Why Do People Like Taylor Swift? | TaraElla Culture

Taylor Swift's popularity proves that our culture can do better.

Welcome to TaraElla Report Culture, where I take a step back from the more political talk, and look at things from the wider cultural perspective.

Last time, I talked about the appeal of comedian Dave Chappelle. Today, I want to talk about a very different personality: singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Why do people like Taylor Swift? I think it's because she represents the possibility of a more healthy, family friendly and meaningful culture. I mean, she is not without her controversies, but on some level, she at least represents the possibility of a better popular culture, unlike most celebrities out there. I guess that's why conservatives used to think that she was one of them, at least until 2018. (I also think that, the fact that she's not a conservative says more about contemporary conservatives than about her, but that's a whole other topic and not my focus here.)

My point is that, Taylor Swift's popularity proves that there is great demand for a different kind of popular culture. Of course, we can't rely on individual celebrities or personalities to fix our culture. Instead, we should look at things from a big picture perspective. If there is clear demand for a more healthy, family friendly and meaningful culture, why isn't it reflected in the supply of our cultural personalities, our music, our TV shows, our movies, and so on?

Could it be because our media landscape, including both traditional and social media, provide a distorted platform for our culture, causing the demand to not be effectively translated into supply? One of the ways this could happen is a media landscape that overly favors attention grabbing headlines, meaningless controversies, and viral forms of popularity. This would lead to a superficial, sensationalist, and generally low quality culture over time, whether that is what people actually want or not.

What I want is for us to be having these conversations more, and think more deeply about whether our media landscape and systems are serving us well or not.

Taylor Swift Ruins Feminism & Politics? | Free Speech Club

TaraElla: Welcome to the College Free Speech Club, where everyone can voice their opinions, no matter how unpopular.

Ashley: I'm sorry Swifties, but I really don't like the new, politicized Taylor Swift. She is contributing to political stupidity and political polarization.

TaraElla: What do you mean?

Ashley: She is contributing to the oversimplification of everything. She says a lot of political things, but none have any depth to them. Dumbing down complex issues is dangerous, because it hampers in-depth discussion and leads to misunderstanding and polarization. I mean, if she's not smart or brave enough to say more, maybe she should stop commenting on politics. At least that wouldn't be so harmful.

Allison: I don't see what the problem is. Taylor is a musician, so who cares about her political opinions?

TaraElla: Well, truth to be told, lots of people probably care. It's called celebrity culture.

Ashley: And some copy her too. That's the problem. She's promoting shallow politics, where she says she identifies with certain causes, while neither detailing her stance, nor dealing with those who take a different stance. Everything is just superficial identification, there's no discussion or debate. For example, Taylor says she's a feminist, but what kind of feminist is she? And how would she respond to critics of feminism?

TaraElla: Well, we at least know that she is not the 'gender critical' kind, because she likes trans people. But I guess someone should at least ask Taylor about her opinion on The Red Pill.

Allison: But what's so important about knowing her stance on these matters?

Ashley: I guess it's not her stance that's important, but rather, to encourage a healthy, in-depth discussion on complex matters like these. Feminism isn't a brand; there are different varieties of feminism out there, besides criticism of feminism isn't necessarily wrong either. Trotting out the feminist identity without dealing with these questions is superficial at best and evasive at worst. I think if we want a healthier marketplace of ideas, we should demand more of celebrities who participate in political discussions.

TaraElla: I guess this could be because she's relatively inexperienced about politics. I think it applies to her advocacy on the Equality Act too. Like she encourages people to sign her petition. But she has never really effectively answered to the opposition to LGBT rights. She's never taken time to debate the opposition, or discuss their concerns. You know, to achieve consensus and change requires hard work, and just shouting you support something wouldn't in itself change anything.

Perhaps given time she will mature. I think we just need to give her more time. And perhaps some gentle reminders of her current shortcomings. And lots of encouragement too.

In Defense of Taylor Swift

Ever since Taylor Swift began to speak out about her social and political beliefs, she has received backlash from both the political left and the political right. Taylor's recent stance in support of the US federal Equality Act is a good example of this. Left-wing people are unhappy about her not promoting so-called community activists, while right-wing people, who believe the act contains provisions they cannot accept, have called her irresponsible.

