[News Figures] 'Taylor Swift' Shaking Up Not Just the Economy but Also the Political Scene

As the U.S. presidential race intensifies, global pop star Taylor Swift has emerged as a hot wildcard. Because she publicly supported President Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate in the 2020 election, the opposing camp has gone beyond speculation to even raise conspiracy theories.

Pop star Taylor Swift is performing the 'Eras Tour' concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 9 last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Born in 1989 in Pennsylvania, USA, Swift has been recognized as a singer who combines top-notch musicality and commercial success since her debut in 2006. At the age of 19, she rose to global pop stardom with her second album, Fearless, and went on to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year three times?in 2010, 2016, and 2021. Twelve of her albums have reached number one on the Billboard album charts, and she has sold over 200 million albums worldwide. Surveys show that more than half of Americans (53%) are her fans.

Last year alone, Swift earned $1 billion (about 1.3 trillion KRW) from over 60 concerts, marking the largest scale ever for a pop star’s tour. Not only concert revenues but also sales at hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in the cities hosting her shows surged, boosting local economies. Analyses suggest that Taylor Swift’s concerts increased the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by approximately $4.3 billion to $5.7 billion (about 5.6 trillion to 7.4 trillion KRW) last year. New terms like “Taylornomics” and “Swiftnomics,” combining Taylor Swift’s name with “economics,” have even emerged.

With such explosive popularity, Swift now wields significant influence beyond popular music, impacting American society at large. When she posted on Instagram last September encouraging fans to participate in elections, 35,000 new voters registered within a day. This indicates that her future actions could exert “political power” in some form during the presidential race.

In response, Republican forces supporting former President Donald Trump and far-right media have continuously propagated conspiracy theories about Swift. These include claims that she is a secret agent for the Department of Defense and that she is building a fan base to secure Biden’s reelection. When her boyfriend, NFL player Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, advanced to the championship game, the Super Bowl, some alleged that the couple was a “fake couple” created to support the Democratic Party.

The New York Times (NYT) analyzed on the 31st of last month, “Although Swift has not said a word about this year’s election, the mere prospect that she might support President Biden has driven conservatives (conservative media and pro-Trump commentators) into hysterical rage.” The NYT also added, “The Biden camp hopes to receive Swift’s endorsement in this election as well.”

Earlier, ahead of the November 2018 midterm elections, Swift declared on Instagram, “I will always vote for the candidate who protects human rights and fights for them. I believe in the struggle for LGBTQ rights and that all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender are wrong,” thereby expressing support for President Biden.