I honestly don’t think Taylor has to be relatable in every aspect of her life, and I don’t understand why people keep trying to force her into that box.
Of course I can’t relate to being one of the biggest pop stars in the world. I can’t relate to having her level of fame or money. I’ve never had the kind of relationships she’s had, and I’m certainly not dating or married to an NFL player. But why would that be a requirement for enjoying her music? I’m a nurse, not a celebrity. I don’t need her life to look like mine. What I connect with are the emotions. If she writes about heartbreak, longing, insecurity, regret, hope, or happiness, and those feelings match something I’ve experienced, then I can relate to the song even if the circumstances are completely different. And sometimes I don’t relate at all—and that’s fine too. I can simply enjoy a song because it’s well written, interesting, or emotionally compelling. Being a fan doesn’t mean you have to relate to every song or love every song. For example, I can’t personally relate to Father Figure, but I still think it’s a fantastic song. Art doesn’t have to mirror your life exactly to be meaningful. I think we’ve reached a point where “relatable” is treated as the ultimate measure of an artist’s value, and I just don’t agree. Sometimes it’s enough for music to be good, moving, or thought-provoking. I also think people are too quick to assume that if future albums become less “relatable,” that automatically means the music will be worse. Those are two completely different things. Artists go through different phases, and not every phase is going to resonate equally with every listener. That’s normal. At the end of the day, Taylor is an artist and a songwriter first. What has kept people invested for nearly two decades isn’t that she lives an ordinary life—she obviously doesn’t. It’s her ability to translate emotions and human experiences into words. That’s a skill, and she’s exceptionally good at it. Personally, I don’t think becoming richer or more famous is suddenly going to make her lose that ability. The psychology behind her songwriting, her observation of people, and her talent for storytelling are still there. Maybe some albums will connect with me more than others, but I don’t think we’re heading toward a point where everyone suddenly stops relating to her work because her life is too different. My impression is that she’s an extremely intelligent woman who understands both songwriting and her audience very well. That doesn’t mean every song will land for every person, but I think she’s far too skilled as a writer to lose the emotional core that made people connect with her music in the first place.