T-Swifts Political Reputation

Charli Carey
ENGL 199-005
Prof. Santos
Blog Post


       In class on Tuesday, we were asked to think about a couple of quotes written on the board, and how they related to the topic of protest music we have been discussing. One of the quotes started with “Whatever cause or political view point a singer may initially favor, the amount of energy and commitment that he or she may be willing to make may be closely related to the direction of his/her career…”  This quote made me directly think about how it relates to Joan Baez, as well as many of the other artists of the time period where protest music truly began. However, this quote also relates to a quite recent event that involves none other than musical sensation, Taylor Swift.
        Last week, Taylor Swift finally broke her long lasting political silence by posting a photo on instagram. In the caption of the photo she finally spoke out on what she supports politically, which happens to be the democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee. Swift talked about how she is normally for female candidates when it comes to politics, but that she cannot vote for candidate Marsha Blackburn. Swift stated that Marsha’s “voting record in congress appalls and terrifies” her (Swift). She gave many examples explaining this, including that Blackburn has voted against equal pay, and that she has discriminated against the LGBTQ+ community through her voting records. Taylor went on to then endorse other candidates and encourage her fans to register to vote if they have not already done so.
        Taylor’s popularity is at an all time high after her Reputation tour. In fact the tour is actually “the highest-grossing U.S. tour by a female artist, raking in nearly $200 million” (Yahr). Which is not a surprise considering that “The previous highest-grossing amount was by … Swift, whose 1989 World Tour previously broke the record in 2015”(Yahr). Not just popular with music, Swift has over 112 million instagram followers, and 84 million twitter followers. She has a large and loyal fanbase that has been consistently growing since her start in 2006. So clearly, a stance like this is going to cause some attention. In fact, according to Daniel Bukszpan of CNBC, “The effect of Swift's surprise endorsement…were felt right away, as thousands of people between the ages of 18 and 29 registered to vote”(Bukszpan).
        Although Swift is not as upfront about her political beliefs as Joan Baez or Bob Dylan, she still sparked some sort of a protest by getting people to register. But where will this take her career? I think her path has been under our noses the whole time. She started out as a country sweetheart singer with songs like “Tear Drops on my Guitar” and “Our Song.” She slowly developed more of a country/pop style in the albums “Speak Now” and “Red.” But she fully transitioned into pop starting with her “1989” album. Then she hit us with her most recent work, “Reputation,” which is explained by the title itself. She has already taken on a more rebellious persona through her music,  which makes me think that her political breakthrough to fans might be the next step in creating her next albums. After all, it is rumored that she has teased a new album already this year, so it’s a possibility.

Works Cited
"Analysis | As Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Era Starts to Wind Down, What Is She Really Trying to Say?" The Washington Post. WP Company, 12 Oct. 2018. Web. 15 Oct. 2018.

Bukszpan, Daniel. "How Taylor Swift's Political Endorsement Could Become the 'biggest Ripple Ever' at the Polls ." CNBC. CNBC, 13 Oct. 2018. Web. 15 Oct. 2018.