Taylor Swift is known as one of the most talented singers of the twenty-first century. From her birth until the age of seven, Swift lived on a Christmas tree farm with her family in rural Pennsylvania. Swift was determined to pursue her passion for singing, and made the bold decision to move to Nashville, Tennessee with her family at the age of eleven. Swift’s early albums were of the country genre. In her later albums, she would explore the realm of pop music, later making a full shift to this genre of music. In this paper, I will detail Swift’s transition from country to pop between 2006-2014, where as her style progressed, she was able to explore more syncretic sounds, freeing herself of the gender roles and political backings prevalent in country music.
From 2006 to 2010, Swift put out three top charting country albums, her eponymous album, Taylor Swift, Fearless and Speak Now. These albums were wildly popular, cementing her as a mainstay as one of country music’s top artists. In 2012, Swift released Red. Here, she mixed the line between country and pop, bring in a new flair to her music that was never seen from her before. The top listened to song from this record, titled “We Are Never Getting Back Together” was shocking, as it had a bold and catchy hook, and was a pop song. Rolling Stones editor, Jody Rosen, stated that the songs 'hooks, plural, have a zing that's more Stockholm than Nashvill” (Singles). This new music was uncomfortable for those listening to it as first, since everyone knew Swift as the sweet country singer. Little did they know that Swift just gave her fans a glimpse of the genre that would soon set her career aflame, making her one of the most popular pop musicians of the twenty-first century.
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In 2014, Swift finally released her first ever full pop album, titled 1989. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Swift said that 'the best choices are bold choices, with my last album 'Red,' I kind of had one foot in pop and one foot in country, and that’s really no way to walk and get anywhere. If you want to continue to evolve, I think eventually you have to pick a lane, and I just picked the one that felt more natural to me at this point in my life' (Horton). Swift thought of this as her natural progression in her musical pursuit. In her earlier album Red, Swift did not have clear direction, swaying from country to pop. With 1989 Swift wanted to make a statement, putting out music that was “instantly catchy [and] also have meaning behind them' (Horton). She even stated that any of her songs had similarities to ‘Red,’ even if it sounded good, would immediately be thrown away.
To signify Swifts distinct change in her songs, both sonicly and lyrically, I will point to two of her works, “Our Song” and “Shake It Off”. “Our Song” is a song about love released in 2007. In the song, she is sitting in a car with a boy. They are fantasizing about the memorable and fun times they are having together. The sound of a banjo, which is common in country music is played throughout the song. “Shake It Off,” released in 2014, tells a story of defiance, proclaiming to the world that none of the bashing done against Swift is affecting her. The song has a groovy melody and high tempo. From these two songs we can see the style and lyrics of Swift’s songs have changed dramatically since getting her start in music. Swift has grown and adapted as a person, and is now comfortable speaking about events that are closer to her heart.
As a musician, Swift always full heartedly puts all her emotions and life experiences in her music. She felt as though country music was very confining, and it was very hard to act as herself in this genre. While speaking about politics to Time in an interview, Swift said, “I follow it, and I try to keep myself as educated and informed as possible. But I don’t talk about politics because it might influence other people” (Macsai). This was a strategic move on Swifts part, as she did not want to upset anyone that would be offended by her political opinions. But, this was at a turning point for Swift. This was around the same time as her Red album, where she was still making country music. Later in her career, in 2018, Swift started endorsing Democratic political candidates. She was no longer scared to express her own opinion. Swift knew that other country artists have been criticized for seemingly controversial political statements, including the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, who said at a London concert, “just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas' (Thompson). Before this comment, the band was one of country music’s top charting groups, even winning Billboard’s acclaimed Country Artist of the Year in 1999. The comment halted their meteoric rise, as they would never reach the same stature as artists again. Swift did not want to be held accountable to the same strict constraints as her predecessors. She would rather move to a more accepting genre, than be subject to the very Republican, one sided, opinions prevalent in the country music sphere. “Redneck Liberation: Country Music as Theology,” by David Fillingim, speaks of a women's perceived role in country music. Fillingim says that among the many unspoken truths, “most female country artists would no doubt bristle at being called “feminist” and deny the accuracy of the charge- whether or not their music reflects feminist values” (Fillingim 104).
From this, we learn that the norms of the country music industry take precedence over gender equality. This, among many aspects of the genre, sent Swift to move on, choosing a path where equality was celebrated, not diminished. Swift did not want to be held to a certain standard just because of her gender. Filligan also said “country music culture does retain a good deal of its ambivalence about sex and about what is appropriate for women, necessitating strenuous efforts at image control by artists and their management teams” (Fillingim 128). Swift wasn’t comfortable being confined to this specific gender role. Adaptation was her only option if she wanted to be free to pursue her craft without hawking judgement.
This new music that Swift put out showed more of her personal side for the first time. She liked her new sound, which was much more open and biographical. There were flairs of feminist defiance, where she pushed up against perceived boundaries, and listened to no one. She was now able to talk about any topic she chose and could be more open and inviting to her fans. This was new and enticing for her, and she took the opportunity and ran with it. (Rhine). Going from country to pop was also seen as a move to go more mainstream for Swift. Country has a much smaller audience than pop. With this shift, she was able to amass a following base that could not have been possible if she would have remained complacent in the country genre. This transition was also very well suited for her fan base, who already mainly gravitated towards pop.
These boundaries were not only sonic or political, they were much more. Just as Oliveros did not want music that she composed to be tied to a gender, so too did Swift not want her music to be confined to one genre. Her new music was not to be confined to the genre that she grew up playing. All artists adapt and change as they grow. Swift’s natural musical journey was a change in genres. At the time, it was much more of a shock for her fans. Anything that is new and different gives off a shock factor. But, after this settled, many Swift fans were open to this new change. From Swift’s bravery, we now see many other artists dabble into new genres that they were not in before, including Nicki Minaj transitioning from rap to pop and Skrillex from punk to electronic music. Taylor Swift is known as the trend setter. She made a bold choice that ended up having ramifications for the whole music industry (George).
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