Why Taylor Swift is the Hottest Global Female Star: The "Taylor Swift Effect"

It’s odd to think that the first person who asked me, “Who is Taylor Swift?” was my dad. A man born in 1965, working in the system, who doesn’t speak a word of English and only listens to Dao Lang’s albums in his car. One night in October last year, he called me while playing mahjong with the background noise clearly audible.

“Who is Taylor Swift?” he asked. “A pretty famous American pop singer,” I replied. “Her nickname is ‘Mei Mei’ in our country. Why do you ask?” “Is her concert really that amazing? I heard many cities are trying to invite her to perform. If she comes here, do you want me to grab a ticket for you?”

That was the first time I vaguely sensed that Taylor Swift, the singer who occasionally appeared on my random playlist, had somehow gained an influence beyond the entertainment industry. Her impact seeped into economics, literature, and politics, even into our daily lives on the other side of the ocean.

In December 2023, the movie “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” was released, documenting three of Taylor’s performances in Los Angeles. This fresh format of watching a concert in a cinema attracted numerous fans who couldn’t attend her live shows, and even curious bystanders.

One weekday evening, I sat in a medium-sized cinema in Beijing’s Zhongguancun, watching the concert movie. About 20 people were in the audience, a higher attendance than some non-blockbuster films I had watched. There wasn’t the immersive atmosphere of a fan-only event, and I sat quietly through the whole film, even finding it a bit lengthy. It wasn’t until I stood up during the ending song “Long Live” that I noticed the expressions of other viewers. Most were still sitting upright, and whether they were fans or not, they all suddenly shouted that line— “Long Live!” during the climax.

Three months later, the film’s box office in China surpassed 100 million yuan, with over 2 million viewers, breaking the box office record for music documentaries. The global box office exceeded $260 million, and Vanity Fair called it the savior of the box office amidst Hollywood strikes.

As Taylor Swift’s tour footprint gradually approached, her legend became increasingly tangible. From February to March, people traveled to Japan and Singapore to watch the “Eras Tour” live, posting exhilarating videos on social media. The business of plastic bead bracelets thrived on Taobao as fans used them to make “friendship bracelets” with Taylor’s song titles. Strange and quirky merchandise emerged—those who attended the concerts started selling Taylor Swift’s wristband-style glow sticks and even the confetti sprayed during the finale on second-hand platforms like Xianyu.

In February, while getting a haircut at a local barbershop, Taylor Swift’s “Lover” suddenly played on the usually TikTok-centric speakers, giving me a jolt.

We have to talk about Taylor Swift. From the media to academia, the world has started a craze for coining terms inspired by her. “The Taylor Swift Effect,” “Swiftonomics,” “Swifterature,” “Post-Taylor Swift Depression”—everyone wants to analyze her success and harness her energy to shape their own influence.

Ryan Herzog, an assistant professor of economics at Gonzaga University, collaborated with Nobel laureate Paul Krugman to develop an economics course using Taylor Swift to illustrate eight principles of economics. “We designed an economics course around her, stores play her songs to attract customers, universities offer literature courses about her, and you write articles using her. Everyone can monetize her,” he told me.

At the end of 2023, Time magazine named Taylor Swift as Person of the Year, making her the first artist to receive this title since the magazine’s inception in 1927, and one of the few women to do so. The editor-in-chief, in a self-reflective tone, noted that until 1999, the series was titled “Man of the Year”—typically awarded to global leaders and CEOs, positions historically held by men. Nowadays, those who influence the world aren’t just powerful men. “In a world full of division and failing systems, Taylor Swift has found a way to transcend boundaries and illuminate others. Today, no one else on Earth can move so many people so profoundly,” the editor wrote.

From album sales and concert box office revenue to these hard metrics of musical achievement, Taylor Swift, who debuted in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006, has indeed surpassed many past superstars. By December 2023, the “Eras Tour” had become the highest-grossing tour in history, surpassing Elton John’s tour ($939 million) the same year and even breaking Madonna’s 14-year record for female artists’ concert revenue.

In 2023, she won 9 awards at the VMAs, bringing her total to 23, surpassing Madonna. In February 2024, Taylor set a record on the Billboard 200 chart, with her albums spending a cumulative 384 weeks in the top ten, breaking a 60-year record held by The Beatles. In terms of numbers, only Michael Jackson’s achievements seem out of reach in the short term, but his career spanned 40 years, while Taylor has only been in the industry for 18. Last year, when Taylor’s total AMA awards surpassed Jackson’s, presenter Carole King said, “The best is yet to come.”

Commercial success has pushed Taylor Swift’s fame to its peak, beyond the entertainment industry. As of October last year, the “Eras Tour” alone contributed $5.7 billion to the U.S. economy, surpassing the GDP of 35 countries. The American Travel Association indicated that if indirect consumer spending by those not attending the concerts but engaging in related activities was considered, this figure might approach $10 billion. In August 2023, budget hotel chain Travelodge announced that rooms in Edinburgh, Liverpool, and Cardiff were sold out during Taylor Swift’s 2024 UK tour. This phenomenon is known in economics as “Funflation,” where consumers are willing to pay extra high prices for entertainment activities, enduring price fluctuations.

