Eras tour tickets sold for sometimes exorbitant prices and drew in millions of fans, along with many more who didn’t get in and were willing to simply sing along from the parking lot.
“I think she can’t top it right away,” Mall told AFP. “There’s just no possible way she can turn around and launch something else that has as large an impact, cultural and economic.”
For Kristin Lieb, an expert at Emerson College on pop, gender, and branding, the question of what’s next isn’t even particularly fair.
“The minute you finish a marathon, or the minute you win the World Series, or the minute somebody gets tenure, you know, the first question is, what are you going to do next?” she told AFP.
“I’m starting to make sense of that as a real cultural sickness.”
‘UP TO HER’
But in an industry that’s constantly seeking what’s young, new or fresh, “what’s next” is nevertheless always front of mind.
The Swifties are still waiting on more “Taylor’s Version” albums: Since 2021 Swift has been making good on her vow to re-record her first six studio records in a bid to own the rights to them.
She’s got two left: Reputation and Taylor Swift.
Swift also has the Grammys in early February to look forward to, with six nominations including three in the most prestigious categories for her latest studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, her fifth since 2019.
At this year’s gala, she used her award acceptance speeches to announce that new album – another surprise up her sleeve would surely delight fans.
But looking past “what’s next” is perhaps a larger question: How does an artiste define success when they’re already a cultural phenomenon, awash in riches and fame?