With a new year comes new attitudes, and no one is feeling that mood right now more than Taylor Swift who is officially done with remaining tight-lipped on politics.
Taylor Swift has announced she’s releasing a new single called ‘Only The Young’ alongside her upcoming Netflix documentary Miss Americana at the end of this month. According to Variety, the single will be “an anthem for millennials who might have come away disillusioned with the political process.”
Listen to the GOAT team break down Taylor’s political dip in the latest episode of It’s Been A Big Day For… below:
Having gone through her fair share of personal battles in recent years, fighting against sexual assault and for the rights to her own music, it seems as though Swift is well and truly done with being the submissive cookie cutter popstar she was once been made out to be.
Taylor Swift isn’t the only celebrity marrying politics and art. Ariana Grande encouraged her fans to vote by setting up registration booths at her shows, and Miley Cyrus has always been outspoken about abortion and gun laws on social media and in her interviews.
And there are so many rising stars on the horizon who understand the power of their platform and how their music or art can go hand-in-hand with politics to make a difference.
However, politics and music have had a long relationship. Billie Holiday’s 1939 track ‘Strange Fruit’ is about racism, Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 classic ‘Born In The USA’ is about a Vietnam veteran struggling to adjust to civilian life, stranded by a lack of government support, and since bursting onto the scene in the mid-noughties, rapper Kendrick Lamar has released countless tracks about the Black Lives Matter movement.
On the flipside, politics have the ability to weaponise music. Artists including Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, The Rolling Stones and more have repeatedly tried to stop Donald Trump from using their songs at rallies – some have succeeded, however others have failed.
Despite this, it’s still crucial for artists to understand the power of their music and its ability to influence major shifts in society and politics. Kudos to Taylor Swift for sticking to her guns and speaking her truth – we are all ears.
Always be in the loop with our snackable podcast breaking the biggest story of the day. Subscribe to It’s Been A Big Day For… on your favourite podcast app.