Taylor Swift is a brilliant beast
whether you like her music or not, whether you like her singing or not, whether you like anything about her artistry or not, you have to respect Taylor Swift. why, you ask?
her brain.
last night, I had a typical bout of insomnia. so, I decided to rewatch #LWYMMD. of course, typing that into my google search bar brought up not only the video, but hundreds of related links.
reactions, opinions, dissections, comparisons: sister has got people talking. as I began to delve into some of the top hits, I was astonished. completely. From the level of detail — the careful consideration that went into every aspect of this new release — to the epic nature of the production as a whole.
it is insane to process.
it took me multiple views to even notice the single dollar bill or the streaming company ticker tape. can you imagine planning something like that, let alone creating it in the first place?!! she thought of literally everything. and therein, lies my favorite part about Taylor Swift.
sure, there are plenty of wickedly talented entertainers out there. some blow my mind with their vocals, others with their writing abilities. however, I cannot be the only one who is tired of the trend in stars: unaffected, too cool, bad behavior, shunning the limelight because they “never meant to be famous”.
speaking as someone who wakes up everyday trying to “make it” in the music industry, the last thing I want to hear is how you just fell into success in between rehab stints. what?! stop talking.
I’ll never forget something Ronnie Dunn said to me back when I was still dreaming of record deals. He looked me square in the eye (yeah, we were sitting because he’s nearly a dang foot taller than me) and said “Julie Downs, you’re never going to be a star. You’re not fucked up enough.”
he had a point: my parents stayed together, I did well in school, we were comfortably middle class, I didn’t do drugs or have dependencies — all of which comprising an utterly uninteresting backstory. add to it that I’m punctual, prepared, an overachiever by nature. that’s just so not rock and roll!
at this point in my life, I’ve more than accepted that I will never be the star. Ronnie was right. even so, I feel somewhat lucky to be making money in music at all. a lot of people never do.
but when I watch an artist like Taylor Swift plan and craft, carefully and purposefully create, remain disciplined and driven, I have to applaud. her choices demonstrate vision and intention that has never wavered.
she is such an anomaly, such an outlier, such a genius.
if Taylor is anything like I imagine, she carries around a notebook to quickly capture thoughts, ideas, to-dos. man, I would love to have a peek. do you think it has “rent a cheetah” listed? I hope so.
