Despite becoming the biggest and most ubiquitous pop star of our day — or more likely because of it — Taylor Swift has her fair share of detractors. She addressed the naysayers directly in her No. 1 kiss-off hit “Shake It Off,” but they didn’t go away. Here’s a quick look at the flip side to all the things people love about her.
She conquered country and pop
Love: No question, the musical transformation to electronic beats and catchy synth-pop music on her latest album “1989” confirms she makes a great pop star.
Hate: Her previous country albums always edged on Top 40 pop music anyway, and as a result she heavily tilted Nashville toward its slicker, teen-centric sound of today.
She writes her own songs
Love: Her name appears in the songwriter slot under every song on every one of her five albums, and clearly they’re loaded with her own personal/personality touches.
Hate: She enlists a lot of help from outside co-writers, especially on “1989” with such hitmaking machines as Max Martin and Shellback. Most pop and mainstream country stars today also use co-writers, though — and the ones who seem to get criticized most for it are women.
She sings her own songs
Love: No lip-syncing here. Swift delivers all her vocals live in concert and TV appearances. She also seems to use AutoTune much less than a lot of her peers in pop music.
Hate: She’s no vocal powerhouse and frequently goes off-pitch. This has been repeatedly exposed by viral audio clips of her isolated vocals, especially her duet of “Rhiannon” with Stevie Nicks at the Grammys in 2010.
She seems so down-to-earth
Love: Her approachable, girl-next-door persona has led to frequent up-close, one-on-one encounters with fans.
Hate: Her list of true BFFs all seem to be TMZ-worthy celebrities, be it musician boyfriends or supermodel girlfriends.
She’s so positive and clean-cut
Love: She’s a respectful, healthy-living young woman who’s kind to others and doesn’t get in feuds or hold grudges. She even forgave Kanye!
Hate: Booooooorrrrrriiiiiing!
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