Exploring Taylor Swift’s Biggest Musical Influences

Even the biggest artists in the world are inspired by someone. In the case of Taylor Swift (who is undisputedly the biggest artist in the world this year), she hasn’t been shy about singing her favorite artists’ praises. Explore some of her biggest inspirations and how their influence manifests in Swift’s career, below.

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1. Joni Mitchell

Swift has long praised Joni Mitchell for her songwriting—her and everybody else. She once credited Blue as being one of her favorite albums: “It explores somebody’s soul so deeply.” While she’s explicitly revealed her love for the folk icon, we could guess that Swift is inspired by Mitchell even if she never mentioned her at all.

There’s an obvious connection between two female songwriters who routinely write deeply introspective, searing lyrics. There’s Swift’s Red, which the title holds a resemblance to one of her favorite albums. Then there’s Swift’s ability to reinvent herself, which Mitchell is no stranger to either.

2. Fall Out Boy

Though you wouldn’t make a natural connection to them, Swift has credited Fall Out Boy as one of her biggest lyrical inspirations. In her Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) announcement on Instagram, Swift referenced the punk-pop band (whom she collaborated with on the album) saying, “I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time.”

Speak Now is a touch more punky than the rest of her releases, so that is one tether from FOB to Swift. Elsewhere, we can point to Swift’s impassioned, candid, at times icy, lyricism. Though she leans more toward pop or country tones, there is a punk spirit inside Swift that is begging to be let out.

3. Shania Twain

Swift gets praised for her leap from country to pop, but we have to give props to the woman who did it first, Shania Twain. Swift has surely given the icon her fair share of praise. In a 2021 TikTok, Swift referenced following in Twain’s footsteps. The caption on the video read, “Country girls can’t go pop,” followed by a song that featured the lyrics Mama said that it was okay and a selection of Twain pictures.

We can’t help but see elements of Twain’s career in Swift’s. The sonic leap from Red to 1989 is stark, but she likely couldn’t have pulled off her transition into pop as seamlessly if Twain hadn’t paved the way.

4. Paul McCartney

In 2019, Swift named Paul McCartney as one of her biggest musical inspirations. During her chat with Time for her inclusion on their list of 100 most influential people (which now pales in comparison to her Person of the Year laud), Swift gave props to the former Beatle for his “unparalleled art.”

“I look at Paul McCartney and I see how he’s had just this amazing career,” she explained at the time. “He’s created just unparalleled art and probably been faced with more pressure than most people. He’s always been known to be kind to people, respectful, and also really selfless as a performer.”

It’s a directive Swift has taken in her career. If you swapped out McCartney’s name in the quote above, it could ostensibly be about Swift, who is known as both a determined performer and a kind, respectful star.

Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage