Right now, one of the most streamed pop stars in the world is Taylor Swift. Her rise to fame almost seems sudden. From becoming an almost canceled celebrity years ago after her fall out with Kanye West to a musician that has sold the Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing tour in history in 2023, it begs the question as to how this was all possible.

“The composure of [Swift’s] music is just very bland,” said Amy Matsumoto. “There’s a lot of similar melodies and harmonies, and it’s all written in very similar keys.”

Swift’s music is known to be simple. The tune and rhythm of many of her songs are never super complicated, yet she is the first artist with all her songs in the Top 10 on Billboard Hot 100. Why is that? To become a sensation like Taylor Swift, you should follow these steps towards fame.

Step 1: Write Songs That Are Universal

Taylor Swift’s songs are all about the struggles of love, a part of life that can be relatable to many people of all ages. Listeners could range from middle schoolers who don’t really know what true love is to middle aged people going through a divorce. Even with the change of genres, there is a consistent pattern among the albums. Love is a universal struggle and Swift creates songs that anyone can understand.

“[Swift] has so many different albums of so many different things, and she’s lived so many different lives,” Ally Montiel said.

However, despite the genre change, Swift continues to have a distinct voice that exposes feelings anyone has been through.

Step 2: Create Songs with Easter Eggs

It is not unknown that Taylor Swift writes songs about her ex-boyfriends and others she dislikes. By including lyrics with hints to past relationships, Swift keeps her audience engaged in both her music and her personal life. Celebrity gossip is fun to listen to and addicting. Swift is able to take full advantage of that.

Her teasers on Instagram and YouTube also create anticipation. Her mysterious messages within the songs keep people engaged and talking about her songs.

Step 3: Appeal to the Millennials

Millennials grew up alongside Swift, who is now 34 years old. The experiences Swift experienced often correlated with what the Millennial generation felt as well. Swift’s decision to re-record her past albums after Big Machine Records refused to sell her the rights was a genius choice on her part. Bringing her old songs back into the mainstream gave Swift the necessary boost to relaunch her career. Millennials, nostalgic for the carefree teenage years, restarted her popularity by listening to her songs.

Step 4: Get Into the Social Media Crowd

“People started to like [Swift’s music] and then it became a trend, kind of like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo,” said Matsumoto.

With more promotion of her music, came the Instagram and TikTok trends; a place that can only be known as the Mecca of Generation Z. With more followers, Swift’s popularity only grew exponentially. 

“My friend Sophia really loves Taylor Swift and she was the one that kind of got me into it and kind of showed me a few of her songs and I started listening and I started to enjoy it,” Megan Payyapilly said.

Now the teenagers of today once again rally for the music of the past.

Step 5: Create a Tremendous and Supportive Fan Club

“[The Eras Tour felt] like it was a very safe environment because it’s very non-judgmental,” Payyapilly said.

Swift is known for having a crazy loyal fan club. With that loyal fan club all following their “Queen”, comes a community. People love feeling that they belong. That community most recently was inspired by Swift’s song lyric “So, make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it” from her “Midnights” album to create bracelets and trade them with each other at the Era’s Tour. Swift’s cultivation of the presence of community through social media and interaction with her fans is what keeps her in the eyes of the world.

“Being [at the Eras Tour] was so fun because I’m a pretty shy person, but being there being surrounded by so many people who are so excited for something [and] have the same interest for this one person just made me more talkative and it made me want to talk to people,” Montiel said.

Fans feel they are a part of a shared experience and continue to promote it.

Step 6: Promote Activism

With that large group of followers, Swift is able to inspire many people to take action. From her songs such as “The Man” which promotes feminism to her stories posted on social media for young adults to vote in the presidential election, Swift’s devotion to activism allows her to remain popular. She creates the image of a role model, which continues her influence.

“I honestly can’t say personally, she’s [a role model] without honestly knowing her,” Montiel said, “But from my perspective, she just seems like a kind and down-to-earth person who has nothing to hide.”

Swift is able to build trust and give the idea that she is not just a musician, but someone who is there to support you. Likewise, this reinforces her popularity as people feel they have a connection with her.

Step 7: Shake It Off

Despite criticisms of her music, her lifestyle and her overachieving fans, Swift doesn’t let the haters hate. She continues to persevere through the struggles. To be a famous pop singer, you must be prepared to take the criticism and not let it stop you from achieving your dreams.

As Swift once said, “Fearless is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again…even though every time you’ve tried before you’ve lost.”