On a level, I think it's actually brave of Taylor to do what she is doing. She's already a very successful artist, and she really doesn't need the backlash. I guess she wants to see change on certain issues, and she's certainly entitled to her views. Besides, taking a stance is always braver than not doing so.

People should remember that, Taylor Swift is entitled to her free speech rights, to support what she wants, and to do it how she wants to do it. Being a celebrity shouldn't take that away from anyone.

You Need To Calm Down (and Listen To Me), BreadTube Taylor Swift Haters | BreadBusting #6

Welcome to BreadBusting, where we attempt to examine the problematic ideas that come out of BreadTube, and the ideology of Breadism more generally. Basically, it's like Myth Busting, but for Breadism. Today, I'm going to talk about the controversy surrounding Taylor Swift's new song You Need To Calm Down. Basically, Swift has released a song that is all pro-LGBT, but it has provoked backlash from both the left and the right. While I do agree with some of the criticisms levelled at the video for the song, I also think some of you may just need to, well, take Taylor's suggestion and calm down, so you can at least rationally understand where your anger is coming from. In fact, I think some of the people doing the backlash may ironically be making the same error Taylor herself has made with the video. I will show you why. By the way, my most important message won't come until the end, and it isn't what many of you think, so please listen to the whole thing.

Firstly, I agree that there is a good point to be made about how the anti-gay people in the video are portrayed as, for lack of a better term, rednecks. Not only is this stereotype not entirely fair, this also represents an attack on a particular class of people, which is totally not in line with the inclusive and unifying spirit of Pride. Furthermore, stereotyping and making fun of people is extremely ineffective at changing attitudes. Therefore, I think that people on both the left and the right are correct to point out this attitude problem, and I hope Taylor gets the message. However, it is also true that conservative attitudes are more common in working class people, and especially those who live in rural areas. While left-wing commentators have criticized Taylor for stereotyping 'rednecks' from a class-based perspective, I think I need to remind everyone that a true embrace of working class people must mean meeting them where they are, and accepting that, at least for now, they may have beliefs that we don't share, and respect their right to hold these beliefs. We must first accept people where they are, if we are to be able to start a conversation and hopefully change minds. This is what Taylor Swift doesn't seem to understand, and it's also what a large part of the left don't understand either.

Secondly, while right-wing criticism of Taylor Swift was rare until last year's midterm elections when she announced her support for Democrats, left-wing criticism of Taylor Swift has always been common. It used to be that she wasn't feminist enough, or that she refused to stand for any political causes. In left-wing circles, indie artists were always the coolest, but even mainstream pop acts like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande have always been cooler than Taylor Swift. Furthermore, some of Taylor's early hits, including You Belong With Me and Fifteen, were particularly hated on the left for cultural reasons. Therefore, while You Need To Calm Down may deserve some criticism regardless, I think it would have attracted much less hostility from the left if it were released by another artist. For example, Lady Gaga's Born This Way was similar in many ways, except for making fun of 'rednecks', and yet there was little left-wing hostility to its release back in 2011.

Some people have attributed the anti-Swift sentiment on the left to her ultra-rich family background. But this doesn't make sense, because realistically you would have to be ultra-rich to get into the Billboard top 20 nowadays. In fact, the way the business is structured nowadays, I can't imagine an everyday working person getting too far in the music industry, even if they were extremely talented. But leftists don't hate all mainstream pop. Instead, I think that the left-wing hostility towards Taylor Swift is a cultural thing. You see, the particular contemporary influences of the 1960s and 70s student activist generation, coupled with the way much of leftist critical theory is geared, means that there is a certain cultural aesthetic that the left embraces. In the post-1970s leftist aesthetic, things that are seen as inherently cool include rebellion against traditional norms, lack of respect for traditional values and boundaries, and a defiance against the cultural value of purity. Hence, indie rock artists are cool because they embody this aesthetic, Lady Gaga is at least a bit cool because she embraces at least a bit of this ethos, but Taylor Swift has long been seen as the antithesis of this ethos, and hence a cultural enemy. This doesn't just apply to musicians by the way: I suspect the historical popularity of certain philosophers, for example Michel Foucault, could be partly because they fit well with the post-70s leftist ethos, rather than what they actually had to say. Furthermore, leftists seem to prefer atheist thinkers and politicians over religious ones, where they are equally as progressive otherwise, because atheism fits with the rebellion aesthetic in Western society. TLDR: leftist in-group identity is partly aesthetic, and Taylor Swift has long been seen as suspect in leftist circles because she failed their aesthetic test.

