Taylor Swift’s historic Grammys win revives some familiar narratives
Taylor Swift made history winning four Album of the Year awards, but it felt like history repeating in more ways than one
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On Sunday night, Taylor Swift made history as the only artist ever to win four Album of the Year awards at the Grammys. In her acceptance speech, Swift didn’t focus much on the unique nature of the moment. (“I would love to tell you that this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song or when I crack the code to a bridge that I love,” she said, in part.) Instead of coming across as a singular moment in her career and music history, the win for Midnights was a culmination of all the times she’d taken the trophy before. The night carried an echo of the acceptances for Fearless, 1989, and folklore, both in Swift’s actions and the reactions of the viewers.
One aspect was Swift pulling Lana Del Rey onto the stage, despite the latter artist seeming resistant to joining the group. Del Rey is technically one of Midnights’ Album of the Year winners as a “featured artist” on the record (both a songwriter and performer on the track “Snow On The Beach”), but she was also a loser in the category for her own album (Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd). Fans online questioned why Swift was so insistent on having Del Rey next to her: “The way she dragged Lana up on stage made me wanna pass out that’s so embarrassing ahhhh,” writer Bolu Babalola posted on Twitter/X. It was conspicuous, especially combined with Jack Antonoff telling Swift onstage that “Laura’s right here” (in reference to recording engineer Laura Sisk).
In her previous acceptance speeches, the team behind Swift was overwhelmingly male. This was particularly glaring when she accepted the award for 1989 and made an empowering statement to “young women” about not letting anyone else take credit for their successes. Yet the message was undercut by the image: “The first woman to win Album of the Year twice but no women producers standing behind you,” writer Janet Mock tweeted in response to the 1989 speech. Imogen Heap and Sisk were the only other women besides Swift credited for the 1989 AOTY win, but neither were onstage to accept the award that year. Sisk joined the group for Swift’s next AOTY win, folklore; Midnights doubled the number of women on stage by adding Del Rey. Swift would not be caught again in another inadvertent image crisis by snubbing female collaborators. (Instead, she caused an image crisis by inadvertently snubbing Celine Dion.)
There are issues with the Grammys beyond Taylor Swift
But it doesn’t matter how carefully Swift tries to correct the record, because she’ll still be haunted by old narratives outside her control. Hundreds of posts cropped up complaining of Swift’s “fake surprise,” that she was “pretending she’s grateful,” and expressing annoyance at her “shocked face.” This is an accusation that has followed the singer since the early days of her career—essentially since she started winning awards. No matter that no one else has ever won four Album of the Year trophies, making the honor genuinely rather shocking. People have always criticized the way Swift goes about accepting awards, mostly because her reactions just seem to rub people the wrong way. This has been so pervasive that Swift herself parodied it in her “Look What You Made Me Do” video, where different versions of her taunting that she’s “so fake” and couldn’t possibly be that shocked all the time: “Stop making that surprised face, it’s so annoying,” Zombie Taylor snarked.
But the public’s issues with Swift’s Album of the Year wins go beyond simple annoyance. Most of her wins came at the expense of other artists fans saw as more deserving, particularly Black artists: Fearless beat out Beyoncé’s I Am… Sasha Fierce, 1989 topped Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, and now Midnights defeated SZA’s SOS. “Black artists, specifically women, can put NUMBERS on the score board, generate entire cultural movements, outperform, and out-talent and still be placed beneath white mediocrity. it’s really a sad thing to witness,” one user posted after the Midnights win, while another wrote, “giving album of the year to midnights over SOS is almost as bad as when harry’s house won over renaissance…like what do black women in music have to do at this point lmfao.”
Much as Swift likes to control her narrative, the way history repeats itself in her Grammy wins is mostly out of her control. And though becoming the first person to win AOTY four times is a unique achievement, it’s also entirely not unique because she’s done it three times before. This fourth Album of the Year trophy exists within the context of the three previous awards, and all those awards exist within the context of her career. Her level of success and acclaim is incomparable and, in some ways inexplicable. No matter what she does, she’s destined to face intense scrutiny just for being the biggest star in the world. It is notable, though, how Swift’s history feels doomed to repeat itself in terms of the Grammys. If you were taking odds, you might count on a backlash brewing the likes of which she once faced after winning for 1989. Swifties did sense the Reputation era was coming, after all.
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“No matter what she does, she’s destined to face intense scrutiny just for being the biggest star in the world. “This is trueSo maybe Taylor Swift is just doing and saying whatever the fuck she wants to do since people are gonna find fault either way. “Most of her wins came at the expense of other artists fans saw as more deserving, “You mean except the hordes of people that keep shelling out too much money for her music and shows?
