The Eras Tour and “Nostalgia Efect” OPINION

The Eras Tour and “Nostalgia Effect”

Taylor Swift’s re-emergence, and what is says for the music industry Courtney Bridges

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past. Nostalgic: feeling, evoking, or characterised by nostalgia. Or, how you feel when listening to Taylor Swift.. From her first album, Taylor Swift to recently released Midnights (3am Edition), we have followed the artist through her teenage years, and now her 30s. We’ve witnessed themes of love, heartache, and self-discovery through her writing. And not just her own – her music has been used for cliché high-school crush soundtracks or moments that make you want to scream in the rain. For listeners then, The Eras Tour provokes an all-encompassing feeling of nostalgia as referenced earlier. But the nostalgia evoked by Taylor Swift, extends beyond the music. It is in ‘22’ Taylor Swift themed birthday parties, or Instagram reels, album release listening sessions among groups of friends, and even university societies dedicated to sharing and celebrated their love for her as a singer-songwriter. Her extensive reach was exemplified by huge success at the American Music Awards (AMA’s) – taking away all six awards in the categories she was nominated (Artist, Female Artist – Country, Female Artist Pop/Rock, Album – Country, Album – Pop/Rock, Video). In her acceptance speech for the award for the Best Album she touched on the emotion of the album that perhaps brings listeners the biggest throwback – Red (Taylor’s version) in the re-recording of her work after that was committed to after master tapes were sold to a hedge fund by her previous record label: “I cannot tell you how much my re-recorded albums mean to me, but I never expected or assumed that they would mean anything to you… So I can’t thank you enough for caring about this album that I’m so proud of.” Thus, bringing fans back to the music that was representational of 2012, but also the artists own experience within the world of music, signposting obstacles overcome. The news of winning these awards now takes her AMA total to 40. The release of Midnights making her the first artist in history to claim the top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, surpassing Drake who previously held the record with nine of the top songs for a week in 2021. She also broke global Spotify records for the most streams of a single album in one day. This signals not only the nostalgia of her past prominence as an artist, but the rise of female artists more broadly and the inter-female support within the music industry, as emphasised by the predominantly female support artist line-up we’re going to see in The Eras Tour, with special guests including: beabadoobee Phoebe Bridgers girl in red MUNA HAIM GAYLE Gracie Abrams OWENN, an act aimed at uplifting other women around her, and a signal for what the industry is becoming: a space not just for competition as may appear with awards nights like these, or listening statistics on music platforms, but for celebration of creativity, growth, and support. This is mirrored also in other pockets of society and culture, as seen in Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s relationship with the singer, after recently recalling the moment that their children realised ‘Aunt’ Taylor Swift was actually a global superstar. And even examples of other artists following suit, as Harry Styles placed the status of his drummer, Sarah Jones, above his own in interview on The Howard Stern Show. So, this period of reflection on the nostalgic origins of Taylor Swift, her music, and the feelings it installs will hopefully be forever captured in a moment of its own. The increasing power and presence of women in music though is something we can hope does not become nostalgic, romanticised, or longed for but instead a continuous trend.