Taylor Swift at Billboards’ Music Event, recalling her years in the music industry, delivers a proactive speech.
On the eve of 30th Birthday, the renowned pop star Taylor Swift was felicitated with the Music woman of the decade honour by Billboard at their music award function. The fearless singer traced 10 years of her journey in the music industry in a heart-warming speech; calling her music years, “magnificent, happy, free, confused, sometimes lonely but mostly golden” years of her life.
In her speech, she touched the subject of patriarchy that is deeply rooted in the music industry like all other industries, she threw light on reservations that people harbour for the success of a woman. Talking at a stretch about her previous manager, Scooter Braun to whom she lost music rights of her master recordings, she started her speech on an explosive note, stating she was 20-years-old when the decade had started and now she is the woman of the decade, which means that she has seen a lot.
Recalling her debut album at the age of 16 that got her breakthrough in the industry, she talks about her experience of finding the world beyond country music for the first time and realising that people even in the music world hold several judgements for women. There are people with little reservations always, finding reasons and explaining the success of a female singer, and which credits little to their talent.
However, the singer went onto explain that it didn’t deter her, that realisation changed her, it made her realise and see things more clearly. It was the decade where she became a mirror for her detractors. Showing her character and grit, she gave back to all those people who doubted her talent or success by doing exactly what they proclaimed she couldn’t do. She made her musical satire and anthems out of the things that people criticized her about. Citing examples of her songs, ‘Mean,’ ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Blank Space, she affirmed that if people said something about her, she replied back in her own way.
Quoting an incident from her past, she recalls the experience of her win 2010 Grammy, where people suddenly started finding in her singing. A harsh wave of criticism had started around her, and she was clueless about its origin, direction and nature. It affected her, it affected her deeply that she staking routes to appease her critics, altering her life basing on the criticism. But now she realises that it all happened as it happens when a woman in music climbs the success ladder outside the comfort of people.
Moving on to the inspirational note, she adds that in 10 years of her career, she has watched women in this industry getting criticized and measured up to each other and picked at for their bodies, their romantic lives, their fashion. Adding Lana Del Rey’s example, she says that she has seen her getting severely criticized very early in her career but she turned into one of the most influential pop artists, and that should be inspirational for all.
She elaborated all about the tussle between her and her ex-manager, Scooter Braun, who devoid her from the rights of her master recordings. She concludes her soul-stirring stating and urging to put an end to toxic male privilege. “As for me, lately I’ve been focusing less on what they say I can’t do and more on doing whatever the hell I want,” she remarked in the quintessential Taylor Swift style.