Taylor Swift has been making music for 19 years now, and has amassed a large amount of attention. It would not be unfair to say she is the most popular artist in the world today. But is this fame warranted? We don’t think so. Here are some of the reasons why.

OWEN

A lot of Taylor Swift songs sound almost the same. There is a difference between her old style and new style but overall, every song feels very similar to the other. When she first started they were all country love songs with the same exact lyrics, but with a slightly different instrumental. That being said, some of her early songs are catchy and I do enjoy them from time to time. But her newer songs are all about how she broke up with her latest boyfriend and they can be dreadful to listen to. In almost every new song she rambles on and on about how it was their fault, and that she misses what they have and it’s mentally draining to sit through. Her latest album is just a re-recorded version of an old album she released years ago. There’s more context to why she did this, but there’s nothing new to enjoy in this album. I know I’m being harsh on her, but Taylor herself is relatively unproblematic. She seems like she’s a genuinely good person but good people don’t always make good music. I really just don’t understand how she has been able to garner so many fans and so much attention. She has her moments of some quality music but they are far and few between. She isn’t awful but she is definitely overrated.

CLAY

Here’s the thing: Taylor Swift herself isn’t that bad. She makes a decent song every now and then when a new guy breaks up with her, and they can be tolerable. The thing that kills me are all her fans. They remind me of those throbbing spike thingies in Monsters University that release a toxic chemical when touched. One of the worst things about them is that they think their opinion is above everyone else’s. They literally praise Taylor like she’s some god that can do no wrong and say that nobody else is close to being as good as her. But then as soon as a person says they’re not a fan of her and like someone else more, the Swifties will band together to shame them, saying their opinion is insufferable. They are literally a cult with no other goal than to make Taylor Swift queen of the world. Another thing that really gets me is how hype they get when she releases something new. New concert? Fans that couldn’t get tickets because they sell out in 2 seconds listen in the parking lot. When she re-releases an album and changes 5 of the words in a song? Nobody better bother them until they’re done listening and/or crying over the “genius” of it. There’s just no end when it comes to praising her. They literally made a movie about her where all of the cult members could meet up and worship her. I’d rather watch paint drying on a 10-hour loop. So while I have no problem with Taylor Swift herself and her music, I cannot stand the Swiftie community.

ELI

Personally I disagree with both of them. I think Taylor Swift is entirely intolerable. I can’t name a song that I would enjoy sitting through. It genuinely irks me when she re-releases the exact same music and makes millions and hits the top charts. I have heard from the Swifties that the changes she makes are very minor. So why does she get this amount of recognition for such little change? I know that this is mostly because of her ignorant fanbase, but Clay is covering them, so I won’t go into that mess. Moreover, I think it’s ridiculous that even some of the most prestigious awards are given to someone who makes subpar music. It’s like she has a hold on anyone who listens to her music religiously. The people who give her these awards should be the hardest judges on music in their category. So why do they give her these awards? Furthermore, the amount of money that Swift just made from her concert is absurd. It is reported that she made over $4 billion. And I chalk it up to her fanbase yet again for her success. Some of her obsessed fans were willing to pay over $10,000 for tickets. This is unhealthy. I think for the sake of everyone, we should stop treating Taylor as a god, and start treating her like a mediocre artist.

RYAN

It’s possible to praise one artist without bashing another, a foreign concept to some of Swift’s fanbase. Any time any artist takes home an award over Swift, her fanbase is quick to attack both the artist and those giving the artist the award. In general, her fanbase also tends to treat their fandom of her as a personality trait. At a certain point you have to start asking what she does differently than other artists to have pushed her to this level of fame. Her music is no different from any other pop artist of today, and while I do enjoy some of her older music, the only thing that sets them apart from other songs is that they are mildly catchy. Expressing that you don’t like her automatically sets people against you, and is inherently alienating. I also don’t believe that artists should be larger than life, and the fact that an artist can have a literal impact on the economy of a country is concerning on any level. I think it’s time to stop idolizing her, and to see her as just an artist, whether you like her music or not.