Everyone knows Taylor Swift; her name is her franchise and is known globally. Many, including myself, have adored her music when it first appeared in the industry. Music about ex-boyfriends and sad, sad breakups. But, now in her latest songs, things have changed. Many OG fans can agree that it’s become redundant and annoying.
Fans and music listeners can see that Swift has gotten too old to continue the original platform she began her career on. Despite her loving the fame, fans, and love, her music isn’t reaching the same way it once did.
With a pretty small demographic of people who listen to Taylor Swift, young girls, her new songs may not be as relatable as they used to be when she hit themes of “coming of age” and hardships most young girls endure. Swifts music used to be something that girls can listen to after a breakup, or a love story, eating a tub of ice cream in an oversized sweatshirt on the couch. Now, the new music is completely different.
This is the same singer that brought fans the iconic song, “You Belong With Me.” Compared to her newest album, “Life of a Show Girl,” which many critics have described as “terrible” and “boring,” the music is not giving the same energy and depth. Disappointment has come out in waves with fans, with many saying her new songs give lower emotional stakes.
Critics and past listeners, including myself, wish for her to return to the original, emotional depth, shown in her older music. These new albums are pointed out as the weakest in Swift’s work. Although I’ve never been a self-proclaimed “Swiftie,” I grew up watching her career take off with classics like “Blank Space” and “Love Story.”
And, I’m not alone in this take. Critics from The New Yorker and Slate called Swift “stuck” and dubbed the album a “masterpiece of cringe.” It’s hard to imagine that the same artist who crafted such beautiful melodies and narratives could write something as derivative as “Did you girl boss too close to the sun?”
She’s already proven to be an amazing songwriter, even before her 2020 albums, so why regurgitate years-old internet slang?
Swift has often been described as a “30-year-old teenager,” not as a literal age label, but as a cultural shorthand critics use to question her emotional lens.
Now in her mid-30s, Swift’s music is still rooted in intense feelings: heartbreak, jealousy, longing, revenge; all feelings that many people associate with adolescence. However, the way she communicates these emotions has become stifled. Some even say she sounds much younger in her new albums.
As Swift releases new music, backlash follows. Critics argue that her songwriting hasn’t “matured” in the way they expect from an artist her age, pointing to recurring themes of exes, grudges, and emotional score-settling. The question remains: is Taylor Swift just trapped in the mind of a teenage girl?
