I don't get it. Her music is sometimes catchy but otherwise unremarkable, from the songs I've heard. How does she break all these records and accumulate so much fame and wealth?
She's pretty, but a lot of singer songwriters are, especially those with makeup and costume people, a support staff.
Is there something else to her that people like?
I'm confused about what makes her so apparently unique or phenomenal.
Update: there are so many things that make swift unique or phenomenal.
I've received tons of great answers from people that have helped me understand, like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle, many factors that makes swift different and consequently more successful than her peers.
Clever lyrics, top-tier production, sharing autobiographical and emotional points in her life very directly, apparent honesty with few or no public blemishes, creating a community of fans through Easter eggs and house parties and unconventional, but always personal methods, an early start supported by wealthy parents, she keeps winning against abusers, and her music itself is popular and fun.
Those are just a few of the puzzle pieces contributed here, and a dive into this post is a pretty good explanation of many of the factors that must be contributing to her phenomenal success and recognition, that set her apart from other pop stars, even pop stars who were phenoms in their own right.
This is a very educational post, thank you to everyone who has contributed.
live feed of the goalposts being moved:
idk what to say buddy lol.
I wish people would stop using the goalposts comment when you obviously don't know what it means.
Let's look at these three questions.
What are the mechanisms that explain Taylor Swift's popularity?
What are the mechanisms that explain Taylor Swift's recognized popularity?
What are the mechanisms that explain Taylor Swift's recognized musical popularity?
Pretty on message.
If you look at the threads of this post, you'll find the most people recognize that and are contributing to the answer.
someone provides their answer to number #1 and you dismissed it without evidence. i find this gross and in bad faith; this is all im pointing out. 👍