By John Tan 

Taylor Swift, a name that has been talked, searched and tweeted about, is taking a break from the music industry after selling 40 million albums and 130 million single downloads worldwide.  “I think I should take some time off. I think people might need a break from me. I’m going to..I don’t know. Hang out with my friends. Write new music. Maybe not write new music. I don’t know” Taylor quoted saying in her interview with NME. This comes as a shocker especially to ‘Swifties’ like me especially since we have watched her every move and listened to her every song on the radio ever since she came into the scene after Love Story was released in 2008.

Although it’s not fun for me, I fully support her decision. Not only this break is well deserved, but she also needs the time off for herself to avoid having a public meltdown. This is no strange topic in the music industry as it is not the first time it has happened. Iconic singers like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, have had a public meltdown due to the huge amount of pressure they had on their shoulders. It is observed that the stars are treated more like products than as humans.  They constantly face destructive public criticisms just because people feel like it and worse, to make money out of it. Taylor Swift is no exception to this. Many cruel rumors were made about her testing her limits. Keyboard warriors are merciless with their hateful comments about her online. Although, she is able to shake it off with songs her songwriting can only do so much. Therefore, taking a break from the scene will definitely lift some pressure off her shoulders.

Besides that with the time off,  she is able to spend time with her loved ones especially with her mother. Her mother (Andrea Swift) was diagnosed with cancer recently and it is important for her to be there for her mother. Taylor can help her mother to fight this disease. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer patients are able to fight cancer with love and moral support. Yes, positivity may not be able to cure cancer but it is capable to make a difference.

                                    Taylor Swift at Rolling Stone photo shoot

Good things take time. Since she released ‘1989’ in 2014, she has broke records worldwide and successfully made her transition from a country singer into a pop superstar. Her album ‘1989’ scored three No.1 hits on the Hot 100 in Billboard and sold 1.2 million within its first week making her the only artist to have sold three albums more than a million within its first week. So with the time off, she will be able to come up with not just new music but good music to make an amazing breaking album.

More importantly, I support her decision because she needs a break from the media’s spotlight. The media focuses more on her personal life rather than her music. For instance, when she released ‘1989’ and instead of appreciating the art in her music, the media chose to immediately speculate on who the subjects of the songs which leads to me to my next point. The media has this unhealthy tendency to compare one female artist with another successful female artist hoping to spark a feud between them. For example, when Adele released her album ‘25’ that broke Taylor’s record sales, the media immediately started pitching her against Taylor Swift by comparing their album sales. It is not fair to compare them both and in fact, it’s not fair to compare any singers because they are all different and unique in their ways.

With all that said, Taylor go get your break. You certainly deserve it.

Pictures taken from http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/2014/media/167601/_original/1035x703-20140908_taylor2_x548.jpg

References

1.  1.    Cancer.org,. 'Attitudes And Cancer'. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

2.    2.  Ifpi.org,. 'Taylor Swift Named IFPI Global Recording Artist Of 2014'. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

3.    3.  Stutz, Colin. 'Taylor Swift Says She's Taking Time Off After 1989 Tour: 'I Think People Might Need A Break From Me''. Billboard. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.