The simplest answer to the question “what makes an era?” is: …an album. An album cycle makes an era. But is that the whole truth? In today’s special episode, Justice - your TayIntern - guest-hosts to walk us through each intricate detail that characterizes a musical era. Join Justice, Olivia, & Dani as we cap off The Eras Tour with a lesson on the art, marketing, and groupings of all of Taylor Swift’s iconic eras that have defined her career thus far.

In October of 2011, lifelong Swiftie and Journalism student Sarah Chapelle decided to combine her passions to create the blog “Taylor Swift Style.” This blog has since amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, all of whom eagerly await for Sarah to post outfit details, prices, and even dupes of Taylor’s latest look every time she steps in front of a camera. Today, Dani & Olivia are joined by Sarah - now a New York Times best selling author - to discuss her new book, Taylor’s oxymoronic skill of marketing authenticity, and how music and fashion cannot be divorced when it comes to the iconography of a Taylor Swift Era!

With 14 Grammy Award wins and 58 nominations, it’s no secret that The Recording Academy is a fan of Taylor Swift- and she is a fan of theirs in return! But the perennial question remains: will Taylor succeed in this upcoming Grammy cycle? Today, your hosts do their best to put themselves in the shoes of a voting member of The Academy to make educated guesses about how things will shake out in each category Taylor is nominated for.

She hates it here, so she goes to secret gardens in her mind. The job of your hosts today is to find those secret gardens and take you along on the journey! In this installment of the fan fave ‘Mental Cages’ series, Olivia & Dani walk through TTPD’s “I Hate It Here”, a divisive and solemn track from ‘The Anthology’ half of the record. What does Taylor mean with the opening/closing lyric about a finance guy? What are the mid-sized city hopes and small town fears she is referencing? And what exactly was she trying to say with the controversial 1830s lyric? Tune in to find out!

Today, we revisit the “Fantasy Football” song draft miniseries to take on the most recent installment to the Taylorverse: ‘The Tortured Poets Department’! Dani is a shameful 1-3 in her song draft record, and Olivia is looking to pad her lead. Your hosts go back and forth to draft their strongest teams, but who will actually take the prize? Will Dani begin her redemption arc, or will Olivia skyrocket to 4-1? That, Taylisteners, is entirely up to you. Be sure to vote in the Spotify comments section and/or on our Instagram!

Throughout most of her long career, Taylor Swift was (in)famous for staying quiet politically. Some read this as apathy, some read it as calculating, and some went so far as to accuse her of being a secret alt-right icon. But in 2019, Taylor tore off the muzzle she had on herself and finally told the world her secret: she’s a Democrat. Her political affiliation and progressive ideology became a cornerstone of her ‘Lover’ era, and she has been open about her party alliance and voting habits ever since. However, it was a long time coming for her to emerge as ‘Miss Americana.’ The question much of the world has for Taylor is…why? In this episode, Olivia & Dani talk about the inextricable relationship between American politics and country music, the delicate dance between fame and politics, and how Taylor found her political voice over the span of twenty years.

Hey hey hey! When it comes to Eras Tour tickets, have you been gettin' down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world? Well, Catie & Marissa are here to help! In today’s special episode, Catie joins us to talk about the community she and Marissa have built that specializes in ticket reselling, scam spotting, and making a safe space in the Swiftie world online. Ticket scams can be found everywhere, but since their Facebook group’s inception in the Summer of 2023, there have been zero scams within their group of nearly 9,000 members (and counting!). Listen in to hear about how to spot ticket scams in this final Eras leg, how this group is about more than just tickets, and how you can join this thriving online community (and maybe get tickets of your own!).We’ll admit it: we were wrong. Well, kinda. In our initial ‘The Muses: Taylor Lautner’ episode from February of 2023, we made an assumption that Taylor Squared had fallen out of touch over the years and were no longer close. To our credit, that was true at the time. However, we couldn’t have predicted that in the following months, they’d reconnect and be closer than ever! In this episode, your hosts talk through everything that has happened between Taylor Swift & Taylor Lautner since we last chatted about them, and it’s more than you may think. Join us for this wholesome, happy episode as we revisit the ‘Muses: From the Vault’ subseries! And be sure to brush up on your homework and listen to the first installation of the Taylor Squared story HERE, because we pick up right where we left off.

Hey hey hey! When it comes to Eras Tour tickets, have you been gettin' down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world? Well, Catie & Marissa are here to help! In today’s special episode, Catie joins us to talk about the community she and Marissa have built that specializes in ticket reselling, scam spotting, and making a safe space in the Swiftie world online. Ticket scams can be found everywhere, but since their Facebook group’s inception in the Summer of 2023, there have been zero scams within their group of nearly 9,000 members (and counting!). Listen in to hear about how to spot ticket scams in this final Eras leg, how this group is about more than just tickets, and how you can join this thriving online community (and maybe get tickets of your own!).

To this day, the world wonders what happened between Taylor Swift and budding pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo in 2021. Olivia, who was experiencing a meteoric rise to fame with her debut album ‘Sour’, had also publicly branded herself a lifelong Swiftie with the receipts to back her claim up. She was even called the “original Taydaughter” on the internet! So what occurred between them that made their public friendship suddenly dry up? Some people believe Taylor sued for royalties. Some people believe Olivia wanted to make a name for herself absent of Taylor. In this hot button episode, your hosts go through their hours of research so you can make your own determination about what went down between the megastars.

