Taylor Swift lambasts the music industry and says the Kim Kardashian feud ‘took me down psychologically’

Taylor Swift, named Time’s Person of the Year, opened up about the emotional toll of her highly publicized feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, while also criticizing the music industry’s treatment of young artists. In an extensive interview, Swift expressed her concerns about the industry’s tendency to replace rather than nurture its stars, highlighting the pressure artists face and the abrupt dismissal they often experience by the age of 29.

Taylor Swift lambasts the music industry

Taylor Swift emphasized her strategy to counter this by continually evolving her style with each new album project, making it challenging for record labels to pin her down. Reflecting on her early career with Big Machine, the label of her first six albums, she revealed feeling constrained creatively, with every artistic decision facing scrutiny. The fallout from this working relationship, marked by the transfer of her album ownership to music manager Scooter Braun, further fueled Taylor Swift‘s dissatisfaction.

Regarding Braun, Swift’s animosity traces back to his management of Kanye West, who released the controversial song “Famous” containing a derogatory lyric about Taylor Swift. The ensuing feud, amplified by Kim Kardashian’s leaked phone call recording, took a severe toll on Swift’s mental health, leading her to a foreign country and isolating herself for a year. Swift shared her struggle, expressing how the manufactured controversy damaged her career and shattered her trust in others.

Proudly discussing her album “Reputation,” Taylor Swift characterized it as a “goth-punk moment of female rage” in response to societal gaslighting. The interview also delved into Swift’s personal life, her re-recording project for Big Machine-era albums, and her take on the media’s habit of pitting female artists against each other, citing her own experiences in comparison to Beyoncé’s Renaissance tours.

In a broader context, Swift acknowledged the positive shift in the industry’s recognition of female pop stars, evident in the dominance of female artists in the 2024 Grammy nominations. She expressed optimism about the growing support for feminine ideas, anticipating an increase in the creation of female-driven art.