Josh Posted August 31 Posted August 31 She was a very successful pop girl before these two eras but I feel like it was Folklore that made her even bigger than she was in the 1989 era or even the Red era. What would Taylor's career be like without Folklore/Evermore?
naval23 Posted August 31 Posted August 31 It would be the same as with just "Folklore" - that was really the catalyst that gave her a 2nd battery and the exact album we needed during a pandemic. 2
Gladiator Posted August 31 Posted August 31 (edited) Eras tour would have still happened and have still been massive, but not as big as it is today. Folklore drew in a lot of people who didn't really take her seriously since they only knew the very popular singles, which I don't think is a reflection to her work overall. It also worked a lot in her favor within the music industry itself since it shifted perspective of her to be taken more seriously to them as well as the GP. I think she would have released a pop follow up to Lover which would have done lukewarm for her standards today, and Midnights likely would have followed. I don't think it would have been taken as seriously / awarded as it was. Edited August 31 by Gladiator 4 1
Rihinvention Posted August 31 Posted August 31 (edited) I think Lover is incredibly underwhelming as an album. I would rank it 9th or 10th on her album rankings. However, I think it was inevitable that she would've got back on top. She's always been huge, and if you look at the sales data, folklore and evermore are among her lowest. The Taylor's Version project breathed a new life into her discography, especially amongst Gen Alpha. And lastly, and most importantly, her storytelling and songwriting prowess was always going to be there. If it wasn't folklore and evermore, it would've been something else. I do love that she branched out and tried something new for folklore though, particularly with a new collaborator. If there's one lesson from TTPD's output, it's that things are getting stale again, and it would be exciting to see her experiment with someone new. She's often preaching about changing genres but it's actually been a while since that happened… Really hoping TS12 is something completely unexpected. Edited August 31 by Rihinvention 3 1
Peak Now Posted August 31 Posted August 31 Legacy artist I expect to be clowned on for this but I think where Eminem is right now is a good indication lukewarm album reception, great sales, maybe a hit or two if something sticks 7 1
Robert Posted August 31 Posted August 31 She would still be big probably still the biggest among her peers but not this level. It was a necessary reinvention.
supertiffany Posted August 31 Posted August 31 she'll be equal with Ariana in streaming or even less than Billie her fanbase really grew stronger with folklore too
LadyDiana Posted August 31 Posted August 31 It was downhill for her ever since reputation, salesvise and hitsvise. Folklore gave her the push and reinvention she needed. No, without it we would not have massive eras tour or acclaim she has now 1
STMG23 Posted August 31 Posted August 31 She definitely gained respect with those albums and I think they did A LOT for the fans dedication and bond. Especially Folklore during the pandemic came at a time when it was able to give people something they were desiring so bad. Plus it was an amazing album. Plus it was a sonical detour. A strike of genius actually. It would be cool to see an alternative universe where these two albums don't exist and Midnights had followed Lover. 3
Princess Aurora Posted August 31 Posted August 31 I think she'd have been less popular than she is now without those albums. Folklore and Evermore showed her growth as an artist and I think those albums have her best songs too. 1 1
Soda Pop Queen Posted August 31 Posted August 31 I think the TVs did more for her mythos than Folklore/Evermore did. If she had stayed the path and kept evolving after Folklore/Evermore then I could see the long-term career impact of those records. 1
DoubleRainbow! Posted August 31 Posted August 31 It was a decisive album for her, another lover would've been bad for her career
JoeAg Posted August 31 Posted August 31 yeah it's definitely the most pivotal era of her career, she kinda got a 180° in some circles. as much as I enjoy Lover, those first two singles suck and brought a lot of casual fans to the conclusion that she'd fully lost the plot. Folklore was the perfect course correction because not only did it prove that she's a versatile artist but it introduced a multi-dimensionality to her songwriting that had been explicitly missing, yet had been implicitly suggested throughout a lot of her career. her songwriting was always there, it's just that on Folklore and Evermore she could finally have the space for her storytelling to be more digestible and captivating to a wider audience. I hope she serves something artistically on those levels again some point, I know she can! 1
Iaintsorry Posted August 31 Posted August 31 Like if she went straight from Lover to Midnights? I think she needed Folklore (maybe could have done with or without Evermore) to show her versatility and to expand her appeal. Folklore came out of left field and nobody expected that from her at that time. She needed to reinvent her style and sound at that point to keep people's attention. 1
Feanor Posted August 31 Posted August 31 Just the same. Her career right now is at that status because of 'Midnights', the TVs and The Eras Tour, all three things that would've happened without either 'folklore' or 'evermore'. 1
Blackout2006 Posted August 31 Posted August 31 Quite different. She was on a downward trajectory from Reputation but it's not like her sales would only get worse, it would become stable and consistent because of her massive fanbase but she wouldn't have been as ubiquitous or inescapable a celebrity as she is now. The generation of new pop stars would probably overshadow her, but she'd continue to enjoy a stable career. The eras tour would have been big but yea, not as monumental. 2
Badgalbriel Posted August 31 Posted August 31 2 hours ago, LadyDiana said: It was downhill for her ever since reputation, salesvise and hitsvise. Folklore gave her the push and reinvention she needed. No, without it we would not have massive eras tour or acclaim she has now Since reputation and before Folklore there's only one album lol
Taylor fanboy Posted August 31 Posted August 31 (edited) Well, she needed to save face after Lover. She would've been Katy'd, and remembered for reputation as her Teenage Dream, but better. Edited August 31 by Taylor fanboy
Gelato Posted August 31 Posted August 31 she would probably still be doing very well, opening with 400-600k units per album
By the Water Posted August 31 Posted August 31 The same. If not folklore, she would have done something else.
Recommended Posts