Saturday, March 30, 2013

News : Taylor Swift Is Hating On Hipsters But Will It Only Make Them Love Her More?

News : Taylor Swift Is Hating On Hipsters But Will It Only Make Them Love Her More?

No matter the genre, hatred is the key to great, heartfelt songwriting. Just look at these offensively generalised facts: UK indie bands hate the Tories, rappers hate the police, emo bands hate their dads, and Taylor Swift – a genre all of her own – hates hipsters.

So when Swift's recent single 22 arrived, the internet was abuzz with the video's unabashed hipster-baiting. Its opening line "It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters" was fully realised, with Swift in mocking lens-less black frame glasses and a slogan tee, all framed in an Instagram-like hue. The singer's dislike of edgy elitists was exposed for all to see.

Sadly for Taz, hipsters don't reciprocate this vitriol. The pretentious flock to Swift's music like a mothy David Cameron to a Smiths-shaped flame. Just this month, Minneapolis's avant-dance act Elite Gymnastics uploaded a mashed-up cover of Swift's Ours to his Tumblr, a gift for his girlfriend Grimes's birthday. That whole scenario couldn't get more hipster if you died its hair green and made it into a gif.

So why have 2013's hipsters chosen to adopt Swift as their official mascot? Why Taylor? Why not Conor Maynard? Why not Rita Ora? Why not the pink-haired one from Little Mix?

One reason why Taylor is so hip right now is that she is fundamentally a dork. Alongside her ever so slightly prominent teeth (facial quirk, tick), she spent her teens as a vastly successful country singer (niche musical past, tick), and writes songs really well (gifted, tick). She's also something of an outsider and doesn't particularly "belong" to any music scene (double tick, smiley face in gold pen).

Hipsters now wear their love of mainstream pop as a badge of honour. If you're listening to Taylor Swift, you're probably tweeting about listening to Taylor Swift. You can appreciate Kendrick Lamar, Death Grips and Taylor? Then of course your tastes are smart and eclectic. Additionally, tech-savvy hipsters claim their love for Swift comes via the immaculate pop production on her recent album Red, accredited largely to Max Martin. He's the Swedish writer-producer responsible for Britney's …Baby One More Time, and is the reason why on any night of the week you'll find a bearded part-time DJ in an east London pub muttering something along the lines of, "The production on Swift's tracks is probably on a par with anything J Dilla ever touched."

Taylor's hipster-mocking isn't working. In fact, it's only making them more determined to lasso her into their world instead. So she has two options: either fully surrender to those tattoo-adorned bastards; or, if she's really determined to push them away, add a few more Ed Sheeran collaborations on to the next album. Hipsters aren't ready for post-acoustic irony. Yet.


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