Taylor Swift's 13th Grammy

Every so often, a talent so rare comes along that we can only stand back and marvel. Over the years, the world has been captivated by legendary artists like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and now, Taylor Swift.

If you think that's giving Swift too much credit, think again; in January, she reached 51 weeks atop the Billboard 200, tying her with Michael Jackson for fourth-most weeks at No.1, behind only The Beatles (132), Elvis (67), and Garth Brooks (52). Swift isn't your run-of-the-mill pop star. And tonight, she's poised to hit a long-awaited milestone: her 13th Grammy.

Swift currently sits at 10 Grammy awards. She's been nominated 41 times, including six nominations for tonight's show, one of which is the coveted Album of the Year. Written and recorded entirely in quarantine, her eighth studio album, folklore, was released to widespread acclaim and has been praised by critics as Swift's best album to date. I concur; this is an unprecedented achievement for her, and tonight, I hope she receives the recognition she deserves for this exquisite masterpiece.

Regardless of the outcome, Swift will surely remain one of music's most powerful figures. Her success can largely be attributed to what I call The Taylor Swift Formula, consisting of her exceptional music, lyrics, marketing, stage presence, and versatility. Here's a short breakdown of what that means.

MUSIC

Swift's music is formulaic. It follows the same pattern every time, and every time, it works. She creates hooks that get you hooked, beats that latch themselves to your brain, bridges to die for, and some edgy end-of-song vocals to seal every deal. She writes the music herself, sometimes churning out top hits in a matter of hours.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Swift hasn't skated by on autotune. She's got a great voice. Check out this live performance:

Taylor Swift can sing.

What's more, she's phenomenal at emoting. You can hear in her voice the sentiments conveyed through her lyrics. You can feel the malice in "I Did Something Bad," the loss in "marjorie," the romantic whimsy of "Lover." I can't explain it, but when she sings "runnin' like water" in "cardigan," her voice actually flows like water. She's like an actor delivering lines, and she does it flawlessly.

She creates sounds that are unique. If you want an example of what I'm talking about, check out "no body, no crime," the murder mystery hit off of her latest album, evermore.

At 3:20, we hear a sound from Swift that caught me completely off guard the first time around and was still grabbing my attention the hundredth time I heard it.

Listening to that felt like this:

I had never heard that sound come out of her before!

Swift is constantly finding new ways to use her voice. She delivered a heavenly chorus in "my tears ricochet," an airy refrain in "willow," and a subtle return to her old country twang in "Love Story (Taylor's Version)." When she couldn't find an instrument to make a noise she wanted for "I Did Something Bad," they took her voice and pitched it down, creating an intriguing "ratatatat" effect that quite literally exists nowhere else in music.

And some over her vocals can only be recreated by livestock.

LYRICS

I've said it for years—lyrically, Taylor Swift is the female Eminem. When it comes to the articulation of human emotion, these two are in a category all their own.

In the early 2000s, Marshall Mathers used ground-breaking lyricism to express the rage and pain of a fed-up generation. He didn't just say "I am mad"; he developed powerful narratives that resonated with people, making him the best-selling artist of that decade.

Same thing with Swift. She gives voice to the female experience in a way that's memorable, unique, and universally relatable. With the development of her most recent albums, now, more than ever before, Swift has mastered the art of storytelling. Like the Rap God before her, she creates characters and storylines with elaborate plots and unexpected twists. The end of "no body, no crime" gave me the same kind of jump shock that "Stan" did all those years ago.

Swift's lyrics are meaningful, clever, and thought-provoking. They'll hype you up, make you chuckle, reduce you to tears, and send you spiraling into an existential crisis. They make you feel seen, heard, understood, and represented. She tackles a wide range of issues, from political activism and abusive relationships to personal growth and the magic of a happily ever after.

Like the real Slim Shady, Swift is a master of wordplay and puns. Not only that, but her rhyme schemes are well-developed and impressively delivered. Instead of simply linking a couple syllables together at the end of each line, she follows a more hip-hop-esque approach, frequently rhyming entire phrases and sentences. Her lyrics are brilliant, and they're only getting better.

Oh, and she actually performs Eminem songs.

MARKETING

Swift is a marketing genius.

