By Kaya Patel ‘22, Arts & Entertainment Writer

Maintaining a strong fan base throughout an entire decade is no easy task, but Taylor Swift makes it look easy, dominating the pop world and breaking records with each album she releases. With the release of her beloved album Speak Now kicking off the decade and Lover ending it, Taylor Swift made a transition from a young country singer to one of the most successful pop stars of all time in a span of ten years. Her influence in the pop genre has made her a worthy receiver of the American Music Awards’ Artist of the Decade Award. 

At this year’s AMAs, Swift performed several of her famous hits that represented her growth as an artist in the past ten years. Starting with “The Man” and ending with “Lover,” two songs from her new album, Swift demonstrated her diverse range of music and a sum of her experiences throughout the decade. In addition to winning Artist of the Decade, Taylor Swift took home five other awards, giving her a career total of 29 AMA awards, surpassing the record held by Michael Jackson. But what does it mean to be Artist of the Decade? Unlike the Grammys, the AMAs are chosen by fans and nominations are based off of factors such as streaming, touring, and overall success rather than a panel of judges. Some of the most famous artists like Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Britney Spears have all won the award in the past. Therefore, with this award, Taylor Swift’s name was added to a list of legends in the music world.

Not only has Swift broken records at the American Music Awards in the past ten years, but she currently holds the highest number of Billboard Music Awards for a female artist and second overall. Forbes also claims that she is currently the highest paid artist in the world. It’s undeniable that Swift was the most successful artist of the decade, but what makes her the global icon she’s become? 

While many people know her as a drama queen who writes about her exes or the girl that Kanye West stole the stage from, it’s Swift’s fans that truly define her success as an artist, which she highlighted in her speech after receiving the award. Swift said, “All that matters to me is the memories that I have had with you guys, with you the fans, over the years.” Despite all the drama and hate she received throughout the decade, Taylor Swift’s fans allowed her to become the influential artist and household name that she is. 

Taylor Swift started her performance at the AMAs with her song, “The Man,” where she reflects upon how she would be treated with more respect in the industry as a man. Her choice to start the performance with this song shows that while it is harder to be a woman in the music industry, she achieved all of this success without those privileges and took control of her career. As a strong female artist, her ability to just “Shake It Off” when other celebrities and companies attack her makes her a great role model for young girls, who make up a large percentage of her fan base. 

In addition to having a large fan base and social media presence, Taylor Swift is one of the few artists who continue to write all of her music herself. Something truly unique about her music is that, with each album, she changes her style based on her experiences and the highs and lows of her life. Taylor Swift’s clean music is something that fans of all ages can connect with, and the variety within her music allows people to both jam out to her catchy bops and relate to her struggles with some of her more profound music. With every new album, she continued to evolve with the decade, making it easy to sustain her success from 2006 to the present. So, while Taylor Swift may not have been your favorite artist of the decade, it’s clear that there is no better representation of popular music in the 2010s.