We Should All Be Supporting Taylor Swift Right Now

Not everyone can pull off a power move like this.

Taylor Swift is taking on the music industry with her latest album, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and I am eager to join in the fangirling. Or fanboying, if you prefer — being a fan of Taylor Swift isn’t a gender thing.

When I first listened to Fearless (Taylor’s Version), my initial thought was, “I thought all of these songs were Taylor’s” — and boy was I wrong. Digging into the back story is like uncovering the plot to the next TV series I want to binge-watch.

One of the easiest ways to understand the situation is by reading “What Taylor Swift’s New Album Can Teach Us About the Music Industry” by Jessica Lim.

Basically, as the songwriter, Taylor Swift owns her lyrics and her music but not the master records — her record label owned those. After her record label denied her the opportunity to buy back the masters, she decided to re-record her own music.

And now, she owns it all. Talk about a power move.

But not just anyone can pull off a power move like this.

The fact that Swift’s done this and has received overwhelming support from her fans is a testament to more than just her music. It’s a testament to her.

Taylor Swift’s list of accolades is a long one. With 11 Grammy Awards, 32 American Music Awards, 29 Guinness World Records, and 23 Billboard Music Awards, she is no doubt a music legend to be reckoned with.

And yet she somehow remains relatable to the average person.

A whole generation of people — my generation — has grown up with Taylor Swift’s music. I’ve spent literally half my life listening to her. And I’m sure I speak for many when I say that I kind of feel like I grew up with her. Not with her her of course, but with her through her music.

From her love stories to her heartbreaks, she puts so much of herself into her work that you want to be her best friend. Her music is emotional, personal, and relatable. It touches us to our core in a way that says, “You’re not alone” and “I’m here with you through the good times and the bad.”

Her music isn’t only there for you during the breakups. There’s a Taylor Swift song for any occasion.

Need a pick me up? Blasting “Sparks Fly” and “The Story Of Us” gets me out of bed in the mornings. I know, “The Story Of Us” is about a breakup, but that beat is just so catchy.

Need an impromptu dance party? “Shake It Off” gets everyone on to their feet and, well, shaking. Want lots of gesturing and finger-pointing (in a good way)? Look no further than “You Belong With Me.”

Need something romantic and timeless for your wedding? “Love Story” was my initial thought but I actually went with “Today Was A Fairytale” for my own wedding.

I could continue but the point is that this girl has one of the widest ranges of repertoires. Not just in her ability to pull off country, pop, EDM, folklore, and everything in between, but also in how she makes you feel alive through her music.

She is without a doubt an extremely talented musician who can skillfully weave human emotions into everyday life.

Can we also take some time to reflect on the fact that the original Fearless album was released in 2008? That’s 13 years ago and she would have been 18 at that time. Now at 31, she’s re-recorded the entire album and for the most part, has kept the soundtrack quite similar.

Imagine if you were given the opportunity to redo some of the things you did when you were 18. How many of those things would you choose to do again in the same fashion?

I don’t know about you but re-reading some of my high school diaries was pretty cringe-worthy, and that was just a private conversation from me to me. Taylor’s diary is with the whole world and, while she’s definitely grown as an artist, there remains a timelessness to her music.

When you re-evaluate something 13 years down the road, there’s always the question of how well it's aged with time.

But I’m not pondering if I’ve outgrown 18-year-old Taylor Swift’s music. Instead, I’m bopping and dancing around to her music just like I did the first time it was released, thinking, “Oh hey! I missed this Taylor!”

It’s like being reunited with an old friend you haven’t seen a while and realizing that things are just as good as they used to be.

From her openness with being bullied in school to her “good girl” image in an industry where sex sells, Taylor Swift quickly emerged as a role model for young girls.

And as time progresses, she has matured into a steadfast role model for all.

As a voice who speaks up for those who are under-represented, she’s made a clear stand for LGBTQ rights. Her music video for “You Need to Calm Down” features queer celebrities and ends with her own petition for the Equality Act.

She drew a line in the sand for the value of music when she pulled her music off Spotify and voiced her criticism of Apple Music for not paying artists royalties during the free trial period. In her own words, “Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for.”

And when she opened up about her sexual assault case with DJ David Mueller, she was fighting not just for herself but for so many other sexual assault and harassment victims. She used the case to inspire other women to step up and her “hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard.”

Music has always transcended boundaries — be it gender, race, culture, sexual orientation, and even language. It has the power to allow the listener to feel what the artist is feeling, and it’s one of the many reasons why Taylor Swift is such a remarkable artist.

While Taylor Swift and her music are inextricably linked, there’s so much more to supporting an artist like her.

You aren’t just supporting her for her music. You’re supporting a champion for the underdogs and an outcry for justice. A heroine who’s speaking up for those whose voices can’t be heard and an unstoppable force for good in the world.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why we should all be supporting Taylor Swift.