Nine years to the day after the release of ‘1989’, Taylor released it again with her Taylor’s Version of the Pop Bible! The key difference, of course, is that when Taylor opted to drop a full-blown pop record in 2014, the (pop culture) world practically stood still. With a decade-defining singles run, an abundance of critical praises, and endless good vibes, the OG album left a legacy that the Taylor’s Version built upon. Today, your hosts talk through all things about both versions of ‘1989’, all while Dani stifles her joy for her “heart album.”

Often (unfairly) overlooked and frequently (unjustly) criticized, ‘Midnights’ closer “Dear Reader” is a diaristic, confessional, and somber track that reminds its listener that, despite being full of advice, the author herself is not to be trusted. In this installment of the Mental Cages series, which doubles as Taylearning’s landmark 100th episode (!!!), Dani & Olivia break down this divisive track, chewing on every lyric to make some sense of it all. Taylor has spent the better part of two decades giving advice to millions through her lyrics, but in this song, she has herself (and the audience) wondering- is she really qualified to be a beacon of truth?

Taylor made history (again) last week when she won the Video Music Award (VMA) for Video of the Year with TTPD’s “Fortnight”- but many people believe she was undeserving of the iconic award. This video, which was directed by and starring Taylor herself, beat out several other strong contenders! The award is fan-voted, but there are also so many layers and interpretations to this metaphor-heavy video, so today we answer the trending question- do we think it earned the VOTY title? Tune in as we break it down, scene by scene!

Inarguably, the friendships we make (and lose) throughout our lives impact us greatly. The same is likely true for Taylor Swift! In our NEW mini-series, The Squad, Olivia & Dani take you through Taylor’s friendships and the impact they’ve made on her life, image, and in some cases, her music. Today, we start with up-and-coming main pop girl, Sabrina Carpenter, in honor of her #1 album ‘Short n’ Sweet’. Sabrina, who has been a Taylor fan since long before her fame, now classifies Taylor as one of her best friends. In this episode, your hosts walk you through Sabrina’s journey from OG Swiftie to Disney star to major pop star- and where Taylor fits into it all.

The prologue to ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ is one of the most intimate looks into Taylor’s mind we’ve ever been given. It’s the perfect appetizer to this massive album, and it has not received the attention it deserves…until now! In today’s episode, join Olivia & Dani as they go through the prologue line by line to better understand the stories Taylor tells throughout the album. With all of the context Taylor is giving us here, it’s a wonder more people aren’t talking about it- so crack open your TTPD vinyls/CD booklets, and let’s Taylearn together!

Taylearning is back for Season 4, and we are better than ever! Today’s Season Premiere is a continuation of The Muses miniseries, and it also brings us further into the lore of Matty Healy. As we discuss what songs The 1975’s controversial frontman may have inspired in Taylor’s discography, we also continue to unravel the story of ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ Taylor Swift gives us so much insight into her life and mind through her lyrics, so today, we are going to give you an in-depth analysis of how they fit into the story of her life…especially in regards to Matty. Listen to Part 1 if you have not yet- you’ll want to take that prerequisite before diving into this one!

SURPRISE!

We are back today with a super special in-between-seasons episode! Today, we are so excited to feature one of our favorite SwiftTokers, Jake Deyton, to chat about the recent "controversy" surrounding Taylor's fight to stay #1 on the charts. With the release of Billie Eilish's "Hit Me Hard and Soft" and the rise of Charli XCX's "brat" summer, we are reminded that Taylor's mere existence lives in the minds of stans of all artists. Jake, who has been closely following Taylor's chart positions since 2012, brings us incredible insight on what it means to "block" artists...and if it's even truly possible.

It’s finally here. In today’s electric season finale, which serves as the longest informative episode of Taylearning released to date, your hosts cover a comprehensive timeline of the torrid & sordid relationship between Taylor Swift and Matty Healy. After scouring the internet, cross-referencing multiple timelines, and reaching out to personal contacts, Dani & Olivia have compiled ~150 noteworthy moments in time…and they are ready to share their findings. It may have been surprising to most when ‘The Tortured Poets Department’s’ muse apparent was the frontman of pop rock band The 1975, but once you’re presented with the decade of details compiled in this episode, you’ll understand how a relationship that only formally lasted a month could inspire over two hours of songs…at least.

Who’s afraid of little old Taylor? Well, she tells us that we should be. In today’s penultimate episode of Season 3, Olivia & Dani revisit the Mental Cages series to dissect Track 10 from ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ This song, which is performed immaculately on The Eras Tour 2.0, is a personal and confessional look into how growing up famous/constantly scrutinized can turn a “good girl” into the monster people think she is. However, Taylor is aware that she technically put herself in this “asylum”- but does that mean she has no right to complain about it? And what of the good things she has done for artists who have followed in her footsteps…such as Billie Eilish (wanna talk about the drama, anyone)? Pop in as we talk through it all!

Have you ever felt scared to take a massive leap of faith? Because that’s what we talk about in today’s ‘Dear Taylistener’ episode! This miniseries is our version of an advice column, where we intake stories from you - the Taylisteners - and give advice through Taylor Swift songs. Today’s submission is all about the fear, loneliness, excitement, and confusion surrounding moving away from everything you know. Most of us have done it or will do it, and your hosts are both moving away right now, so what better way to wade through these complex emotions than together through Taylor lyrics?

Taylisteners, welcome to our first Harvard class! In today’s episode, prolific and iconic legal scholar/Harvard Law professor Cass Sunstein joins your hosts to talk about his new book, “How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be.” This book, released this week, covers the magic and madness of how people become famous- and how they don’t. Taylor Swift is a perfect case study of the mixture of luck and talent needed to be the biggest name in the world, so let’s talk about it with one of the best minds in higher education!