Halliday 1

Caitlin Halliday

Mr. Smith

ELA (A)

4 June 2023

Why Taylor Swift Is The Best Artist Of The Decade

Not many artists can perform four music genres, release 10 albums, go on six US tours,

and still be the top artist in the world with all 10 albums trending 17 years after the first release.

Taylor Swift has repeatedly overcome society's backlash and opinions, and continues to break

records with her music today. Her current US tour has caused her fame to skyrocket because of

her impressive and lengthy performance, along with her reminisce on the part. Taylor Swift is

the best singer/songwriter of the 21st century as her variety of music, stories within her songs,

and current Eras Tour are extremely impressive and dedicated towards her fans.

Since her first album release in 2006, Taylor Swift has switched between 4 genres, and

was successful with each one. According to an article from Promolta, “Taylor Swift quickly

diverted from her country platform and decided to create mainstream pop music for a larger

audience” (Dauphin). At only 16 years old, Swift obtained her country platform with her first

album titled “Taylor Swift” including her first four hit singles. She continued to write two more

country albums then made a strong transition into pop for her fourth album, “Red”. By her sixth

album, Swift was still writing pop but started to include hip hop and tram to make her music

more in the electro-pop genre. Moving to her eighth album release, Swift made a shocking

switch to indie/alt-rock. She continued this theme through her 9th album and into her most

recent, “Midnights”, which also brings back pop and electro-pop. The variety of genres indicates

an artist of extreme range, ensuring Taylor Swift's place as the best 21st century artist.
 Halliday 2

Furthermore, Swift was extremely successful with every album, and in every genre. As stated by

the globally known magazine Forbes, “Most artists don’t try as many styles as Swift has, and

even fewer are able to find any real success by crossing over from one genre to another and then

back again” (McIntyre). Many artists have attempted to change genres and use a variety of

ranges, but not many are successful. Taylor Swift has explored albums mixing between 4 main

genres, and made the top charts each time. This skill is only obtained by a great artist, and Swift

has proven to have mastered it. Her work has been acknowledged as the best with various awards

like Grammys, MTV music awards, Country Music awards, Billboard, and so much more. As of

this year, Taylor Swift was announced as the female artist with the most awards of all time.

Taylor Swift's genre variety and musical range makes her the best artist in the 21st century. She

has obtained titles and awards to recognize her expert skills and success.

Despite the common misconception that every Taylor Swift song is about breakups, in

reality, she wrote a full album about the story of three fictional characters and writes mournful

songs about family members. When speaking on her album Folklore, Swift states, “I wanted to

fictionalize some things I wanted to create some character arcs” (Nicole). Swift will admit that

her songs can be very personal to her love life, but she also has transformed her emotions into a

fictional story through music. The Folklore album goes through the story of three teenagers in a

love triangle; Betty, James, and August. It brings the feelings of teenage love and confusion that

listeners can understand while going through the album. Her capability to capture these real raw

feelings in a made up story all through 16 tracks, shows her great talent as a musician and

continues to prove why she is the best. Furthermore, within various songs Swift has taken her

loss and great appreciation of family and created heartfelt songs her listeners connect to. While

introducing her song Marjorie, Swift explains, “It's a song I wrote about my grandmother who
 Halliday 3

passed away when I was 13 years old… and she was an opera singer so we actually play her

voice during that song” (A Pathological). Swift has a well known ability to turn heartbreak into

hit songs through every album and genre of her career. Although these songs are commonly

about past relationships, she uses her mourning to make songs in remembrance of those she

loves. In Marjorie, the use of her grandmother's vocals adds to the meaning of the song and the

huge importance it has to her and her family. Swift allows her listeners to mourn over their own

losses through her music and connect to her on a personal level, emphasizing her one of a kind

artistry that makes her the best. The real meaning behind Taylor Swift’s songs shows her true

mastery and sadness. She transforms made up characters into complex stories and uses her

sadness to convey grief which listeners can relate too.

Taylor Swift’s current tour, the Eras Tour, has brought upon a new appreciation for the

impressive performance she puts on, along with an unbelievable fan base to support her. A

popular news article, The Atlantcic writes about Swift's concert and states, “44 songs over more

than three hours. Swift created the vibe of an ecstatic cram session, like an epic outing with a far-

flung bestie visiting for one night only” (Kornhaber). Swift’s set list is made up of 44 songs,

which only sums up --- of her discography. She designed her show to move through all 10 of her

albums and takes the time to put on a full performance for each one. Her energy never dies, and

she, along with the dancers, give their all for each song. Through every “era”, Swift changes sets,

outfits, and vibes, all over a span of a minute. Furthermore, Swift takes her shows to a more

personal level by giving each night their own surprise songs, which are two songs not on the set

list that she will never repeat again on tour. Her level of dedication and energy towards the

crowd shows how she is a remarkable artist in our decade who continues proving she's the best.

In addition to her personal contributions and sacrifices for the tour, her fans dedicate themselves
 Halliday 4

to show her great love and support. I personally was able to attend Taylor Swift's concert at

Gillette Stadium on May 19th. When I was leaving after the concert I experienced a fan based

community unlike i've ever seen before. There were thousands of fans, without tickets, crowded

outside the stadium and had been there to only listen to the show. This act wasn't just seen the

night I attended; fans crowded the stadium every night she was here in Foxborough and have

been seen doing so at all previous concerts on this tour. This amount of pure joyfulness and

dedication to Taylor Swift is only more reason to how big of an impact she is in many lives and

why she is the best of our decade. Her music has created a powerful community all dedicated to

the love of her artistry. Taylor Swift has consistently prioritized her fans' experiences and

focused on providing the best concerts for them on tour. With her current tour, Swift continues to

give her all, and her fans imitate the dedication by showing up to listen, even without tickets.

Taylor Swift has broken the norm for females in the music industry many times. She

continues to prove critics wrong and has become one of the most famous people in the world.

Her dedication to her music and fans encourages her supporters to continually celebrate her

through every change and new release. If you personally (for some odd reason) don't like Taylor

Swift, take another listen. Listen to her music and the story it tells, the feelings involved, the mix

of genres you can hear, and even watch some videos of her amazing tour. I feel as though your

view might be changed knowing some background and knowing a different perspective.
 Halliday 5

Works Cited

A Pathological People Pleaser [@ricocheting15]. “It's a song I wrote about my

grandmother” Tiktok, 27 April 2023, https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRoWhDo1/

Dauphin, Frankie. “How Switching Genres Helped Taylor Swift Stay on Top.” Promolta

Blog, 1 Feb. 2017, blog.promolta.com/how-switching-genres-helped-taylor-swift-

stay-on-top/#:~:text=Despite%20her%20success%2C%20Taylor%20Swift,%2C

%20and%20electronically%2Dbased%20melodies.

Kornhaber, Spencer. “What Made Taylor Swift’s Concert Unbelievable.” The Atlantic, 30

Mar. 2023, www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/03/taylor-swift-eras-tour-

review/673438/.

McIntyre, Hugh. “Pop, Country, Rock: Taylor Swift’s Cross-Genre Success Is Clear

Looking at the Charts.” Forbes, 19 July 2021,

www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2021/07/19/pop-country-rock-taylor-swifts-

cross-genre-success-is-clear-looking-at-the-charts/?sh=bd5d6eb1c7c5.

Nicole Wilkinsom [@nicolewilkinson287]. “I wanted to fictionalize” Tiktok, 15 May 2023,

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRoWLJyS/