Taylor Swift: why all the hype?

The 34-year-old pop star from Pennsylvania was described by Time magazine as the main character of 2023. While she has long been one of the leading pop stars, not only did she dominate popular culture… but also the economy. Read on to learn more about her impact, and what’s with all the hype.

Never before has a single tour made more than $1 billion… until Taylor Swift’s landmark Eras tour. According to Pollstar, she brought in a whopping $1.04 billion.

In 2023, Glendale Arizona hosted two major events in the same stadium: The Superbowl and the first Eras concert. Guess which one generated more revenue for local businesses? The Taylor Swift concert hands down, with each attendee spending around $1,300 each, according to Time.

In July, the American central bank even mentioned Taylor Swift in its report, showing how her concert in Philadelphia played a large part in boosting tourism to the region. Market research firm QuestionPro estimated that her tour would add $5 billion to the US economy.

According to trade publication Pollster, Taylor Swift sold 4.3 million tickets for an average of $238.95, earning her double that of Beyonce, whose tour was the second-highest grossing of 2023. And for those who didn’t score a ticket online, the average resale price was $3,801, according to Business Insider.

A US president? Philanthropist? Activist? Politician? Groundbreaking scientist or entrepreneur? Not this year. 2023 was the year when Taylor Swift was named Person of the Year — making her the first entertainer to win the title for pure entertainment. Others were featured in the past, but all for their activism (like Bono for organizing Live 8, alongside others).

Image: Time Magazine

Swift was also part of the 2017 Person of the Year, in a group called the Silence Breakers, which was related to the #MeToo movement. She fought back against an abuser after speaking out about being grabbed by a radio DJ in Denver and testifying on the witness stand. This makes her the only woman to be featured twice on the cover of Time.

If you hear a Taylor Swift song on the radio, is it easily recognizable? Can you name more than a couple of her hit tracks? If you’re a Swiftie, you know. But if not, here are some of the justifications for the Swift-mania.

Taylor Swift has been performing since her early teens and released her first album back in 2006. It was a country music album, and Country Weekly praised her as one of the best young artists because of her “honesty, intelligence and idealism.” The album peaked at number five in the US.

Despite her massive success with the country genre (winning numerous awards…like the MTV award that Kayne famously protested), she began picking up new fans, without losing her old ones, while experimenting with new genres. With the 2014 pop album ‘1989’ she left country behind and has also dabbled in indie folk music, hip-hop, and electronic, all while staying very accessible to mainstream audiences.

Praised as one of the best songwriters of her era, Swift’s lyrics are interesting and often personal. And since she is quite open and honest with her life, her fans love to delve through the lyrics. She has been ranked as one of the best contemporary songwriters and in 2011, she told the New Yorker she is a songwriter first.

A psychologist at Harvard Medical School told a Harvard publication that people feel a strong emotional bond with her. Even though she’s a mega-celebrity, the content of her lyrics (like relationships, emotions, etc.) tends to be very relatable. At the same time, she is a relatively good role model – someone who sticks to their values and fights for what she believes in.

On that, her fans and those in the industry tend to have nothing but good things to say about Swift. For instance, she paid over $50 million in bonuses to her Eras tour crew. She has also stopped shows and done what she can to help fans. Though, careful if you are one of her ex-boyfriends…

Of course, her fans, aka Swifties, come in all ages, shapes and sizes. However, since she has been so honest over the years, many of her biggest fans have grown up alongside her. And she has touched on subjects that evolve with them over the years. At the same time, the strong community helps unite fans.

Taylor Swift’s live shows are so beloved because she makes them spectacular. She told Time that to prepare, she sings all her songs while on the treadmill in the months leading up to the tour.

Even the best artists have not been as powerful and successful as Taylor Swift. Many say that is because her talent also extends to the world of business, and she has many times fought for her fair economic share of things. With that, she has surrounded herself with a team that is brilliant at creating buzz, excitement and giving fans what they want.