After stars of the record era like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Britney Spears, we haven’t seen a global pop culture icon who captures attention across various industries like this. The rise of the internet has meant niche segmentation, a double-edged sword that offers space for individual characteristics but also places us in fragmented, fluid, and fragile small circles. Every singer can find their audience, but almost no singer can attract everyone’s attention.

Taylor Swift might be an exception. Who listens to Taylor Swift? According to a 2023 Morning Consult survey, 53% of U.S. adults identify as Swift fans, with 44% calling themselves “Swifties” and 16% classified as her “avid” fans. Among these fans, 52% are women, and 48% are men. By age, 45% are millennials, 23% are baby boomers, 21% are Gen X, and 11% are Gen Z, covering all age groups from the 1940s to post-2010. Outside the U.S., the distribution of “Swifties” isn’t limited by language or race. A survey by Betway last year, based on the internet search volume for “Taylor Swift,” Spotify song plays, and the number of related events in local cities each month, placed cities from English-speaking regions like the UK, Australia, and Canada, as well as Zurich and Berlin, in the top ten.

The "Authentic" Spokesperson

Analyzing Taylor Swift’s success comprehensively is challenging. Her meteoric rise is backed by the global wave of the feminist movement, and in the year she was named Person of the Year, “Barbie” broke box office records, “Poor Things” put Emma Stone back on the Oscars stage, and women’s success is no longer subject to denigration and distortion. Concurrently, Swift’s commercial success is supported by steady music output and excellent marketing strategies. During the “Eras Tour,” she continuously released new albums and re-recorded albums, winning the Grammy for “Album of the Year” for the fourth time, with a new album set to be released in April. Tabloid news also played a role, as she publicly dated NFL star Travis Kelce after ending her low-profile relationship with Joe Alwyn, each appearance at the stadium sparking a small consumption boom in Kansas City.

To understand why people are willing to pay for her, one must grasp what new aspirations Taylor represents. What drives such a massive crowd to resonate with her?

In interviews with economists, music professors, and fan culture researchers, they all pointed out that the core driver of Taylor’s career is her music, which closely ties to her personal growth. Her most significant characteristic is “authenticity.”

“Authenticity” was Merriam-Webster’s 2023 Word of the Year. Online searches for the word surged last year. Merriam-Webster noted that, on one hand, AI’s rise has made people question the existence of genuine things, blurring the lines between real and fake. On the other hand, it signifies our yearning for things that are “not false or imitation” and “true to one’s personality, spirit, or character” in an era of simulation technology. Merriam-Webster cited Taylor Swift as an example, stating that the pop star and others made headlines in 2023 for seeking “authentic voices” and “authentic selves.”

In interviews, I encountered fans who liked her at different life stages. Some were born the same year as Taylor, some were 24-year-old women who liked Taylor since they were 8, and some were middle-aged men who suddenly liked Taylor’s folk albums in their forties or fifties. They all mentioned one word— “resonance.” Taylor Swift’s music isn’t always cutting-edge, but it represents the mainstream and resonates with personal emotions.

“Listening to her songs feels like there’s someone who understands me,” said Xie Miaomiao, 25, who works in the finance industry. “At every moment, every mood, there’s a song of hers that resonates with my feelings.”

Born in Pennsylvania in 1989, Taylor grew up in a middle-class family in rural Pennsylvania. At 11, she fell in love with country music, and at 14, moved to Nashville with her family to pursue a music career. Her father transferred to Merrill Lynch’s Nashville branch, and her mother left her job as a housewife to manage her music career. Taylor signed with RCA Records and became the youngest songwriter at Sony/ATV Music Publishing. At 16, she released her debut album, making a name for herself in the country music scene.

From 2008 to 2014, she released five studio albums, each showcasing her progression from a high school girl to a young woman, blending country, pop, and rock styles. Songs like “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me” resonated with teenagers and young adults, portraying romantic ideals and high school crushes. Her subsequent albums, “Red” and “1989,” marked her transition to mainstream pop, addressing more mature themes of heartbreak and self-discovery.

Taylor’s ability to reinvent herself while staying true to her core themes of love, heartbreak, and personal growth has kept her relevant across different phases of her career. Her music reflects her life experiences, from teenage love and heartbreak to mature reflections on fame and relationships. This authenticity in her music, combined with her willingness to share her personal stories, has built a deep connection with her audience.

In recent years, Taylor has also embraced social and political activism, speaking out on issues like LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and voter registration. Her activism has further strengthened her bond with fans who see her as a role model and a voice for their generation.

In summary, Taylor Swift’s global influence extends beyond her music. Her authenticity, ability to resonate with diverse audiences, and willingness to evolve while staying true to her core values have made her a cultural icon. Her impact is felt in various fields, from economics to literature, and she continues to inspire and connect with people worldwide.