Taylor Swift says she recognized the truth of the matter years ago.

“I definitely think about a million people when I’m getting dressed in the morning, and that’s just part of my life now,” Swift said to CBS’s “60 Minutes” in 2011. “I think it’s my responsibility to know it and to be conscious of it. It would be really easy to say, ‘I’m 21 now, I do what I want. You raise your kids,’ but it’s not the truth of it. The truth of it is that every singer out there with songs on the radio is raising the next generation, so make your words count.”

Over the years, Swift made her words count by being there for SHS students in times of heartbreak, happiness, resentment and more. Swift’s interpretations of her thoughts in a captivating tune is one of the many things some fans at SHS love about her.

SHS juniors Josie Miller and Sophie Wiley appreciate the comfort in knowing Swift is able to provide a song for different emotions and situations.

“She has a song for everything,” Miller said. “If you’re sad, she has a song. If you’re happy, she has a song.”

Swift grew up with a passion for music. She began writing her own songs at just 12 years old. Eventually, Swift released her first country single, “Tim McGraw,” in 2006, a song about hoping her ex-boyfriend will reminisce about their memories, while listening to country singer Tim McGraw’s music.

Due to Swift writing songs at such a young age, she was able to touch the souls of those who find themselves in similar positions. This ultimately means she has had 20 years to connect with fans of all ages.

McGraw, Swift’s muse of her first single, acknowledges and praises her ways of communicating with her fans through her music.

“I think that she has just such a unique way of connecting with her audience, and her songwriting ability and her intuition is just so incredible,” McGraw said during an interview with Apple Music Country.

McGraw’s words stand true to this day as Swift continues her tradition of creating tight-knit music audiences, like some SHS students. In 2008, Swift released her second album “Fearless,” which won her four Grammy awards and shifted her from a strictly country artist, to pop as well.

Sophomore Kiana Carver also finds it refreshing how Swift changed the narrative by switching to pop after becoming so popular in country music. She believes Swift’s transition represents how things can change. How it’s okay to be different, which Swift continues to advocate today.

Although “Fearless” was a country-based album, Swift gained many pop fans through familiar favorites such as “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story.” Because of these songs, Swift accumulated the many fans she has today, including SHS students.

Swift released her newest album “Midnights” at midnight on Oct. 21, 2022. The significance and concept of the album can be interpreted in many ways, but Swift herself has revealed her idea and the meaning behind the album during an interview with the Graham Norton Show. Swift conveys a question of “What keeps you up at night?” as the main concept of the album.

In

this new album, Swift ties in all of her past songs. She feels she can connect with a wide variety of ages, like teens, who constantly keep themselves up at night while dwelling on many things

happening in life.

In “Midnights,” there is a song called “You’re on Your Own Kid.” This song expresses how in times of hardships, one is bound to depend on themselves, which junior Ellie Herwehe resonates with.

“It teaches you, you’re always going to look out for you,” Herwehe said. “You can only look out for yourself.”

A little after the release of “Midnights,” Swift announced on Good Morning America that she’ll be having a world tour titled “The Eras Tour.” This will consist of songs scattered from all of her 10 albums as the artist will be performing songs from albums as early as “Taylor Swift” (2006) and as late as “Midnights.” Over 2 million fans have attempted to purchase these pre-sale tickets for the tour. The demand is extremely high.

The importance of seeing their childhood idol perform live drew Carver, Herwehe and Wiley to attempt to buy tickets. Unfortunately, only Wiley was able to get her hands on the tickets in the midst of all the chaos.

The high demand caused Ticketmaster to break down, which was a very unfortunate moment for many fans, but this really shows Swift’s influence on not only SHS students but today’s generation as a whole.

“It’s a sense of security,” Wiley said. “No matter what’s going on, I’ll have Taylor Swift to listen to.”