'You chose this': How Taylor Swift copes with pressure
What's the story
Taylor Swift, who has been in the music industry for nearly 20 years, recently revealed how she copes with the pressures of her immense fame. During a conversation with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. for The Icon Sessions at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, she shared her mantra: "You chose this." This phrase serves as a reminder to herself that she willingly chose this path despite its challenges.
Fame management
'You could have opted out of this any day'
Swift explained her coping mechanisms, saying, "I go through several processes and coping mechanisms that I've gone through over the years."
"And one of them is saying, 'You chose this. You chose this every day. You could have opted out of this any day before it got unmanageably big.' And I decided not to because I love it that much."
She added, "Everything that comes with this ultimately is worth it as long as I get to still make music."
Approval and critique
On public perception of her work
Swift also discussed the constant interpretation and judgment of her work. She emphasized that she doesn't seek universal approval but instead makes music for her fans.
"I'm making music because I'm playing for the fans," she said, adding that she wants to create music for people who use it to process their lives, just as she did growing up.
Despite this, Swift acknowledged that public reaction can sometimes inspire her creativity.
Creative journey
Swift on her songwriting talent
Swift reflected on her natural talent for songwriting, which she described as the only thing she ever "just naturally did."
Everything else, such as entertaining crowds and navigating the industry, had to be learned over time.
She also looked back at her early country career in Nashville during the 50-minute-long Grammy Museum conversation, expressing a deeper connection to her roots as she progressed in her career.
Live performance
Swift ended the conversation with a special performance
The conversation concluded with Swift performing a six-minute piano medley of I Knew It, I Knew You, August, and All Too Well.
She explained that she used to connect songs in surprise performances through a common thread like rhythm, emotion, or an idea.
For this particular medley, the thread was memory- looking back, reliving details, and thinking about why certain moments remain important long after they have passed.