Are You a Swifty?

@wesheadley I’m with you 100% on the repulsion from algorithmic dominance in the dissemination of music today.  
I hate to beat a dead horse, but I really chafe at the “female artist” bit.  
No one ever says, “you should check out (insert male artist). When I’m in the mood for male artist music, he really hits the spot.”  
If someone said that to you, you would furrow your brow and say, “what? ‘Male artist?’ What the hell are you talking about?”  
Yet, for some reason, even in 2024, we constantly hear this bit of, “if you like female artists, you should check out (insert female artist),” or, as is rampantly the case in this very thread, instead of discussing Taylor Swift and her music, an inexplicable choice of saying stuff like, “nah, listen to (Joni, Aretha, Whitney, Adele, Beyoncé, blah, blah, blah…) instead,” as if it’s automatically assumed that because two different artists are female, they are automatically alike.  
If someone said to you, “don’t listen to Justin Bieber, listen to Cecil Taylor,” that would be a very strange comment; where the hell does Cecil Taylor fit into a Justin Bieber conversation?  Well, they’re two male artists, so, that’s why.  
WTF?!?!

I’m sorry, but it’s very, very dumb.

@tylermunns You’ll get no argument from me regarding the fake divide between male and female artists. When I ask myself what am I in the mood to listen to, I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it in terms of ’male’ or ’female’ artist. I think more about the style, sound, or overall vibe of the music and then I make my choices.

It’s like when people assume that since most of the great chefs that they can think of or name are male, that therefore males must make better chefs. I think BS! What’s happened is that males got most of the "opportunities" over the decades so it isn’t surprising there’s more of them in this or that category. I really do believe that this is changing, but like most things, it feels like its taking forever!

There are now more females in PHD programs in the U.S. than there are males for example. There are definitely more females in music these days than ever before as well. Change is always hard and the status quo is always very sticky.

A talented and self-aware, confident songwriter who had enough faith in her artistry to convince her conservative banker father to move to Nashville and help his daughter establish herself there. Plays the business beautifully and it’s a pleasure to watch her songwriting grow throughout the years. Compare the promise of "Tim McGraw" (2006) with 2022’s well-realized "Anti-hero".

Though not yet on a Dolly Parton level of philanthropy, she gives back to her communities and has single-handedly inspired a generation of females to dive into music and musicianship.

@gpgr4blu Madonna said she was a fan of Swift’s production skills. This says a lot seeing as how Madonna was a perfectionist when it came to her songs’ sound and space.

Her style may not be your aesthetic, but calling her "vapid and talentless" is simply ignorant.

@wesheadley I just discovered Hurray For The Riff Raff by simply browsing through Tidal's new releases in Folk/Americana. Good artist with some catchy progressions!

@erik_squires I think you’re confusing Taylor Swift with Britney Spears.  
Britney Spears was tied to a conservatorship that she got out of recently, not Taylor Swift.