Why is Taylor Swift so popular? The karmic genius that led to her success.

Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,”  announcement at the 2024 Grammy Awards is cosmic-level for this Swiftie.

By Emily Laptad

CW: Mention of domestic abuse/violence, complex trauma, and childhood trauma.

On October 22, 2022, I woke up to listen to the bonus tracks on Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, Midnights (3am Edition). It was a spiritual experience that nudged my personal life story in a direction I never saw coming when the lyrics, “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first,” crooned through my earbuds as I listened to “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” for the first time.

So, it’s fitting that it’s 3 a.m. now as I try to weave together the words to illustrate just how much the historical popstar, musical mastermind, and 14-time Grammy Award Winner means to me—and so many other Swifties too. This particular editorial has been in the making for over a year now, and after tossing and turning over the shear dismay that Taylor blindsided the Swifties with a brand new album, The Tortured Poets Department, that’s coming out on April 19 (we all thought we were getting reputation (Taylor’s Version) instead) now felt like a better time than ever.

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Red (Taylor’s Version) Serves as A Guide to Growing Up and Getting Over

By Hanna Ellington

I was 13 years old when Taylor Swift released Red, a 16-track album in which Swift navigates the complicated dynamics of love and loss. Through her experiences of questioning self-worth, the joys of young adorations, and the aftermath of ill-fated relationships, Swift’s second re-recorded album delivers universal themes and necessary advice to those growing up alongside the songwriter. Now, at 22 years old, I am once again immersed in Swift’s universe, masterfully updated with Red (Taylor’s Version).

The album feels like a visit from a forgotten friend. It delivers ever-poignant advice with a matured perspective, evoking universal themes of heartbreak and change. Concentrated on the intensity and grandeur of love affairs, Swift masterfully encapsulates the emotional intensity paired with growing pains, taking a beyond-her-years and poetic approach to the age-old search for one’s place in the world.

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