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Today in Focus

From boom to backlash: has Taylor Swift lost her touch?

Today in Focus

The Guardian

News, Daily News

4.65.9K Ratings

🗓️ 10 October 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

She’s a global pop star who appears relatable even as her tours alter a country’s economy. But her new album has sparked surprisingly fierce criticism. Alexis Petridis and Laura Snapes explain.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:09.0

Today, has Taylor Swift lost her touch?

0:23.6

Debbie was in a bit of a pickle. A Crisp and Gurkin sandwiches just weren't selling.

0:27.6

Until she had the good idea to use Canva to design her logo, menus and social posts.

0:34.6

They looked good. really, really good.

0:40.5

Turns out Crisp and Gurkin's sandwiches are right up everyone's street.

0:45.0

Even if that street now smells of pickles.

0:48.2

Thanks, Canber.

1:00.1

She is, by any measure, the biggest pop star in the world.

1:02.1

And she doesn't miss a trick.

1:05.2

I'd previously met her at Meet and Greet when I had long hair.

1:08.2

And then when I went and met her prior to doing this interview, I had a bob.

1:10.5

And the first thing she said to me was, oh my God, you've had your haircut.

1:14.2

And there's no way she remembers that, but that photo exists on file somewhere.

1:20.3

As Laura Snape's The Guardian's Deputy Music Editor can tell you, Taylor Swift's thing is all about being your relatable BFF, while building an empire like no artist before her.

1:26.8

I would describe her as presidential and goofy.

1:29.8

She's very easy to talk to, you know, you can talk to her about Sally Rooney novels

1:33.3

while she's knocking back a large glass of white wine.

1:36.2

She is an absolute machine, a one-woman industry who has repeatedly broken album sales

1:42.2

and streaming records on every new release

1:44.6

and whose era's live tour boosted the UK economy by one billion pounds.

1:50.3

And so when she released the life of a showgirl a week ago, the hype was intense.

...

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