By Aeriel Revivo, Carter Michaels, and Ellie Miller
In today's world, many artists struggle with no end in sight. With so many creative platforms that anyone can post to, including TikTok, Soundcloud, and Spotify, one-hit wonders have become increasingly common. Slipping out of relevance is a thought most artists–both of today’s generation and generation’s past–dread.
In the fight for maintaining relevance, musicians have a secret weapon: reinvention. Reinvention is the act of changing oneself to such an extent that their persona, their music, and their brand seem entirely new. One master of this process is Taylor Swift. She is one of the most iconic singers/songwriters of our time. She has mastered three musical genres–country, pop, and indie pop–and won the Grammy for Album of the Year three times with an album from each genre. Her multi-decade and Grammy-studded career is a seemingly perfect example of how reinvention aids artists in their quest for relevance. However, Swift’s story is also a cautionary tale that demonstrates the dangers of reinvention and the personal toll it can take.
In Swift’s 2019 documentary, Miss Americana, she says, “artists are forced to reinvent themselves to impress people.” Swift talked about how constantly being forced to reinvent herself was not easy to do and how it negatively affected her mental and physical health. She has had to recreate her image to please society, such as when she transitioned from country to pop. Swift’s transition–widely considered one of the smoothest in modern music history–manifested itself in several changes in both musical and personal styles. Some such changes are Swift going from singing with a country accent to not; from crooning about pick-ups to singing about Range Rovers; from having wild, curly blonde hair to sporting a short bleached bob; and from wearing floral cowboy boots to flaunting sparkly platform heels. She continued to talk about how she has had to find different ways to present herself so that society doesn't get “tired” of her, saying how in the past, she has had to try to hold on to her success as long as she could before society discarded her and moved on.
Although transformation can be difficult for musicians, it also has its upsides. Reinventing oneself can foster creativity and aid in discovering new forms of self-expression, ultimately resulting in unique music that’s often enjoyed by fans of all demographics. One such fan–or “swiftie,” as Taylor Swift fans are called–Ellie Fecko ‘24 has memories of Swift in all her eras. “I’ve been a swiftie for as long as I can remember,” Fecko said. She and her sister used to “force [her] dad into playing 1989 in the car,” and also loved to sing “Our Song.” Fecko obsessed over both Swift’s pop records and the music from when Swift still wore cowboy boots and sang with a Tennessee twang. Taylor Swift having many “eras” of music defined by different personas has allowed her to appeal to a wide audience and diversify her discography. Fecko emphasized how great this musical diversity is, saying how she loves that “you can listen to Taylor no matter what mood you’re in.”
While Swift may be the queen of creative reinvention, she certainly did not come up with this process; this concept stretches far before any of these present artists were even born, with icons such as David Bowie. Bowie has been called “the ultimate master of disguise” (BBC) for how he was able to flawlessly switch his musical and personal styles. Bowie began his music career in the 1960s with endeavors ranging from folk to electro dance–all with little success. Everything changed when Bowie enacted his most famous personality–Ziggy Stardust. This character is responsible for the image most of us associate with Bowie (think glitter, spaceships, and face paint). David Bowie has had a journey transforming himself, his music, and his fanbase through the process of reinvention.
No matter how established an artist is, reinvention is an important process that all must undergo in order to avoid fading into the background. It can be a wearing process but has proven necessary in order to maintain relevance in today's society. It is evident through Taylor Swift’s long and successful career that reinvention isn’t something to hide from. Don’t be afraid of reinvention–embrace it.
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