It's finally here -- the New Orleans leg of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour opens tonight at the Superdome. But why is this singer, of all the people in pop music, creating such a hysterical fan frenzy, when, with something as subjective as music, it can be hard to pin down why any certain artist just has "it?"
"It's tricky to point to any one thing," says Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate entertainment critic Keith Spera.
Spera says Swift may not be the best singer, dancer, or songwriter, but she is more than good at all three.. Plus, she has a little something extra.
"(She) has that X-factor that enables her to connect with a multi-generational audience," said Spera.
Swift has managed to keep her fans from her days as a teenage country singer-songwriter, and mature along with them.
"They've stuck with her because she's writing songs from an older perspective now, and a new generation of younger girls and women have latched on to her," said Spera. "I think she's just such an authentic voice for women who are at the same stage of life that she is."
Spera says Swift is relatable to her fans, something many other superstars aren't -- when did you ever hear anyone say "that Michael Jackson is just like me!"
"He seemed like this exotic specimen that came in from 'Planet Superstar,' whereas Taylor really still seems like, you know, she's still the 16-year-old girl writing songs in her bedroom," said Spera.