Yeah, I don’t even know why she tries to say things that won’t set people off, they’re gonna find shit to complain about. The whole “snubbing Celine Dion” thing seems completely pointless and contrived.
Or why anyone gives the first fuck about the opinion of “some users” – i.e. completely and truly random individuals on social media. You can find someone stating literally any opinion you want to highlight, especially if there’s a desired political narrative to be had. It’s insane and sad that this has somehow become a part of mainstream reporting.
Yeah, like…she’s a billionaire. She has legions of parasocial relationship-nurturing fans willing to get their (online, natch) knives out at a moment’s provocation. She’s amassed a shit-ton of plaudits, and is on her way toward becoming one of the (if not “the”) biggest musical artists in the history of recorded music.IDK, I feel like the ocean of “thinkpieces” aren’t really anything she gives or should give a shit about.
I worked with her team on a project a few years back and I can anecdotally confirm that your first point is true. I did not work with her personally but with her manager and mother, and there were definite vibes of “fuck it she can’t do anything right.” They were insanely protective of her in a way I felt wasn’t toxic, it was kind of sweet to be honest. This was around the time she made some kind of donation to some such thing and people were dumping on her for not throwing around enough money. I am not a fan of Swift’s music and I am not a fangirl by any means, but I have a huge amount of respect for her (and her team), and I kind of love seeing her success and how much it pisses people off.
She does seem to do things about as “right” as anyone of her status could. Who else has paid millions of voluntary bonuses to the crew on a tour? So what if she looks a little silly acting surprised at this point when winning an award. It’s better than walking up smug and entitled.
Lol…off topic, but gotta admit your screen name gave me a little chuckle. Nice.
I mean she’s made a lot of music with “no matter what I do someone will have a problem with it, so might as well be me” being the front and center message, this isn’t exactly new.
…people are gonna find fault either way. Maybe she should write a song about that. The fault finders are gonna find fault…something like that. I don’t do lyrics.
“Narratives we absolutely have no hand in perpetuating, even right now as we give air time to the narratives”
Yeah, big Hot Dog Man energy in this article.
Asking any entertainment outlet to not add to the glut of Swift “thinkpieces” is like asking a dog not to join the pile of dogs already chewing on/fighting over/possibly humping a large flank steak.
I can’t help but read this comment as pro-chewing/fighting/humping.I’m not criticizing the chewing/fighting/humping so much as criticizing the author’s use of passive voice to make it sound like they’re describing the chewing/fighting/humping and not actively chewing/fighting/humping
Oh dude, most of the ones I’ve come across (multiple sites) read that way. “There have been hundreds of Swift essays in the past few weeks, and here’s another one, but I SWEAR mine is different!”Think “Malibu Stacy w/New Hat” from “The Simpsons,” but about 5,000 of them with slightly differently-colored hats.
“Don’t ask me, I’m just a blogger *teehee*”
Great, now I’m going to be thinking about humping a steak all day.
We’ve all been there!
Please explain how you’d like her to handle winning an award according to your exacting specifications.Also, what exactly the fuck is a Bolu Babalola?
The most random af, AI generated human bot that AV could pull to justify this hit piece.
It’s a name. A quick Google tells me her family is from Nigeria originally. There’s this thing you may have heard of where names sound different depending on which country they originate in.
I think the OP meant: “why do we care what this person thinks about Taylor Swifts acceptance speech?”
No they didn’t
“Especially with a name like that amirite!”
If you were taking odds, you might count on a backlash brewing the likes of which she once faced after winning for 1989.And, judging from this article…you’re making sure you’ll be there to do your part.
My issue with her Album of the Year win is that Midnights isn’t really that great. But what do I know? I’m still made Celine beat Beck and The Smashing Pumpkins in 1997.Let us never forget “MMMBop” was nominated for Record of the Year.
Yep.Ahhhhh, awards show season…that time of year when people consciously decide to ignore the fact that awards shows are almost purely subjective plaudits handed down from on high by a collection of clout-chasing industry figures.
Out of her wins this one actually felt like the most deserved, meaning that the album was cohesive through even with some filler.
We all have our preferences. I think Folklore might remain the opus of her career, even if it fizzles out near the end. But the run from “Exile” to “Mad Woman” is unparalleled in her discography.
Midnights has a couple of really good tracks on it, in my estimation, but it’s not a juggernaut where there are sort of no bad songs at all like she’s made in the past, like 1989 or Red. Just my opinion; Midnights is fine in a lot of ways, but I feel like a lot of the best tracks are bonus tracks.
And though becoming the first person to win AOTY four times is a unique achievement, it’s also entirely not unique because she’s done it three times before.“Like, we KNOW you climbed a mountain that was 15,000 feet high, but because you had to get to 5,000 and 10,000 feet on the way there, it’s just not that impressive, dude.”
