Taylor Swift, by all means, is one of the most talented performers of this generation. And one they will speak about for decades to come.

I am for sure going to be that Grandma rocking back and forth telling the grandchildren about this woman. I will still have her albums to blast around the house when the grandchildren visit. Who am I to not share the beauty of this woman’s songwriting with those that I love?

In all seriousness, Taylor Swift has left her mark on the music industry. The Eras tour is considered one of the highest grossing tours ever. She’s definitely a name that will be remembered for a very long time. She started out as a girl who was a country artist in her small town. Now she tours the world, sharing her music with fans from all over and covering her entire discography. It’s crazy cool.

For most people, the well-known introduction to her music started with ‘Love Story’. But for me, it was the little ten year old who discovered her songs on a random YouTube lyric video. I specifically remember finding ‘A Place In This World’ which had this ridiculous PowerPoint lyric video. I would have to sit in my hallway while the video buffered. Then, I’d run into my room to blast it. The internet didn’t reach my bedroom, back in the day. When ‘Love Story’ came out, I was obsessed with it on SingStar. You bet I would make my family listen to me sing this all in the wrong key. Then the obsession with the Speak Now album as ‘Enchanted’ and ‘Haunted’ made their way to being my favourite songs.

After that, I moved over to the whole boyband crowd. You bet I was a Twitter stan during those boyband days. (I was a The Wanted and 5SOS girly, sorry 1D). And my mind was filled with boys, boys, boys.

I was boyband obsessed. I had my walls covered floor to ceiling in their faces.

Any magazine that had a picture of The Wanted or 5 Seconds of Summer? It was on my wall.

I would randomly wake up to one of my many boyband boyfriends falling down in the middle of the night.

I religiously stalked their Twitters and Instagram profiles. I watched their live streams, stayed up all night re-watching the Wanted Wednesdays, and Taylor Swift was just pushed to the background. I was a teenager with a thousand crushes on boys in black skinny jeans and lip rings.

I didn’t forget about Taylor though. I would remember when she released a new bop. I would hear it on the radio and jam out to it with my friends. In random moments of time, I would return to my roots and remember my favourite country artist, turning popstar. It wasn’t until lockdown where I rediscovered my love for her music and the boybands frenzy started to fizzle out.

Taylor’s surprise releases of Folklore and Evermore during the pandemic came as a shock to fans. From that moment, I became obsessively hooked on her music. I was experiencing heartbreak from my first-ever love, so Taylor’s music came in at just the right time. ‘Illicit Affairs’ was my pandemic song.

With the re-releases of her discography, it was like finding her music for the first time all over again. It was as if all my memories were suddenly coming out of hiding as I recalled singing ‘All Too Well’ in my bedroom, no idea what possessed me to think I could relate to that song at 14 but I felt something for it…

I remember the re-release for Red (Taylor’s Version). I jokingly asked my then boyfriend to make me sad so I could feel something when it came out. He decided to take that a bit too literally. Now, I can sing ‘All Too Well 10 minute version’ with more passion. I sing it with more emotion than when I was 14.

Ever since, I’ve been a diehard Taylor stan.

Her songs are magical because she puts into words what many of us cannot express. Human emotions are fickle and flimsy and beautiful and tortured and all over the place.

Her songs perfectly encapsulate the human essence. It really is a kaleidoscope of emotions in her discography.

So many choose to gloss over her as some “pop star who writes about her boyfriends”. But she is so much more than that superficial identity. Bops get played on the radio. Do you really want to listen to a song about not being ready for marriage? Or would you rather enjoy a bop about a cute guy with good hair on your 7am commute?

Bops are played to not make you overthink on that morning commute about every single interaction you have ever had.

If you ever decide to deep dive into her work, I highly recommend it. There is a song for every single situation you could find yourself in. There is also a song for every situation you have ever experienced. Her music is beautiful because she opens her heart. She creates music based on her own experiences. She is also a talented performer. She is able to put herself in another person’s shoes and write about their feelings.

Her talent is unmatched. It’s poetry in the modern age.

And for that, I will continue to relate to a Taylor Swift song until I leave this world.