About the Artist

Who Sounds Like Who
Jamie Grace  V. Rose  Hollyn  Britt Nicole  Holly Starr  LOVECOLLIDE  Riley Clemmons  Leanna Crawford  Amanda Cook 

09/21/22 - Taylor Swift Songwriter-Artist Of Decade – Read Her Acceptance Speech

08/25/21 - Taylor Swift Joins TikTok, Lip-Syncs To Rap Song With Lyrics About Her

12/11/20 -  (Billboard) Taylor Swift Drops Second Surprise Album: "We Just Couldn't Stop Writing Songs" Read story 

8/20/19 -  (Variety) Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover’ Has Sold Nearly a Million Copies Before Release  "The anticipation of this album is extraordinary, with pre-sales quickly approaching one million copies globally,” Monte Lipman, founder and chairman of Republic Records Read story 

08/28/17 - Huffington Post - “‘Look What You Made Me Do’ just broke all the records on Spotify – LWYMMD was streamed 10,129,087 times in its first day on the service, giving her not only the biggest day-one streams, but also the biggest streaming day for a single track in Spotify history. It set the record for YouTube’s most-viewed music video in a 24-hour period in 2017, with more than 28 million views.” As of 08/29 9AM It has 53 million views on YouTube!

Your students will have seen the LWYMMD video, are talking about it, and we want to equip you to use this cultural phenomenon in your ministry.  It’s simple – Youth Leaders Only members get the LWYMMD re:Tuned discussion guide as well as all of Taylor’s resources available 24/7!

If you're a YLO member, use the link on the left column for the re:Tuned treatment of the song and video.

Not a member yet? Just go here to join YLO! Bonus Offer: FREE “Deal With It: 12-Week Study On Teenage Girls’ Anger”

 

Who Is She
Taylor Swift may well be the most famous person on the planet. But her “quick” rise to fame started years ago with plenty of hard work and determination. At the age of 14, her parents moved her and her family down to Nashville where she had been shopping demos around for three years already. She became the youngest person ever signed to Sony/ATV Tree Publishing and her songwriting immediately caught the attention of record executive, Scott Borchetta. And the rest, as they say, is history. Making her start in country music, Swift was a revelation. Never had such a young artist entered the industry with such levels of self-awareness, fan engagement and preternatural songwriting skills. She quickly became the biggest name in Country music until it couldn’t hold her in any longer and Pop fans began to take notice. She has won countless awards, sold over 26 million records worldwide and is consistently one of the highest grossing touring artists in any genre. Everyone has heard a Taylor Swift song and she has become the rare celebrity who remains humble and grounded, even when the world seems hungry to know every detail of her life, especially with regards to romantic relationships. Taylor is also the only female artist in history to have two albums sell more than a million copies in their first week of release. Though she is under seemingly constant scrutiny for every aspect of her life, she stays remarkably connected to fans, especially through social media and remains one of the most charitable celebrities around.

What Are Her Messages
Swift’s songs are often criticized for only being about one thing: failed relationships. While many of her songs have been about that topic, she has plenty of material devoted to other themes, including friendship, self-acceptance and the importance of big dreams and hard work. Often regarded as a big sister type of figure, Swift often takes to her social media accounts for direct contact with fans, offering advice and encouragement, especially to young girls navigating the tricky waters of adolescence. From a relationship standpoint, she usually splits her songs evenly between the rush of falling in love and the dramatic aftermath of love gone wrong. She remains consistently true to her personal experiences, often constructing narratives from real life situations, thus making her lyrics more relatable than most pop stars who sing about extravagant lifestyles and parties.

What Does A Youthworker Need2Know
Taylor’s relatability factor is key, especially with her core fanbase: teenage girls. By making all of her lyrics sound as if they are pulled from her personal diary, it is likely that many of your students feel personally connected to Swift. This provides an excellent avenue through which to discuss most teenagers’ favorite topic: relationships. Also valuable are her anthems of self-acceptance and encouragements to work hard towards your dreams. Taylor Swift is one of the better pop stars a student could want to emulate, always remaining classy but endearingly goofy without resorting to shock tactics or sexuality to sell records or get attention.