For many fans, the countdown was on recently: US pop singer Taylor Swift is set to perform three consecutive nights with her ‘The Eras Tour’ at a sold-out Amsterdam ArenA in early July. What sets her apart from other pop stars? And what can we say about Swifties' unprecedented loyalty? Researcher Simone Driessen (Erasmus School of History, Communication & Media) takes us into the wonderful world of Taylor Swift.
It was Swift’s striking political statement in 2018 that made Simone Driessen start investigating the pop star. “She shared via Instagram that she was going to vote for Phil Bredesen for the Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives, whereas she never expressed herself politically before,” Driessen says.
The statement led to heated reactions and a shift in her fandom. Suddenly, the singer took a stand, whereas before she had been criticised for her lack of political statements. “I found that very interesting,” says Driessen. “You saw very strongly that she was suddenly being used in American politics to push the Democrats forward, while the Republicans were very much against it.”
The secret behind her popularity
Taylor Swift is bigger than ever, and she is in the news almost every week. From singing to fans in distress at her concert, to being at the centre of conspiracy theories surrounding her persona. But what makes her so unprecedentedly popular anyway? According to Simone Driessen, it is a confluence of circumstances that allow the singer to stay in the spotlight.
Consider, for instance, the re-recordings of her old albums, which Driessen says have attracted a lot of media attention. These re-recordings were necessary after the rights to her original music were sold. “Swift then added a new touch to it by adapting her songs just a little bit,” Driessen explains. “The struggle to get her music back into her own hands I think earned her a lot of sympathy.”
In addition, Swift cleverly played on the feelings of her audience during the corona pandemic, according to the researcher, by releasing two albums that reflected the mood of the time. There was also a lot of media coverage of her personal life, including the break-up with actor Joe Alwyn and her new relationship (with American football player Travis Kelce ed.). “These factors, combined with her huge tour, make that Swift is constantly in the spotlight. She certainly does have an exceptional position now,” Driessen said.
The loyalty of the Swifties
She has managed to achieve this position partly thanks to her huge fan base, the so-called Swifties. Why are Swifties so unprecedentedly loyal to her? “A lot of Swifties have been fans of her for a very long time,” Driessen explains. Swift's way of setting a different tone in each era allows fans to grow with her. “This long-term and unique relationship creates a deep bond between the artist and her fans,” Driessen explains.
Although Swift sometimes gets negative press, for example about her private jet use, her fans remain loyal to her. “There always comes some kind of counter-argument from those fans which might then put her in a positive light again,” says Driessen. “For example, they say: if she would have to fly commercially, she would be harassed, and she is in danger for her own life. What should she do then?” The strength of the Swifties' loyalty is clear from how they defend their idol. According to Driessen, we should certainly not underestimate this.
Driessen sees parallels between Taylor Swift and other icons like Madonna. “When Madonna was at her peak, we also had one of those moments when Madonna was everywhere and you couldn't really ignore it either,” Driessen says. “With Swift, it also plays into it that her fame is so global, and that doesn't diminish either. You can see that now with the Eras Tour, in which she summarises her entire career in a three-hour show. That's exceptional and that really puts her on top right now.”
‘Easter eggs’
One of the parts Driessen is now focusing on in the Taylor Swift research is the so-called 'Easter eggs' surrounding the superstar. Through 'hidden messages', Taylor would give all kinds of hints about her persona. From taking down her website to using a specific emoji or wearing a red dress. According to her fans, it could all mean that something is coming.
“The funny thing is that I am now trying to discover how fans actually keep looking for clues,” says Driessen. This playful but serious search by fans for hints in Swift's work is a great pastime for many. “Fans really create a kind of database for themselves about the events. I think these puzzles they do are a lot of fun, but it is also a very big-time investment. Why do fans do this, and how playful is it when it starts to dominate your life?”
Influence in Europe and the Netherlands
The fact that Swift has a lot of influence on Americans' voting behaviour has been noted before. Dutch broadcaster NOS on 3 even made a video about it with Driessen's help. But what about her political influence in the Netherlands or Europe? For one of her studies, Driessen looked at how Dutch fans react to Swift's political statements: “In it, I saw that Swift often conveys that you should not vote for a certain person, but for someone who has the same values as you. These are the more progressive values. And that message then also lands back with the Dutch fans.”
In addition to her own studies on the superstar, the researcher is also one of the founders of the European Taylor Swift Research Network, a group of academics looking at Swift's work and influence from different angles. These range from marketing to musicology. “We set up the European Taylor Swift Research Network because we also saw this happening in Australia and America,” says Driessen. “The thing that binds us all together is that we as academics are not just praising Swift but are also critical of what she does.”
Symposium about Taylor Swift
On 4 July, during Swift's concert series in the Netherlands, the network is organising their first symposium. The scientists will then gather to discuss Swift's influence and exchange ideas. “We have come up with some big themes on which we want to discuss her and the influence she has. For example, why we talk about Swift so much,” says Driessen. An American researcher will also come along and talk about how she has used Taylor Swift in her education.
In the end, it remains an extraordinary fact that Swift as a person can have so much influence, and that there is so much conversation about her that it is even a topic within academia. “I think it's just really momentum,” concludes the media researcher. “Also, because she's doing so well with her tour, and it's so hard to get tickets, it obviously increases the exclusivity factor.”
For example, there are a lot of Americans who come to Europe for a concert because it is ultimately cheaper for them to come here, cites the researcher as an example. “Media tourism transcends the climate issue in that respect. Still, it exposes something she can make us talk about. That allows me as a scientist to look at what might need to change in the music industry. I'm curious to see where it goes, and whether she will be still as relevant in five years' time.”
- Assistant professor
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