Taylor Swift's Fans Have Known Her For 13 Years — This Is How She's Kept Growing With Them

Taylor Swift's connection with her fans has only grown stronger since the release of her debut self-titled album almost 13 years prior. Songs like "Tim McGraw," "Teardrops on My Guitar," and "Our Song" were our first glimpses into the life of this curly-haired, Pennsylvania-born nation singer — a life that, at the time, seemed to move parallel to that of her fans. Despite not knowing her personally, the knowledge that her teenage experience of heartbreak and unrequited love mirrored theirs made it feel like the most personalized relationship that could exist between fan and celebrity. As it's grown and evolved, that connection has felt more like a friendship. Right now, Taylor is fond of communicating with fans directly on her Tumblr page or through the intimate Instagram Live sessions, as she's done while in the full rollout of her upcoming new album, Lover.


Although how does Swift — with a combined 200 million followers on Twitter and Instagram and multiple sold-out stadium tours over the course of her career — preserve such a deeply personalized link with her fans around the world? The truth is that moreover to music, Taylor's done a lot with each new era to keep her fans invested in the strange friendship they've created: from sustaining typical meet-and-greets to hiding endlessly fascinating Easter eggs within her releases. "It's honestly one of the most astonishing feelings knowing that there's this categorize of people that has my back, and that they habitually show up," Swift mentioned in a 2012 video. "I attempt to identify ways all of the time to thank them for that."


Ahead of her new album's August 23 release — and Swift's upcoming performance at the 2019 VMAs — we break down the developments of that close friendship with those who've supported her from the jump, beginning with her self-titled era all of the way through to what we can right now proudly call the Lover era. Are you ready for it?

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  The Taylor Swift Era (2006-2007)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=GkD20ajVxnY
  
  
  
  Swift's secret weapon from the very starting was her organic gift for storytelling. A high-school freshman any time once she wrote her debut album and just 16 years old as soon as it was released, Taylor penned lyrics that captured the complete emotional spectrum of being a teenager, from jealousy ("I'll bet she's pretty, that girl he talks about / And she's got everything that I have to live without") to romantic manipulation ("You come away with a good little story / Of a disaster of a dreamer with the nerve to enjoy you") and utter heartbreak any time you think happiness / I hope you think that little black dress / Think of my head on your chest / And my old faded blue jeans").
  
  
  Nevertheless aside from bonding with her fans over their mutually damaged hearts, Swift made added efforts to bridge the gap between them by making use of Myspace and leaving secret messages in every of her album booklets for those who cared enough to pay attention to the tiny specifics. Right considering that, her concealed message in the "Picture to Burn" lyrics — "Date nice gentlemen — is still flawless advice.
  
  
  
  
  



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  The Fearless Era (2008-2009)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=G2rSQF5Qx7k
  
  
  
  The Fearless era was all about developing the structure she laid with her debut album into something her existing fanbase would continue to love and grab onto. Right after releasing her Grammy-winning sophomore album, she embarked on her first tour ever, bringing the songs she wrote in her bedroom to life in arenas around the world. And to continue to prove to fans that she's not above them yet rather is them, Taylor set up free post-show meet-and-greets and behind-the-scenes tour diaries.
  
  
  Before Rep Room and Loft 89, some of the more recent names Swift's used for her post-show fan hangouts, there was a little bit thing called T Party. Rather than overcharging for a five-second interaction and quick flash photo, T Party proposed select fans at the Fearless tour — namely the ones with light-up shirts and 13s painted on their hands — an once-in-a-lifetime chance to chat with Taylor, take selfies, meet her family member, and snack on pizza and candy in a relaxed environment. For those who weren't hand-selected for T Party by Taylor's mom, Swift noticed although another way to stay connected. While in the Fearless era, she uploaded short clips to YouTube, supplying fans with content that proved that beyond the intricate stage design and occasional private jet, she was just a girl who struggled to keep track of her retainers.
  
  
  
  
  



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  The Speak Now Era (2010-2011)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=oKar-tF__ac
  
  
  
  As Taylor was making way for Speak Now, the singer hosted a 13-hour meet-and-greet at the 2010 CMA Fest before hopping on a livestream a month later to announce her third album. This direct and immediate communication is something Swift still does today — she revealed Lover's title through the Instagram stay in June. The lyrics, also, continued to foster her fan connection by sharing more of herself and probing deeper into her own life experiences, which were also becoming major news. From her failed relationship with John Mayer ("I took your matches before fire could catch me, so don't look right now) to her uncomfortable encounter with Kanye West at the 2009 VMAs ("It's OK, life is a tough crowd / 32 and still growing up right now / Who you are isn't what you did"), the album documented it all. And while her fans might not have had their hearts damaged by a prominent musician or been publicly humiliated on live TV, Speak Now was still about growing up at heart.
  
  
  On the album's tour, Swift also made extra adjustments for her fans in every city. Every night while she moved to the B-stage, trim cover a song by an artist from whichever city she was playing in. From Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" in New Jersey to a medley of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and Uncle Kracker's "Smile" in Michigan, Swift did what she may to create the arenas she visited feel like house. She maintained her post-show fan hangouts, also, which still happen at every tour.
  
