Miss Americana: the new voice of Taylor Swift?

For every generation, there's always a stand-out voice that puts our feelings and experiences into words, complimenting our eventful daily lives with the knowledge that someone else gets it. For my generation, that voice of course belongs to prodigious country-singer-turned-pop-sensation Taylor Swift. Rising to fame in 2008 at only 19 with her self-titled debut album, Swift burst onto the music scene waving the country music flag well above her head as she reinvigorated the genre with her sweet girl-next-door image. Creating hit after hit, the young singer-songwriter lived her life as she wrote it. 2009 brought us Fearless, and in quick succession her album Speak Now was released the following year. We had, in our stuffed CD towers, a literal diary of her every thought and desire, and it spoke to us. Our tough teenage years were complimented by a never-ending list of songs; number one hits like ‘Love Story’ that lived on radio charts for months, and the other, almost secret numbers just for us Swifties such as ‘Better Than Revenge’ that existed only on album. We lived and breathed as she did, experiencing the same heartbreaks, challenges, losses and loves that we listened to at every chance that we got.

It's from here on that we see a maturing Taylor Swift taking her first steps into adulthood. Within a couple of years the once innocent musings of a teenager singing about fairy tale Romeo and Juliet fantasies had turned into another beast entirely. A beast, indeed, of increased self-reflection and a deeper understanding of the intricacies of life, created with passion and the true talent that Swift has always been known for, but fast found her dominating. During 2012's Red, the star is, like us, in her early 20s and very much trying to find where she fits in the world. Her sound is punctuated by light and fun pieces like ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ and ‘22’, then sobers up for Grammy-worthy ballads like fall-to-the-floor-sobbing ‘All Too Well’. In 2014 we discover a Swift that has hardened somewhat, her voice stronger than ever in 1989 (you can find my review here). Her sound on the album has darkened considerably, delivering the first two of Swift’s many quasi-threatening hits- psychotic ‘Blank Space’ and a comment on feud with fellow pop singer Katy Perry in ‘Bad Blood’- introducing the narrative that would come into focus in 2017’s Reputation. In and of itself a masterpiece of writing and marketing, Reputation was the grand finale of Swift’s good-girl-gone-bad metamorphosis. Dominated by tracks like ‘…Ready For It?’ and ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ the album shattered preconceived notions that Swift was nothing but a pretty face and an easy listen. Fueled by the global Kanye West controversy in 2016 that caught her like a deer in the headlights, the album revealed an icon not only in talent, but in self confidence and self respect. Clever and dominant lyrics emphasised by sexy chords sent the clear message that Taylor Swift is not a woman to be ignored- and we had no choice but to listen.

It was in February 2019 that this latest version of Taylor Swift was slowly revealed. Reeling from the success of her previous album and record-breaking Reputation Tour (it grossed $345.7 million worldwide to make it the second highest-grossing tour of 2019), Swift began to tease the latest of her releases with cryptic Instagram posts that clearly deviated from her previous style. ‘Me!’, the first single from her upcoming album was released on April 26th to immense fan approval. The YouTube video broke a Vevo record by garnering 65.2 million views within its first 24 hours after release. It would be a sign of what would be to come for Lover, released that August. The bubblegum-cheerful album could not have been any further from its predecessor, but the world couldn’t get enough of Swift’s new outlook. On its first day it sold 450,000 copies in the US and a further 53,000 in the UK. Records were broken left and right, Swift standing up with the greats and making history. What more could there be to accomplish for the 30 year old?

The artist answered this herself last week with the release of Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, a Netflix documentary that spanned the recording of Lover and the inspiration behind it. In the hour and a half long docu-film (directed by Lana Wilson for good measure), we discover a Swift who has undeniably started a new chapter and is ready for her music to reflect these new ideas. We find the artist as we have always known her; poised, graceful, funny and authentic. As she weaves her way through the recording of her new songs, she adds the anecdotes of a life from before that she had kept out of the public eye. She opened up about her disordered eating, admitting that she would scrutinise photos taken of her and proceed to stop eating. The habit followed her as she went on back-to-back tours until she couldn’t find the strength to manage her physically-demanding schedule. In one particular scene she says that she used to think that she had to feel like she would pass out from weakness at the end of a show. Taking us back to the Reputation era, she reveals her thinking behind the Kanye West controversy that influenced her album. Before this the narrative was molded by the tabloids and leaked videos, without Swift’s contribution or control. Heartbreakingly, she speaks about the 2009 VMAs where the feud began as West took the mic from her during her acceptance speech to complain about the award. As the crowd booed, the young singer believed that the displeasure was targeted at her. This was a pivotal moment for Swift- one that, it could very well be speculated, provoked the path that the artist would follow to her Reputation resolution. In Miss Americana, we learn little about Swift’s new love interest, Joe Alwyn, whose face is not shown in the film, a calculated move from the artist who has kept this flame far from the media spotlight.

The main feature of Miss Americana seems to be the new voice that Taylor Swift has found with regards to politics. When she was younger, she had been very much praised for keeping herself to herself; her place in the American eye was a just pretty face that sang simple songs for teenage girls. The young woman we meet in Miss Americana has a fire raging within her, one that fuels her desire to no longer stand by and keep her opinion to herself. Surrounded by strong women, she decides to speak up about the 2018 midterm elections, highlighting the feminist injustices supported by Republican Marsha Blackburn, who was running for election in her home county of Tennessee at the time. We see very little of the main men in her life- her father and manager- up until now, as they advise against her making a political stance so publicly. Whether she planned it or not, Swift is prepping the stage for a new wave of voices, empowering women to step out of the boxes that society or circumstance placed them in, regardless of what men think.

Her political stance more than just a news headline, Taylor Swift incorporated her morals and beliefs into the very fabric of Lover. Miss Americana delivered more than just juicy gossip regarding her love life and the Kanye feud; it gives a bit of background and justification to her controversial song ‘You Need To Calm Down’. Slammed at the time of its release by many critics for what was deemed the ‘use’ of known LGBTQIA+ personalities to sell the anthem, we discover that Swift’s rationale for the song was not to jump on the ‘woke’ bandwagon so to speak, but to highlight a problematic issue. Name-checking GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), the song ends with a link to Swift’s Change.org petition to the US Senate to support the Equality Act. But it’s not just the LGBTQIA+ community that Swift stands up for; the entire record has been written with the message that she opened with on the first single released in April 2019- “I promise that you'll never find another like me”.

Forbes named Taylor Swift as the highest paid celebrity in the world in July 2019- only a month before the release of Lover. As of January 2020, she stands at thirteenth most followed person on Instagram. In November 2019 she was honored as the American Music Awards artist of the decade. Swift has grown in stages throughout her life, which has reflected in the music that she creates. Having spent the last decade and a half in the media spotlight- her every thought, creation and decision judged on by the entire world- the artist has grown into a blossoming young woman, a trail of seven hit albums behind her. In Miss Americana: Taylor Swift, it’s clear that the new chapter the artist used to market her new album- and lighter sound- is one that will make the most impact of all. Taylor Swift is undeniably more self-aware, amplifying a transparency that is set to inspire and encourage as she goes forward. For those of us who grew from young teenagers with stars in our eyes to slightly more jaded, weather-beaten adults, Swift is coaxing us along with her to step out of the shadows and take our place in the world. Taylor Swift has only just turned 30, and yet her legacy is almost unrivalled. For the voice of our generation, this woman at the top of the world will continue to barge through doors once closed to us, exclaiming for everyone to hear; “je suis calme!”