Last week, Taylor Swift became the first artist to have her songs be the entire top 10 on the Billboard H๏τ 100. This was also the first time in history that there hasn’t been a single man in the top 10. This monumental and historical achievement makes for the perfect moment to celebrate this beloved musician.
Taylor is known for her beautiful melodies, catchy beats, and lyrics that are not only poetic but undeniably true. Taylor has been a household name in music for more than half of her life, beginning her career at just 14 when she moved to Nashville to become a country singer-songwriter. She released her first album enтιтled Taylor Swift in 2006, making her the first female country artist to write a platinum-certified album at only 16 years old.
Her first few albums–Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), and Speak Now (2010) –established her country style, and explored her experiences with young love. with Red (2012), Taylor incorporated rock and electronic elements into her music, then 1989 (2014) was pop. Though a certain number of people were unhappy with this shift from her country roots, her experimentations with style have become culture-shifters. The albums she’s released over the last decade in coordination with different periods of her life have become fondly known as her “eras”, eras which her fans have come to identify with in their own lives.
The COVID pandemic brought sister albums Folklore and Evermore, which took on more of a folk style and showed Taylor experimenting with storytelling and writing from others’ perspectives. after these albums, Taylor began to re-record her old music, a decision she made because her former record label had sold these albums and left her with no control over what happens to her music. The re-recordings allowed her to take back ownership of the rights to songs which should have always been hers.
Recently, Taylor released a new album, Midnights, inspired by all of her songs from the past. If Folklore and Evermore consisted of perspectives outside of Taylor’s, Midnights brings us back to introspection; it’s about the self-reflection that occurs in the middle of the night.
With Midnights, Taylor took the whole top 10 of the Billboard H๏τ 100, becoming the first person to ever do so, and there isn’t a single person who’s more deserving. after facing so much gender-based scrutiny over the years, from shaming for all of her different relationships, to picking apart her body and weight, to blaming her for a feud in which she was not at fault, this achievement is the ultimate victory against all the men who have put her down. It’s incredible that the first time there isn’t a man in the top ten is because Taylor took all ten spots herself.
On November 1st, Taylor announced her upcoming “Eras” tour; which will take fans through all of her different eras in a retrospective of her career. as someone who has defined the life experiences of a whole generation of fans with her eras, and someone who is known for her incredible live shows, this tour may be her magnum opus.