Taylor Swift a hot topic at Celebrity Studies conference in Amsterdam
Taylor Swift isn’t only the center of attention for Swifties and merchandise sellers in the Netherlands this week. The American artist was also a hot topic at the biennial Celebrity Studies conference in Amsterdam this week. A select group of academics from universities worldwide were invited to attend a seminar focused solely on Swift, Nieuwsuur reports.
The seminar was organized by Annelot Prins, who researches women in American pop music at the Freie Universität in Berlin, and Melissa Avdeeff, a lecturer in digital media at the University of Stirling in Scotland.
According to the scientists, it is undeniable that Swift’s influence extends beyond sold-out stadiums. Her Eras Tour is the first music tour in history to gross over 1 billion euros. All 152 concerts on five continents sold out within hours. Cities that Swift visits also receive a significant local economic boost. For example, analysts calculated that her concerts in London alone generated 1 billion pounds for the British economy.
The singer is an interesting case because she is the “queen” of attracting attention, Prins told the current affairs program. “Whether it’s about her most recent boyfriend or the use of her private plane, everything she does is news. And as a scientist, you can ask interesting questions about that.”
Avdeeff noted that it is often a struggle for students who are Swifties to look critically at the artist’s actions and influence. The university lectures mainly focus on her position in the political and social debate - mostly neutral.
“Taylor never actually refers to history or politics in songs,” said Prins. “She sings about boyfriends, sadness, her own life. She portrays herself as an accessible friend and has managed to attract a large audience from the start.” Her mostly non-commenting stances have attracted some criticism but also make her likable to most people. “Above all, Taylor Swift is someone who wants to win: she wants to be the greatest, the very best. She does everything she can to achieve that and not endanger it.”
Swift had her first Netherlands concert on the Eras Tour in Amsterdam on Thursday. She will perform again in the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Friday and Saturday. The European leg of her world tour ends in August.
