Among Taylor Swift songs that blew up again, “Only The Young” saw a 160% spike overnight. Its last big peak was back in 2022.
SUMMARY
After Donald Trump won the presidential election, Taylor Swift’s songs saw a big spike in streams.
Most of the tracks that stood out are about politics, female empowerment, social criticism, and critiques of male privilege.
Trump’s feud with Swift isn’t new, and it’s been playing out on social media since 2018.
In the past, Taylor Swift wasn’t really the type to speak out about politics. In fact, people kind of noticed that she never really brought it up, especially as she was on her way to becoming one of the most listened-to artists in the world. With the huge influence she had, it almost made sense for her to start speaking out.
Taylor Swift in the official music video for ‘Anti-Hero’ (Credits: Youtube)It took a while, but Swift eventually got vocal about it, and she really opened up in her 2020 documentary Miss Americana. She spoke out against Donald Trump’s candidacy before, and the same thing happened this year. When he won the race and became president again, Swift’s songs saw a huge surge in streams. Why?
Taylor Swift’s Song Sees Massive Surge In Streaming After Donald Trump’s U.S. Presidential Win
Taylor Swift in the official music video for ‘…Ready for It?’ (Credits: Youtube)
Swift stands out for her songwriting, especially when she tackles not just romance but also topics like empowerment and social issues. This is exactly why politics was shaken during and even after the presidential election race.
On November 6, Donald Trump won, but Swift’s songs saw a huge spike in streams. A lot of her music started getting more attention, but one song in particular really took off — “Only The Young.” (via Newsweek)
The song was first played in the documentary Miss Americana, which gave a behind-the-scenes look at Swift’s life and her political views, especially regarding the 2018 US Senate and House of Representatives vote. Since then, the track has been seen by many fans and critics as a political anthem.
On Spotify, “Only The Young” saw a nearly 160% increase in streams after November 6th, with its last peak back in 2022. Other tracks like “The Man,” a feminist anthem that critiques male privilege, also saw a spike in streams. Songs like “Mad Woman,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” and “I Hate It Here” were other examples.
However, when it comes to Trump, it seems that the recognition of Swift’s worldwide success and the influence she has on many voters — especially the younger generation — bothers him so much that he publicly insults her for free.
How Donald Trump’s Feud With Taylor Swift Began Exactly?
Donald Trump – Credits: Gage Skidmore/CCA 2.0 (Credits: Wikimedia Commons)
Miss Americana showed the public, for the first time, what Swift really thought about her country’s politics. Back in 2016, during the election that saw Trump win the presidency for the first time, she stayed quiet, even though many people were eagerly waiting for her to speak out.
In the documentary, Swift expressed regret for not speaking out that year, as she realized her influence as a major artist could have helped Hillary Clinton win. After that, she started using her platform to do that, beginning with an Instagram post in 2018. Trump quickly responded by telling reporters that he liked her music 25% less. (via Toronto Star)
In 2020, with the situation of George Floyd’s death, the president made a comment inciting violence, to which Swift hit back, mentioning that he would step down in future elections. Since then, she has opposed all of Trump’s actions, which many others have also criticized, such as the “calculated dismantling” of the US Postal Service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The singer later expressed her support for Joe Biden, and with Trump out of power, there was no immediate need for social media interactions between the two. However, this year, Trump quickly suggested that the singer would support him in the upcoming election, claiming that Biden had done nothing for her over the past years.
When Trump signed the Music Modernization Act, he claimed that Swift wouldn’t oppose his candidacy, suggesting that he “made her so much money.” This was his attempt to win her over, even going as far as praising her in interviews and sharing fake images of Swifties wearing T-shirts in support of him.
In September, Swift announced her support for Kamala Harris, which was enough to upset him, who expressed his hate for the artist. The artist stated that Harris “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
