Taylor Swift

I have loved Taylor Alison Swift since I first heard Love Story on Rick Dees. I know, I know. I am such an Oreo.

When Kanye West interrupted her as she was receiving her first ever MTV Video Music Award for You Belong With Me, I was fucking pissed. Even President Obama rightfully called Mr. West a jackass for that incident. One of my brothers agrees with Kanye though when he says “I made that bitch famous.” Of course he does not put it as crudely as that, but he had never heard of Taylor until Kanye interrupted her at the VMAs. And I know he is not the only one.

I, on the other hand, completely understand why she is the youngest artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. She is the first woman to win the award twice and to date she is one of only six main artists to hold that honour. Just last month she surpassed an American Music Award record last held by Whitney. I literally could go on and on about her award winning career.

But there is one award I cannot not talk about; her induction in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She won the Hal David Starlight Award in 2010. Being a writer, I resonate most with lyrics. I appreciate a good bop, and can bump to a great record with nonsense lyrics. But it is great lyrics that stay with me forever, and Tay has a shitload of them. So much so that I have planned a Taylor Swift Lyric tag to pay homage to her iconic lyrics.

I do not know why I resonate so hard with Tay, but I know I am not the only one. To date she is the only non-classic rock act Supernatural has ever had play in the Winchesters’ black 1967 Chevy Impala. No surprise Shake It Off is the song in question. It was the first single off her 1989 album that heralded her crossover from country to pop. Till today the mega hit holds a very special place in my heart. Between 2014 and 2015 my mum was hospitalised on a monthly basis, and for me that was the most difficult period in her battle with cancer. Following its release I would play Shake It Off every day as I was walking to my mum’s hospital room. No matter how my day was, or how I was feeling, I had to shake it off. I could not bring my fear and anger into her hospital room as she needed nothing but positive vibes. For the longest time it was part of the Top-25-Most-Played songs on my phone.

Tay is the only artist in history to have four consecutive albums sell over one million records in the opening week. Whether you like her and her music or not, you cannot deny that is an impressive feat. She is a savvy business woman and according to Forbes her net worth is currently an estimated $320 million. Once her Reputation Stadium Tour ends next month you can bet her net worth will climb even higher. The rep tour, though having fewer dates, has broken her own record of the highest grossing North American tour by a female artist, previously held by The 1989 World Tour. Damn girl!! Also worth mentioning is her open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, calling out the company’s decision not to pay artists during its initial three month free trial of Apple Music. Within hours, Apple announced that it was reversing said decision. That is a shitload of influence that not many artists possess.

It is not just because she is one of the biggest pop stars of my generation that I love her. She has a really big heart and is heavily invested in her fans; from buying them homes to attending bridal showers and weddings, visiting them in hospital when they are unable to make her tour etc. etc. A lot of celebrities do this, but there is something about Taylor that makes me believe it is not a PR stunt. I think it is the cheesy dance moves she is so proud of. Lol. That sounds really shallow, but that unapologetic mzungu dancing has me believing she does not try to be anyone but herself.

Her personal life interests me as much as her professional life. I Google her almost on a daily basis. Her relationships, romantic or otherwise, are fascinating. I will always click on an article with the latest info on her love life. I am still interested in her squad – who is in, who is out and everything in between. Her beefs with fellow celebs highly amuse me, none more than the 2016 drama with Kanye that had Kim come out swinging, eager to defend her man. Who can forget this most iconic tweet that more or less birthed the reputation era?

Was she lying? Was she not? I do not know, and I do not care. What I do know is that I am a Swiftie AF and that is not changing anytime soon.