On the other hand, people on the political right, who became at least partly defined by their opposition to 1960s and 70s activism, have been more likely to embrace those who are aesthetically opposite to the new left-wing cultural ethos. Hence, many of them took Taylor Swift to be one of their own. This was why, when Taylor Swift revealed her politics in 2018, many people on the political right were quite upset. They never expected Taylor to be socially progressive, because they always thought she was one of them! This also explains why some on the right are particularly upset at Taylor Swift supporting the Equality Act, despite many other celebrities already doing the same. In effect, Taylor has now found herself in no-mans-land in terms of political aesthetic, hence all the backlash from both sides.

The take home message is that, it is important to note that, many leftists who have long hated Taylor Swift may in fact have committed the same type of error Taylor herself committed when she made this video making fun of working class 'rednecks'. Of course, this also applies to right-wing people who are still upset Taylor isn't one of them after all. In all of these cases, it is aesthetic-based identity politics that is causing the problem. Looking in terms of the actual political scene, aesthetic-based identity politics seems to be generally working well for the right, and working very badly for the left. In fact, an important reason why left-leaning parties aren't doing so well internationally is because of the rise of aesthetic-based identity politics. Everyday working people generally love traditional institutions and traditional values, and in a battle based mostly on aesthetic identity, the right will win among the working class every single time. Ironically, it was the New Left that started all this, and it is also the current iteration of the New Left, that is the Breadists of BreadTube and elsewhere, who remain in deep denial about the real reason they are unpopular with the working class, and won't even acknowledge this being a problem. You just need to look at a few BreadTube videos to see that they do certainly have a particular aesthetic, and that aesthetic is thoroughly rebellious and anti-traditional, making it unlikely to be embraced by the working class. The truth is, they can laugh at Ben Shapiro all they like, but if they had someone who presents their stuff like he does, I bet a lot more working class people would listen to them. Finally, as a classical liberal, I am committed to getting rid of all identity politics, and that includes aesthetic-based identity politics.

That's all for today. I'll be back next time to discuss another big idea. Subscribe if you want to follow our story. The transcripts are available on my website. And remember to resist the hive mind and stay individualistic. The world depends on it.

Taylor Swift vs Kanye West, the Ultimate Political Paradox?

Today I'm going to have a look at the recent political drama surrounding Taylor Swift, now presumed by many to be left-leaning, and her long-time critic Kanye West, now known to be a proud supporter of President Donald Trump.

Taylor the Progressive vs Kanye the Conservative? Surprise, Surprise!

We need to put this all in context. Just this time last year, Kanye West was a favourite among self-described progressives, who have seen Kanye as one of them ever since he criticised President Bush back in 2005. When Kanye started to proclaim his support for President Trump earlier this year, it disappointed many progressives. Some have even asked themselves if they should still like his music. Which is absurd, because his music has nothing to do with politics. On the other hand, Taylor Swift was often considered to be probably conservative by many people. Over the years, I have read many articles and casual comments from progressives, saying that Taylor Swift was the musical equaivalent of John McCain, whatever that meant; that she wasn't a good feminist, whatever that meant; and even that she probably didn't support gay marriage, which has been of course proven wrong last week. Conservatives also seemed to think that Taylor was likely one of their own, heaping praise on her family friendly style as far back as her second album in 2009. Needless to say, Taylor coming out to endorse two Democrats was taken as a very pleasant surprise by progressives, while conservatives have generally been disappointed. When President Trump now says he likes Taylor 25% less, I think many conservatives can't help but share his sentiment there.

But should we really have been surprised?

