New Books in Popular Culture Christa Anne Bentley et al, eds., "Taylor Swift: The Star, The Songs, The Fans" (Routledge, 2025)
Sep 27, 2025
Krista Bentley, an expert in singer-songwriters, Paula Harper, who studies music and the internet, and Kate Galloway, a scholar in ethnomusicology, dissect Taylor Swift's multifaceted career. They explore why Swift's scholarship was delayed compared to peers like Beyoncé, and how her transition from teen star to adult artist highlights her genre adaptability. The trio also discusses Swift's adeptness with social media, the intimate nature of her acoustic sets, and the impact of fandom in addressing environmental issues and navigating gender dynamics.
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Pandemic Sparked Swift Scholarship
- The book began as a pandemic-era Zoom conversation and grew from a study day into a multi-author volume.
- Editors expanded contributors as interest in Taylor Swift scholarship surged after 2020.
Words First, Music Later
- Taylor Swift was taken seriously first for her lyrics and generational voice rather than her musicianship.
- Music scholars only later began examining her as a serious musical artist and vocalist.
Discipline Shapes Who Gets Studied
- Disciplinary boundaries shaped who got studied: Beyoncé attracted cross-disciplinary work earlier than Swift.
- Swift's mainstream relatability made her less immediately legible to some academic critics.
