Just Your Best

In true Swiftie fashion, I stayed up late on December 8th on the east coast into the early hours on the 9th to watch the final grainy live stream of the Eras Tour. I knew the final mashup would be a great one, but I still was not ready for what was in store for us. Several of the mashups truly stood out to me and showcased not only her growth as an artist but also spoke to her resilience in overcoming so many different obstacles she has gone through that many of us can relate to.

To part ways with the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift ended the show with 2 beautiful mashups in her acoustic set. Some Swifties have taken their theories to TikTok that “Debut,” her self-titled album was in fact featured on the setlist the entire time, despite nearly 2 years of us wondering how she could highlight every era except her country roots. Debut is actually the only album that didn’t get a tour; it was just her and a guitar singing in bars or opening for bigger artists to prove she had a place in the music industry.

When she started her final acoustic set with “A Place in This World,” I cried because that is when it truly hit me. She was a young girl with some instruments and her voice, no backup dancers or a band to support her. Many of her band members now have been with her since her very first tour, but none of them were there back in the early 2000s before her first album launched. The acoustic set has been her portion of the show where she was alone up there like she was in the Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville the day she was discovered by her first record label. And I can’t believe it took several TikToks and 148 shows for me to finally realize that’s what she was doing in this set the whole time, paying tribute to how it all started and why she can do what she does now, selling out stadiums around the globe with her epic tour.

She wrote “A Place in This World” at 13 years old living in Pennsylvania, and according to Taylor herself, she wasn’t sure how she would fit into this music industry. Was there space for her? Would she belond? One thing she did know was that she wanted to be a part of it, to be making music for fans to relate to and that’s where it all started, writing songs in her room or in the hallways between classes, taking trips to Nashville with her parents to beg record labels to give this young girl a chance.

“I’m just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.”

To close out the Eras Tour and her final acoustic set, she transitioned from this song to a 1989-album classic, “New Romantics.” This one has always been a favorite of mine, with lines like: “I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me” and “We are too busy dancing to get knocked off our feet.” There is nothing Taylor knows better than getting knocked off her feet.

Although she has had a steady road to success with album after album outperforming the other and claiming more awards as she goes, she has faced obstacles and haters along the way that sought to put an end to her name. Any Swiftie could name at least 1 person in their own life that has, for some reason, acted as though they have a personal vendetta against Taylor and can’t stand her achievements; she’s been dissed and has had slanderous tabloids trying to defame her name that is now recognized around the world. Big name artists like Kanye West have publicly taken their shots, including his ex-wife Kim Kardashian who took a more conniving approach to bringing down Taylor by leaking edited video recordings to the media to paint her in a bad light. “New Romantics” is an uplifting song that shows how bright Taylor chooses to shine despite these efforts.

So to close out this era, the Eras of an era, the world-renowned Eras tour that grossed over $2 billion dollars, there is no more perfect a mashup than this one. Within just a few short minutes, she reminded us that she started as a girl trying to find a place in this world, reminding us that we all feel this way no matter how old we are, and the best thing you can do when even you’re not sure of your next move is to keep being you. Keep dancing, work harder, and prove everyone you are capable of far more than they fear.

In another show, she briefly spoke during the acoustic set how grateful she is for the fans who made her career possible, but most importantly, she said how every time someone “talks shit,” it makes her tougher. The haters will always find something to hate, but don’t let them rain on your parade. Prove them wrong and do the hard thing they so badly want to stop you from doing.

“I’m just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.”

Every day could feel like a battle, but treat each night like a dream; don’t give up, because one day you’ll be able to say, “I did it,” and it won’t be because of all the people that tried to drag you down or the obstacles that got in the way. It’ll be because you did it, you got smarter and tougher instead of letting your castle crumble under the pressure someone else put on it.