But let's look at all this from a cool-headed, centrist perspective, because that's what we always do here on this show. By the way, if you have any further thoughts you want to provide, please drop me a comment so we can continue this interesting conversation. From what I have observed, the fact is, we actually didn't know much about Taylor or Kanye's politics until this year. Quite a few people have assumed Taylor to be right-leaning, or Kanye to be left-leaning, based on their own prejudices, nothing more. It was always an assumption based on prejudice, based on stereotyping. The fact that Taylor did country music and presented a more traditional lifestyle didn't mean she was conservative politically, and the fact that Kanye criticised President Bush didn't mean he was necessarily left-leaning. In recent years, both progressives and conservatives have been too easily swayed by the aesthetics of personalities and ideas, and this has affected our ability to think rationally. Perhaps the twin political surprises of Taylor and Kanye are just what we need most, right now. The fact that people are surprised by Taylor and Kanye's politics says a lot about how prejudiced and irrational people have become, more than anything else.

Let's start treating Individuals as Individuals

So how can we become more rational? We need to start treating individuals as individuals, rather than stereotypes. We need to respect that individuals are unique in all sorts of ways, and that can be a good thing. This is one of the biggest themes of my work. Real freedom is based on respect for individual differences. We need to accept that the people we like aren't always going to be exactly like ourselves, because everyone is unique. For a start, progressives need to be able to respect Kanye's right to his political views without feeling differently about his music; and conservatives need to do the same about Taylor Swift. Right now, many conservatives may feel like liking Taylor 25% less, but there's really no reason to do so, because Taylor Swift is a musician, not a politician. Her politics do not matter. Furthermore, conservatives who can't agree with Taylor's politics can still praise her relatively family friendly style, like they did back in 2009. Nothing has changed in that regard. Similarly, there's no reason for progressives to stop listening to Kanye's music, if they were previously into that. His music hasn't changed.

Contrary to Popular Belief, Babe Proves that the Old Taylor Swift is Alive and Well

"The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now. Why? Cause she's dead!" So proclaims the lyrics to What You Made Me Do, Taylor Swift's first single off her Reputation album released last year. At that time, even the most die-hard fan of country Taylor had come to accept the reality: the old Taylor simply wasn't coming back. If she said it herself, on her own record no less, it had to be true.

But recently, there is evidence that the old Taylor is, in fact, alive and well, just hidden somewhere. What is this evidence I am talking about? A song called Babe, a collaboration between Taylor and country band Sugarland. Not only does Taylor sing on a country record, she still sounds just like the old Taylor from the Fearless era.

Taylor, I know that you still want to make country music. Don't let the pop fashion of the day stop you from doing so. After all, you may just need a new vision:

A Decade Later, Love Story by Taylor Swift has become a Classic of an era

It is coming up to a decade since the original release of Taylor Swift's iconic single Love Story. The first single on her second album Fearless, Love Story was released in 2008, and had entered the top 5 in the US and Canada by October that year. In early 2009, Love Story was released to similar success in other markets like Australia, the UK and other European countries, and also enjoyed a second top 5 run in North America. Many people around the world first learned about Taylor Swift through Love Story. In fact, many mistakenly believed that it was her debut single, since her first album was not very well known in many countries.

Love songs have always been Taylor Swift's main offering, and I argue that Taylor has been instrumental in the revival of romantic love songs at the last turn of decade. I mean, pop ballads were big in the 1980s and 1990s, but much of the 2000s were about hip-hop and hip-hop influenced RnB. In a way, Taylor brought romance back to the charts, even if it was not as grand as what the likes of Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey used to offer in the 1990s.

In the spirit of celebrating romance, let me leave you with this, well, sort of romantic love song:

Delicate is one of the Better Tracks off the latest album from Taylor Swift, but the Reputation Problem is still there

To be honest, I haven't quite enjoyed most of the tracks from Taylor Swift's Reputation album. Maybe it's a case of high expectations: Taylor used to be so cool, and her music used to be so good, a decade ago during the Fearless era. Truth to be told, once you've made an album as great as Fearless, it's difficult to come up with something better, so every following album could be in some sense a disappointment (even though Speak Now was a close second). Overall, I think that Reputation is mostly an average work. But Delicate still sounds quite special, in my opinion, even if it's still not as great as country Taylor could have been.

