“ME!” “Blank Space,” “Shake it Off,” “Anti-Hero,” “Love Story.” The list goes on. Taylor Swift needs no introduction—top selling albums, golden Grammys galore, and millions upon millions of die-hard fans. It’s undeniable Swift has an amazing voice, but how much of her fame can really be attributed to that?
Despite having many albums, the similarity of her albums can be seen just by scrolling through her discography: always the same color scheme with a slight blur effect.
Swift rarely, if ever, explores other genres. Ever since she made the jump from country music to pop, her songs have been repetitive with little to no experimentation: basic chorus, simple rhyme schemes, and the same three chords stuck on repeat. Even her iconic song “You Belong With Me” is nothing special—just your typical pop song—and its lyrics are anything but uplifting. I mean, “She wears high heels / I wear sneakers / She’s cheer captain, and I’m on the bleachers” screams, “I’m not like other girls. Choose me over them.” What’s wrong with being like other girls? At the end of the day, we all know her name is keeping her career afloat—not the quality of her songs.
It is hard to dismiss the fact that she has bangers, and many will agree listening to Taylor Swift is a canonical part of growing up. However, it is time to face reality and realize there are simply better musical artists who are just as talented but less recognized—hidden gems that are being overshadowed by famous artists like Swift. Caity Krone is a perfect example.
Less than a year ago, the week of October 21, Taylor Swift released one of her newest albums, Midnights. That week, in quite literally every single one of my classes, someone uttered the words, “Taylor Swift” and “Midnights.” There is no doubt so many people were excited for its release because, well—it’s Taylor Swift. However, this album was nothing special or revolutionary in terms of Swift or the pop genre in general. It wasn’t bad, per se: it was just held on a pedestal it simply didn’t deserve.
No one can deny she’s a talented performer and lucrative business woman, but the reality is that her fame has surpassed her talent. When will listeners stop devouring content solely based on the creator themselves? The relationship fans and celebrities have is unique and almost entirely parasocial, begging the question: shouldn’t consumers be allowed to dislike certain content without simultaneously ‘hating’ on the creator?
Just because an artist has made good content before does not guarantee consistency; artists like Swift should not be held to a different standard. It’s time for fans to stop protecting their favorite celebrities from criticism. It’s time to realize that sometimes, even the world-famous Taylor Swift can, in fact, be overrated.