Why is Taylor Swift so popular? We explain what makes the singer so beloved as the Eras Tour arrives in the UK

Taylor Swift has officially arrived in the UK and fans around the country are celebrating.

The American superstar will perform 15 shows in the country, starting with three nights in Edinburgh, with Swift’s record-breaking tour expected to bring in around £1 billion for the UK economy.

Taylor Swift performs on stage as part of her Eras Tour in Lisbon. (Photo by ANDRE DIAS NOBRE / AFP)

For Swifties, it’s an almost once in a lifetime chance to see the singer-songwriter live. But for those who aren’t fans, it’s almost an exercise in confusion.

Why have trams been redecorated? Why are restaurants being renamed? Why are fans queueing up a day before the concert for merchandise?

How does one person inspire such a fuss?

If you’re one of those people asking “why is Taylor Swift so popular?”, we can help.

Taylor Swift is a cultural icon

As Time Magazine stated in their article announcing Taylor Swift being named their Person of the Year for 2023, “She’s the last monoculture left in our stratified world.”

Swift has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager. The public have witnessed her growth, from her time as teenage country artist to the pop juggernaut that she is today.

Taylor Swift. Photo by Getty. | AFP via Getty Images

As a consequence, many fans have also grown up with her. Whether it’s hearing Swift’s hits in the charts or catching a glimpse of her on social media, her presence - even outside of music - is almost unavoidable.

How many times have you heard her mentioned on the news? How many times has she popped up while you scroll online? How many conversations have you had about Taylor Swift - even if it is just to talk about how little you understand her fame? Even if you claim that you “couldn’t name a Taylor Swift song”, it can almost be guaranteed that you’ll have heard one - and can sing along to boot.

Taylor Swift's song writing is a huge part of her popularity

It is hard to escape Taylor Swift’s music and while “haters gonna hate”, she is widely renowned for her song writing abilities.

Since the beginning of her career, when she was a young teenager singing country music, she has been able to balance her hyper specific experiences with those which are universal.

Her debut album was released in 2006 and included songs such as Picture to Burn, Tim McGraw and Teardrops on My Guitar. More notably the album was created while Swift was still in high school with Our Song written for her school talent show.

Taylor Swift wrote some of her earliest hits for a high school talent show. Image: Getty | Getty Images

Her confessional style of song writing was able to capture both her adolescence while appealing to a wider audience about their own experiences, almost immediately capturing the hearts of fans; the storytelling straightforward, but not simple.

Swift’s signature style has been present from the earliest of her songs; able to capture moments of her life and translate it into something powerful and emotional, sharing her experiences with millions of people around the world.

Her focus on love and romance has helped build her career, and audience, unleashing songs which reference the inner workings of her life to fans who greedily tear each line apart for clues to her relationships.

Her capacity for song writing is a balancing act of information sharing, which taps into universal experiences of love with songs such as Enchanted, gold rush or cardigan.

Taylor Swift accepts the Artist of the Year award onstage during the 2022 American Music Awards. Image: Getty | Getty Images

Then there are those such as All Too Well. Her widely publicised relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal was rarely out of the spotlight and Swift's heartbreak anthem received fresh scrutiny when she released the ten minute version of the song on Red (Taylor’s Version). The song twists and turns, her lyrics capturing the depth and struggles that break-ups can present, remaining relatable while also documenting snippets of her own reality.

Her semi-autobiographical lyrics also come into play with later releases such as the last great american dynasty, which documents Swift’s ties to the late heiress Rebekah Harkness but when it came to later releases, such as folklore and evermore, Swift takes her inspiration from elsewhere.

Her talents have evolved as she honed her craft, with her fictional narratives notably on show in songs such as no body, no crime which Swift has said was born from her love of true crime podcasts telling the tale of Este, a woman who is assumed to have been killed by her cheating husband.

There are equal amounts of reality and fiction mixed into Swift’s work, and fans have plenty of material to find new meanings in.

But what makes her song writing truly special is how she makes her millions of fans feel understood, which is arguably the most important part of her success.

Swift's understands her audience and validates their experiences

Her ability to make people feel understood is key to her success, but more than that is the level of acceptance which Swift offers to her supporters.

She has never shied away from her own ambition as the record-breaking Eras Tour proves, with Swift travelling the world, single-handedly boosting economies while performing 17 years worth of hits.

With empowering feminist messages scattered across her discography, her lack of fear at sharing her emotions all while maintaining that ambition makes Swift a good role model for many younger fans.

She stands up for herself and her beliefs

The audience she has cultivated has also allowed for Swift to make several statements against the music industry.

From keeping her music off of streaming platforms such as Spotify, to re-recording her first six albums following the sale of her masters, Swift has been able to change the wider business, inspiring other artists to speak out about the treatment they receive at the hands of labels.

After being signed to Big Machine Records at such a young age, following the end of her contract and the sale of her masters – the original recordings of her first six albums – without her permission, she began to re-record and release her music. It’s a strategy that, for someone with less of a presence than Swift, could easily backfire.

Instead, she has cheerfully embraced the task, providing deeper insight into her music, scattering hints and clues as to her next project throughout music videos while also sharing “From the Vault” tracks which were missed from the original album releases.

Swifties are often rewarded for their loyalty

Since she released Taylor Swift, an album which crystallised the pop star’s youth, Swift has been including hidden messages in her work.

From scribbles in her album cover to “Easter eggs” in her music videos and songs, she has been talking with her fans beyond the music since the very beginning.

But it doesn’t end there.

Popcorn buckets are pictured during the "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" concert movie world premiere. Image: Getty | AFP via Getty Images

Fans of Swift likely know all about Taylor Nation, her official eyes and ears into the lives of her fans. Run by her marketing and PR team, Swifties would often be contacted by the organisation to receive anything from gifts or letters to invites to small intimate gigs, or "Secret Sessions" as they were known, which were sometimes even held in Swift's home.

She provides sneak peeks, inside looks and essentially very carefully peels back the curtain of her image for fans to look beyond, pulling them further into her sphere of influence, whether it’s on sites such as Instagram or X, formerly Twitter, or her stint on Tumblr.

And while cynics would criticise this approach, it’s been part of her toolkit since her debut album came out. Making herself vulnerable, through her music, yet accessible through social media has sparked devotion among her fans.

Taylor Swift’s popularity comes from her ability to inspire others

With one of the world’s most dedicated fanbases, Taylor Swift’s ability to connect with those listening to her music is unlike almost any other.

She has consistently taken her own experiences and translated them into music which validates feelings, provides relief and, overall, inspires others.

Even with her more mainstream pop successes, which are often mocked, Swift’s music crosses boundaries.

She doesn’t need to be understood by everyone. But for those who get it - they get it. And that is truly at the foundation of her popularity.