Additional Coverage:
- Taylor Swift knows people want her to ‘go away’ and ‘give someone else a turn’ — she just doesn’t want to (businessinsider.com)
Taylor Swift to Critics: “I Don’t Want To Go Away”
In a recent appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” pop superstar Taylor Swift addressed her career longevity and unwavering presence in the public eye, pushing back against those who suggest she should “go away.”
Ahead of the premiere of her Disney+ docuseries, “The End of an Era,” Swift discussed her myriad achievements and ongoing success. When asked about her mentors, she cited rock legend Stevie Nicks and acclaimed pop producer Max Martin, emphasizing her admiration for sustained careers and relationships.
“What I look up to the most in people is career longevity – career longevity, friendship longevity, longevity in their relationships, you know? How do you keep a good thing going?”
Swift stated. She acknowledged a societal divide on the matter, noting, “There are certain corners of our society that really love that and look up to longevity…
There are also corners that are like, ‘Give someone else a turn! Can’t you just go away so we can talk about how good you were?’
And I’m like, ‘I don’t want to.'”
Swift has frequently faced accusations of overexposure, particularly in recent years. Her expansive, 149-show Eras Tour, which concluded in December 2024, garnered immense media attention and consistently dominated social media. The New Yorker even declared that Swift had achieved “complete domination over popular culture.”
The release of her album “The Tortured Poets Department” mid-tour also drew criticism, with some fans and critics deeming it excessively long and self-indulgent. Its 17-week reign atop the Billboard 200 sparked complaints from fans of other artists, who alleged Swift was hindering her peers, including Billie Eilish and Charli XCX, from reaching the chart’s pinnacle.
Her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has been met with similar reactions. Spencer Kornhaber, in his review for The Atlantic, described “Showgirl” as “the sound of an overworked and overexposed entertainer reaching the mountaintop to find something worse than disappointment: burnout.” Swift’s prolific output and marketing strategies have been characterized by some as shameless and excessive.
Despite these criticisms, Swift shows no signs of retreating from the spotlight. The first two episodes of “The End of an Era” are set to stream this Friday, accompanied by an extended version of her Eras Tour concert film, which will include new segments featuring songs from “The Tortured Poets Department.” The remaining four episodes of the docuseries will be released in pairs over the following two weeks.
During her interview with Colbert, Swift lightheartedly described herself as “passionate” and “hyperactive” rather than a “workaholic.” She explained, “When I take time off, it’s always just like, I can’t slow down the fact that I need to get up and do a lot of things today.
But I can change what those things are… I can figure out how to chill out, but I’m never gonna be a chill person.”