Taylor Swift’s tenth album, ‘Midnights’, released on October 21, 2022, has taken the world by storm with the highest first-week streams of the year, 72.5 million, and Spotify’s record for the most streams of a single album in one day.

Taylor Swift, an American singer-songwriter, has garnered many accolades, including 11 Grammy Awards and 29 Billboard Music Awards. With her countless awards and past albums, it is easy to forecast the impact ‘Midnights’ will have on the music industry.

Swift’s newest album showcases feelings of betrayal, feminism, and her struggle with the idea of fame. Each song illustrates different ways she’s persevered. For instance, her song “Anti-Hero” grapples with insecurities and self-loathing. Another one of her songs with a rumored serious topic is “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”. Lyrics like “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye / You were bigger than the whole sky / You were more than just a short time” although not confirmed, possibly point to the loss of a child, whether her own or a friend’s. These experiences are relatable for someone who might be going through a similar situation and help shape Taylor Swift into the person and artist she is today. Expressing feminism and women’s empowerment in each song is a signature move by Swift, allowing women to feel safe as soon as they put on their headphones.

Although many may believe that Taylor Swift is just a young woman writing about her past breakups on her guitar, she is so much more than that. In 2013, DJ David Mueller reportedly groped Swift before she performed a concert in Denver, Colorado. The following sexual assault case lasted a total of four years. “I was so angry. I was angry that I had to be there, I was angry that this happens to women, I was angry that all the details had been twisted,” she said in her documentary, Miss Americana. Swift only asked for $1 in damages for David Mueller, not wanting this traumatic event to define her life.

Swift donates to organizations that help sexual assault victims who are going through experiences similar to hers. She said, “I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are a product of his decisions, not mine,” according to Refinery. She stands for and understands what women go through and helps countless people feel seen through her lyrics and activism.

As Billboard’s Woman of the Decade, Taylor Swift, shouldn’t just be known for her music. This remarkable 32-year-old woman should be seen as the person who changed so many lives, donating to over 33 different charities, and even helping a 19-year-old fan whose mother was in a coma by donating $15,500 dollars to her medical care. So no, Taylor Swift isn’t just an artist only listened to by immature teenage girls; she has inspired over 68.67 million people and significantly changed the world for the better.