TaylorSwift

is the Hottest

Music Act of the Summer

By Arianna Steadman

hether or not you like Taylor Swift, her music is impossible to ignore. Swift has been making waves since her debut album, Taylor Swift, went platinum when she was only 15. She’s tied for winning the most Grammys for Album of the Year, and has had nine songs top the Billboard Hot 100. Most recently, Swift has been touring across the country for her popular Eras Tour, which will continue internationally later in the summer. Her set list promotes her newest album, Midnights, but Swift also performs beloved songs from her previous “eras”, tailoring her show to the city she performs in. Fans of Taylor Swift are incredibly excited about the Eras Tour, as it is her first tour postpandemic. According to the New York Times, 3.5 billion people attempted to access the Ticketmaster website to buy tickets on their first day of public sales. Ticketmaster could not handle this insanely high demand and canceled the sale, leading to resale tickets being offered for up to $1400. Despite the difficulties, more than two million tickets were still sold on the opening day of sales, the most any artist has ever sold in one day, according to CNN. However, getting Eras tickets was only half of the struggle — actually commuting to the venue became almost impossible in some cases, as tickets for the MBTA commuter rail to Swift’s Boston concert sold out in hours. Clearly, seeing Swift perform is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Taylor Swift is undeniably an icon. Just what, exactly, makes her so popular?

THERE ARE THREE KEY ELEMENTS TO HER SUCCESS: HER MUSIC, HER CELEBRITY PERSONA, AND HER RELATABILITY.