But there's still that problem: Taylor's obsession with her Reputation. I get that it's the title of the album, and these days artists like to insert the title of their album everywhere. But being obsessed with one's reputation is not healthy! Taylor appears very self-conscious that her reputation 'has never been worse'. I've got a suggestion for her: perhaps she should go back to being Fearless Taylor. Her reputation was quite good back then, right? (Not to mention her music was way better, or that she was actually, well, cool, and somebody people looked up to.)

Finally, let me say that I still think that Taylor is special, despite her current lacklustre form. So let me dedicate this song of mine to her:

Are Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift and Lena Dunham White Feminists?

In recent years, more and more self-identified feminists have condemned some fellow feminists as 'white feminists'. The precise definition of the term, however, is unclear. Does it mean feminists who happen to be white? If that's the case, then most of those doing the accusing fall into this category too. Therefore, this cannot be the real meaning of the term. Alternatively, does it refer to feminsts who are white and racist? Or at least white and don't care about non-white women?

Let's first look at who the term is actually being applied to. Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift and Lena Dunham would have to be three of the most common names I have heard in association with 'white feminist' in the past two years or so. First of all, there is no evidence at all that any of these three are racist in any way, quite the opposite in fact. Therefore, 'white feminist' can't be just referring to racist feminists. As for a broader definition of feminists who are white and don't care for women of colour, I don't get that vibe from any of these three either. Finally, are these three any different from other feminists in their feminism? Do these three share some particular characteristic that 'good feminists' don't share? I don't see any.

So there you have it. The 'white feminist' label is meaningless.

What's the opposite of 'white feminist' then? The standard answer is, 'intersectional feminism'. Intersectional feminism is supposed to be the 'good feminism', the kind that cares about the intersectional disadvantages that ethnic minority women and queer women suffer. So how do the aforementioned three supposedly 'white feminists' measure up here? First of all, all three appear to be very queer friendly. Hillary Clinton may have come later than Barack Obama to the marriage equality table, but at least she got there earlier than many other progressive feminists, including even former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Taylor Swift even made sure there was trans representation at one of her concerts; how many other musicians have actually done the same? As for caring about ethnic minorities, these supposedly 'white feminists' aren't deficient either. In fact, Lena Dunham in particular really, really cares about being sensitive to ethnic minorities, and I have even cringed at hearing some of what she had to say about cultural appropriation in food. If Lena Dunham isn't left-wing enough in this area, I don't know who is.

But then, intersectional feminism, as it is often practiced, is effectively GLIF (gatekeeper limited intersectional feminism), where self-appointed gatekeepers decide what's in and what's out, and perhaps just as importantly, who's in and who's out. I don't exactly know how the gatekeepers decide who is a good intersectional feminist or not, but it may have to do with their own political views or personal likes and dislikes. For example, Hillary Clinton has arguably become the most prominent representation of the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, and some socialists strongly dislike her. Taylor Swift is very, very rich, and again some socialists may not like that. Alternatively, her relationship history has made her unpopular with some women. As for Lena Dunham? Some people just strongly dislike her, for whatever reason.

In conclusion, if Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift and Lena Dunham are 'white feminists', then the label effectively means 'feminists that some other feminists don't like', and is therefore effectively meaningless. We should all probably stop using it.

Taylor Swift can't seem to Shut Up about her Reputation in Endgame. It's really unhealthy!

Taylor Swift's evolution is getting weirder and weirder. Once upon a time, she only cared about making good music, she didn't seem to care about her reputation at all. I mean, this was the good old days of You Belong With Me. In those days, she actually had a reputation of being a good musician. Nowadays, I really don't know how I feel about Taylor's reputation. Not that I would naturally care, but apparently she really wants us to care! In her recent single Endgame, there really was a lot about her 'reputation'.

I get that her album and her tour are titled 'Reputation', and she probably thinks repeating the reputation theme over and over makes business sense. But I can't agree here. I mean, a good musician should care about their music, not their reputation. A focus on reputation cheapens the music. Moreover, confident, secure people don't tend to care about the judgement of others. Yet here is Taylor Swift, telling her millions of fans that she really, really cares about her reputation. What kind of message is that to send to our young people? I am really disappointed, Taylor. You really have gotten too involved in this game of celebrity.

Some may say that Taylor's reputation talk is just an ironic response to those who have been trying to damage her reputation over the years, citing her relationship history. But I can't agree here. If Taylor wanted to tell the world she couldn't care less, she could have done so more directly. Like this:

So Taylor Swift has become Fully Tabloid. I guess it's her choice. Or Maybe Not.

