Gonzalez 1

Bryan Gonzalez

Mrs. Payne

COM 115 60

18 February 2022

Informative Speech Outline

Title: Taylor Swift’s Career, Achievements, and Impact

Introduction

The Hook: Let’s play a game. I’ll say three things that occurred in this person’s life, and
you have to guess who it is. Ready? Firstly, this individual was an actress in the movies
Valentine’s Day and The Giver; they were also on the ninth season of CSI. Secondly, this
individual has a track record of not being able to dance, being very uncoordinated. Lastly,
this individual has a younger brother who is an actor. Can you guess who it is? It’s Taylor
Swift!

Purpose Statement: To inform the audience about Taylor Swift’s early career, her
achievements in the music industry, and her political stance and influence in the industry.

Thesis Statement: Taylor Swift is one of the most impactful people in recent years, her
early arrival in the music industry contributing to her becoming one of the most listened
to and awarded artists today, Taylor’s political stance and influence being an important
part of pop culture.

Credibility Statement: I have been a fan of Taylor’s music for some years now, Taylor
being my most listened to artist of all time. Although I have been a fan of her for some
time, I never knew much about her life and accomplishments until the pandemic hit. Due
to lockdown, with the amount of free time I soon had, I began to want to know more
about Taylor Swift and how she became a household name around the world. With this, I
have essentially been learning about Ms. Swift for almost two years now, knowing most
things about her.

Audience-Adaptation Statement: Although you don’t have to enjoy Taylor’s music, it

might not be a bad idea to know some parts of Swift’s life and her achievements since she
has massively impacted pop culture forever. Also, you may never know if your future
partner will be a Swiftie, and with these facts, you might even be able to impress them!

Preview of Main Points:

1. The Early Career of Taylor Swift,
2. Her Success and Achievements,
3. And her Political Stance and Influence.
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Transition to Body/Main Idea I: To begin, why don’t we travel back in time and learn how
Taylor Swift became the woman that she is today.

Body

I. Main Idea I: Taylor Swift’s Early Career

A. Taylor Allison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, and according to Michael
Ray on the website Britannica, she had been interested in music since she was 5
years old, memorizing songs from Disney movies she had only watched once
(Britannica.com.)
1. It was her neighbor who taught her guitar chords and how to fingerpick,
this inspiring Swift to both learn how to sing and play the guitar
simultaneously.
B. To fast-track her career, the Swift family relocated to Nashville in 2004, this being
where Taylor signed to the label Big Machine Records at the age of 14. It was
here in Nashville where Taylor released her self-titled debut album.
C. With the album’s success, Taylor soon released her second studio album, titled
Fearless.
1. Fearless debuted at number 1 and the album broke many records at the
time, Guinness World Records naming Taylor the youngest individual to
win CMA’s “Entertainer of the Year.” Fearless also won Album of the
Year at the Grammys, and as stated by Melinda Newman at Billboard,
Fearless was, and has remained, the most awarded country album in
music history (GuinnessWorldRecords.com.) (Billboard.com.).

Transition Sentence to Main Idea II: Seeing the success she had accumulated in less than three
years, Taylor began to rise to new heights of fame, garnering a new audience as she transitioned
from country to pop music with her 2014 album, 1989.

II. Main Idea II: Achievements and Success

A. With 1989’s lead single, Shake it Off, the album was set to succeed, and by the
end of her 1989 era, Hugh McIntyre from Forbes ruled that Swift had
accumulated five top 10 hits on the same album, Swift being the second woman to
achieve this after Katy Perry’s, Teenage Dream (Forbes.com,)
1. 1989 also won album of the year at the 2016 Grammys.
B. Although she was receiving enormous success, Taylor soon removed her entire
discography from streaming services after she became aware that Spotify and
Apple Music were not compensating artists fairly.
1. During the three-month trial, Spotify and Apple Music did not pay artists
per stream, and after the free trial was over, Spotify paid artists 1 penny
every 250 streams.
2. Spotify soon relented and came to an agreement with Swift and her record
label, being both beneficial to Taylor and many indie artists since they
would be able to be paid during the three-month trial.
 Gonzalez 3

Transition Sentence to Main Idea III: With these successes in 2018, Taylor soon began to
break out of her shell and become more outspoken, this being when Taylor broke her life-long
silence on politics.

III. Main Idea III: Political Stance and Influence

A. As a former country star, Taylor had been ingrained to avoid drama and to avoid stating
her political stances out loud, wanting to be seen as innocent and not politically inclined.
1. In her caption, she urged people to vote for the best candidate for the 2018
election for the United States Congress.
2. After Taylor posted this message, voter registration spiked, Amy Wang from the
Washington Post finding that 169,000 individuals voted in less than 48 hours of
Swift’s post. The voters were between the ages of 18 and 24, proving how
influential Taylor was to her fan base (WashingtonPost.com.)
B. With the old Taylor dead, Swift began to not be afraid to speak her mind, Swift proposing
the Senate pass the Equality Act during 2019.
1. According to Congress, the Equality Act states that Americans should be
protected “against discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and
gender identity” (Congress.gov.)
2. In support, on June 14, 2019, Taylor released the music video for You Need To
Calm Down, the video celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
Transition Sentence to the Conclusion: With songwriting being one of Taylor’s most
recognizable talents, when looking back through her career, it is evident the improvement she
has made in both her music and pop culture.

Conclusion

Restate Thesis Statement: Swift has had an impressive career, starting from a young age
in music, garnering a large fan base along with accolades and achievements, and also
growing confident enough to voice her political opinions, her words being influential.

Review of Main Points:

1. Early Success in the Music Industry,
2. Accolades and Accomplishments,
3. And Pop Culture Influence through Politics.

If you still don't believe how impactful and influential Taylor Swift is, just ask the College
Board! On the 2021 exam for A.P Government and Politics, the exam asked a question regarding
how Swift was able to turn up voter outcoming for the 2018 election for the United States
Congress. If Taylor was asked as a question on a national exam, this solidifies the impact she has
made in society, as well as in the hearts and minds of many. As her fans say, Taylor Swift is the
music industry
 Gonzalez 4

Works Cited

McIntyre, Hugh. “Taylor Swift's '1989' Has Now Charted Five Top Ten Hits.” Forbes, Forbes
Magazine, 5 Oct. 2015, https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2015/10/03/taylor-
swifts-1989-has-now-charted-five-top-ten-hits/?sh=d2c32597c161. Accessed 18 February
2022.

Newman, Melinda. “Taylor Swift Pulls 'Fearless (Taylor's Version)' from Grammy & CMA
Awards Contention: Exclusive.” Billboard, Billboard, 21 July 2021,
https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/taylor-swift-fearless-taylors-version-grammys-c
ma-awards-pulled-9604003/. Accessed 16 February 2022.

Ray, Michael. “Taylor Swift.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2021,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Taylor-Swift. Accessed 12 February 2022.

United States. “H.R.5 - Equality Act.” Congress.gov, Library of Congress, 1 Mar. 2021,
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5/text. Accessed February 18
2022.

Wang, Amy B. “Taylor Swift's Endorsement of Democrats Is Followed by a Spike in Voter

Registrations.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 10 Oct. 2018,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/10/09/taylor-swifts-endorseme
nt-democrats-causes-spike-voter-registrations/. Accessed February 13 2022.

“Youngest Country ‘Entertainer of the Year.’” Guinness World Records, 2020,

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/94257-youngest-country-%E2%80
%9Centertainer-of-the-year%E2%80%9D#:~:text=In%202009%2C%2019%2Dyear%2D
,all%20others%20in%20the%20USA. Accessed 17 February 2022.