Toronto is enchanted by Taylor Swift. Here's why the pop star is so beloved, according to a Harvard prof who taught a class about her
CTV
Toronto seems to be utterly enchanted by Taylor Swift with fans starting to make their way to one of her six sold-out shows this month.
Toronto seems to be utterly enchanted by Taylor Swift with fans starting to make their way to one of her six sold-out shows this month.
The city is swiftly showing its love for the Grammy-award winning singer – changing street signs in her honour, limiting construction, and increasing transit service to pave the way for the droves of Swifties who will be making their way to the Rogers Centre over the next two weeks.
A slew of events will also be popping up throughout the city that pay homage to the "Blank Space" singer (including a pre-show "Taylgate").
Toronto has not given nearly the same treatment to any other musician before, so why does this Pennsylvania-born singer command so much attention?
Stephanie Burt, an English professor at Harvard University who taught an entire course on Taylor Swift and her world, would not call the singer's appeal universal – as she says practically nothing about the human experience is. But she posits many care for Swift due to her ability to connect with her audience through her music.
"She's extremely good at the technical aspects of song-writing. She just has the ability to create a lot of melodies, and a lot of song structures, and a lot of phrases that people really enjoy hearing over and over, and remembering and repeating and singing along with," Burt told CTV News Toronto.
"She has retained that ability over 11 albums, which is quite unusual without repeating herself."
