Current Events > Can someone explain the appeal of Taylor Swift?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I have nothing against her, but from what ive seen she seems to be an average looking girl (relative to her peers) who makes average radio pop songs. What makes her the biggest megastar on Earth? Is there a deep level of artistry on her album tracks I havent heard? Does she actually have an amazing singing voice?

she a hot blonde

Nice nonexistent ass

saylor twift

FortuneCookie posted...

she a hot blonde

See thats the thing, is she though? Like with prime Jessica Simpson for example, I got it. She was level of hot that you dont usually see in the regular world. I could go down to the mall and see hundreds of chicks hotter than Taylor Swift with better bodies.

Red, 1989, and Midnights are all fantastic albums in my opinion

EmilyTheCEman posted...

See thats the thing, is she though? Like with prime Jessica Simpson for example, I got it. She was level of hot that you dont usually see in the regular world. I could go down to the mall and see hundreds of chicks hotter than Taylor Swift with better bodies.

you realize that's she's famous/popular for reasons that aren't restricted to how hot or how good her body is, right? there are other qualities to women that matter, you know

She's like a giant sexy bird. Who among us didn't grow up wanting to fuck a dinosaur?

I don't really get the appeal either.

I'm guessing her popularity is undergirded by all the young girl fans and their money.

the appeal was easily explainable from her debut up until 2012 because her music was pretty consistently great

nowadays she relies on her world class army of advertisers/marketers and playing on [pop] cultural trends, otherwise seemingly high on her own supply from an organic appeal standpoint

Shes hot and her songs are catchy

EmilyTheCEman posted...

See thats the thing, is she though? Like with prime Jessica Simpson for example, I got it. She was level of hot that you dont usually see in the regular world. I could go down to the mall and see hundreds of chicks hotter than Taylor Swift with better bodies.

That's kinda the point I think. She's conventionally attractive but still in an obtainable way. Her initial image leaned heavily into the "girl next door" vibe and her songs emphasized that.

She got initially popular as an attainable, cute girl-next-door that made sweet, widely-appealing country songs. Which weirdly wasn't really a filled-niche in the country music genre. She very gradually moved to get more poppy and less country to increase mass-appeal and ever so slowly started to add some edge, but never did anything so quickly to really scare off old fans. And her songs typically pretty quality. Which is all you really need to keep the fame machine running once you reach the critical mass of self-sustaining popularity. I would even say that 1989, the album that ultimately cemented her mass-market appeal, is an all-around great pop album.

It's never just one thing. It's a series of things that build on top of each other.

famfam posted...

you realize that's she's famous/popular for reasons that aren't restricted to how hot or how good her body is, right? there are other qualities to women that matter, you know

This is what im asking about. What are those qualities that make her stand out above the rest of her peers in pop music? If she isnt noteworthy for being a bombshell, is she known as a creative innovator musically or does she have a powerful voice or something?

Her fame came from the pity she received after Kanye put that bitch in her place

Compsognathus posted...

That's kinda the point I think. She's conventionally attractive but still in an obtainable way. Her initial image leaned heavily into the "girl next door" vibe and her songs emphasized that.

She got initially popular as an attainable, cute girl-next-door that made sweet, widely-appealing country songs. Which weirdly wasn't really a filled-niche in the country music genre. She very gradually moved to get more poppy and less country to increase mass-appeal and ever so slowly started to add some edge, but never did anything so quickly to really scare off old fans. And her songs typically pretty quality. Which is all you really need to keep the fame machine running once you reach the critical mass of self-sustaining popularity. I would even say that 1989, the album that ultimately cemented her mass-market appeal, is an all-around great pop album.

It's never just one thing. It's a series of things that build on top of each other.

This helps clear it up a bit, thanks.

Shes a great songwriter who makes songs that resonate with people

Bro just listen to Cardigan and you will understand.

She's a pretty good to excellent pop songwriter who taps into normie crazy, feminism, and femininity.

