Whether you want to believe it or not, Taylor Swift has become one of the greatest pop stars of all time. Sure, there are many more talented artists such as Beyonce, Madonna, and Lady Gaga, but at the end of the day, Taylor is what the people want. On October 21, 2022, Taylor Swift released her new album Midnights across all streaming platforms and in stores, and has managed to take over the charts again, this time claiming all ten spots in the Billboard Top 100 Chart and taking number one on the Billboard 200 Chart. This is Swift’s 7th number-one album and she has had eleven number-one albums before this. “It is a previously unheard-of, outstanding achievement for any artist,” experts told The Washington Post. This has been the biggest week for an album in nearly seven years since the release of Adele’s 25. Amid the music industry’s constant change in the age of streaming, this groundbreaking accomplishment could only be pulled off by someone who has what Swift has: an established name in the music industry, diehard fans, and a relentless music-making machine. 

Unfortunately, the quality of her most recent work does not reflect its wild streaming success. In her album, Swift talks about topics such as fantasizing about what she could have done earlier in life. In her pandemic albums, Folklore and Evermore, Swift told her stories through fictional tales, and fans went nuts. Swift seems to be out of her Folklorian era and has transitioned back towards a more pop-sounding album. One would have thought that because of this change back to pop, the catchy and upbeat tunes would return. Sadly, this did not happen. Although the album has gained high popularity among fans and the general public, it does not deserve to stand where it does on the charts today. Swift continues to lean on revenge anthems as she did in the past and her new album doesn’t innovate or improve upon her earlier work. Most of the album sounds the same, and only talks about what keeps her up at night, and is a snooze fest listening to it. Swift made these songs previously, it had been in a time when she was younger and much more innocent, her songs sounded like she was trying to say what was going on in her own mind, and it is nothing someone who has listened to her music hasn’t heard before.  Hopefully, a new album is in for release soon because Midnights needs a do-over. Songs on her album Evermore felt like there was something to be respected about the songs, but with this album that is not the case. Her previous success and stardom suggest that she can do better with her music and can continue on a better musical path than she is on currently.

However, despite the feelings displayed in this article, the public disagrees. Taylor Swift took home 6 American Music Awards, including the Artist of the Year. I guess “Swifties” stand strong behind her no matter what.