With the release of Taylor Swift’s newest indie-inspired album, folklore, and now the announcement of evermore, there has been a myriad of indie artists complaining about the albums and blaming her for taking up space that an “actual” indie artist could be taking. I think this is a horrible take for many reasons.
First, this claim doesn’t make any sense. By saying Taylor Swift is “taking up space,” you are insinuating that there are only a limited number of indie artists that can be successful. That just seems like plain nonsense to me. Any artist can be successful if they are lucky enough. Trust me, as someone who grew up in DIY, I know how hard it is to get noticed and be successful. I’ve seen so many artists who deserved the world never get an ounce of success. It’s really not fair, but at the end of the day, it’s a luck game. Plus, with popular artists like Swift popularizing the genre with a mainstream audience, there is likely to be even more opportunities for indie artists to break through. This brings me to my next point, it’s not Taylor Swift’s fault that she became successful. She was born into a rich family, but she also writes some amazing songs. I’m sure the artists who are upset are amazing songwriters, too, but it’s no one’s fault that Swift got lucky. Are only people without money allowed to make indie music? You also can say she doesn’t deserve it, but there are songs like All Too Well and my tears ricochet, that prove her chops as a songwriter. Along with being a great songwriter, by collaborating with Jack Antonoff, Justin Vernon, and Aaron Dessner, she is working directly with people who grew up and played in the indie scene. By saying that Taylor is taking up space in the indie community, you are also insinuating that Antonoff, Vernon, and Dessner, aren’t indie artists, which just isn’t true. Some of the people who are complaining aren’t even artists who make music within the genre of indie, but are just independent artists. Taylor isn’t copying independent artists, she’s making music inspired by bands and artists she’s been listening to over the past year. I promise, she’s not trying to steal your money; she has enough. At the end of the day, though, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the situation at hand. Do you think Taylor is allowed to make music that sounds like this? Do you think it’s disrespectful? There is always the possibility that I’m misunderstanding certain things and missing facts, so please let me know what you think!
0 Comments
The end of the year is usually the most exciting time of the year in music, in my opinion. Between Spotify Wrapped, Grammy nominations, and everyone’s album of the year lists, I’m always excited to see what albums, songs, and artists everyone was loving in the past year. This year seemed to be especially successful for my girlies in music, and I’m so proud. I decided that this year I would write my own top five albums of the year list, and surprise, they’re all by women.
5. Dead End – Lights and MYTH I am notorious for absolutely despising remixes for some reason, so I’m shocked how much I loved Dead End. The album consists of three original songs by artists Lights and MYTH: Dead End, Outdoor Sports, and Batshit. The rest of the album consists of MYTH’s remixes of older Lights tracks. When I first heard the album, I was immediately obsessed with the new songs, but hated the remixes. After watching Lights and MYTH’s Joshua Tree livestream, though, I realized how amazing these remixes really were. They brought new life and energy to songs I’ve played the crap out of in the past. They also made Lights’ older comic book style pop more accessible to a more top 40/dance audience. I would definitely recommend Dead End to anyone who wants to get up and dance, even if they’re pissed off. 4. Fake it Flowers – Beabadoobee Beabadoobee gained viral fame after she released her song, Coffee, online, after only playing music for sixth months. She then soared to new heights when it was sampled in the song, death bed (coffee for your head), which became insanely popular on TikTok. Bea has grown so much since those days, though, and Fake it Flowers really shows that. The album shows significant growth from her older releases, in both songwriting and guitar playing. There is obvious 90’s and early 2000’s inspiration that would be perfect for fans of Smashing Pumpkins, The Cranberries, or Alanis Morissette, without it sounding tired or outdated. 3. I Disagree – Poppy Most people know Poppy from her weird YouTube videos in 2016 and her pop songs, Lowlife and Girls in Bikinis. Stick with me, though. Poppy has grown and changed so much since those days and has even parted ways with controversial collaborator, Titanic Sinclair. Poppy has said that the album, I Disagree, was inspired by a Marilyn Manson type sound. Poppy’s new adventure in the world of metal shows true anger and frustration, while still being fun to listen to. Many of the songs are rumored to be about her horrible relationship with Sinclair, but since she has not confirmed it, I refuse to state that as fact. I am truly so proud of Poppy for all that she has become, and I hope she continues to make interesting and weird music. 2. Punisher – Phoebe Bridgers I’m not sure what to say about Punisher because of the fact that we already all know that everything Phoebe Bridgers touches turns to gold. The first time I heard Kyoto, I lost my mind because of how heartbreaking, yet upbeat the song was. I lost my mind again after seeing her perform I Know the End on Seth Meyers. Phoebe has a talent that needs no introduction, and all I can say is you absolutely need to listen to Punisher if you haven’t already. 1. folklore – Taylor Swift When Taylor Swift dropped folklore, I did not care at all. I hadn’t listened to her on purpose since deciding that I hated every single from Red, and didn’t think I’d ever like anything she did again. Oh boy was I wrong. After everyone and their mother was talking about this album I decided to give it a try. From the first note in the 1, I was hooked. The amount of emotion Taylor put into these songs is unheard of. There is a certain maturity in her songwriting that, with the exception of All Too Well, we haven’t really seen before. The production is brilliant and the feelings are genuine. In my opinion, this more mellow acoustic sound fits Taylor’s voice perfectly and makes me excited for everything she is going to release in the future. |
Kay RomanKay Roman is a 22 year old DIY pop musician Archives
December 2020
Categories |