Taylor Swift's new single What You Made Me Do has broken all sorts of records. In a way, I do like the song. But in another way, I really can't hide my disappointment.

This is the end of the Old Taylor, the serious musician. As Taylor herself says in the song, the Old Taylor is dead. Long live tabloid Taylor, who will feed the public's every need for obsessing with celebrity feuds! I still can't believe she gave into that!

But then I guess it's her choice. You can't stop people from doing what they want.

Or maybe not. Because, the tough reality is that, if you want to stay on top of the music chart game, then you need lots of attention and popularity. In times like these, how else is anyone going to get that except by going fully tabloid? I mean, many people don't even listen to the full song nowadays. How can a serious musician compete with a tabloid celebrity in the popularity game?

p.s. I would like to see Taylor Swift run for president some day. That way, we'll surely get lots of debate about what 'I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me, I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams' really means.

Ina Garten loves to cook to Taylor Swift. Who would have thought?

Celebrity chef Ina Garten has revealed that her favourite music to cook to is Taylor Swift's most recent album 1989.

Who would have thought?

I mean, the album is nice, but I never even thought of it as music for cooking. But then, I don't cook either, so perhaps I wouldn't understand.

Katy Perry hopes to end feud with Taylor Swift. I really hope she is sincere.

Katy Perry has recently said in multiple interviews that she hopes to end her feud with Taylor Swift.

But it still isn't clear what this conflict was about. Or if it even ever existed at all.

I mean, I do have a long-standing suspicion that this feud perhaps never even existed. That perhaps, just maybe, Katy Perry was imagining it, for whatever reason. Especially since there is no clear evidence that Taylor Swift ever even acknowledged its existence. And no, the Bad Blood video does not count, as there was no evidence that it was directed at Katy Perry (or directed at anyone in particular at all).

In any case, I really hope Katy Perry is sincere about putting it all to an end. We're sick of hearing about this likely non-existant feud. I really hope she's not just acting out and trying to drag out the story for even longer. Because it is really becoming ridiculous.

Taylor Swift has been Unusually Quiet for Some Time. I Hope She's Alright.

Taylor Swift's recent shying away from publicity has been fascinating for quite a few media commentators. I guess when somebody's that much of a celebrity, it would seem unusual to be so low key for so long.

Maybe it's just her personal choice to be low key. Maybe she's just taking a break.

Or, as some commentators suggested, it may all be part of her strategy leading up to her sixth album, likely to be released later this year. Several media commentators have decided that it definitely is a deliberate strategy, seeing that Taylor has been cultivating her image in a very deliberate way in recent years. I wouldn't be so sure, however. Why would it be good to go low key in a year of album release? How does this make sense?

I just hope it isn't because she's not well. You know, many people don't want to publicly share their life difficulties. This would be especially the case for people who think they may have a lot to lose. A career built on an image of being cool also makes it harder to talk about stuff that is, well, less cool. Of course, all of this is unhealthy. So if you're a real fan, you need to tell your beloved celebrities that they can share their less shiny side with the world too. That you won't stop supporting them just because they're not perfect.

Did Katy Perry make Swish Swish to diss Taylor Swift? Or is it something even more sinister?

Katy Perry latest single, Swish Swish (featuring Nicki Minaj), was recently released to controversy. Many have noted that the lyrics seem to be in answer to Taylor Swift's 2015 single Bad Blood, and not in a nice way either. Add in the fact that Taylor's friend Ruby Rose also took to twitter to express her unhappiness with Swish Swish, suddenly now many people are convinced.

But then, as I said just a couple of weeks ago, I don't trust anything Katy Perry does anymore. To my best knowledge, there was nothing in Ruby's tweets about Swish Swish to indicate that she was indeed doing this to stick up for Taylor Swift. Instead, Ruby bluntly told Katy to 'stop trying to make Fetch happen'. Which is what I personally want to tell Katy too, in fact. I'm going to put it bluntly: I see Katy Perry being a try-hard, trying to push sales of her new album, and she is becoming increasingly uncool at that. I can't help but suspect that this latest 'controversy' is somehow just because Katy wants to 'make Fetch happen'.

