This glittering pop deity yanks you into her world with both hands

To understand the colossal talents of Taylor Swift, flash back to where it all began: “Tim McGraw”, the then-16-year-old's ode to her high school sweetheart. Plaintive, melodic, dense with rich imagery—the song, like the countless others she's released since, is a view right into Swift's soul. That is her gift: From the jaunty, melodic country of “Love Story” to the towering, hip-hop-infused pop of “Bad Blood” to her stellar 2019 duet with Brendon Urie “ME!”, Swift yanks you into her world with both hands, capturing the pain of a soured relationship or the triumph of moving to the big city with unbridled enthusiasm. And when she makes bold creative transformations, like declaring herself dead on “Look What You Made Me Do”, she does so with conviction and an acknowledgement that even though she's only human, she’s the one in control.