  
  
  
  



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  The Red Era (2012-2013)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=2obMo7y-rvA&t=103s
  
  
  
  In true Taylor style, she reported all of the critical specifics about Red through the livestream. This time, nevertheless, she invited a little categorize of Swifties into her very own living room for the announcement — and yes, she's done it many times since. For Taylor, the closeness with her fans was routinely much deeper than bonding over boy drama and inviting them over to hear a number of unreleased tracks. She proved it with the release of "Ronan," a song inspired by Maya Thompson — a fan of Taylor's and mother to four-year-old Ronan, who died in 2011 of neuroblastoma. Swift released it as a sole before the album and donated 100 percent of the proceeds to help fight cancer.
  
  
  Once the album dropped and the tour rolled around, T Party was suddenly rechristened Club Red, and the nightly covers turned into performances of fan favorites from Taylor's past albums. She largely chose the most heavily requested songs on social media that day, and fans wouldn't know which one she picked up until she started strumming the chords on her guitar. This moment only strengthened her connection with fans, as they all sang along in unison what became referred to because the "secret song."
  
  
  
  
  



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  The 1989 Era (2014-2015)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=EKnl7STzSMU
  
  
  
  To kick off the 1989 era, Swift recruited fans to dance alongside her in the "Shake It Off" music video. She also joined Tumblr, sending Swifties long paragraphs any time as soon as they were heartbroken and liking their posts to confirm or deny their wildest theories about the album. Her presence became referred to as "Taylurking" — especially as soon as fans started getting calls from her official fan club, Taylor Nation, inviting them to secret locations in a number of cities (often on her own property) for what became referred to because the 1989 Secret Sessions.
  
  
  However even immediately after 1989's release, Swift continued. Lose pop in on fans' Instagram Lives, surprise them at residence, and even attend a bridal shower or wedding. In December 2014, she made several fans' dreams come true while they opened the front door to an enormous package full of unique gifts from the pop star herself — and with personal notes to boot. One fan even got $1,989 to help pay off student cash advances, which wasn't the last time she stepped in to help someone with their financial struggles. In more recent years, she helped a pregnant fan buy a house, donated over $15,000 to a fan whose mom had been in a coma, and sent nearly $5,000 to a Swiftie who couldn't afford tuition and rent.
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  



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  The Reputation Era (2017-2018)
  
  
  https://www.Instagram.Com/p/BYN0Dvynhrm/?Hl=en
  
  
  
  Immediately after a summer where she unexpectedly noticed herself the villain in an ongoing feud with Kanye and partner Kim Kardashian, Swift determined to take a different approach with Reputation. She avoided press interviews ahead of the release, doubling down on her relationship with her Swifties alternatively by promising that "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation." This meant there was only the album and their reactions to it — and the Easter eggs, of course.
  
  
  What started as concealed messages strewn during album booklets transformed after awhile into fancy webs of hints about music she hadn't even released nevertheless. One mind-boggling theory even says that one of the several versions of Taylor in the "Look What You Made Me Do" video is actually meant to symbolize the current Lover-era Taylor. And while her tactics to keep her fanbase invested in her life and career continued to pan out exactly as suggested, Swift also kept some of the most personalized traditions alive and well while in the Reputation era, including her secret sessions and the post-show meet-and-greet referred to as Rep Room.
  
  
  
  
  



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  The Lover Era (2019)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=Dkk9gvTmCXY
  
  
  
  Lover's release mere days away, and fans feel closer to the pop star than ever before — and this isn't by coincidence. Ever since the era kicked off with a butterfly mural in Nashville, Swift has doubled down on her trademark Easter eggs, packing the videos for "ME!" and "You Need To Calm Down" with hints and clues and creating the most complex and involved game for Swifties however. Her songs have gone deeper, too.
  
  
  With "Calm Down" — a bright, LGTBQ+ pride-filled anthem — Swift made it clear that the Lover era will be her most inclusive one nevertheless. She even congregated a petition to push for the Equality Act, which would allocate specific protections for LGBTQ+ people in housing, employment, credit, and more areas. In the past, the fifth tracks on Swift's albums have been some of her most emotional. Lover's track 5, "The Archer," fit that description as a slow-burning ballad about making mistakes. And while mistakes are inevitable in both life and love, the Lover title track is Swift's way of telling her fans that all of the bruised hearts while doing so led her (and hopefully her fans) to this: unadulterated bliss.
  
  
  For Swifties who haven't attended a Lover secret session (which is most of us — don't worry), it's impossible to guess where this new era will take us. However it's an exhilarating feeling. Swift keeps it up and continues to blur the lines between fan and friend and keeps proving that she actually cares about strengthening the bond she has with those who hear their own lives reflected in her songs. Taylor herself said it best at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards: "To the fans who come to the shows and purchase the albums, I just want you to know this one thing: You are the longest and best relationship I've ever had."