Maria wrote to me last night. Title of email: Taylor’s Blank Space. Message: She should write Sam Hunt in... Calling the gossip genie.
I can see why that would make sense. Sam Hunt is 31 years old, probably the biggest rising star in country music right now. If you can still call him a rising star. My sources in Nashville tell me that they’ve never seen anything like the effect he has on his audiences – and they’ve seen a LOT. That level of devotion and hysteria that his fans have for him is next level. And the demographic is attractive. Not only are the little girls and the teen girls following him obsessively but they’re bringing their mothers and aunts and grandmas along too. Not unlike Taylor Swift.
Also, like Taylor Swift, my sources tell me that Sam’s real goal is pop music and many in Nashville would not be surprised if he makes a move there once he solidifies his country base. And dating Taylor would certainly help with that strategy…if she’d want to be used like that.
What Sam could learn from Taylor is in the small details. Taylor Swift is great at the big sh-t. The declarations on stage, the inspirational messages. But she’s also really, really great at the more intimate gestures, and this is part of the reason why people have been so supportive. Taylor is one of the best in the business at the radio industry meet and greet. She has put in her time with these people, people who want to play her songs because they remember that she made the effort. Even the most hardcore Nashville Swift skeptics – and they definitely exist – concede that she makes their jobs easier because she understands the importance of building these relationships. And she continues to do it, even now that her reach has extended globally.
Sam Hunt, though? Hasn’t quite learned this lesson yet. Multiple sources have told me that they’ve observed that he’s actually quite “bratty” about these events. Some say it seems like he feels like they’re beneath him. If Taylor Swift is the standard here, he might want to start modelling more of her approach.