She also makes for a good diet Beyonce for people who want to worship a figure like that, but need that figure to have a little more of a...traditionally palatable background and presentation.

famfam posted...

you realize that's she's famous/popular for reasons that aren't restricted to how hot or how good her body is, right? there are other qualities to women that matter, you know

That's what OP's trying to figure out in this topic. He's just responding to Fortune's post brushing her success as attributing it to her being a "hot blonde".

At least her voice is much better than Britney spears'

Generic Crazy White Girl

She 'dated' a major portion of Hollywood/The Music Scene in a little less than 2-3 years then got to sing/write about all the 'heartbreaks'

Met her Dad at breakfast though on an island in FL and he's a solid guy, spoke with me for about 20 minutes then pulled the ultimate dad move and left me some guitar pics with her 1989 tour on it LMAO

EmilyTheCEman posted...

I have nothing against her, but from what ive seen she seems to be an average looking girl (relative to her peers) who makes average radio pop songs. What makes her the biggest megastar on Earth? Is there a deep level of artistry on her album tracks I havent heard? Does she actually have an amazing singing voice?

I ask myself the same sometimes (about the appeal of Taylor Swift), but realized that it's probably me that's the odd one out. I love classic 80s/90s music + New Retro Wave and video game soundtracks. Music stars like Swift just don't click with me.

AirJordan2345 posted...

At least her voice is much better than Britney spears'

That is a low bar lol

I don't understand the appeal either

Oh CE lmao

Taylor swift has sex appeal

legendary_zell posted...

She's a pretty good to excellent pop songwriter who taps into normie crazy, feminism, and femininity.

She also makes for a good diet Beyonce for people who want to worship a figure like that, but need that figure to have a little more of a...traditionally palatable background and presentation.

Ah, yeah that does make sense. The name of the game in pop music is to make infectious catchy tunes, and if she does that while also speaking to and for her generation, I suppose that justifies it. Catchy and radio friendly doesnt inherently mean shallow or bad. Ive never been wowed by her because im probably not her target audience, but I can see how a young girl would gravitate towards her. Thanks.

It has absolutely nothing to do with her appearance and everything to do with getting a head start due to nepotism and having genius marketing and promotion behind her.

Her parents funded her early music career and used their connections to the music industry to heavily market her as relatable to a fanbase of predominantly young, suburban white females. Her gimmick stood out compared to other emerging pop stars at the time leaning into the electronic/slutwave trend. She made relatively clean, digestible country pop with broad appeal, and it never came off as gimmicky.

All the while, her management leaned into the "Taylor Swift keeps breaking up with partners" joke/meme which made her music even more relatable to her fanbase as it presented her as being more real and human, and as the 2010s rolled on she deliberately avoided sharing political views or contentious opinions to keep up that sense of broad appeal with no controversy.

As her fanbase grew up, she shifted towards a perceived "grown up" indie-ish/folksy style. The combination of the world going to shit and her fanbase reaching the quarter-life-crisis age resulted in her going back to a more traditional pop sound for her latest album.

tl;dr rich parents, good marketing, and her music and public image appropriately aging in proportion to her fanbase

gu-gohan posted...

I ask myself the same sometimes (about the appeal of Taylor Swift), but realized that it's probably me that's the odd one out. I love classic 80s/90s music + New Retro Wave and video game soundtracks. Music stars like Swift just don't click with me.

Yeah see for me stuff like M.I.A or Ana Tijoux is more my kinda pop music.

I'm not even particularly a fan of Taylor Swift, but her music is definitely a step above "average pop", if only because average pop is just so bad.

Aztex posted...

Her fame came from the pity she received after Kanye put that bitch in her place

I dont even like her and that's a weird POV to have

CRON posted...

It has absolutely nothing to do with her appearance and everything to do with getting a head start due to nepotism and having genius marketing and promotion behind her.

Her parents funded her early music career and used their connections to the music industry to heavily market her as relatable to a fanbase of predominantly young, suburban white females. Her gimmick stood out compared to other emerging pop stars at the time leaning into the electronic/slutwave trend. She made relatively clean, digestible country pop with broad appeal, and it never came off as gimmicky.

