PERSON OF THE YEAR
Now What?
Taylor Swift has earned every bit of her success. She is the most prolific songwriter with an insatiable appetite for writing from the heart. The danger with conquering worldly success is;
have you reached the top of the mountain and is the view everything you expected?
and
What Next?
Success is a funny thing. It can be defined in so many different ways. Most describe success as having the most money with the most houses and the most cars. Often, with this mindset there is a tipping point. An avalanche, if you will of feeling unfulfilled or trapped in isolation. Elvis felt it, Prince, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston fell victim to it. A spiral downhill is not always graceful and the tumbling effect is sometimes filled with abusive behavior often with drugs, alcohol, and superficial personal and business relationships.
On the surface, Taylor seems to be handling her success well. She is also a smart and a savoy business person who will not be bullied by the record companies or worries about her negative social media image. Afterall she grew-up in the social media explosion. In fact, it practically raised her professionally.
Swift survived an almost decade long unprovoked feud with one time fellow mountain topper Katy Perry. Her career received an unexpected boost when Kanye West decided to dethrone her grammy win on national television only for it to be the joke on him. To make matters more difficult Swift became a target when she dated the very men she immediately wrote songs about. Most did not like this because she exposed their truth. Swift has never been married and has no children. She is meticulously careful in that regard. You never see her battle scars and she neither apologizes nor gloats when things go bad or she is doing well. Her skin is both elastic and thick. Her politics leans deep to the left and her love for animales is undeniable. Naysayers and haters just take a number.
This is where I could list all of her record album sales and the amount of money she makes each year. Oh and also I could go on about her relationship with Travis Kelce and the media tornado that this has created. Could be strategically planned mixed with a little love but that is for them to decide. No, this is more a cautionary tale that I think Swift may already know especially because she has always kept her family and friends very close. Starting with her Mom and best friend Abigail. Swift has maintained the same friend circle since she was a little girl. This is important because these are the relationships that brought you through the difficult times and now share your success. They will also be the relationships that catch you if you start to fall rapidly down the mountain. The strongest relationship outside of her family and friends is with her fans. There is a bond that she has created to be unbreakable. Swift is forever gracious with the notion that they made her who she is.
Where does Taylor go from here? What is the next monster to battle and does she stay creative with the same juices that produced 4 new albums during the Covid years plus 2 re-releases of her original albums? Is the appetite still rumbling?
