Taylor Swift was interviewed by Rolling Stone in advance of the release of her new album Red. The quotes that are making headlines from the article relate to her relationship with Conor Kennedy and what she said about buying a property on the Kennedy Compound - click here to read that - and what she said about love - click here to read that. I was more amused by how she described her lyrics:
"I went through a few roller coasters. Trying to chronicle each step of the way was challenging, because you go to some really dark places with the lyrics. Then in the next track, you're talking about how amazing it is to meet somebody new."
For Taylor Swift, not surprisingly, it’s all about the lyrics:
"I felt like an apprentice (working with veteran songwriters). They taught me so much about melodic sense, and they let me do what I love, which is the lyrics."
The words are important to Taylor. She puts a lot of herself in the words. Which is why I’m taking her words very, very seriously. Here are the words she used in an interview with 60 Minutes last year:
"I definitely think about a million people when I'm getting dressed in the morning, and that's just part of my life now. I think it's my responsibility to know it and to be conscious of it. It would be really easy to say, 'I'm 21 now, I do what I want. You raise your kids,' but it's not the truth of it. The truth of it is that every singer out there with songs on the radio is raising the next generation, so make your words count."
Great. I agree. Taylor Swift does indeed influence many, many people, most of them girls. She acknowledges this and claims to take it seriously. So now here are the words she used in her interview with Rolling Stone:
To Swift, the musical excursions aren't surprising, given how much hip-hop and R&B she listens to. "I have so many play¬lists full of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown," she says. "I love Wiz Khalifa."
The Wiz Khalifa part was not an accident -- after all he’s now with Kanye West’s ex-girlfriend. I suppose then that Chris Brown wasn’t an accident? Taylor Swift, the role model, is endorsing Chris Brown. Supporting his music is an endorsement of Chris Brown. The same Chris Brown who put his fist into Rihanna’s face over and over and over again. The same Chris Brown who has demonstrated no contrition for his actions, who still behaves with the same aggressive impulsiveness that led to his assaulting of Rihanna, who often explodes in anger on Twitter and in public, and who, most disturbingly, continues to attract a strong female following in spite of his actions...
Not unlike the female following Taylor Swift wants to inspire and engage and empower with her music. Thanks for looking out for them Taylor Swift.
Attached - Swift and Brown on February 9, 2008, the night of Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy party, when he beat the sh-t out of Rihanna.
