Taylor Swift is without a doubt one of the biggest artists of her generation. At a time of decreasing album sales, the country singer-turned-pop star continues to pull in impressive numbers thanks to her loyal fanbase and consistent releases.
Although known for her girl-next-door image, the singer-songwriter doesn’t shy away from taking inspiration from more provocative musical artists.
80s Inspired
happyzixian/Carousell | ‘1989’ is Swift’s best selling album to date moving 10.3 million copies off the shelves
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Swift shared that she was inspired by a variety of musicians from the 80s when she was working on her ‘1989’ album. She particularly mentioned Phil Collins, Annie Lennox, and Madonna.
The singer then went on to praise Madonna’s work in the late ‘80s describing her hit single ‘Like a Prayer’ as one of the greatest pop songs of all time. Swift said she admired the ‘Material Girl’ singer for being ahead of her time and for taking risks when it comes to her music.
Another thing she found fascinating about Madonna’s career is how many times she managed to reinvent herself successfully. Swift said it’s inspiring to see someone whose only predictable quality is being consistently unpredictable.
The Next Madonna
s_bukley/Shutterstock | Swift emerged as the best selling artist of the 2010s in the United States
Despite taking inspiration from Madonna, Swift said that she doesn’t see herself as ‘the next Madonna’. The 30-year-old described herself to be ‘the kind of girl who writes songs in her bedroom’.
And even though she can also dress her music up with amazing theatrical productions and become a better entertainer, Swift believes that she would still stay her own original self.
While Madonna and Swift cannot be more different image-wise, their music careers do share some similarities. Just as Madonna has reinvented herself many times, Swift has managed to reinvent her sound.
Starting as a country singer, she successfully crossed over to the pop genre. Swift has also experimented with synth-pop and hip hop in her recent albums.
The Queen Approves
Denis Makarenko/Shutterstock | Madonna earned the title of Queen of Pop in the ‘80s due to her cultural impact
Lucky for Swift, Madonna seems to reciprocate the admiration she has. The Queen of Pop once told Vanity Fair that she likes Swift and thinks that she writes ‘some really catchy pop songs’.
To seal the compliment, Madonna even admitted that she couldn’t get Swift’s songs out of her head. This praise for the pop singer may come as a surprise for some due to Madonna’s reputation for dissing fellow singers.
She notably had a longstanding feud with Lady Gaga over allegations of song plagiarism. Fortunately, the two pop divas have since reconciled and are now on good terms with each other.
