The music industry, a mastermind, and a meticulous businesswoman are all nicknames Taylor Swift has been called over her 17-year music career.
These words have been used to describe the singer-songwriter because of her unique influence on the music industry. Swifties, Swift’s fandom’s nickname for themselves, believe she is truly unique.
“I don’t think there is another artist that I can think of at least that is as planned out as she is,” IU freshman Ava Orschell said.
IU freshman Ava Orschell talks about why she thinks Taylor Swift is one of a kind.
Swifit’s ability to be one-of-a-kind stems back to her lyrics. The themes and words used in her songwriting describe what is going on in her life. Her willingness to be this open with her fans makes them connect with her on another level.
“And then when I later found out that was when she was going through her breakup with Joe Alwyn, I was like is she in my brain,” UIndy senior Erin Phillips said.
The imprint of her lyrics and current world tour was part of the reason why IU’s Arts and Humanities Council decided to host the world’s first academic conference about Swift. According to the press release that announced the event, the conference’s main objective was to analyze Swift’s impact during this peak in her extensive career. Scholars traveled from as far as England and Canada to be a part of these discussions about the susperstar.
Not only has Swift had an impact on her fans, but also on the U.S. economy. The Eras Tour caused every city it traveled to this past summer to see an economic boost. Gina Arnold, one of the conference’s keynote speakers and adjunct professor at the University of San Fransisco, summed up the tour’s effect on each U.S. city’s economy pretty simply.
“So if you multiply 33 and a half million dollars by every city, that is a lot of money.” Arnold said.
Conference keynote speaker Gina Arnold talks about how big of an economic impact Swift’s tour had on the United States.
Before the pandemic occurred, people thought Swift’s career was starting to slow down. But after she has released seven albums in the last three years, it seems Swift has no intention of stopping any time soon.
Despite having 56 shows throughout the United States this past summer, there was so much demand for a ticket that it would have been impossible for Swift to meet it all.
“Swift would have had to perform for every night for 9 years,” Arnold said.
This is why Swift brought her record-breaking “Eras Tour” to movie theatres. At the box office, Swift continued to make history, where her concert film became the highest grossing concert film of all time.
Continuing to break records was just one of the things Swift did during her two month hiatus from the tour. On National Voter Registration Day this year, the pop superstar showed fans it is important to “speak now” and encouraged them to register to vote by posting an Instagram story about it.
According to ABC News, over 35,000 people registered to vote on Vote.org. The non-profit and nonpartisan get-out-the-vote platform attributed the spike in visitors to Swift’s story.
Swift’s impact on the world shows why she has so many nicknames associated with herself. Her stardom has shined in 2023, so it is no surprise IU wanted to spotlight her in her “conference era.”
