The voice of Taylor Swift peacefully wakes you up right on schedule, and your day is already off to a great start. After deciding which outfit you are going to wear, it is time to pick the accessories. You are transported back to a core memory you hold while deciding which friendship bracelets match your outfit. You vaguely remember trading your handmade bracelets with hundreds of fellow Swifties at the Eras Tour concert. After you pick out bracelets, you are off to school. You are then able to decide what mood you are in and pick an album to listen to for the car ride. Between fangirling over her newest boyfriends, to creating new theories about new releases and re-recordings, Taylor Swift impacts many lives.
Many different people share one thing in common, their love for the well-known artist, Taylor Swift. Fans of Swift have even given themselves a nickname: Swifties.
“A Swiftie is somebody who’s a fan of Taylor Swift and keeps up to date on all her new drops,” senior Abri Pence said.
Some loyal Swifties have been by Swift’s side for many years. Some Swifties confirm that Swift has always been a big part of their lives.
“I started listening to [Taylor Swift] in second grade when the original “Red” album came out,” Pence says. “But I really got into her music a lot during [COVID-19].”
As popular as this well-known artist is, she continues to grow every day and a lot of Swifties are fairly new to the fandom. COVID-19 seems to have led many new fans to Taylor Swift’s music. Sophomore Brannen Shanahan explains that he has known Taylor Swift his whole life, but only two years ago started to get into her music.
Nostalgia plays a big role in people’s experiences and childhood memories involving Swift. Oftentimes, when Swifties hear a Taylor Swift song, they are able to connect to a memory or experience. Swift’s debut, self-titled album was released in 2006 and was followed by “Fearless” in 2008, “Speak Now” (2010), “Red” (2012), “1989” (2014), “Reputation” (2017), “Lover” (2019), “Folklore” (2020), “Evermore” (2020), and “Midnights” recently in 2022. After all her success and growth as a musician, Swift decided to re-record her first few albums to claim them as her own. Swift decided to do this to regain the copyright to her first six albums that were previously owned by her old manager Scooter Braun. So far, “Fearless” (Taylor’s version), “Red” (Taylor’s version), “Speak Now” (Taylor’s version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) have been released between 2021-2023.
Swift experiences can vary from the brevity of seeing her live in concert to listening to her in the car.
“We would be driving to the grocery store and my mom would put the Taylor Swift CD in,” Dermer says. “I vividly remember doing that for my whole childhood.”
A unique aspect of the Swiftie community is how inclusive and friendly it can be. A new tradition created for the Eras Tour involves making friendship bracelets of your own favorite songs and bringing them to trade with fellow Swifties at the concert.
Swiftie- “Someone who has supported Taylor Swift for a long time… and would defend her if she was in any situation,” senior Natalee Dermer says. (Avery Enright)
Most people have similar reactions when thinking of the Swiftie community.
“[Swifties] are welcoming,” Shanahan says and explains that an important part of the community is that “Swifties… understand to some degree what songs are about and can usually relate to them.”
Along with the compassionate and understanding fanbase, Dermer claims that Swift is also a generous person. She uses her popularity for good by raising awareness and donating money to charities.
All year long, through any time in your life, Taylor Swift has a song for you.
“She has music if I’m happy or sad,” Dermer says.
As Swift continues to grow and impact people’s lives, Swifties confirm they will always have her back and continue to support her.
“Some people are haters, and they’re never going to be Taylor Swift fans, but she has a really good community to be in,” Pence says.
