As Taylor Swift brings her Eras Tour Downunder, how has she become such a superstar? - The Front Page

Taylor Swift is on her Eras Tour. Photo / Instagram, @taylorswift

She’s arguably the most famous woman in the world, a billionaire and the first person to ever have five albums simultaneously on Spotify’s Top 10 Albums global chart.

She is Taylor Swift.

The international megastar also just bagged her fourth Grammy, and with a new album and her NFL beau Travis Kelce in tow, 2024 could be her biggest year yet.

Lifestyle and Travel deputy editor Emma Gleason told the Herald’s Front Page podcast Swift’s global domination is a result of a combination of her ability to create narratives and songs that speak to people, as well as the growth of social media and online culture.

“She sort of taps into some past version of you that’s still living with you. Like you listen to a song and suddenly you’re 15 again crying in your bedroom because your crush ignored you.”

Gleason believed Swift had come to represent the hustle and authenticity that are hallmarks of millennial culture and, in some ways, the American Dream.

But Swift hasn’t been without her critics, and Gleason points to the wider culture of people feeling uncomfortable with women who are overt about how hard they try.

“I think we grow tired of women in the media quicker than we do of men. Like no one’s sick of Ryan Gosling yet.”

Gleason said women were very aware of the need to “recede” into the background, especially when the “tall poppy grows too big and the tide turns on them”.

However, she told the podcast there would be a lot of Swift in 2024.

“The album’s coming out mid-April, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she released Taylor’s version of Reputation later this year, and as far as how her relationship with Travis Kelce will pan out I think that’s also in for the long haul, so yeah, there’s going to be a lot of Taylor Swift.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Swift’s global domination and how she achieved undeniable superstar status.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Katie Harris, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in social issues reporting who joined the Herald in 2020.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.