Why Taylor Swift Will Probably Win Album of the Year

Jennifer Dill / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Love her or hate her, you have to admit that Taylor Swift is talented. Swift ended 2014 with a bang, dropping her fifth studio album 1989 to the delight of many of her fans. Many of the album’s singles like “Shake it Off” and “Bad Blood” have been rocking the airwaves since late 2014, however the most recent single, “Out of The Woods” just had its music video debut on January 1st during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and was only released for airplay February 5th. A great tactical move by Swift, this helped remind fans that she was still around and still ready to kick 2016’s butt.

While many have a love/hate relationship with TSwift, whether it be for the fact she dated Harry Styles for 10 minutes or the fact that her songs are generally “all about guys and relationships,” nobody can deny that 1989 blew her previous albums out of the water. After all, 1989 was ranked as the #3 Billboard album in 2014 after only making its debut in late October, AND it finished off 2015 as the #1 album of the year – a whole year AFTER it was released.

But why was this album so amazing?

The answer is simple: Taylor Swift is amazing.

Sure, many people dislike her. And sure, songs like “Shake it Off” can be annoying after a while, but isn’t that what makes a song memorable? Something that you can’t get out of your head and have to listen to, and maybe buy?

Take “Bad Blood” for example. Many people began to hate on it after its release for the speculation that the song was about Katy Perry. This led to discussion, and more and more people checking out the song to see if in fact it was a Perry diss track. The result? Nobody knows for sure who the song is about, but the views on the music video and the songs streams went through the roof.

The same thing happened with her song “Style.”

Upon first listen, it’s pretty clear why people would assume the song is about ex Harry Styles. But is it actually? We don’t know. But what we do know is that this controversy and state of wonder, combined with a general obsession with celebrity love lives led millions of people (including T-Swift haters) to check the song out and talk about who it could possibly be about. While many hated it, many also bought the song and it became the third consecutive top 10 single from 1989.

These aren’t even the best songs from the album either. My personal favorite, “Blank Space,” has over 1 BILLION views on YouTube, debuted at the #1 spot on 4 different billboard charts, and has gone not double, not triple, but 7x platinum.

Individual songs aside, each of Swift’s lyrics also hit home with a wide variety of listeners. From teenage girls who are experiencing their first crushes, to college sweethearts suffering their biggest breakups or aspiring celebrities moving into the real world for the first time, 1989 has a song for almost every life situation.

Need to get out of your small town? I Know Places.

Have haters who are trying to keep you down? Shake it Off.

Have a fight with a lover, a friend or yourself? You probably have Bad Blood.

Need advice on how to ask someone on a date? That’s How You Get The Girl.

You get the point.

But let me just say that, even if you “hate” Swift, you can’t deny that her vocals are incredible.

As someone who was not originally a ‘Swiftie’ I can say that her voice is what drew me in.

She has great vocal control, both live and on her album, and her voice is effortlessly beautiful. Whether she is singing an upbeat pop song such as “Welcome to New York” or a ballad like “This Love,” her voice never falters. She is always right on cue, in pitch and ready to flaunt her skills. Honestly, she could write an album about kicking someone in the teeth and it would probably be so gorgeously done that it would sell millions.

Taylor Swift has been in this game for a long time now. She knows what she’s doing, she knows how to get people to talk and she knows how to make a kick ass album.

1989 has already earned her two MTV awards, an AMA, an Emmy, tons of praise, and multi-platinum status. Why not just complete it by sending her home with a well deserved, hard earned Grammy for what definitely is album of the year?