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Over the last year and a half, singer Taylor Swift has caught the attention of the world with her record-breaking Eras Tour, her re-releases, and new albums. With her Eras Tour, she is on her way to breaking the $2 billion revenue barrier. The 14-time Grammy winner was also named 2023 Person of the Year by TIME Magazine. The singer is also enjoying the success of her latest album The Tortured Poets Department, which was released on Friday, April 19, 2024.
However, it is worth noting that even the greatest singers and artists are inspired by someone at some point in time and Taylor has often spoken about her heroes. She has revealed that three artists have been her biggest inspirations and they include the band Fall Out Boy, singer Shania Twain, and The Beatles member Paul McCartney.
Taylor Swift's biggest musical inspirations came from different styles of music
1) Fall Out Boy has been Taylor Swift's biggest lyrical inspiration
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Taylor Swift credited the American rock band Fall Out Boy as one of her biggest inspirations in composing lyrics. She also collaborated with the band for the 2023 re-release of her album Speak Now (Taylor's Version).
Referencing the band in her Instagram announcement of the album, Taylor Swift said that she chose artists who influenced her "most powerfully" as a lyricist.
"I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time," Swift said.
Fall Out Boy, which was formed in 2001 in Illinois, was originally a pop-punk project by Joe Trohman and Pete Wentz. Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, joined the band and they released their first album Take This to Your Grave, in 2003.
The band's breakthrough album was 2005's From Under the Cork Tree, which had lead singles like Dance Dance and Sugar, We're Going Down. The album sold more than two million copies and catapulted Fall Out Boy to a Best New Artist Grammy nomination in 2006.
Other classic albums by the band include Infinity on High (2007), Folie à Deux (2008), and Save Rock and Roll (2013). Fall Out Boy's seventh studio album, Mania reached #1 in the US and earned a Grammy nomination for the Best Rock Band in 2019.
Fall Out Boy's collaboration gave Taylor Swift's Speak Now (Taylor's Version) a more "funky" vibe that fans seemed to enjoy.
2) Like Shania Twain, Taylor Swift also switched from country to pop
While Taylor Swift started out as a country singer, she slowly switched her genre of music to pop. Her 2012 album Red was her first album with pop undertones and the next album 2014's 1989 was officially her pop album. Since then, Taylor Swift has predominantly been a pop star.
However, Canadian singer, Shania Twain had made the same transition years before Taylor did and has often spoken about admiring Shania. Meanwhile, in an April 2024 interview, Shania also praised the singer for her work and dedication to her music.
In a 2012 TikTok video, Taylor Swift posted Twain's pictures with the caption, "Country girls can’t go pop."
Shania Twain is one of the biggest country singer-songwriters and has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Her exponential success earned her the title of "Queen of Country Pop." Shania Twain was nominated 16 times for the Grammys and won five of them.
Some believe that Taylor's shift from Red to 1989 may not have been so successful had Shania Twain not done it before her.
3) Taylor Swift called the Beatles guitarist Paul McCartney an inspiration for his "unparalleled art"
While being interviewed by TIME Magazine for her inclusion on the list of 100 Most Influential People of All Time, Taylor Swift was asked about the people who inspire her. She named veteran artist Paul McCartney as one of her biggest inspirations for his "unparalleled art."
In her 2019 interview with TIME, Taylor discussed why McCartney is an inspiration and explained that she admires him because of how he treats his fans and the respect he gives them.
"I look at Paul McCartney and I see how he’s had just this amazing career. He’s created just unparalleled art and probably been faced with more pressure than most people. He’s always been known to be kind to people, respectful, and also really selfless as a performer," Swift said.
Swift seems to be following Paul McCartney's footsteps in shaping her personality and career arc. The singer is known to have always been kind and respectful to her fans. They have especially noticed this since the singer began her Eras Tour.
Paul McCartney was the bass guitarist and lead songwriter for The Beatles and has shared the mic with legends like John Lennon. McCartney is considered one of the most versatile and successful composers of all time. His vocal range, eclecticism, and creative approach to songwriting are lauded across generations.
McCartney has won a plethora of awards, including eight BRIT Awards, two American Music Awards, one MTV Video Music Award, and one Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, among others. In addition, The Beatles songwriter has won eighteen Grammys and was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award twice.