In fact, my readers would know that I don't in fact believe that the Taylor Swift vs Katy Perry feud even ever happened at all. But that's another story.

Ruby Rose also seemed to be angry about Katy Perry's recent 'rebranding as a political activist only to ditch it', likely referring to her apparently feverent support of the Hillary Clinton campaign last year, contrasting with her much lower level of political passion recently. You know, Katy, if you want to be passionate about politics, that's fine. But if it's all an act, people will get upset. Politics is very personal and very important for many of us.

Lena Dunham may think Rhianna is the ultimate Role Model, but Many Would Disagree

Girls may have come to an end, but it appears that Lena Dunham isn't done talking about it, just yet.

Recently, she spoke of how she was surprised that people felt uncomfortable with her revealing performance in Girls, and that "I have always been like Rihanna to myself, like, I just have a great time with my own body."

Reality check, Lena. Many people are uncomfortable with revealing performances, and it's not just because your body is not like Rihanna's. Many people equally don't want to see you or Rihanna (or anyone else) that way. From what I know, Girls actually lost some would have been fans because of this.

And no, not everyone likes Rihanna either. There are probably several reasons that Taylor Swift is more popular than Rihanna. I guess having some modesty may be one of them. And no, I am not being judgemental. I don't care what Lena decides to do. But if she wants success, she needs to accept feedback from audiences.

Perhaps learn a bit from Taylor Swift, and you may get more success. She's your friend after all, right?

Harry Styles Finally Talks About Taylor Swift. But Why?

In a recent interview with Rolling Stones magazine, Harry Styles finally agreed to say something about his brief 2012 relationship with Taylor Swift. He said that he was aware that people thought at least two Taylor Swift songs (Style and Out Of The Woods) may have been about him, and he thought they were great songs. He also said some other trivial things.

But my question is: why now?

Harry Styles has been quite silent about this relationship all these years, and so has Taylor Swift. There was quite a lot of popular interest, but neither of them would answer any questions. However, by now, everyone has moved on, and I don't think anybody wants to hear about what happened in 2012 anymore.

I suspect it is not just a coincidence that this comes at the same time as the launch of Harry's solo career. Is he trying to grab attention? If that's the case, then I think he did the wrong thing. His first single is already doing pretty well, hitting #1 in the charts. He really doesn't need this. I fear that it would be seen by many as a cheap stunt.

Taylor Swift New Music Rumours: It Sounds Really Wonderful

Swifties around the world are keenly waiting for Taylor Swift's new music, having been disappointed by her not releasing anything in the second half of last year, as per her usual schedule. But if these rumours are true, then Taylor Swift fans are in for a great surprise.

Firstly, there's been talk of a new website created specifically for Taylor fans, simply named Swifties. Rumours say it will have things like online tutorials, educational camps, and Taylor Swift branded musical products. Sounds like an interesting concept to me. I actually wonder why nobody else has tried this until now.

Secondly, there are also rumours that Taylor may try a new way of releasing music. In the internet age, releasing music online via both downloads and streaming has become commonplace, but all these models have been created by either computer companies or music labels. The idea that artists can be more creative about how they release music is certainly a breath of fresh air.

As previously said, these are just rumours, and they may not be true at all. Nevertheless, all these concepts sound interesting. So much that, even if Taylor does not end up doing it, I think somebody else should.

Congrats on 10 Years, Taylor Swift

This month marks 10 years since the 2006 release of Taylor Swift's first album.

So congratulations, you've really come a long way.

By the way, any new music soon?

Tom Hiddleston on the False Stories Out There

When Tom Hiddleston was recently asked what he had learned about the culture of celebrity in recent weeks, he gave quite an interesting response. One thing he said was that there are lots of false stories out there, and the important thing was to not let those false stories affect one's life.

Fans of both Tom and Taylor Swift (and unfortunately Taylor haters too) immediately jumped to analyse those comments.

While I don't think there's anything in there regarding their relationship, what he said is quite true. And while the culture of celebrity, with all the media attention, allows quicker spread of false rumours, this problem is not limited to celebrities, especially in the age of social media.

It's something we should all take time to think about, really.


Download the full song here.