BY BRYANA CIELO
Features Editor
Ever since I was 9-years-old, I have been a huge fan of Taylor Swift. I remember sitting in my room, listening to her self-titled debut album, and being able to relate to every word she wrote about growing up. “Our Song” told the story of the relationship that I looked forward to having one day. “Should’ve Said No” was Taylor’s way of telling the story of my father’s affair, which I was dealing with at the time.
The same went for the rest of her albums. Fearless and Speak Now were with me through my early teens, when I was trying to navigate middle and high school. I could relate to every word from my first crush to fights with friends. Red came along right around the time when I went through my first real breakup, and it was everything I never knew I needed. The relationship had been with an older boy who was named Jon. I cried to Taylor’s song “Dear John” for months. It was like it was meant for me. I had never felt more connected to someone. Her words made me feel so much less alone.
The album 1989 was my soundtrack for navigating high school and the transition to college. In it, Taylor writes about love and heartbreak and all the things in between. Reputation came at a time of transition for me. I had been going through a long period of change in my life, and I wanted to rebuild my identity. Reputation is the story of Taylor rebuilding hers and finally deciding who she is. At every point growing up, she has had words for me. Her stories made me want to share mine and are a huge part of the reason why I became a writer.
A few years ago, I was an avid Spotify user. I had the app downloaded on my phone and MacBook. It was all well and good until in late 2014, Taylor took her music off of Spotify. My blind loyalty caused me to immediately switch to Apple Music. Ever since then, I have loved Apple Music and haven’t gone back to using Spotify.
I have enjoyed using it because it enables me to combine the music library I already have and any new music that I’m interested in. That way, all the music I purchased before is already there. Spotify’s advertisements are pretty annoying and distracting when it comes to listening to music. Also, when I did use Spotify, the application on my MacBook slowed it down so much that I had to take it to the Factory. When I got there, they asked me if I used the application, and when I said no, they immediately deleted it from my computer. It was working so much more quickly after that!
I never dared to download it again. Apple Music has great radios to choose from and I am able to check the top charts each week when I am looking for new music. I really love how Apple Music connects to my Apple Watch, so I can control what’s playing right from my wrist. I also enjoy having the opportunity to watch music videos, TV, and movies on iTunes. From what I remember, Spotify does not offer those options. Apple Music gives you the opportunity to download your music to listen offline, which is super helpful during long drives. I may have only switched to Apple Music because of Taylor Swift, but I love it now and have no intention of going back!
