The music magazine for musicians and bands. Daily news from the world of music.
  • Menu
    • Categories
      • Concert reviews
      • Features
      • Music production
      • Books & Movies
      • Interviews
      • Rezensionen
      • Mia's Top 10 (KI)
      • Marketing
      • Music business
      • Music instruments
      • Songwriting
      • News & more
      • Coaching
    • Deep Dives
      • Everything New
      • Column
    • Podcast
    • FAQ
    • Musician search
  • Current
  • Topics
  • Popular
  • Team
  • musician search
  • English
    • Deutsch
  • Kostenlos registrieren und neue
    Musiker*innen finden
  • Kategorien
    • Zurück
    • Books & Movies
    • Interviews
    • Mia's Top 10 (KI)
    • Rezensionen
    • News & more
    • Music business
    • Concert reviews
    • Music production
    • Marketing
    • Music instruments
    • Play piano
    • Play guitar
    • Songwriting
    • Features
    • Coaching
  • Deep dives
    • Zurück
    • Everything New
    • Column
  • Podcast
  • FAQ
  • Sprache wählen
          • English
          • Deutsch
musician search
Here you will find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.

Books & Movies6 Min. Reading time

No more silence—Miss Americana shows a Taylor Swift portrait

Written by Andrea Pirker

Ein Taylor Swift Portrait in Sephia-Farben. Taylor tanzt und hat dabei die Augen geschlossen
Bild: Universal Music

First: the girl next door, making her breakthrough to country music stardom at the tender age of 14. Now: a young lady who is increasingly critical of herself and expresses it in thoughtful song lyrics. Miss Americana premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020. Since then, the Taylor Swift portrait can be streamed on Netflix. In the 85-minute documentary, director Lana Wilson shows how the pop icon repeatedly earns criticism for her appearance as Everybody’s Darling. But also how she has learned to deal with the media pressure of recent years.

Swift's career history

Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in the US state of Pennsylvania. At a young age, Mr. and Mrs. Swift discovered their daughter's singing talent. From then on, she took part in numerous karaoke competitions and picked up her first win at the age of ten. The teenager began to write her first song lyrics, and by the age of 14 already had a major music contract in her pocket. This was the trigger for her meteoric rise to pop stardom.

mukken banner

Even though the sales figures for her last two albums may seem comparatively low, Swift has shattered records in the past. In the music industry, she is one of the highest-paid artists and has already been honored with countless awards, including the Artist of the Decade Award. At the age of 30, she has sold more than 50 million albums and 150 million singles. Time and again, her songs have made it to the top of the charts. Shake It Off, for example, spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Incidentally, Taylor co-wrote Shake It Off with Max Martin. If you want to know more about the person behind Max Martin, check out this article.

However, the Taylor Swift portrait shows that life hasn't always been easy. Taylor has been the subject of media debates several times in recent years, which has put increasing pressure on her. She has always been known as Everybody’s Darling, always appearing as a flawless figure and keeping quiet. But now she wants to break the great silence. In Miss Americana you get to know the pop star from a new side.

Taylor Swift’s ups and downs

Current interviews, private and public recordings as well as video recordings from Taylor's youth alternate with each other. Director Lana Wilson documents the change from a former country star to a successful pop icon who can also be a “bad girl.” The film shows not only beautiful moments, but also drastic experiences that Taylor has never spoken about before. Some examples include the court case against a presenter who allegedly sexually harassed Swift, and the eating disorder from which Taylor suffered for years.

A Taylor Swift portrait in black and white
Photo by Beth Garrabrant/Universal Music Group

The Kayne West incident

From the Taylor Swift portrait you can see that the pop star has always lived for the recognition of others. She herself admits to always being liked by everyone.

The incident at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009 made her doubt her career and existence. When she accepted the award for “Best Female Video,” Kayne West spoke up: “Beyonce made one of the best videos of all time.” In an interview recorded years later, Taylor says she felt totally out of place at that moment. Especially for her as a vulnerable person, this had been very humiliating. This incident was the catalyst for a dispute that still made many headlines.

Swift finally takes a political stand

The Taylor Swift portrait shows how the singer did not make her political opinion known for years. She was afraid of getting into trouble. As an example, she cites the band "Dixie Chicks", which took a political stance in 2003 and thus triggered a wave of hatred. This set the ball rolling and was followed by countless calls for boycotts, critical statements by politicians and public demonstrations. Taylor says that today she has reached a point where she no longer listens to the opinions of others and does express herself politically.

