In the midst of multiple controversies and a new "edgy" persona, when Taylor Swift returned to the radio in August 2017 with her single "Look What You Made Me Do," reactions were mixed and popular attitudes toward the singer had flipped.

Listeners were curious to see if the star could weather the negativity: regardless, the album "Reputation" topped the charts in 12 countries and instantly became the year's best-selling album in the U.S. Despite everything against her, Swift continued on.

A year later, the singer-songwriter is as big as ever. The key to her success lies in what she means to fans: and becomes apparent in a song she passed on.

"Babe," by Sugarland with Swift on backing vocals, was originally written for Swift by Patrick Monahan of Train during the "Red" era. While the country-pop song never made it to the album, Swift contacted Sugarland about working together, which resulted in the collaboration on Sugarland's 2018 album "Bigger."

"Babe" is the first country song Swift has been credited on since she fully transitioned to pop and the song sounds like it could have been on the radio 10 years ago. It radiates nostalgia for anyone who enjoyed Swift since the start of her career, even though Swift is only minimally in the song.

Taylor Swift will continue to have the same longevity as her rival, Kanye West: both seem to continue on in spite of setbacks to their career, personal attacks and changes for their fanbase. West received backlash for his statement that slavery was a choice, but his album still succeeded. West and Swift both have massive careers behind them that their fans cannot forget and will not, despite the controversies that surround them.

Having grown up in the spotlight since she debuted at age 16, 12 years did not spare Swift from any number of criticisms. While listeners continue to wonder what it would take to end the singer's career, it evidently isn't any number of disputes that Swift addressed in the video for "Look What You Made Me Do."

With a willingness to move forward and plenty of fans behind her, just like West, Swift won't be out of the spotlight anytime soon.