All the while, her management leaned into the "Taylor Swift keeps breaking up with partners" joke/meme which made her music even more relatable to her fanbase as it presented her as being more real and human, and as the 2010s rolled on she deliberately avoided sharing political views or contentious opinions to keep up that sense of broad appeal with no controversy.

As her fanbase grew up, she shifted towards a perceived "grown up" indie-ish/folksy style. The combination of the world going to shit and her fanbase reaching the quarter-life-crisis age resulted in her going back to a more traditional pop sound for her latest album.

tl;dr rich parents, good marketing, and her music and public image appropriately aging in proportion to her fanbase

Yeah iirc her parents were in the music industry, kinda, nepotism, it's hard to make it big, without that

EmilyTheCEman posted...

Ah, yeah that does make sense. The name of the game in pop music is to make infectious catchy tunes, and if she does that while also speaking to and for her generation, I suppose that justifies it. Catchy and radio friendly doesnt inherently mean shallow or bad. Ive never been wowed by her because im probably not her target audience, but I can see how a young girl would gravitate towards her. Thanks.

I do think she's kinda shallow. like, I don't think she's ever really grown as an artist. most of her songs are still about romantic relationships; and most of them sound, as portrayed in the songs, like the immature relationships that people have when they're in high school.

I don't necessarily dislike her or her music, but she does give homeschooled energy

averagejoel posted...

I do think she's kinda shallow. like, I don't think she's ever really grown as an artist. most of her songs are still about romantic relationships; and most of them sound, as portrayed in the songs, like the immature relationships that people have when they're in high school.

I don't necessarily dislike her or her music, but she does give homeschooled energy

It's all part of her public image. If she consistently made music about being in successful relationships or being viewed as beautiful/sexy, she wouldn't appeal so much to the majority of her consistent fanbase.

CRON posted...

It's all part of her public image. If she consistently made music about being in successful relationships or being viewed as beautiful/sexy, she wouldn't appeal so much to the majority of her consistent fanbase.

I'm aware. I think the criticism still stands though

Aztex posted...

Her fame came from the pity she received after Kanye put that bitch in her place

Fuck Kanye

She's got nice legs and she actively wears the shortest dress/shorts possible to show them off along with heels.

Her face is decent and I like a few of her songs. So other than watching a few videos of her live performances, I'm not a fan or obsessed with her. I don't even have her followed on instagram.

I have a gay co-worker who would let Taylor Swift run her over with her tour bus, so yeah.

Hurr hurr why do people like something I don't like, I just don't get it you guys

Aztex posted...

Her fame came from the pity she received after Kanye put that bitch in her place

lolno, the Kanye thing happened two years after 1989 was released

Damn_Underscore posted...

lolno, the Kanye thing happened two years after 1989 was released

the kanye west incident was 2009
1989 was released in 2014

averagejoel posted...

I do think she's kinda shallow. like, I don't think she's ever really grown as an artist. most of her songs are still about romantic relationships; and most of them sound, as portrayed in the songs, like the immature relationships that people have when they're in high school.

There's a saying that achieving fame is similar to a traumatic experience and that you can become psychologically stuck at the age that you became famous.

Damn_Underscore posted...

lolno, the Kanye thing happened two years after 1989 was released

Three years after her debut album yeah, but I think youre referring to a later incident also involving him

Oh my bad, I just typed Kanye Taylor Swift incident and it said 2016 lol

She's fine.......if you are into sticks and twigs.

Average?

Lol

Misandrist. Unattractive. Shitty music. Yeah, I don't get it either.

she is White,from America,sings in English, young & pretty, somewhat talented,makes catchy pop music with simple lyrics that are easy to relate, not involved in any notorius scandals, inoffensive.

She is a perfect package that appeals to everyone .She has a boat load of songs under her belt and there is always one or two that people will like.

BB_mofo posted...

There's a saying that achieving fame is similar to a traumatic experience and that you can become psychologically stuck at the age that you became famous.

I do think there's some truth to that

Damn_Underscore posted...

That is a low bar lol

In the Zone is probably one of the best pop album from the 2000s