On March 17th, 2023, Taylor Swift opened her tour, The Eras Tour, in Glendale, Arizona. From a firsthand experience of being there, it was magical. There was an energy in the room that cannot be described properly. There was the anxiety of a completely unknown set, mysterious outfits, new dancers, and experiences. The one thing that was known was that it would be a night to remember. So, when the timer appeared on the big screen, an excited gasp and murmur started as people ran to their seats. As each second on the countdown got closer to zero, the anxiety heightened. Little did we know that it would become the biggest tour of all time. Over the next year and a half, Taylor toured the world. She had a changing set list, outfits, and surprise songs that captivated the audience, so much so that many would join live streams just to watch. Taylor brought us on a tour of our lives, bringing us to every era of her music, effectively bringing us back to our own childhood selves. It was the only space that I can actively remember feeling completely safe in as a woman. 

One of the most monumental things Taylor has done is advocate for artists’ rights to own their own work. In June 2019, her masters and the record label that owned them were sold to talent agent and investor Scooter Braun for $265 million. She was not given the opportunity to buy them, and only found out about the deal as the rest of the world did.

From there, Taylor decided to re-record her first six albums and release them with the added name of Taylor’s Version. These versions featured her updated vocals while also releasing songs that are “from the vault,” songs she wrote that did not end up on the original track list. Taylor’s fans, being as dedicated as they are, would stop listening to the original recordings as soon as a “Taylor’s Version” was released. Fans acted like each album was a new one, dissecting the differences and replacing the old with the new on their playlists. Because of this, artists, such as Olivia Rodrigo, started including clauses in their contracts that granted them possible ownership over their work. Whether that be they own it instantly or over a few years, they now own their work. In 2025, Taylor was able to buy back her life's work, owning every one of her albums. It wasn’t just an achievement for Swift and her fans, but instead for every artist who now knew to include ownership over their work in contracts. 

Yet if you take away the countdowns and easter eggs, Taylor’s fans would still have a strong connection to her and her music. With her first album, titled Taylor Swift, coming up on its 19th anniversary this October, it can be understood how long Taylor has been in the lives of so many of her fans. Not only did we watch her grow up, but we grew up with her. Taylor’s music has become a time machine that brings us back to the simplest times of being ten or eleven—and some even younger—and dancing around our rooms getting ready for school with a hairbrush in hand as we sing a Taylor song into it like a microphone. She has been there through so many eras (pun intended) of our lives, so much so that many of us literally cannot remember a time before Taylor. 

On October 3rd, 2025, Taylor is releasing her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. With no hints of the album's sound, we can make our assumptions. The producers are Max Martin, Shellback, and Taylor herself. The trio has worked together on many occasions, with hits such as “22”, “Style”, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and so many more. Based on this, it can be assumed to have a more pop sound to it, unlike Swift’s last album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, which has a more synth-folk sound. We can also assume that, based on the name, the album revolves around Swift’s experience on The Eras Tour. My personal thoughts are that it won’t be far off from her songs “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” and “Clara Bow” from The Tortured Poet’s Department. It will likely showcase how Swift felt while on the tour and actively falling in love with her now fiancé, Travis Kelce. No matter what the sound, I am positive that the album will continue to set records.