on the charts, then a sixteen-year-old girl can do anything.
She is not afraid to fight for what she believes is right.
Back in November of 2014, Swift pulled all her music from the music streaming service, Spotify. She felt that artists were not compensated as much as they should have been. In addition, on June 21, 2015, Swift boldly wrote a letter to Apple proclaiming her disapproval of their new streaming service, Apple Music. She withheld her album "1989" from the service, claiming her stance against the free three-month trial period, in which the artists will not be paid. Swift not only represented herself, but those with smaller voices new to the music industry.
Her song "Innocent."
The classiest way to respond to someone trying to put you down is by recognizing the person's fault and then showing how successful you can be. It is said Swift wrote "Innocent" in response to Kanye West's interruption of her acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. "Innocent" is rich with lines proclaiming forgiveness: "your string of lights is still bright to me/ Oh who you are is not where you've been/ you're still an innocent" and "everyone of us has messed up, too". Although this was meant for Kanye, her lyrics also remind her fans that even though they may have done something messy in their past, they are more than their mistakes.
Taylor's fun-loving personality, highlighted in her most recent Apple Music Advertisement, has continually captured fans hearts around the globe. Although Taylor has said she is taking a break from making music for a while, I am sure Taylor will continue to inspire us all.