For an example, let's take a brief look at the number 13.

13 holds special significance for Swift. As she explained to MTV in 2009, "I was born on the 13th [of December]. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first #1 song had a 13-second intro. Every time I've won an award I've been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter."

She used to write the number on her hand before concerts for good luck, and it's also a part of her Twitter handle (@taylorswift13).

"Basically," she said, "whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it's a good thing."

Swift is currently 31 years old (look alive, people, that's 13 backwards!), and she continues to incorporate the number into her brand.

On February 11 (2 + 11 = 13), in what was her 490th post on Instagram (4 + 9 + 0 = 13), Swift encoded in a message to fans that her upcoming album Fearless (Taylor's Version) would be released on April 9th (4 + 9 = 13). Fearless was first released in 2008, which was—you guessed it—13 years ago.

Swift is constantly inserting Easter eggs into her content, each time fueling elaborate theories, insane conspiracies, and worldwide fan frenzy. Everything she says and does is closely analyzed by her followers; she knows this and actively engages with it, leaving cryptic clues for these dedicated supersleuths and inviting onlookers to join in the fun. Taylor Swift's music is like an interactive theme park, and the ticket is money well spent.

(If you'd like to see what an actual Swift-themed theme park might look like, check out this concept art designed by one of her fans:)

And then you get into Swift's products.

Looking at the folklore merchandise, for instance, you'll see that there are eight vinyl album options. Each version has a different sleeve, comes in a different color, and contains different photos and artwork.

So people will buy all eight versions just to own the whole set.

It's the exact same album, just different artwork. In the past, she's stuck different pages of her old diaries in them, giving fans additional incentive to collect every version.

Swift is selling an experience. A masterfully planned, brilliantly executed, ever-evolving fan experience. She's sure of her product, and she knows that people want more of it. The woman is a money-making machine.

(And yes, a signed copy of folklore was hands-down one of the greatest purchases of my life.)

STAGE PRESENCE

Taylor Swift is a born performer.

Watching her move onstage is like watching Michael Jackson moonwalk or Elvis swing his hips. She is completely in her element, possessing the confidence and showmanship of a woman who was born to entertain. She has a charisma, a theatre, a persona that is absolutely spellbinding.

Watch this from start to finish and tell me you weren't drawn in.

And she knows how to engage her audience.

I've attended one of her concerts (the Indianapolis stop on her Reputation Stadium Tour), and upon entry to the venue, every audience member was given a light-up bracelet. Throughout the show, our lights coordinated with the music to follow beats and make colorful patterns, creating an interactive experience in which the audience became passive participants in our own entertainment.

At some point during the show, Swift explained the rationale behind this technology: she wanted to be able to see all of us. As someone who liked T-Swift but wasn't particularly invested in her at the time, I had just about as far back seats as I could possibly get. But she was right—when those lights came on, you could see every person in that sold-out stadium.

That's stuck with me. In that moment, I felt seen by an internationally-renowned pop star with over 100 million followers, in a packed stadium full of tens of thousands of screaming fans. She had put every one of us on an equal footing, each as visible to her as the lucky few who held front-row seats. She made the poorest of her fans feel just as important as the wealthiest, and that's no small thing.

VERSATILITY

With the release of her latest albums, the conversation around Swift has shifted to her surprising (and incredibly successful) switch to indie-folk, begging the question: is there any kind of music Swift can't do?

Swift's discography is split up into "eras." Generally speaking, each era consists of a single album, right up until her last two, folklore and evermore, which are "sister records." Each of these eras reflect different stages of her life and thus evoke different emotions, channel different energies, and explore different life experiences.

Over the course of her career, Swift has transitioned from her country roots to pop to indie, with a little bit of everything else in between. She's completely adaptable, and thus far, she has excelled at everything she's attempted. Her willingness to branch out into new territory is risky, gutsy, and consistently rewarding. Time and again, she has demonstrated unparalleled range, made possible by what can only be described as pure, unbridled talent and an exemplary work ethic.

Swift is a once-in-a-generation artist, and it's thrilling to watch her discover herself, explore new sounds, and receive the recognition she so very much deserves.

Here's to Taylor Swift's 13th Grammy.