Needles & Grooves

Her work feels inauthentic to me. If we see it, and it's released, it has been through multiple channels of focus grouping, writers, re-writers, to determine what subject matter and sound is going to net her most on profits and grammy awards next year. She's too big, and has to keep one-upping herself or what's the point. Next album will be 1 track per vinyl and you have to buy 20 to get the full record.

Curiosity piqued...what is the connection between Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift?

Simply that they are popular pop singers, I also get Sheerans musical appeal, and Dua Lipa. Just can't figure out Swift's.

See, I don't get Sheeran's appeal. The most milquetoast, forgettable example of music I can think of. Well, ok, I guess I get that appeal.

@ayayrawn that’s how I feel about the last two Beyoncé albums.

It's absolutely true of Beyonce as of late, as well. I didn't love Cowboy Carter, but at least Renaissance was entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. And that was her first studio album in six years. Plenty of time for us to miss her, and for her to release something that sounds like there's effort behind it.

Their both huge pop starts, but also right before Taylor’s album dropped Billie was like Variants bad, unless their mine and eco-friendly.

Folklore was made during Covid. It was Taylor writing songs, Aaron Dessner providing beats and sample that Taylor wrote songs around, and Jack Antonoff producing in the height of minimal contact Covid. It wasn't super polished, run through focus groups, and whatever else likes to be mentioned. Neither was Evermore. There's a slight hint of misogyny in that line of thinking.

And here's the thing that I'm sure Taylor knows as a female artist, she has a window that our culture will accept her releasing music. Once she passes that, it is no longer acceptable. But she's so big she can do whatever the hell she wants because it's not about you or me. It's about her and what she wants her fans to get to hear. And that's who she makes this music for.

Makes sense.
Still don't get it.

There is 0 misogyny involved in scrutinizing the work processes of the biggest popstar on earth, I promise you. But if that's problematic, I'll settle on just simply thinking it's boring and contrived, and finding the nonstop, unavoidable coverage flow everywhere I look thoroughly annoying.

Glad you enjoy it, though.

I don’t really enjoy it or not enjoy it. It’s not for me. I’m a 47 year old man. But my 16 year old loves her so I hear her a lot. And my opinion on her changed both with Folklore and her song The Man because she’s right. No man is scrutinized for her success like she is.

If you look at some of the comments online from people that you probably generally despise (e.g. those that hate women), they align with what you're saying though. Not that you do, but it becomes a fine line to critique something like this without a layer of animosity due to lack of understanding.

I don't think there is a male popstar with her degree of exposure. Who's closest? Drake? He's worth way less that her and dropped less than half the amount of projects in the last 3 years, hasn't had a concert movie sell out theaters, and doesn't have a relationship that's broadcast throughout the biggest sport in the country. She's not scrutinized because she's a woman; she simply has the widest target for scrutiny.

(This isn't a defense of Drake btw, he's also boring musically and hasn't dropped a great project in nearly a decade)

Kind of reminds me of Phil Collins and the discussion around his ubiquity at his height. Now, here's the real question...what is the best Taylor Swift song to air drum?

@Melt Face Molly Drop CHUDS don't like her cus she's a woman, real ones don't like her cus she's a billionaire, threatens litigation against people who track her massive polluting, and is musically uninteresting.

It seems that scrutinizing someone because they’re boring and unavoidable would have ulterior motives.

The curiosity of Phil’s popularity was most likely because he was a dick. But a dick that makes powerful ballads about a cartoon ape man swinging from limb to limb is actually my friend.

And he indirectly created Emily In Paris.

Very often, it's as simple as that