Spätstil Taylor Swift
Adornian Lateness and the Pop Star
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24227429 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emma Beachy (0000-0002-8860-6482, University of Michigan) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Popular Music & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0300-7766 • E-ISSN: 1740-1712 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03007766.2026.2747918 |
| OpenAlex | W7221624182 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
This article analyzes Taylor Swift’s work through Theodor Adorno’s concept of lateness. Through a close reading of “But Daddy I Love Him” and “Clara Bow” from Swift’s 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department, I argue that Swift ironically subverts stylistic conventions and creates fragmentary soundscapes to reconfigure lateness and reflect on her unstable subject position under conditions of platformed visibility, affective economy, and commodified intimacy. I complicate Adorno’s idealized vision of artistic interiority to account for commercial pressures, online infrastructures, and identity parameters, ultimately proposing lateness as a fundamental language through which the contemporary pop star constructs persona and legacy.
affective economies · Clara Bow · commercialization of music · Fragmentation · Irony · Legacy · personas · pop stars · Soundscape · Tardiness · Taylor Swift · Theodor W. Adorno · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Music History and Culture · Musicology and Musical Analysis
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| Highly cited | No |
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