Taylor SwiftThe cultural impact of is undeniable. As a journalist, covering your life and career is more than a job: it’s a story.

“She turns heartbroken emotions into a kind of community.” long-time Swift chronicler Rob Sheffield told Yahoo Entertainment, pointing to the singer’s “Eras Tour,” that, after nearly two years on the road, it concludes its U.S. run on Nov. 3 in Indianapolis before his final farewell. December 8 in Vancouver, British Columbia

“You’re singing the loneliest song you’ve ever heard in your life and you realize you’re singing it with 60,000 other people,” he said. “It’s like nothing else in pop music.”

Sarah Chapelle, who has documented Swift’s fashion evolution since 2011 with her blog Taylor Swift style, described Swift as “one of the most intelligent and intentional pop stars of the modern era,” whose art goes far beyond music.

“His music and his fashion are like two halves of a locket,” he explained to Yahoo Entertainment. “They work together. Their songs reflect their feelings and their outfits symbolize all those memories and moments.”

Last year, USA Today’s Bryan West became Swift’s first full-time reporter In between, she traveled the world to cover the “Eras Tour” and met Swifties at every stop. Along the way, it became clear to her that Swift’s reach is vast and deeply personal.

“Every venue, arena or arena I’ve been to, the fans speak the same language,” he told Yahoo Entertainment. “No matter the continent, her fans almost always have a personal story of how she has touched them in a dark time.”

Together, these journalists have witnessed firsthand the evolution of Swift’s music and style into an unparalleled phenomenon in pop music. But what’s it really like covering the world’s biggest star? This is what they had to say.

The Fashion Archivist: Sarah Chapelle

Before launching her blog, Chapelle was already captivated by Swift’s everyday style. He saw something uniquely artistic in how Swift’s daily appearance reflected the music she was creating, allowing fans to not only emulate her but also, in some ways, step into her art.

“I guess you could call it a niche within a niche of fandom,” Chapelle said. Originally intended as an archive of Swift’s fashion, her blog evolved to offer fans richer context, noting, for example, when Swift first wore a brand or brought back an accessory that only devoted Swifties would recognize.

For Chapelle, it became a full-time job. “I would subscribe to fashion magazines,” he said. “I watched every fashion runway to become familiar and to be able to begin to identify a brand by the cut of a shirt or pattern.”

the release of 1989 in October 2014, considered by many as Swift’s first official pop album.It marked a major change in Swift’s public persona and a turning point for Chapelle’s blog. As Swift expanded the volume and variety of her wardrobe, Chapelle saw her fashion as a curated extension of her identity, with each outfit telling a visual story that complemented the themes of her music.

Chapelle’s book Taylor Swift style: fashion through the ages, which was released on October 8, chronicles this evolution, capturing not only what Swift wore but also the singer’s journey of self-discovery. from its peasant roots to its daring and avant-garde Reputation was.

Despite Swift’s evolution, Chapelle noted that she remains true to herself. “There’s an innate DNA to Taylor’s style,” he explains. “When people read the book, you can see that.”

The cultural historian: Rob Sheffield

Sheffield was there from the beginning, captivated in 2007 when he first heard Swift’s single “Our Song.” For him, the song was both his “manifesto and a mission statement,” hinting at the seismic changes he would bring to music over the next two decades.

“There’s a long tradition of young pop stars singing songs that men have written for them,” Sheffield explained, arguing that Swift “forced the music industry to consider the young fan as the pilot of the entire starship.” of pop music.”

He continued: “For Taylor Swift, writing songs about her own life and presenting them in a way of ‘these are my feelings, but these are also your feelings,’ completely transformed pop music.”

Sheffield’s view of Swift is fully displayed in his upcoming book, Heartbreak is the national anthem, to be released on November 12, which examines how she continues to challenge expectations around women’s leadership in music.

An example of your challenge came in 2019, when talent manager Scooter Braun bought, and in 2020, sold Swift’s music catalog. In an effort to recapture her early work, Swift, who changed labels in 2018, released recordings of “Taylor’s Version” by Brave and Red in 2021, followed by Speak now and 1989 in 2023.

The Swifties embraced the re-recordings with unwavering loyalty—a testament, Sheffield said, to Swift’s commitment to integrating her life into her art.

“She wanted her story to be hers,” he said, “and she’s done that with these albums.”

Tour Reporter: Bryan West

When West became Taylor Swift’s first full-time reporter for USA Today and the Tennessean, a newspaper in the gannet chainhe saw it as an opportunity to reshape entertainment reporting. With more than 450 articles written since taking office, he has covered everything from the economic impact of the “Eras Tour” to Swift’s romance with NFL star Travis Kelce and even her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

“I have never followed football and thanks to her romance with Travis, I now understand football. “I get it,” West joked, noting how Swift’s influence has led him down unexpected paths.

“I never thought, for example, that I would cover the geopolitics of Southeast Asia,” he reflects, recalling how Singapore secured exclusivity for Swift’s “Eras Tour” in the region. In response, the Philippines announced plans to build a new stadium by 2028 to woo Swift.

Swift’s endorsement of Harris for president also caught him by surprise. “I had gone to a Meghan Trainor concert and was driving back when the news broke,” he recalled. “I had to stop and file (a story) in a gas station parking lot.”

Swift’s ability to make unpredictable moves is something West expected. Describing its influence as “monumental and global,” he believes its story is still unfolding.

“His legacy is still being written,” West said. “We still have eras to unearth. “We still have a story that I think we’ll see her do.”