'Whether you like Taylor is inconsequential at this point': We find out what the Swift juggernaut is

But, why exactly?

To find out the Central Western Daily went to marketing extraordinaire and genuine Taylor Swift expert, Emily Mann of Orange-based marketing firm Mann Power.

Ms Mann believes Taylor Swift is the cultural icon of this moment, Her numerous awards and huge fan base are evidence of this belief.

"You don't have to like Taylor's music, enjoy Taylor's music, like pop music, like her personally, to acknowledge or respect the creative talent and the business acumen and marketing sense that is the juggernaut, Taylor Swift. I don't have to be the world's biggest Beatles fan to understand what they did for the industry as a cultural phenomenon," she said.

"Whether you like Taylor or her music or like her personally is inconsequential at this point, she is the artist of our generation. I think it's pretty undeniable. I put her in the same category as the Beatles, Rolling Stone, Madonna, Elvis Presley all of those people."

But Ms Mann does like Taylor Swift. In-fact, she's going to two of her Eras tour shows when Swift gets to Australia next month.

With her marketing experience, Ms Mann is at a unique vantage point, one of a cross-section of people who can have an educated appreciation of Swift's marketing machine and a strong adoration (read: love) for Swift's music.

"The juggernaut truly rests on the fanbase. Swifties (collective noun) are a beast all their own - Taylor's fans continue to perpetuate the mythology around her even without her needing to 'do' anything," she said.

"Although, the beauty of Taylor is that she is the master of her own circus. She has perfected the art of bread-crumbing her fan base and orchestrates every public appearance, every outfit, every cryptic social media post and touchpoint of 'brand Taylor' and in doing so has masterminded a plan and narrative that some fans speculate is at least 4 or 5 years in the making.

"There are innumerable fan sites, blogs, social media accounts and online communities dedicated to following her every move, trying to decode clues (called 'Easter Eggs') and predicting (aka 'Clowning') appearances, new songs or album announcements, and who continue to uphold the fever-pitch hysteria that surrounds Taylor Swift and her every move."

Although the marketing machine is impressive, the music is at the crux of Swift's success.

"She has an incredible talent for story telling and for penning lyrics that are specifically coded to her and her experiences, whilst also describing universal truths about the world," Ms Mann said.

"There's a Taylor Swift song for every big heartbreak or life experience and her music has provided the soundtrack to their lives, it's a huge cliché, but they've grown up wit her. I'd go as far as to say a poet laurate of sorts for our generation."

Swift is renowned for her ability to write songs spanning multiple genres of music, earning her fans around the globe.

"From her roots as a country singer to her transition into a fully-fledged pop-start, a detour into Indie-Folk and her latest release Midnights landing somewhere in the Indie-pop/Alternative space...she's not only done it, but she's done it really, really well- to both commercial and critical acclaim," Ms Mann said.

"She was Spotify's 2023 Top Global Artist, clocking an incredible 26.1 billion streams in 2023, for perspective, that's equivalent to every single person in Australia listening to three of her songs every day for a year."

Whether you're on board the Taylor Swift train or not, we are witnessing history in the making when the popstar touches down in Australia in February.