Taylor Swift performs on the opening night of “The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. Credit: John Medina/Getty Images via TNS
From sprinkler splashes, to fireplace ashes to Ticketmaster crashes, Taylor Swift is arguably one of the most successful musicians born out of the music industry to date.
Swift kicked off her “Eras Tour” March 17, placing her back in the public eye after a five-year break following her “Reputation Stadium Tour” in 2018. After several major media sources announced Swift’s alleged split from longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn, even more eyes are on the singer.
David Bruenger, director of the music, media and enterprise program, said there are many reasons why Swift has taken the world by storm throughout her nearly 20-year career. Her initial success, Bruenger said, can be attributed to the strong relationship Swift created with fans through her lyricism.
“From the beginning, she wrote these narratives, songs, she told these stories that people could engage with,” Bruenger said. “She’s one of those artists that people would say ‘Well, she’s singing about my life.’”
Through this storytelling ability, Bruenger said Swift has used a variety of tools to cultivate “one of the most powerful online fan communities that anybody’s ever had,” which has allowed Swift to continuously stand out among other artists.
“I think all along she has been very sophisticated about using social media to do that,” Bruenger said. “Not just to push out her shows, but to engage with people.”
Claudia Banke, a second-year in political science and social work and president of the Scarlet and Gray (Taylor’s Version) club, is just one of the many Ohio State students in this fan community. Banke, who has been a fan of Swift’s since 2010, said she enjoys using social media to delve deeper into the world of Taylor Swift, especially when it comes to fan theories about Swift’s music.
“If you just get on that side of the internet, and you just start reading, and there are people talking about some crazy, deep theories. I love reading them,” Banke said. “I think that’s the fun part — knowing kind of like, the deeper meaning of songs or the deeper meaning of what she’s doing. I think that makes her music even better.”
On the other side of the screen, Banke said her love of Taylor Swift allowed her to find a community with other fans, particularly enjoying the atmosphere that comes with participating in Taylor Swift-themed events put on by her club or at other local venues around the city.
“There’s like a connection with her fans that you feel when you meet other people who also like Taylor Swift,” Banke said. “It’s just fun to be around people who also are like, the same level of obsessed as you are. Just getting to sing and dance with people, it’s just a fun environment to be in.”
Bruenger said these Taylor Swift-themed events indicate the power Swift has over her audience, and he’s never “seen anything like this level of community engagement with actual events” before.
“It’s an artifact of the strength of her community, also the artifact that she doesn’t tour all the time,” Bruenger said. “People are always a little eager to have a Taylor Swift experience.”
Newport Music Hall held the Taylor Party — an event that travels across the country and allows Swift’s fans to come together and enjoy songs from her discography — Oct. 14, 2022. It was the third time the party had come to Columbus.
Bruenger said at the end of the day, Taylor and her fans aren’t going anywhere as long as Swift continues to “skillfully” manage audience relationships the way she’s done for so many years. Bruenger said he applauds Swift’s business strategy and is interested in seeing the steps she takes next.
“I have some advantage in that because I’m not the intended audience. I don’t get caught up in it one way or the other, I’m just looking at the venture,” Bruenger said. “For a lot of people, they couldn’t walk the walk, they couldn’t talk the talk, but she makes it look easy.”
