[Glenn.]

Taylor Swift gave one of the most revealing and unguarded interviews of her two-decade career this week, and she did it completely on her own terms.

The world’s biggest superstar has always been masterful at controlling the narrative around her art and her personal life, but as she embarked upon the rollout of The Life of a Showgirl on the New Heights podcast with boyfriend Travis Kelce on Wednesday, she didn’t even try pulling any of the usual levers of the mainstream media landscape, circumventing them entirely instead.

To be fair, it’s been years since Swift’s had to employ the traditional album rollout strategy that a smaller artist may be beholden to. She doesn’t have to lock a Rolling Stone cover, nor does she need to rub elbows at listening parties or meet and greets (one of which turned traumatic for the budding popstar in 2013). And given her track record on the awards circuit, she could reliably announce her newest era during a Grammys telecast or the VMAs or whenever she so chooses.

But the New Heights’ appearance sets a new standard. She didn’t even have to go through the likes of the new media guard, such as Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy. With Travis by her side, this was safe. No moment carried any risk. Anything Swift didn’t want out in the world won’t ever see the light of day. And so, Swift could relax. As some Swifties online wrote, she dropped the “interview voice.”

Whether what we saw this week was the real Taylor Swift or yet another meticulously guarded layer for the world’s savviest pop star is unclear. But her fans have certainly bought in.

“This is the most we have ever learned about this woman in a single day, ever,” reads the top comment on Swift’s subreddit discussion of the New Heights episode. “ Still can’t believe we were like, allowed to listen to her talk that openly. I feel like I was eavesdropping,” another fan wrote.

Never has Swift managed to grant so much of herself to the public while relinquishing so little of her own control. Has there ever been a pop culture figure as famous as Taylor Swift who’s been less reliant on traditional media to share their message?

Even beyond the bounds of a traditional journalistic interview, Swift still managed to reveal lots of news, from how she sent her brother and mother to negotiate with Shamrock Capital first for her masters, to her return to working with legendary songwriter Max Martin on her upcoming record.

From a marketing level, the result was an overwhelming success. As Swift herself said on the podcast this week: “I’m always trying to figure out how to make music into more of an event. How do we make it romantic?”

With 1.3 million live viewers, it was the most-viewed podcast premiere in YouTube history since the platform launched podcasts back in 2023. The episode itself already has over 15 million views in just two days. The episode drove enough traffic to cause a mini-crash toward the end of the premiere.

The rest of the media world followed suit, too, with news outlets feverishly breaking out stories on every individual soundbite she gave, from the throwaway lines about her affinity for baking sourdough to the love story of Kelce’s early days courting her on the very podcast she was now gracing.

Agency over her legacy has been the throughline of Swift’s 2025 thus far. Following a six-year battle in what became one of the biggest controversies in music industry history, Swift finally gained ownership of her masters back in May. “All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me,” Swift declared in a triumphant letter she posted on her website.

And with that acquisition, she’s beholden to no one. Swift is the architect of her own musical world around her, a situation most of her contemporaries only dream of. As she revealed to the Kelces this week, it’s a move she’s been saving up for since she was a teenager. The master rights on every one of her 12 albums (and four Taylor’s Version re-records) are hers alone, as are the drawings and journals from her childhood. She has long retained her publishing and runs her own management company, with most of her team acting as Swift’s employees.

With just under two months until The Life of a Showgirl will inevitably take over the world, we’re still only at the beginning of the marketing whistles she’ll ring to build the hype around her next era. But this week makes it as clear as ever: the media needs Taylor Swift. But Swift has everything she needs all on her own.

Queen

[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Beso

The 35 yr old using lyrics like, "dude down bad" she's selling her soul to appeal to 15 yr olds...sad.

What song is that then?

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

Giggity! Giggity!

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Crimson Dynamo

What a legend.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Glenn.

What song is that then?

Down bad..admittedly it doesn't have the dude bit.

[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Beso

Down bad..admittedly it doesn't have the dude bit.

No it doesn’t

And the rest of your post was predictably wrong too

- The largest share of Taylor Swift fans are millennials (age 27–42).

Overall, though, her fanbase spans nearly all adult age groups—many are in their 30s and 40s.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Glenn.

No it doesn’t

And the rest of your post was predictably wrong too

- The largest share of Taylor Swift fans are millennials (age 27–42).

And they should all feel suitably embarressed..her target fans are 15 yr old girls. Middle aged men jumping about thinking they are 15 yr old girls to her songs is creepy.

[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Beso

And they should all feel suitably embarressed..her target fans are 15 yr old girls. Middle aged men jumping about thinking they are 15 yr old girls to her songs is creepy.

Her biggest fanbase is millennials in their 30s, not 15-year-olds. Actual data proves it. So the only person who should feel embarrassed here is you, spouting nonsense like you’ve done research when you clearly haven’t. Grown men enjoying music isn’t creepy, but a grown man obsessing over who listens to Taylor Swift definitely is

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Glenn.

Her biggest fanbase is millennials in their 30s, not 15-year-olds. Actual data proves it. So the only person who should feel embarrassed here is you, spouting nonsense like you’ve done research when you clearly haven’t. Grown men enjoying music isn’t creepy, but a grown man obsessing over who listens to Taylor Swift definitely is

I said, her target audience is 15 yr old girls. Her lyrics even show that, but if you want to wiggle your butt to her songs, you go girl

Just don't expect not to be pointed at.

