base talk Has Taylor Swift reached legend status?

[Maroonx]

hater or love her, at this point she is

[The Music Industry]

2 hours ago, JoeAg said:

yes

 

I think the combination of commercial success, versatility, critical acclaim, critical reappraisal, thinkpieces, relationship with fan culture, and number of excellent songs cements her as one. though I find that some of her songs can be overrated, I can't deny the magic of a lot of em. she's got plenty of moments of brilliance in there

 

but I have to concur a bit with @swissman, it MOST CERTAINLY is a bit difficult for a good amount of people to try to be objective and call her a legend due to the frequency at which she releases. this can come off as something desperate (I don't think of it as that, but some do!) or quantity over quality. this can make it feel like her presence can overwhelm any assertion of her as a larger than life legend status. at the same time, it can do the opposite. it could almost seem superhuman to produce as much as she gives out. think about Bowie with his Berlin trilogy, or Kate releasing two albums in 1978 and already being on her fourth by 1982. that's high saturation, but it wasn't uncommon back in the day. Taylor's strategies are uncommon for NOW, but she's really just a productive artist who knows what she wants to do  I think if she DOES eventually take a break, that'll solidify her legend status for many doubters 

It's not really like Taylor releases studio albums every other week. She releases a lot because she also has her re-recordings to get out of the way, and I don't think even she predicted just how much attention they would get. That's a factor that other artists just don't have to deal with because they don't have any reason to re-release their old catalogue.

 

In terms of studio albums, her last 3 were released in 2024, then 2022, then 2020. That's pretty normal for active artists. 

[Relampago.]

1 hour ago, LanaDelRey said:

In all honesty? no. She's still missing a true classic album. 

Some of her albums literally won't leave the BB200 lol…

 

I'm not even a big Swiftie anymore but some of y'all aren't being serious in this thread. I will definitely say that Taylor's numbers don't mean her albums are classics or hugely impactful (TTPD is the perfect example), but you cannot deny that albums like 1989 and Fearless are already there. Everyone knows Shake It Off, Blank Space, YBWM, Love Story, etc. If albums like that aren't classics, then pretty much all our faves bar Adele and '08-'10 Gaga don't have any either. 

 

If we're talking quality, then Folklore easily meets that criteria too, but I'd argue 1989 and Red both fulfill the quality and success metrics of a classic album. 

 

Don't have to like Taylor, but we're setting our faves up trying to deny her impact.

[Zendayababes]

1 hour ago, The Music Industry said:

Do you think you ate with that? Taylor will easily be remembered for the place she has in popular culture, for having one of if not the most impressive career ever in the music industry, for having millions upon millions of fans and admirers who allowed her to dominate the musical landscape for years and years. And yes, the Eras Tour will also be remembered as a global phenomenon that mobilized entire cities, having literal presidents/prime ministers begging her to perform in their countries. 

 

You are incredibly short-minded/disconnected with reality if you think Taylor Swift won't be remembered

That's a long way of writing "for being extremely popular", but I can't tell you how to think. To me, these stats are ephemeral unless they're carried by something else.

 

Whitney = Voice

Beatles, Frank Sinatra = timeless music. 

MJ = Performing, Moonwalk, Thriller dance, iconic style. 

[JoeAg]

53 minutes ago, The Music Industry said:

It's not really like Taylor releases studio albums every other week. She releases a lot because she also has her re-recordings to get out of the way, and I don't think even she predicted just how much attention they would get. That's a factor that other artists just don't have to deal with because they don't have any reason to re-release their old catalogue.

 

In terms of studio albums, her last 3 were released in 2024, then 2022, then 2020. That's pretty normal for active artists. 

yeah I know lol. still stand by what i said, she goes all out with extra content and variants and stuff

[boodytay]

I think Red TV (and specifically All Too Well 10 min) is what cemented her status as a legend. The week it was released is the week she became a legend.

[byzantium]

3 hours ago, LanaDelRey said:

In all honesty? no. She's still missing a true classic album. 

Yet, She objectively has at least 4.