by: Rubee Stillwagon
Lately, the media has been obsessed with Pop Star Taylor Swift. With a new relationship, the release of The Era’s Tour movie and the re-release of one of her albums, Swift’s name has become a common headline.
Some people see nothing wrong with her new relationship with Kansas City’s starting tight end Travis Kelce.
The Eras Tour Movie posters that were given out in movie theaters around the world.
Photo by Rubee Stillwagon
“I’m a huge fan of them and support it one hundred percent,” junior Peyton Chismar said.
Others believe that it is a disturbance to sports media and is taking attention away from the sport and its players.
“I am a Taylor Swift fan, so this is not anti-Taylor Swift,” Physical Education Teacher Mr. Nathan Snider said. “My personal opinion is that their relationship has nothing to do with football.”
Swift has been seen on screens showing NFL games in households all around the world. This has caused issues because some people think this is not a place to be showing her.
“I am loving it,” Substitute Teacher Mrs. Gloria Rehak said. “I don’t even know these people and I’m invested.”
This is a controversial topic in the media right now, but Swifties are doing their best to spread positivity about this relationship.
“I feel it has definitely impacted both of them positively and will continue to impact them in a positive way,” Chismar said.
Although people try to keep a positive light on this, NFL fans are still trying to separate Swift from sports.
“If I turn on ESPN and I’m watching Sports Center, I shouldn’t have to watch Taylor Swift doing whatever,” Mr. Snider said. “I don’t like it when I’m watching a highlight and it’s about her and not the actual game being played.”
The Era’s Tour movie premiered on October 11th and is bringing traffic to theatres around the world. The movie is a way for fans who didn’t get to attend one of her shows to get a feel for what it’s like. Theatres allow fans to dance, sing and interact with other fans the same way they would at the concert, as long as they aren’t a disturbance to others who are trying to watch.
“I loved the Era’s Tour Movie,” freshman Patty Redinger said. “My theatre was full, and everyone was in era outfits standing up, singing and dancing.”
Although the movie captures a large part of what the Era’s Tour is, it also takes away from certain factors that make the performance what it is.
“I think it’s really hard to capture something so amazing and such a wonderful experience and put it into a movie,” sophomore Lorelai Leatherman said. “A huge part of the show is the crowd. Meeting people who you have something in common with and being able to sing, dance and cheer with them is just the best feeling and that’s something that is limited in the movie.”
Fans at the Eras Tour can be seen trading bracelets, dancing with other fans and dressing up in outfits that represent Swift throughout her life. But in the movie, that part is not really captured.
“I know some songs had to be cut from the movie, but I think it was a great alternative for people who weren’t able to see the show live,” Leatherman said.
On October 27th, Swift’s fifth studio album, “1989,” was re-released as (Taylor’s Version). The goal for re-releasing her first six studio albums is so she can own her music. While she doesn’t own the rights to the original master recordings, she does own the lyrics to the songs. This gives her the ability to re-record them and release them as new songs.
“I am so excited about the release,” Redinger said. “When I was younger my favorite album was ‘1989’ and I would mainly listen to that album on repeat.”
“1989” is one of Swift’s most popular albums. Some will even argue that it is her best. “1989” spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200 charts and was certified nine times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. This was supported by three US number-one-singles, “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood.”
“I love Taylor’s Version releases, and I also love that she is doing it so she can own her music,” Leatherman said. “She works so hard and deserves it. I actually like Taylor’s Version releases more than the original because she sounds much more mature, and I like to see how much she’s grown as an artist.”
The Taylor’s Version recordings show how Swift’s voice has matured and developed. When she re-records her albums, she also adds multiple tracks that she calls “From the Vault” tracks. These songs were written to originally go on the album but never made it, so she records them and puts them on the album the second time around. This factor is very popular with her fans.
“I think the difference in her vocals from 2014 to now is crazy,” Redinger said.
With many accomplishments this year, Swift has been the topic of positive and negative publicity. No matter what people’s views on the artist are, it’s hard to deny that she has achieved many things throughout this year.
“I think Taylor is very successful no matter what social media says,” Leatherman said.
Photo of Taylor Swift’s stage before the concert in Pittsburgh night one.
Photo by: Emma Helmick
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