[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Beso

I said, her target audience is 15 yr old girls. Her lyrics even show that, but if you want to wiggle your butt to her songs, you go girl

Just don't expect not to be pointed at.

Her target audience isn’t 15-year-olds, it’s adults. The only one acting like a teenager here is you, pointing at people because you’re a bitter little man with nothing else going on.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Beso

And they should all feel suitably embarressed..her target fans are 15 yr old girls. Middle aged men jumping about thinking they are 15 yr old girls to her songs is creepy.

There's nothing wrong with anyone liking Taylor Swift's Music.

And I say that as someone that is more on the fence with her.

I personally don't like trying to shame people over what Music they like.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

There's nothing wrong with anyone liking Taylor Swift's Music.

And I say that as someone that is more on the fence with her.

I personally don't like trying to shame people over what Music they like.

Well I do. How can a middle aged man become engrossed in her lyrics fgs..how many of them have her complete back catalogue as well like Glenn does...thats not a fan of music for me. You got to be In touch with the songs story.

Glenn's acting like he's on a fake period today, so perhaps he can be forgiven for associating with her lyr8cs.

[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Beso

Well I do. How can a middle aged man become engrossed in her lyrics fgs..how many of them have her complete back catalogue as well like Glenn does...thats not a fan of music for me. You got to be In touch with the songs story.

Glenn's acting like he's on a fake period today, so perhaps he can be forgiven for associating with her lyr8cs.

Only a little insecure man mocks someone for enjoying music. Taylor’s breaking records while you’re stuck making period jokes. One of you matters, and it isn’t you.

[Glenn.]

Imagine not knowing how music works

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Beso

Well I do. How can a middle aged man become engrossed in her lyrics fgs..how many of them have her complete back catalogue as well like Glenn does...thats not a fan of music for me. You got to be In touch with the songs story.

Glenn's acting like he's on a fake period today, so perhaps he can be forgiven for associating with her lyr8cs.

Personally it's not my kind of Music, but we've all liked some Pop songs in our time I'm sure.

And considering Pop Music is always aimed at kids and teens (mainly teens tbh) we would all be being creepy by your definition.

And I'll leave the last part between you and Glenn.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

Personally it's not my kind of Music, but we've all liked some Pop songs in our time I'm sure.

And considering Pop Music is always aimed at kids and teens (mainly teens tbh) we would all be being creepy by your definition.

And I'll leave the last part between you and Glenn.

Yes pop songs were good in my teens, I could also associate with a lot of them as I could connect with the lyrics.

But I'm.not a teen no more.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Beso

Yes pop songs were good in my teens, I could also associate with a lot of them as I could connect with the lyrics.

But I'm.not a teen no more.

You've not liked a single Pop song that's come out over the last decade?

[Glenn.]

Taylor Swift doesn’t write songs for teens.

Ymir you’re gonna criticise her music so much and form such a strong opinion you need to actually listen to it. You’re making yourself look like an idiot

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

You've not liked a single Pop song over the last decade?

You might need to name some.

[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Beso

Music profoundly affects the brain, impacting emotional regulation, cognitive function, and even physical responses. Listening to music activates multiple brain regions, including those involved in emotion, memory, and motor control, leading to a wide range of effects.



memory.

That's the 15 yr old girl in you, yearning to come out when you listen to her.

Calling a gay man a 15-year-old girl for enjoying music isn’t clever, it’s just homophobic. You dress it up with pseudo-science because you’re a little insecure man who can’t handle the fact other people are comfortable in themselves. Taylor’s lyrics connect with millions, and the only thing your comments connect with is your own bitterness.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Beso

You might need to name some.

Here's some that I personally have liked over the last decade, I don't know if you'll agree with me on any of these though.

Mark Robson & Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk

Years & Years - King

Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do

Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth - See You Again (admittedly this one grew on me rather than being an instant hit)

Omi - Cheerleader

Jason Derulo - Want To Want Me

Lost Frequencies - Are You With Me

Sam Smith - Writing's On The Wall

Adele - Hello

Harry Styles - Sign Of The Times

Clean Bandit & Zara Larsson - Symphony

Dua Lipa - New Rules

George Ezra - Shotgun

Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho

Lil Nas X - Old Town Road

Tones And I - Dance Monkey

Harry Styles - As It Was

David Guetta & Bebe Rexha - I'm Good (Blue)

Olivia Rodrigo - Vampire (the only good song that she has in my view)

Benson Boone - Beautiful Things


That was just me looking at number ones on Wikipedia.

And my God! The 2020's has some garbage Music that got to number one.

Especially the dreadful-off between Manchild and Ordinary, wtf?!

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Glenn.

Calling a gay man a 15-year-old girl for enjoying music isn’t clever, it’s just homophobic. You dress it up with pseudo-science because you’re a little insecure man who can’t handle the fact other people are comfortable in themselves. Taylor’s lyrics connect with millions, and the only thing your comments connect with is your own bitterness.

Are you a Hanson fan?

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Beso

And they should all feel suitably embarressed..her target fans are 15 yr old girls. Middle aged men jumping about thinking they are 15 yr old girls to her songs is creepy.

Hey! Love me a bit Taylor swift..38 here

[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Hey! Love me a bit Taylor swift..38 here

I think because you’re a woman that’s ok.

It’s only gay men with music taste he can ridicule by the looks of it.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Glenn.

I think because you’re a woman that’s ok.

It’s only gay men with music taste he can ridicule by the looks of it.

No, Vicky hasn't been insulting. So there is no need.