‘Swiftologist’ Annelot researches Taylor Swift and hosts a podcast about her

Politically more accessible

One of the conclusions that Prins has drawn from her research is that celebrities make discussing political topics more accessible to their fans. “Yet you notice that most celebrities come to the same conclusions. Their positions are easy and one-sided. What it often comes down to is that if you work hard, you can beat the ‘system’. And that women win in this world if they are good at their work and become rich on their own.” Generic or not, the topic is at least put on the table and that is a victory.

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Whether it’s Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ke$ha, The Spice Girls, Lizzo or Madonna, Prins is very interested in stardom. She started working on this after studying American Cultural Studies. Why did she choose that course of study? “I often see an American mindset in the Netherlands. Although in the United States they are a lot more intense and extreme. I started to wonder more and more how one country could have so much power over the world. Not only politically or economically, but also when you look at their stars. They are taken very seriously worldwide. And you can question that.”

Certain stars are only known among young people, but Prins says that Taylor Swift has outgrown that box. “If my father suddenly starts talking about her, then something is really going on. Enough reason to dive in.”

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Power of celebrity

Although celebrities in general fascinate Prins, she focuses her studies mainly on celebs who achieve superstar status. “I want to know what the biggest stars are doing, because that’s what most people see.” Although she is regularly asked whether she is ‘just a fan’ and why her research is relevant. “There are so many layers to stardom. Famous people have to meet certain expectations, we reward and punish everything they do and say. My research may focus on celebrities, but the results actually say more about ourselves.”

She notices that the ‘institution of celebrity’ is changing. “Every day I wake up and I’m glad I’m not Taylor Swift. What Taylor is doing, at the height she is now, other people can never catch up. Everyone in the world has some idea of ​​who she is. The question remains whether they are correct. The singer can never go back to being a ‘normal’ person. There will always be people watching her every step. It seems terribly lonely and sad.”

Being a pop star used to be straightforward. “People wanted to listen to your music and if there was a photo of the artist on the LP, it sold more. If you look at how things are going now, it is very different. Social media gives fans the feeling that they are very close to their idols.”

Fandom

Prins finds Swifties at least as fascinating as the star himself. “They are her unpaid PR machine. Every step taken by the singer is shared and analyzed on countless platforms. It’s terrifying, fascinating, special.”

She wouldn’t call herself a fan. “As a researcher in the humanities you try to unite love and criticism. I don’t think the most devoted fans are waiting for me: for them a certain star is something that gives them pure joy. For me it is important to look more critically. In an ideal world you are allowed to like something or someone and say when you do not like certain actions. But in today’s online culture, that nuance is becoming increasingly complicated.”

A fact that Machine Gun Kelly recently confirmed in an episode of Hot Ones Versus. The artist was asked to name “three mean things about Taylor Swift.” His answer? “You have to be crazy to think I want to get into trouble with those fans.”

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Prins also calls the fact that the star has so many fans a beautiful thing. “These are people who care a lot about something. That’s usually a positive thing. I personally don’t want to be part of Taylor’s PR machine, she already has enough people who have voluntarily joined it. And as a researcher I want to be able to look at fans with leniency. They also keep me on my toes, because they do what I was trained to do on the internet for fun; perform analyzes on everything related to the star.”

Taylor’s Era podcast

Prins recently started making the podcast together with fellow Swift expert Sophie Rutenfrans Taylor’s Era. Every week the two discuss everything about the biggest pop star in the world. Think The Eras Tour news, gossip and rumors and experiences from fellow Swifties. For Prins, a podcast is an addition to her ongoing research. “Look at how many people read a dissertation or book. This keeps the research so inaccessible. With the podcast I want to build a bridge to people who are really interested in this kind of information; the people who love Taylor Swift, but also the people who want to better understand the hype surrounding the singer.”

The interesting thing about the podcast is that it is not just full of praise for the star. “Sophie and I have disagreements all the time about topics regarding Taylor, and you hear that again. The podcast is a place to have our say and get people thinking about certain Taylor-related topics in a different way.”

Prins cannot say with certainty whether a Sabrina Carpenter or Beyoncé podcast will be launched in the future. “I always have a thousand ideas about what else we could do. And who or what we can talk about. Right now it’s about Taylor. After all, she is the biggest and richest star of the moment. She deserves attention, but we are happy to add a critical note if we feel it is necessary. But who knows, maybe in a year we will be talking about someone else.”

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