At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift announced the title of her new album: The Tortured Poets Department.

Well, if there was any artist to encompass the archetype of tortured poet. Welcome to the sick and twisted mind of… Taylor Swift.

Swift is undeniable in the modern day. She exceeds the reach of Michael Jackson, Madonna and any other pop star traditionally used as barometers of success. She is now a billionaire, a rare feat for an artist in the music industry. Her presence manages to seep into social and cultural life regardless of context. She’s a titan, a goliath.

This has given the impression that her success is iron-clad, eternal, due for infinite growth. But infinite growth is a fantasy that corporations tell shareholders, it’s hardly relevant to the fickle nature of culture and celebrity.

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One telltale sign of this predictable decline is sheer oversaturation. She clearly has the best public relations team in the game, calculating every move and cleaning up anything incendiary that might harm her image and the huge financial interests backing her. But good public relations can only go so far, and she will likely encounter a career moment that will shatter the illusion so delicately crafted. The........

© Herald Scotland