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!
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Kay RomanKay Roman is a 22 year old DIY pop musician Archives
December 2020
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