By: Hailey Ravitz 

I can correlate every big event in my life with a Taylor Swift era. In elementary school, I would make my mom play “You Belong With Me” every day in the car on the way to soccer practice. 

In middle school, I would cope with silly girl drama by listening to “Shake it Off.” High school was filled with many long nights of studying and listening to Taylor’s Reputation album on repeat. Finally, last year’s release of “All Too Well (10 minute version)” is what got me through my first cold winter away from my family in college. Her music was the anthem of my childhood. I have been a Swift fan since I was five. However, you don’t need to be a fan to recognize her talent, her musical accomplishments speak for themselves. Taylor Swift was only 20 years old when she won the Grammy for album of the year for Fearless in 2010. While my biggest concern as a 20-year-old is passing my classes, Swift’s was winning a Grammy Award. Swift went on to win album of the year twice more for 1989 in 2015 and Folklore in 2020. In total, Swift has won 11 Grammys and has been nominated 41 times. After her first couple of albums, it was clear Swift was a wizard with words. She has the unique ability to perfectly articulate the feelings so many people experience. Taylor Swift was the first woman to be awarded the Nashville Songwriters AssAI’s songwriter-artist of the decade award. “A song can defy logic or time. A good song transports you to your truest feelings and translates those feelings for you. A good song stays with you even when people or feelings don’t. Writing songs is a calling, and getting to call it your career makes you very lucky,” said Swift in her acceptance speech. Her songs are powerful enough to transport listeners to another time and fill them with the rawest of emotions. 

Although Swift began as a country singer, her music now covers a variety of genres. While 1989 was a perfect pop album, the songs on Folklore dabbled in pop, alternative rock and indie folk music. Swift has a magnetic stage presence. In 2018, Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour broke the record for the highest-grossing U.S. tour. The shows grossed around $266.1 million on ticket sales of over two million. While she is most commonly known for her songs about love and heartbreak, Swift also uses her voice to comment on important world issues. For example, in her song “The Man,” Swift touches on the misogynistic double standards she has experienced as a woman in the music industry. “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can / Wondering if I would get there quicker if I were a man,” sings Swift in the chorus. She uses her platform not only to better the music industry but also to try and create a more fair and just world. She is a proud ally of the LGBTQ community, and believes that “…Everyone should be able to live out their love story without fear of discrimination,” Swift said in her acceptance speech for the Icon Award at the 2020 Attitudes Awards. To many, Taylor Swift is more than just an artist. She is a role model, an activist, a therapist, a friend and much more. Through every lyric, Swift has positively impacted the music industry. She is truly the greatest artist of our generation, and I cannot wait for the many important life moments that will unfold alongside her music.

*Cover Image Credit: CNN.com*