Every year, people act shocked that the Grammys doesn’t recognize the best work, just the work that is most popular with the pretty specific demographic of people who vote for the Grammys. It’s a popularity contest among a wealthy, mostly white, mostly older Academy, not a critical judgment.The funniest thing is that this year, after years and years of the rap Grammys going to the poppy artist most palatable to people who don’t like hip hop rather than the most deserving, the Grammy went to the most deserving rather than the pop artist / Kardashian hanger-on that the kids who aren’t really hip hop love, and they are pissed. In this case, that older, less hip demo is way more aligned with hip hop culture than the kids are.
I have to wonder if Swift’s win for Album of the Year was more of an acknowledgement of her pervasive pop-culture dominance more than any particular musical merit (and I’m not trying to be a hater – I think Midnights is a pretty uneven product as a whole, but I think some of the songs are very good).
And if that’s the case – if the award is more accurately for the absolute chokehold she has on pop culture – then good news! She’s now got another new album coming out in like two months. The lady is like the MCU of music artists.
Am I the only one who finds it obnoxious that this article and others basically seems to say “you’re accepting awards wrong!”I mean, yeah, you can accept an award wrong, but it’s not like Swift is doing THIS:(I’m having trouble getting this to cue up right. Jump to 11:50)
Especially since fake surprise and faux modesty are basically the expected default for receiving an award. It may be dumb (and occasionally obnoxious), but it’s hardly a sin Taylor Swift in uniquely responsible for.
she’s an annoying person and people are annoyed by her. not complicated!
Success is annoying. Got it.
wrong bitch!
bitch no one is forcing you to pay attention to her
I’m so glad I know what Bolu Babalola thinks about this situation ahhhh
I’m so glad we know what the Comma Chameleon — *shoots self in head cuz this is fucking dumb*
>“Black artists, specifically women, can put NUMBERS on the score board, generate entire cultural movements, outperform, and out-talent and still be placed beneath white mediocrity. it’s really a sad thing to witness”Literally no one is putting out bigger numbers or has a larger movement behind her or him than Tay-Tay. With her number of voting age fans alone, I bet she could be the next President if she was stupid enough to want to be. The above quoted complaint is stupid and AVC should feel bad for using it.
People can just stop paying attention to these awards shows if they don’t like the results. They’re really stupid anyhow. Like the music you like and don’t worry about whether it wins awards or not. Music isn’t a damn competition!
Like that Simpsonsn episode where Homer wins a Grammy (of course) and, disillusioned, he tossed it into a dumpster. The dorky kid finds it and says “a major award? Oh, it’s just a Grammy.” (throws it back into the dumpster)
> Music isn’t a damn competition!
^^^That. Right there.^^^
Jay-Z said it himself, it’s just an opinion. Beyonce not winning doesn’t make sense, as does Taylor Swift never winning Song of the Year, considering how much emphasis is put on her writing.But neither of them have a right to complain, considering how many greats never won a Grammy of any kind.Like that one time, Little Richard was giving out “best new artist” at the Grammys:“And the best new artist is…ME! Because you never gave me no award and I’ve been singing for years!”
She’s got more actual Grammy Awards than greats do nominations. Either competition was a lot stiffer in their era or something has changed and there’s not a whole lot of great artists to put up for nominations these days. Which. Fine.And a forty years ago and before there weren’t five hundred award shows spread around fifty channels and every city in the world. So the greats have less than fifty nominations overall. Nevermind what Beyonce and Jay-Z and Taylor Swift are pulling off. They’ve all pulled off their Majors, and maybe a Major Within the Major.But complaining seems…weak.
Reading the media about the Grammys. Miley Cirrus mocked, Taylor Swift blasted, Travis Scott controversy, Killer Mike arrest raises questions…Good god, I am sick of the constant bitching when anything happens about anything.
At this point I think there should just be a feature titled “What Did Taylor Swift Do With Her Face Today To Upset People?”
For many people it would be “she woke up” — then again, I’m sure someone could hate on her sleep face too. Life too short.
“Most of her wins came at the expense of other artists fans saw as more deserving, particularly Black artists: Fearless beat out Beyoncé’s I Am…”Ah yes, when will the winningest artist in Grammy history ever get the recognition she deserves?
Geez, I was just looking at the song playlist for her new album. And based on the titles, ole Joe Alwyn is gonna get reamed. Yikes.
I didn’t watch the show other than happening to catch the moment when she won a Grammy and made a very brief speech about her new album dropping soon. And that just seemed kind of dismissive and obnoxious. We’ve all heard the rambling breathless verbose thank you thank you thank you speeches and we certainly don’t need any more of them but to be so jaded about winning an award that you use it as an opportunity to tee up your pre planned album drop? Eesh.
Jesus fucking Christ you’re dim