In an Instagram post, she pledged support for Democratic candidates in the election for the first time. The cameras are rolling to document the moment Taylor publishes the post. As a viewer, you root for Taylor, who is no longer willing to surrender to this fate. Shortly after, she also criticizes a Republican candidate for the Senate. Taylor voices her voting recommendation for a candidate who clearly advocates rights for LGBTQI people. In doing so, she set something into motion. Within 24 hours, nearly 65,000 people registered to vote. This marked a turning point: the girl next door was a thing of the past.

Struggling with her own ego

Why did the pop icon never make her opinion known in public? The Taylor Swift portrait shows her almost pathological longing to be liked by everyone. She has always been afraid of what consequences her actions would bring. Since time immemorial, Taylor has been in a constant battle with herself. But that is over now, she says. The documentary fits well into today's times, when pop icons no longer hide behind a facade, but share their ups and downs with the public. Even if it seems as if Taylor now has no problem removing her mask, it is certainly a very big step for the artist.

mukken banner

At the 61st Grammy Awards, Taylor was hoping for a nomination in one of the categories with her new album Reputation. When she learned that nothing came of it, she said in front of the camera that she doesn't think that's bad. As a viewer, however, you can tell that she is very offended. This again shows that Taylor still has to fight against herself.

The artist Taylor Swift stands on a foggy meadow and looks at the sky.
Photo by Beth Garrabrant/Universal Music Group

If this post has captivated you, be sure to check out mukken.com. There you will find numerous other blog posts on exciting topics related to music. You can even check out the various categories and read more exciting blog posts that relate to your personal interests. 

Originally published on October 30, 2022, updated on February 3, 2023

Main topic: Bo Burnham: Inside - A musical comedy documentary for our confused times

Share this post
Here you will find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.
Recent Posts
Noten Blätter vom Musik komponieren

Start composing your own music—here's how

25. May 2023

Katy Perry stimmt ihre Gitarre - Getting Intimste

Katy Perry: Getting Intimate - from priest's daughter to pop icon

20. May 2023

Ein Portrait der Band Kalandra

Kalandra - mystical sounds from the far north

20. May 2023

Die Orgel in einer Kirche

The organ - this is how the largest instrument in the world works!

19. May 2023

Mundharmonika uf Tisch mit Mikrofon

Learn harmonica - the first steps to success!

19. May 2023

mukken banner
Hello World!
Our app is here - We are online!
Google Play App für Musiker
App Store App für Musiker
Musician Search & Community
Recommended by mukken

Post-punk-catharsis - this rage is real

News & more5 Min. Reading time

Belting - a singing technique with two medal sides

News & more9 Min. Reading time

How to export single tracks from Logic Pro for external Mixing?

Music production9 Min. Reading time

Looking for a band 
or musician?

Musician search
Looking for some more?
Subscribe to our newsletter and let us provide you with the latest news, tips & tricks and everything you need to know about the music scene.
Don't worry, we don't spam - we promise!
loader

Your data protection is important to us. We used your email address to contact you about relevant and new content. You can unsubscribe from any communication at any time. You can find more information in our privacy policy.
Discover more topics
Features
Music production
Books & Movies
Play piano
Interviews
Rezensionen
Mia's Top 10 (KI)
Play guitar
DIY Audio Projekte
Marketing
Music business
Music instruments
Songwriting
News & more
Coaching
Concert reviews
mukken banner
mukken shop
Shop now
Alles NeuKolumnePodcastMusiklexikon A-Z
Back to overview

Looking for a musician?

Your data protection is important to us. We used your email address to contact you about relevant and new content. You can unsubscribe from any communication at any time. You can find more information in our privacy policy.
Register now
Europas große Musikersuche. Finde Musikproduzenten, Musiklehrer, Rockbands und viele mehr.
We bring musicians, bands, music teachers and producers together. Register for free.
Follow us
TikTok
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Pinterest
Instagram
Regionen & Städte
Baden-Württemberg
Bayern
Berlin
Brandenburg
Bremen
Hamburg
Hessen
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Niedersachsen
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regionen & Städte
Rheinland-Pfalz
Saarland
Sachsen
Sachsen-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein
Thüringen
Frankfurt
Essen
Dortmund
Stuttgart
Städte
München
Potsdam
Wiesbaden
Schwerin
Düsseldorf
Mainz
Saarbrücken
Dresden
Magdeburg
Kiel
© 2023 mukken, a brand by simplefox GmbH
Privacy policy
Imprint
Noten Blätter vom Musik komponieren

Start composing your own music—here's how

New post

twitterlinkedinyoutube-playinstagrampinterest-p
Your cookie settings
Wir verwenden nur technisch notwendige Cookies und nutzen ein hauseigenes Analyse-System. Welche Daten durch die essentiellen Cookies erfasst werden und wie Du die Nutzung von Cookies unterbindest, kannst du in unserer Datenschutzbestimmung nachlesen.